Raymond Aceto News

A man who sells his soul for worldly gain finds a perfect home in the Beltway as Washington National Opera stages Charles Gounod's 1859 opera Faust,performed in French with projected English titles. After a 25-year absence from its stage, WNO resurrects the French classic filled with depression, damnation, and demons in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Immortalized by Goethe's dramatic work, Gounod set the legendary German tale of Faust to music with libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carre. The opera follows the aging Dr. Faust who is willing to exchange Heaven's rewards for Earth's mortal pleasures. After a pact with Mephistopheles that restores his youth, Faustpursues the lovely Marguerite only to learn his salvation is tragically bound to others, especially for those he loves most. In the tradition of grand French opera and featuring a storybook aesthetic and memorable music, including Marguerite's "Jewel Song," the Soldiers' Chorus and the final trio, Faust returns for six performances, March 16-30, 2019, with tickets starting at $45.

Alexander Birch Elliott will sing Zurga in all remaining performances of Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles, replacing Mariusz Kwiecien, who has withdrawn due to illness.

Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers) returns to the Metropolitan Opera for seven performances November 14–December 8, 2018. Bizet's opera tells the story of a beautiful Hindu temple priestess pursued by rival pearl divers competing for her love. The cast is led by soprano Pretty Yende as Leïla, tenor Javier Camarena as Nadir, and baritone Mariusz Kwiecien as Zurga, led by conductor Emmanuel Villaume.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic will start selling its FLEX PASS to patrons on Monday, July 2, 2018.  This will be the fourth concert season that the Philharmonic has offered the Flex Pass as an alternative to its traditional subscription packages.  FLEX PASS is a membership-based program that offers customization and flexibility for patrons to decide which concert(s) they want to attend at a later date.  The FLEX PASS offers 6 seats to any of the Philharmonic's Reynolds Hall performances in the upcoming 2018?2019 season.  The seats can be redeemed all at once or broken into any configuration, using up to a maximum of 6 seats.  

San Francisco Opera's presentation of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) opens tonight with the first of three complete cycles, each presented over the course of one week as the composer originally intended, from June 12 through July 1 at the War Memorial Opera House. Encompassing four operas-Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried and Gotterdammerung-and more than 17 hours, Wagner's Ring is one of the most ambitious works of music, theater and stagecraft ever created.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic and Music Director Donato Cabrera announced the 2018 - 2019 concert season today, which will include 13 performances from September 15, 2018 - May 11, 2019 at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.  This marks the orchestra's 20th concert season and Cabrera's 5th season as Music Director for the Las Vegas Philharmonic.  The upcoming season begins with works by Leonard Bernstein as part of a world-wide celebration of his 100th birthday and the orchestra performs selections from West Side Story and Candide.  Other composers featuring prominently in the new season include Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, John Williams and others. The critically-acclaimed horror film Psycho will be presented in full on the large screen with the orchestra performing the entire spine-tingling score live in a concert for film and music lovers alike in October.   In November, a piano concerto composed by Philip Glass and commissioned by the Las Vegas Philharmonic as part of a consortium of orchestras will be performed by pianist Simone Dinnerstein.  Two holiday concerts in December will delight with nostalgia and feature a special reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas as well as powerful vocal performances by Kristen Hertzenberg and Travis Cloer.  Once again, we dedicate an entire evening to epic film scores by John Williams and perform music spanning four decades of fan favorites from films including Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Harry Potter, and Memoirs of a Geisha in January.  The orchestra features two of its own principal musicians, De Ann Letourneau (violin) and Andrew Smith (cello), as guest soloists in February's An Evening of Brahms.  For the first time, the orchestra is joined by the group Time For Three, an American trio that boasts an uncommon mix of virtuosity and showmanship on music from Bach to Brahms in addition to originals and their own arrangements of everything from bluegrass to mash-ups of hits by the Beatles, Justin Timberlake and more at the March 2019 concert.  In April, the second installment of the Music Unwound initiative with the National Endowment for the Humanities explores Czech composer Antonin Dvo?ak and his New World Symphony.  The Philharmonic's chorus-in-residence, the Las Vegas Master Singers will perform at the holiday concerts in addition to May's presentation of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Marking the third year of the orchestra's American German Cultural Exchange Fellowship, violinist Thomas Reif will perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in May's season finale. In a finale befitting a 20th Anniversary celebration, acclaimed vocalists Felicia Moore (soprano), Kelley O'Connor (Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano), Sean Panikkar (tenor) and Raymond Aceto (bass) will also perform on Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.

San Francisco Opera presents Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) in three complete cycles, each presented over the course of one week as the composer originally intended, from June 12 through July 1 at the War Memorial Opera House. Encompassing four operas-Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried and Gotterdammerung-and more than 17 hours, the story and music of Wagner's Ring are the acme of the operatic artform and one of the most ambitious works of music, theater and stagecraft ever created. In anticipation of the performances, San Francisco Opera today announced a schedule for its Ring Festival events designed to provide the public, from first-timers to experienced Ring-goers, with enriching activities including lectures, symposia, film screenings, musical programs, public discussions and a Ring Community Day for families.

Washington National Opera (WNO), led by Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, announces its 2018-2019 season, one that continues its focus on bold productions of classic operas, fascinating contemporary perspectives, and the best in American artistry. The season includes a new WNO production of Verdi's classic romantic drama La traviata, the company premiere of Kevin Puts's and Mark Campbell's Pulitzer Prize-winning Silent Night, Tchaikovsky's epic Eugene Onegin, Gounod's devilishly entertaining Faust, and Puccini's towering masterpiece Tosca. The season also features a weekend of four world premieres during the American Opera Initiative Festival; a revival of WNO's hit world-premiere holiday family opera The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me; a special Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist performance of La traviata; and other exciting vocal events, including the annual Mars, lnc.'s Opera in the Outfield.

