Yo-Yo Ma News

Richard Tucker Award-winning tenor Stephen Costello looks forward to singing opera arias and duets al fresco on both sides of the Atlantic this summer, with appearances in New York's Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series (tonight, July 16 & 19); with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra at the city's Stern Grove Festival (Aug 18); and at the inaugural Branscombe Festival on England's south-west coast (July 27). In both California and the UK, the tenor's partner will be his wife and frequent co-star, lyric soprano Ailyn Pérez; recently billed as 'opera's hottest couple' at Los Angeles Opera, Vanity Fair says they are 'a match made in verismo heaven.'

The Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA) presents the 2013/2014 Granada Theatre Concert Series, an exciting series of performances featuring family-friendly shows and popular contemporary artists, sponsored in part by Lexus and the Santa Barbara Independent. This season, The Granada Theatre will be celebrating 90 years of music and entertainment gracing the historic theater's stage. The SBCPA, Santa Barbara's leading performing arts non-profit organization, will also collaborate with The Granada Theatre's resident companies on an outstanding line-up of performing arts accessible to the entire Santa Barbara community and beyond. This highly anticipated 90th Anniversary season will be one to remember, bringing exciting world-class talent to The Granada Theatre's stage.

On July 16, Sony Classical will release Leon Fleisher: The Complete Album Collection—a 23-CD deluxe box set spanning the legendary pianist's fifty-five years recording for the Columbia/Epic and Sony Classical labels from 1954-2009, yielding some of classical music's definitive recordings. The release comes exactly one week before Fleisher's 85th birthday on July 23, 2013, and is supported by a full schedule of appearances as pianist, conductor, and mentor, in the coming year.

Sony Classical will release Leon Fleisher: The Complete Album Collection a 23-CD deluxe box set spanning the legendary pianist's fifty-five years recordingfor the Columbia/Epic and Sony Classical labels

Superb classical music is alive and well in Fort Worth, where talented musical artists perform in beautiful settings, beneath the twinkling stars, and patrons show up by the thousands to enjoy them.

On September 22 at Amsterdam Bar and Hall in downtown Saint Paul, Nika Danilova, the woman behind Zola Jesus, brings her epic, iconoclastic sound-full of dark evocative beauty-to Saint Paul in a first-time collaboration with esteemed composer and former SPCO Artistic Partner Stephen Prutsman.

The Summer Solstice Celebration officially welcomed summer in Santa Barbara the weekend of June 21 - 23, and the highlight of the city's celebrations was the Summer Solstice Parade along State Street on Saturday, June 22. Supporters of the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA) Annual Fund were welcomed to 'Parades at The Granada Theatre,' where approximately 100 guests enjoyed special front-row seating for the 'Creature'-themed parade. Scroll down for photos!

The Philadelphia Orchestra launches an exciting 2013 summer season tonight, July 2 with a free Neighborhood Concert under the stars on the RiverStage at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing. This quintessential summer concert, presented by Wells Fargo and conducted by Philadelphia Orchestra Associate Conductor Cristian M?celaru, is followed by a spectacular fireworks display on the Delaware River. Philadelphia audiences will enjoy an array of other performances in the tri-state area this summer, with a July concert in Princeton, New Jersey's Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall-the Orchestra's first concert in Princeton in nearly 50 years; two performances at the lush Meadow at LongwoodGardens; and two weeks of concerts at the Mann in beautiful and expansive Fairmount Park.

Lyric Opera of Chicago will host a special performance by Itzhak Perlman, the world-renowned violinist, on Sunday, April 6, at 2pm.

The Philadelphia Orchestra launches an exciting 2013 summer season on July 2 with a free Neighborhood Concert under the stars on the RiverStage at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing. This quintessential summer concert, presented by Wells Fargo and conducted by Philadelphia Orchestra Associate Conductor Cristian M?celaru, is followed by a spectacular fireworks display on the Delaware River. Philadelphia audiences will enjoy an array of other performances in the tri-state area this summer, with a July concert in Princeton, New Jersey's Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall-the Orchestra's first concert in Princeton in nearly 50 years; two performances at the lush Meadow at LongwoodGardens; and two weeks of concerts at the Mann in beautiful and expansive Fairmount Park.

On October 27th at 2PM, the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony led by its music director David Bernard returns to the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall for a program of Dvorak, Brahms, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. Featured in the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2 is 11 year old Daniela Liebman, making her Carnegie Hall Debut. BWW Classical World sat down with Daniela Liebman to find out more about this incredible young talent.

Howard Fishman and his Band will perform on Thursday, July 11 as part of The Jewish Museum's popular SummerNights concert series. According to The New York Times, Howard Fishman 'transcends time and idiom' performing his particular blend of jazz, pop, blues and experimental music. This event also includes an open bar with wine and light refreshments. Doors open at 7pm, and the concert begins at 7:30pm. The Jewish Museum is located at Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, Manhattan.

As Santa Barbara celebrates the beginning of summer, the Santa Barbara Center for Performing Arts' Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement is introducing a series of family-friendly activities, including 'Parades at The Granada Theatre,' an opportunity to experience Santa Barbara's State Street parades from seats right in front of the theater. The Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement works to support the SBCPA's commitment to ensuring that the entire community is actively engaged with, and inspired by, The Granada Theatre.

As Santa Barbara celebrates the beginning of summer, the Santa Barbara Center for Performing Arts' Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement is introducing a series of family-friendly activities, including 'Parades at The Granada Theatre,' an opportunity to experience Santa Barbara's State Street parades from seats right in front of the theater. The Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement works to support the SBCPA's commitment to ensuring that the entire community is actively engaged with, and inspired by, The Granada Theatre.

Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, announced yesterday that the company is projecting a breakeven operating performance for fiscal year 2013. Lyric has operated in the black for 25 of the past 26 years-a record among the country's major not-for-profit music and performing-arts companies.

Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, the nationally renowned not-for-profit day camp, whose alumni include such artists as Natalie Portman, Mariah Carey, Jane Monheit and members of major music and dance ensembles, announces its 2013 Festival Concerts. These are private educational performances staged in Usdan's on-site, 1,000-seat McKinley Ampitheater, giving students unique exposure to the arts.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) and the Aspen Institute Arts Program (Director, Damian Woetzel) will welcome Christine Baranski, Gloria Reuben and Matt Damon for the free Public Forum, WHAT ARE WE WORTH? SHAKESPEARE, MONEY, AND MORALS, tonight, June 17 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA), in partnership with the Santa Barbara Symphony, is proud to present My Fair Lady in Concert today, June 16 at 3:00 pm at the historic Granada Theatre. This special performance comes to Santa Barbara directly from one of the country's leading centers for the performing arts, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., with a world-class cast under the talented direction of Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge. The famous original score will be performed by the Santa Barbara Symphony, under the direction of James Moore.

Richard Tucker Award-winning tenor Stephen Costello looks forward to singing opera arias and duets al fresco on both sides of the Atlantic this summer, with appearances in New York's Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series (July 16 & 19); with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra at the city's Stern Grove Festival (Aug 18); and at the inaugural Branscombe Festival on England's south-west coast (July 27). In both California and the UK, the tenor's partner will be his wife and frequent co-star, lyric soprano Ailyn Pérez; recently billed as 'opera's hottest couple' at Los Angeles Opera, Vanity Fair says they are 'a match made in verismo heaven.'

Though summer is just around the corner, we are looking ahead in anticipation to the start of Carnegie Hall's 2013-2014 season this fall. Listed below are jazz, pop, folk, and world music highlights at Carnegie Hall, beginning with our Opening Night Gala concert on October 2, which features jazz artistEsperanza Spalding as special guest soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra.