Widely renowned for fueling the resurrection of Handel’s operas, City Opera continues its exploration of the Baroque by presenting the New York premiere of Georg Philipp Telemann’s 1726 opera Orpheus. Rediscovered only in the late 20th century, this inventive score showcases the composer’s progressive spirit and vivid imagination.
The tri-lingual libretto in German, French, and Italian features text drawn from operas by Handel and Lully and offers a unique twist on the Orpheus myth, focusing on the character Orasia, Queen of Thrace, whose jealousy brings about the destruction of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Debut artist Daniel Teadt sings the title role in this new production staged at El Museo del Barrio (1230 Fifth Avenue between 104th and 105th Streets). Performed in German, French, and Italian with English supertitles.
The 21st annual production of Pittsburgh CLO's A Musical Christmas Carol will feature returning favorites and a host of exciting new cast members, led by Pittsburgh's own Tom Atkins as Ebenezer Scrooge.
The Church of the Transfiguration ('The Little Church Around the Corner') presents A BAROQUE CHRISTMAS: THE CANDLELIGHT CONCERT with the Transfiguration Choir of Men and Boys, Girls Choir, and Camerata with the Transfiguration Early Instrument Ensemble: Claudia Dumschat, conductor on Friday, December 14, 2012 at 7:30pm.
The 2013 Lincoln Center American Songbook series has just been announced via the New York Times.
The 21st annual production of Pittsburgh CLO's A Musical Christmas Carol will feature returning favorites and a host of exciting new cast members, led by Pittsburgh's own Tom Atkins as Ebenezer Scrooge.
Yale Repertory Theatre, in a co-production with American Repertory Theater, presents the world premiere of Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi, directed by Rebecca Taichman. Marie Antoinette will be performed at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street) October 26 through November 17. Opening Night is Thursday, November 1. The cast includes Fred Arsenault, Hannah Cabell, David Greenspan, Marin Ireland, Vin Knight, Jo Lampert, Polly Lee, Steven Rattazzi, Jake Silbermann, Teale Sperling, Brian Wiles, and Ashton Woerz.
Yale Repertory Theatre, in a co-production with American Repertory Theater, presents the world premiere of Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi, directed by Rebecca Taichman. Marie Antoinette will be performed at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street) October 26 through November 17. Opening Night is Thursday, November 1. The cast includes Fred Arsenault, Hannah Cabell, David Greenspan, Marin Ireland, Vin Knight, Jo Lampert, Polly Lee, Steven Rattazzi, Jake Silbermann, Teale Sperling, Brian Wiles, and Ashton Woerz.
Fort Worth Opera revealed today the names of the composers whose works have been selected for participation in the first season of the company's exciting, annual new works program, Frontiers, making its debut May 6 - 11, 2013. The showcase will present eight unpublished works by composers from the Americas during the last week of the 2013 Opera Festival in the McDavid Studio across from Bass Hall in downtown Fort Worth.
Continuing its 12-year relationship with Athol Fugard, The Fountain Theatre celebrates the master playwright's 80th birthday with the U.S. premiere of his newest play. Directed by Stephen Sachs and starring Morlan Higgins, Julanne Chidi Hill and Jacqueline Schultz, The Blue Iris opens at the Fountain tonight, August 24. Get a first look at the cast onstage in the photos below!
Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) and HERE announce programming for the inaugural PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now, running January 9-19, 2013, in New York City. This two-week festival, distilling the curatorial visions of artistic directors Kristin Marting (of HERE), Beth Morrison (of BMP), and Kim Whitener (of HERE), features visionary music-theatre and opera-theatre works by pioneering artists from NYC and around the world. PROTOTYPE is unique in providing a permanent theatrical home for the presentation of such quality productions, spotlighting the high-caliber creations of an exciting new generation of composers and collaborators, with a focus on chamber-sized works.
Continuing its 12-year relationship with Athol Fugard, The Fountain Theatre celebrates the master playwright's 80th birthday with the U.S. premiere of his newest play. Directed by Stephen Sachs and starring Morlan Higgins, Julanne Chidi Hill and Jacqueline Schultz, The Blue Iris opens at the Fountain on August 24, with low-priced previews beginning August 18.
Opera, orchestral and pop music are on the menu at Lincoln Center Festival (today, July 5-August 5). Highlights include the New York premieres of two operas: Kaija Saariaho and Amin Maalouf's monodrama Émilie on July 19, 21 and 22 performed by soprano Elizabeth Futral and directed by Marianne Weems and inspired by the life of French mathematician Émilie du Chatelet; and Guo Wenjing's chamber opera, Feng Yi Ting on July 26, 27 and 28, based on an ancient story of a legendary beauty who was the central figure in a dangerous rivalry, directed by Atom Egoyan. July 20, 21 and 22 the Paris Opera Ballet will perform the U.S. premiere of Pina Bausch's dance/opera Orpheus and Eurydice to music by C.W. Gluck. On July 20, the Festival features a 70th birthday tribute to the late soul music icon Curtis Mayfield with a star line-up including Sinead O'Connor, Aloe Blacc and The Impressions. On July 11, John Adams leads the Juilliard Orchestra and London's Royal Academy of Music in concertin Avery Fisher Hall. Imogen Cooper is the piano soloist.
Nigel Redden, Director of Lincoln Center Festival, announced the Festival's line-up, which runs from tonight, July 5 through August 5, 2012. Theater offerings include Mikhail Baryshnikov in Dmitry Krymov's staging of a new play, In Paris, as well as Sydney Theatre Company's acclaimed production of Uncle Vanya directed by Tamas Ascher and adapted by Andrew Upton. The stellar cast includes John Bell, Cate Blanchett, Hayley McElhinney, Richard Roxburgh, and Hugo Weaving.
Opera, orchestral and pop music are on the menu at Lincoln Center Festival (July 5-August 5). Highlights include the New York premieres of two operas: Kaija Saariaho and Amin Maalouf's monodrama Émilie on July 19, 21 and 22 performed by soprano Elizabeth Futral and directed by Marianne Weems and inspired by the life of French mathematician Émilie du Chatelet; and Guo Wenjing's chamber opera, Feng Yi Ting on July 26, 27 and 28, based on an ancient story of a legendary beauty who was the central figure in a dangerous rivalry, directed by Atom Egoyan. July 20, 21 and 22 the Paris Opera Ballet will perform the U.S. premiere of Pina Bausch's dance/opera Orpheus and Eurydice to music by C.W. Gluck. On July 20, the Festival features a 70th birthday tribute to the late soul music icon Curtis Mayfield with a star line-up including Sinead O'Connor, Aloe Blacc and The Impressions. On July 11, John Adams leads the Juilliard Orchestra and London's Royal Academy of Music in concertin Avery Fisher Hall. Imogen Cooper is the piano soloist.
Accordo, established in 2009, is a Minnesota-based chamber group. Its fourth season (2012-13) will be presented by The Schubert Club, Northrop Concerts and Lectures, and Kate Nordstrum Projects at the National Historic Landmark Christ Church Lutheran, one of the Twin Cities' great architectural treasures designed by the esteemed architect Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen.
The Ensemble Studio Theatre honors two of its most distinguished members, the acclaimed actress Lois Smith and two-time Board chair G.H. 'Denny' Denniston, Jr with its 2012 Distinguished Member Award at a "Fun-Raiser" benefit celebration this evening, May 14.
The Ensemble Studio Theatre will honor two of its most distinguished members, the acclaimed actress Lois Smith and two-time Board chair G.H. 'Denny' Denniston, Jr with its 2012 Distinguished Member Award at a "Fun-Raiser" benefit celebration Monday evening, May 14.
For the first time on the West Coast, audiences will have the opportunity to see Ainadamar fully staged in its acclaimed revised version. Long Beach Opera (LBO) presents Argentine composer Oswaldo Golijov and librettist David Henry Hwang's powerful Grammy Award-winning opera on May 20 and May 26, 2012 at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach, CA. Based on the life of famous writer Federico Garcia Lorca and his murder by Fascists during the Spanish Civil War, Ainadamar celebrates Lorca's fight for artistic, political and personal freedom.
The Ensemble Studio Theatre will honor two of its most distinguished members, the acclaimed actress Lois Smith and two-time Board chair G.H. 'Denny' Denniston, Jr with its 2012 Distinguished Member Award at a "Fun-Raiser" benefit celebration Monday evening, May 14, at 6:45pm at SIR Stage 37, 508 West 37th Street. Tickets are $350. Jill Jaffe is the event designer and producer and Jason Bruffy is director and producer. Additional ticket, table and ad packages are available. For information contact Benefit Coordinator Aubrie Fennecken at (212) 247-4982 x.106
The Fountain Theatre and Deaf West Theatre present the world premiere of a modern day classic romance, a re-imagined signed/spoken version of "Cyrano de Bergerac." CYRANO, written by Fountain Theatre co-artistic director Stephen Sachs (Bakersfield Mist) and directed by Simon Levy, opens at The Fountain Theatre on April 28, with previews beginning April 20.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) continues its popular "Baroque Conversations" with a program featuring three Bach sonatas performed by LACO Music Director and keyboardist Jeffrey Kahane and three LACO principals on Thursday, April 19, 2012, 7 pm, at Zipper Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Kahane, who celebrates his 15th anniversary as LACO music director, performs the Viola da Gamba Sonata in G major, BWV 1027 with Principal Cello Andrew Shulman; the Oboe Sonata in G minor, BWV 1030b with Principal Oboe Allan Vogel; and the Violin Sonata in E major, BWV 1016 with Concertmaster Margaret Batjer. Kahane shares his insights into the music from the stage and invites questions from the audience. A complimentary pre-concert wine reception for ticket holders begins at 6 pm.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) continues its popular "Baroque Conversations" with a program featuring three Bach sonatas performed by LACO Music Director and keyboardist Jeffrey Kahane and three LACO principals on Thursday, April 19, 2012, 7 pm, at Zipper Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Kahane, who celebrates his 15th anniversary as LACO music director, performs the Viola da Gamba Sonata in G major, BWV 1027 with Principal Cello Andrew Shulman; the Oboe Sonata in G minor, BWV 1030b with Principal Oboe Allan Vogel; and the Violin Sonata in E major, BWV 1016 with Concertmaster Margaret Batjer. Kahane shares his insights into the music from the stage and invites questions from the audience. A complimentary pre-concert wine reception for ticket holders begins at 6 pm.
Herbert Blomstedt comes to Walt Disney Concert Hall to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in three performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14, at 8 pm, as well as Sunday, April 15, at 2pm. Also performing are soprano Ruth Ziesak, mezzo-soprano Gerhild Romberger, tenor Richard Croft, bass-baritone Hanno Muller-Brachmann and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
Beethoven's 80-minute Missa Solemnis, considered by the composer to be his greatest work, is atypical for him. It's missing the sustained development of themes that is one of the composer's hallmarks. Also missing is Beethoven's penchant for theme and variations. Instead, the Missa presents a continuous musical narrative, almost without repetition.
The first LA Phil performances (in 1952) were followed by downtown performances in 1961, 1970 and 1980. The work has not been performed by the Philharmonic in 32 years.
Herbert Blomstedt was chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden from 1975 to 1985 and, in his continued relationship with the orchestra, was awarded its Golden Badge of Honour in 2007. Additionally, he holds the following titles with the various orchestras: Honorary Conductor of the NHK Symphony, Conductor Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony, Honorary Conductor of the Gewandhausorchester in Leipzig, the Danish and Swedish Symphony, as well as the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he continues guest conducting the world's most pre-eminent orchestras. Blomstedt, who celebrates his 85th birthday in 2012, has an extensive discography that includes over 130 works with the Dresden Staatskapelle, among them all symphonies of Beethoven and Schubert, as well as the complete orchestral works of Carl Nielsen with the Danish Radio Symphony. With the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra he recorded exclusively for Decca. Several of the numerous recordings received major awards; the complete cycles of the symphonies of Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen enjoy reference standard. In September 2012, to make Blomstedt's jubiless, the querstand label is releasing a CD box set with all the symphonies by Anton Bruckner from live recordings with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Blomstedt has received several Honorary Doctorates and is an elected member of the Royal Swedish Music Academy and he was awarded the 'Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz' by the German Federal President Johannes Rau.
Following her debut at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein based in Dusseldorf and Duisburg, Ruth Ziesak's career led her from the stages of Munich, Stuttgart, Berlin and Dresden to the international platforms of Milan, Florence, Vienna, Paris, London and New York, where she shone in signature roles of Pamina, Ännchen, Marzelline, Ilia and Sophie. She has also extended her repertoire and made her debut in the role of the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro in Glyndebourne and Zurich. It is in this role that she appeared at the Wurttembergisches Staatstheater in Stuttgart under Manfred Honeck in the 2009/10 season. The versatile artist is a much sought-after concert soloist and works with the leading orchestras in Paris, Milan, Vienna, Munich, Leipzig, Amsterdam and London. She is also a frequent guest at the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and the BBC Proms. In addition to her concert recordings with Georg Solti, Riccardo Chailly and Herbert Blomstedt for Decca, Ziesak has recorded Die Zauberflote (Solti/Decca), Fidelio (Dohnanyi/Decca), La Clemenza di Tito (Harnoncourt/Teldec), Der Freischutz (Janowski/BMG), Hansel und Gretel (Runnicles/ Teldec) and Robert Schumann's Genoveva with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Harnoncourt/Teldec). Her solo recordings include Opera Arias by Mozart with the Deutsche Symphonie Orchester Berlin (German Symphony Orchestra Berlin) conducted by Marcus Creed (Capriccio) and lieder by Mahler (Gatti/BMG), as well as a series of lieder recitals for BMG, Naxos and Sony with Ulrich Eisenlohr.
Recent highlights of Gerhild Romberger's concert career include concerts with Manfred Honeck, who invited her for, among others, Mahler´s symphonies, Beethoven´s Missa Solemnis or the Große Messe by Walter Braunfels. Additional highlights include concerts at the NDR Hamburg with Wolfgang Rihm´s Drei spate Gedichte von Heiner Muller, with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Prague, numerous performances with Enoch zu Guttenberg (among others Bach´s Passions, Verdi´s Messa da Requiem, Beethoven´s Missa solemnis and Wagner´s Wesendoncklieder). She frequently works with the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester under Riccardo Chailly, as well as with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (in Schmidt´s Buch mit den sieben Siegeln and Mendelsson´s Elias with Thomas Hengelbrock), the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Herbert Blomstedt, the Symphony Orchestras of WDR and MDR and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. This season, Romberger performs with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Czech Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, on tour with Beethoven's Missa solemnis with the Orchestre des Champs Elysees Paris under Philippe Herreweghe, the Bavarian Radio Chorus and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck in the United States and on tour in Europe.
American tenor Richard Croft is internationally renowned for his performances with leading opera companies and orchestras around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Salzburg Festival, Opera National de Paris, the Berlin Staatsoper, Opera Zurich, Glyndebourne Festival, the Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. His clarion voice, superlative musicianship and commanding stage presence allow him to pursue a wide breadth of repertoire from Handel and Mozart to the music of today's composers. The 2011/2012 season sees Croft returning to the Metropolitan Opera for an encore engagement of their visually extravagant production of Satyagraha in the role of Gandhi which will also be broadcast live in HD to movie theatres around the world. He continues the operatic season with Bayerische Staatsoper where he will play the title role in Mitridate under Ivor Bolton. He began the concert season with two performances of the Messiah with the Minnesota Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and continues with performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and then with the Berliner Philharmonker conducted by Herbet Blomstedt.
Hanno Muller-Brachmann has sung with many of the world's leading orchestras and conductors, including: Bach's St. Matthew Passion with the London Philharmonic under Masur, Bach's St. John Passion with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra under Gardiner and with the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester under Blomstedt, Berlioz's Romeo et Juliette with the Berlin Staatskappelle under Luisi, Schubert's Alfons und Estrella with the Berlin Philharmonic under Harnoncourt, Beethoven IX with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Dohnanyi and with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under Chailly and Beethoven IX and Rossini's Stabat Mater with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi under Chailly, Britten's War Requiem with the European Youth Orchestra under Ashkenazy and Beethoven IX with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Haitink. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Barenboim and has sung at the Festivals of Granada, Dresden, Salzburg, Lucerne, Vienna's Klangbogen, Tanglewood and the BBC Proms. Muller-Brachmann made his operatic debut in 1996 in Telemann's Orpheus under Rene Jacobs at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, where he was a member of the ensemble from 1998 and where he sang the great Mozart roles of Leporello, Figaro, Guglielmo and Papageno as well as his first Wotan under Barenboim. In addition to opera and oratorio, he can be heard in recitals in Berlin at both the Staatsoper and Philharmonie. He has given recitals in Graz, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Tokyo, Hamburg, Paris, Lausanne, London's Wigmore Hall and at the Vienna Konzerthaus, and at the Schwarzenberg Schubertiade, Berlin Festwochen, Ittingen and Edinburgh Festivals. He also works with the pianists Burkhard Kehring, Andras Schiff, Philippe Jordan, Graham Johnson, Malcolm Martineau and Daniel Barenboim.
Giving a voice to Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC), considered one of the world's leading choirs, is led by Music Director Grant Gershon. The Los Angeles Times proclaims, "Under Gershon, the Master Chorale seems to be able to master anything," The New York Times calls the choir "inspired," and The New York Observer declares it "a superb vocal ensemble." The Chorale is currently in its 48th season as a resident company of the Music Center of Los Angeles County and its 9th as the resident chorus at Disney Hall. Presenting its own concert series each season, it performs choral music from the earliest writings to the most recent contemporary compositions. To date, the choir has commissioned 27 and premiered 69 new works, of which 44 were world premieres, and has been awarded the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming three times - in 1995, 2003 and 2010. Its discography includes four CDs under Gershon's baton: A Good Understanding, an all-Nico Muhly disk recorded at Disney Hall and released by Decca in September 2010; Daniel Variations by Steve Reich, released in spring 2008 on Nonesuch Records; You Are (Variations) by Steve Reich, released in September 2005 on Nonesuch Records; and an RCM recording featuring Esa-Pekka Salonen's first choral work, Two Songs to Poems of Ann Jaderlund, and Philip Glass' Itaipu. A fifth CD with Gershon, to be recorded in June 2012 at Disney Hall and released in Fall 2012 on Decca, will feature three works by Polish composer Henryk Gorecki, including his rapturous Miserere, and two that have never been recorded - Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise) and Five Marian Songs. LAMC previously released three CDs under Music Director Emeritus Paul Salamunovich on RCM, including the Grammy-nominated Lauridsen-Lux Aeterna. The Chorale is also featured with Gershon on the soundtracks of such major motion pictures as Charlie Wilson's War, Lady in the Water, and License to Wed. Serving more than 30,000 audience members of all ages annually, the Los Angeles Master Chorale also provides education outreach to some 6,000 students each year.
Tune in to PBS tonight, April 6, 2012 at 8:00p.m. for Live From Lincoln Center's telecast of Renee Fleming in a special intimate concert from the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse.
Nigel Redden, Director of Lincoln Center Festival, today announced the Festival's line-up, which runs from July 5 through August 5, 2012. Single tickets go on sale on April 2. Theater offerings include Mikhail Baryshnikov in Dmitry Krymov's staging of a new play, In Paris, as well as Sydney Theatre Company's acclaimed production of Uncle Vanya directed by Tamas Ascher and adapted by Andrew Upton. The stellar cast includes John Bell, Cate Blanchett, Hayley McElhinney, Richard Roxburgh, and Hugo Weaving.
The Fountain Theatre and Deaf West Theatre present the world premiere of a modern day classic romance, a re-imagined signed/spoken version of "Cyrano de Bergerac." CYRANO, written by Fountain Theatre co-artistic director Stephen Sachs (Bakersfield Mist) and directed by Simon Levy, opens at The Fountain Theatre on April 28, with previews beginning April 20.
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