Samarie Alicea

Opera legend Lucine Amara, Artistic Director of the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, announces the winners and the finalists selected in the company's 30th Annual International Vocal Competition.  Baritone Gerardo de la Torre from Mexico and soprano Joowon Chae from New York tied for first place and will share a $3,000 award.  Tenor Tianchi Zhang of New Jersey was awarded third place and a $500 prize.  In May 2018, the international competition opened to singers of all ages worldwide.

After last season's much-buzzed-about Butterfly and Carmen, HEARTBEAT OPERA-the daring young company whose unconventional orchestrations and stagings of classic operas have been called 'a radical endeavor' by Alex Ross in The New Yorker-returns to Baruch Performing Arts Center with its fourth annual Spring Festival May 2-13, 2018. Heartbeat premieres adaptations of two operatic masterpieces, both radically staged, trimmed down and re-orchestrated: Mozart's DON GIOVANNI and Beethoven's FIDELIO.

New York City Opera continued its 2017-18 Chamber Opera Series with a unique double bill of Donizetti's Il Pigmalione and Rameau's Pigmalion, the first time these one-act gems will be presented on the same program. The production also marks the New York premiere of Donizetti's first opera. This double was directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, with Gil Rose conducting the New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Two performances of Il Pigmalione/Pigmalion were presented at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater on Saturday, March 24 at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 25 at 4:00 p.m.

There's no 'Enry 'Iggins or 'Liza Doolittle in Donizetti's IL PIGMALIONE or Rameau's PIGMALION--we'll have to wait for Lincoln Center Theatre's MY FAIR LADY revival (based on Shaw's PYGMALION) next month for that. But this pair of oddities, produced by New York City Opera last weekend at the Gerald Lynch Theatre, gave us the chance to see how the legend of the man who fell in love with a statue and brought it to life was handled by a pair of major composers--if not proving their neglect has been unwarranted.

After last season's much-buzzed-about Butterfly and Carmen, HEARTBEAT OPERA-the daring young company whose unconventional orchestrations and stagings of classic operas have been called 'a radical endeavor' by Alex Ross in The New Yorker-returns to Baruch Performing Arts Center with its fourth annual Spring Festival May 2-13, 2018. Heartbeat will premiere adaptations of two operatic masterpieces, both radically staged, trimmed down and re-orchestrated: Mozart's DON GIOVANNI and Beethoven's FIDELIO. 

New York City Opera continues its 2017-18 Chamber Opera Series with a unique double bill of Donizetti's Il Pigmalione and Rameau's Pigmalion, the first time these one-act gems will be presented on the same program. The production also marks the New York premiere of Donizetti's first opera. This double bill will be directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, with Gil Rose conducting the New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Two performances of Il Pigmalione/Pigmalion will be presented at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater on Saturday, March 24 at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 25 at 4:00 p.m.

Last June, New York City Opera inaugurated its Opera en Español series with the long-awaited New York premiere of Daniel Catàn's Florencia en el Amazonas. This May, following the critical success of the company's modern day revival of Respighi's rarely heard La Campana Sommersa, New York City Opera will present the second installment in its Opera en Español series with the American premiere of Antonio Literes's circa 1713 Spanish Baroque opera, Los Elementos. Richard Stafford will direct and choreograph the compact, one-hour work with sets by John Farrell, costumes by Janet O'Neill, lighting by Susan Roth and hair and makeup by Georgianna Eberhard. Sopranos Samarie Alicea and Chelsea Bonagura and mezzo-sopranos Melanie Ashkar and Kelsey Robertson will make their City Opera debuts as the four elements: Air (El Ayre), Water (El Agua), Earth (La Tierra), and Fire (El Fuego). City Opera veteran baritone Marco Nisticó returns to portray Time (El Tiempo) and mezzo-soprano Magda Gartner is featured as the Dawn (La Aurora). Pacien Mazzagatti, New York City Opera's Principal Conductor, will lead the New York City Opera Orchestra in Literes's evocative and atmospheric score.

A friendly reminder! The acclaimed revival of ¡Figaro! (90210) begins performances tomorrow, Friday, April 7th for a limited run of 15 performances only, through April 23rd.

Following a critically-acclaimed run in 2016, ¡Figaro! (90210) returns to the New York stage April 7th through April 23rd for 15 performances only. The cast recently met the press and BroadwayWorld was there to capture the action. Check out the photos!

Following a critically-acclaimed run in 2016, ¡Figaro! (90210) returns to the New York stage April 7th through April 23rd for 15 performances only.

Following recent political clashes over immigration and border control, ¡Figaro! (90210) returns to the New York stage April 7th - 23rd, for 15 performances only. With its unique mix of uproarious comedy and biting social commentary to highlight the importance of cultural inclusion in a nation of immigrants, ¡Figaro! (90210) will be back at The Duke on 42nd Street, a New 42nd Street project (229 West 42nd Street).

Plácido Domingo took time out from his busy rehearsal schedule at the Metropolitan Opera to catch the hit new comic opera ¡Figario! (90210) at the Duke on 42nd Street.  

Echoing current presidential candidates' contentious views on immigration, the opera ¡FIGARO! (90210) brings the debate over immigration reform and income equality center stage when the production opens tomorrow, Thursday, March 24th at The Duke on 42nd Street, a New 42nd Street project (229 West 42nd Street). After highly acclaimed concert performances in 2013, and a sold-out run with LA Opera in January 2015, ¡FIGARO! (90210) is making its New York stage premiere for a limited engagement through Sunday, April 3rd. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Echoing current presidential candidates' contentious views on immigration, the opera ¡Figaro! (90210) brings the debate over immigration reform and income equality center stage beginning Saturday, March 19th at The Duke on 42nd Street, a New 42nd Street project (229 West 42nd Street).

After highly acclaimed concert performances in 2013, and a sold-out run with LA Opera in January 2015,  ¡Figaro! (90210) makes its New York stage premiere, opening Thursday,  March 24th at The Duke on 42nd Street, a New 42nd Street project (229 West 42nd Street).