Franz Welser-M st will lead concerts on three continents as part of The Cleveland Orchestra's 100th season in 2017-18, including two trips to Europe, appearances in New York City, and a return to Tokyo's Suntory Hall. All told, over 20 concerts are planned across seven weeks of touring, in addition to the Orchestra's regular home season in Cleveland at Severance Hall.

San Francisco Opera inaugurated its 95th season with a weekend of celebrations and performances beginning on Friday, September 8 with two galas Opera Ball 2017 at The Imperial Palace and the BRAVO! CLUB Opening Night Gala and a performance of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot in artist David Hockney's colorful production. At the opera's conclusion, San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti, who conducted the performance, was awarded the San Francisco Opera Medal.

San Francisco Opera inaugurates its 95th season on Friday, September 8, with Puccini's Turandot, staged in the iconic production by English artist David Hockney and conducted by Company Music Director Nicola Luisotti, and two opening night galas. Saturday, September 9 features the opening of a new production of Richard Strauss' Elektra. The festivities continue on Sunday, September 10, with San Francisco Chronicle Presents Opera in the Park, an annual Bay Area tradition celebrating the opening of the opera season with a free concert in Golden Gate Park.

San Francisco Opera announced today a casting update for its season-opening production of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot, running from September 8 through 30 at the War Memorial Opera House. American soprano Toni Marie Palmertree will sing Liu, replacing Maria Agresta who has withdrawn due to illness. Originally scheduled to portray Puccini's tragic heroine on September 24 and 30, Palmertree will now perform in all six September performances.

San Francisco Opera Guild in collaboration with San Francisco Opera Association today announced details for Opera Ball 2017 at The Imperial Palace, a gala benefit celebrating the opening of the Company's 95th Season on Friday, September 8.

Single (non-subscription) tickets for San Francisco Opera's 2017 Fall Season at the War Memorial Opera House go on sale Monday, June 26, 2017, at 10 a.m. Tickets may be purchased online at sfopera.com; in-person at the San Francisco Opera Box Office, located at 301 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco and open Mondays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and by phone at (415) 864-3330 during Box Office hours. Full and Half Series subscription packages are also available. Tickets for the three cycles of Wagner's Ring during the summer of 2018 are available as complete, four-opera cycles only.

The partnership between San Francisco Opera and the Bay Area's Classical KDFC continues with monthly broadcasts of performances captured during the Fall 2016 Season, including the world premiere of Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang's Dream of the Red Chamber, and a historic broadcast from the Company's archives. All performances were recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House and feature the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Ian Robertson, Chorus Director).

San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock and Music Director Nicola Luisotti today announced plans for the 2017-18 repertory season. The Company's 95th season will open Friday, September 8 with a gala performance of Giacomo Puccini'sTurandot led by Maestro Luisotti and an international cast starring Martina Serafin, Maria Agresta and Brian Jagde.

San Francisco Opera's 2016–17 Season continues with ten performances of Giacomo Puccini's heartbreaking drama Madama Butterfly, November 6 through December 4 at the War Memorial Opera House. The cast will feature the much-anticipated American debut of young Italian tenor Vincenzo Costanzo as Lt. B.F. Pinkerton and return of Armenian soprano Lianna Haroutounian as the tragic heroine, Cio-Cio-San. Jun Kaneko's colorful and compelling production, last seen in San Francisco during the 2013–14 Season, will be directed by Leslie Swackhamer and Maestro Yves Abel conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

San Francisco Opera presents Giuseppe Verdi's Aida in a new production directed by Francesca Zambello and featuring designs by Los Angeles-based, contemporary visual artist RETNA(Marquis Duriel Lewis). A co-production with Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera and Minnesota Opera, this striking and bold vision for Verdi's enduring classic will feature soprano Leah Crocetto and tenor Brian Jagdein their role debuts as the lovers at the heart of the opera, the enslaved princess Aida and the Egyptian war hero Radames.

San Francisco Opera presents Giuseppe Verdi's Aida in a new production directed by Francesca Zambello and featuring designs by Los Angeles-based, contemporary visual artist RETNA (Marquis Duriel Lewis). A co-production with Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera and Minnesota Opera, this striking and bold vision for Verdi's enduring classic will feature soprano Leah Crocetto and tenor Brian Jagde in their role debuts as the lovers at the heart of the opera, the enslaved princess Aida and the Egyptian war hero Radames. Mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk is Amneris, the daughter of the king who desires Radames' love, baritone George Gagnidze portrays Aida's vengeful father, Amonasro, and bass Raymond Aceto is Ramfis. The international cast and San Francisco Opera Orchestra will be conducted by Company Music DirectorNicola Luisotti. Resident Conductor Jordi Bernàcer will conduct the final performance on December 6.Ian Robertson is Chorus Director.

San Francisco Opera's 2016-17 Season continues with ten performances of Giacomo Puccini's heartbreaking drama Madama Butterfly, November 6 through December 4 at the War Memorial Opera House. The cast will feature the much-anticipated American debut of young Italian tenor Vincenzo Costanzo as Lt. B.F. Pinkerton and return of Armenian soprano Lianna Haroutounian as the tragic heroine, Cio-Cio-San. Jun Kaneko's colorful and compelling production, last seen in San Francisco during the 2013-14 Season, will be directed by Leslie Swackhamer and Maestro Yves Abel conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus.