Review: SONGBIRD at Kennedy Center
There’s an awful lot of death in opera, Timothy O’Leary, the general director of Washington National Opera, lamented on a recent opening night. And those plentiful tragedies are also often further burdened with overbearing scores, turgid storylines, super-large casts and strident if not shrill performances.
Review: Oh Goddess, Bellini's NORMA Returns to the Met
You’ve got to admit that the Met had a lot of guts to dedicate this season’s performances of Vincenzo Bellini’s NORMA (libretto by Felice Romani) to the memory of Maria Callas on the 100th anniversary of her birth. Hers was simply one of the most legendary portrayals of the role, by a fabled singer. Period. But Yoncheva--and her costars--pulled off the performance with aplomb and made the Met audience very happy indeed.
Portland Opera Opens 2022/23 Season With Bizet's CARMEN
Portland Opera launches their 2022/23 season this November with a cultural touchstone, Bizet's Carmen. Featuring melodic gems such as the Habanera and the Toreador Song, this new-to-Portland production, originated by Denyce Graves in her directorial debut.
Portland Opera Announces 2022/23 Season
Portland Opera’s 2022/23 season will feature the cultural touchstone Carmen; Thumbprint, a powerful new opera inspired by the story of Mukhtar Mai, a trailblazing Pakistani human rights activist; the company’s first production of the iconic and magical Dvořák opera Rusalka and more.
The Glimmerglass Festival Announces Plans for Summer 2021
The Glimmerglass Festival, the summer opera and musical theater festival in Cooperstown, New York, has announced plans for the summer of 2021 in the wake of its 2020 season cancelation due to COVID-19. The 2021 season will run July 15 through August 17.
BWW Review: Washington National Opera's SAMSON AND DELILAH at the Kennedy Center
Bad haircuts can be tragic, but none more so than for Samson, the Biblical figure whose strength was sapped the moment his mullet was gone. The treacherous shearing by a revenge-seeking Delilah launched centuries of retelling, including Camille Saint-Saëns' opera 'Samson and Delilah' which the Washington National Opera is currently presenting at the Kennedy Center in repertoire with 'Don Giovanni.'
Lyric Opera of Kansas City Has Announced 2020-2021 Season
Lyric Opera of Kansas City General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler today announced the company's 2020-2021 season. It features four mainstage productions, including The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess and The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, both of which are being performed on a Lyric Opera of Kansas City stage for the first time. Two all-time favorites known for incomparable melodies - Verdi's beloved La traviata and Bizet's passionate Carmen - round out the extraordinarily diverse season. The Kansas City Symphony Orchestra will accompany all performances at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Find biographies of the casts and creative teams at Lyric Opera of Kansas City and find high-resolution photos here.
Atlanta Opera Announces 2020-21 Season: Three New Productions, SE Premiere And More
The Atlanta Opera has announced its 41st season. True to the vision of Tomer Zvulun, the company's Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director, the 2020-21 lineup boasts major new productions of three critically important works: Das Rheingold, one of the most iconic in the canon; The Sound of Music, one of the best-loved classics of musical theater; and The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, one of contemporary opera's most palpable hits, now receiving its Southeast premiere. Together with the Atlanta premiere of As One, Steve Jobs is one of two topical and much talked-about new operas in Atlanta's award-winning Discoveries series, which breaks down barriers between artists and their audience by providing intimate, immersive experiences in nontraditional spaces.
Houston Grand Opera's 2020-21 Season To Feature Opera Favorites And Company Premieres
Houston Grand Opera has announced its 2020a?"21 season, featuring a repertoire of beloved classics, company premieres, and a much-anticipated world premiere. The 66th season opens with audience favorite Carmen. American mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard makes her HGO and role debut as Carmen in the revival of Rob Ashford's acclaimed 2014 production of Bizet's classic. She is joined by tenor Andrea Caré as Don José, bass-baritone Christian Pursell as Escamillo, and Anita Hartig as Micaela, all making their HGO debuts. The production will be conducted by HGO Principal Guest Conductor Eun Sun Kim.
SHOW BOAT Opens The Glimmerglass Festival
Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Show Boat opened at The Glimmerglass Festival July 6 in the company's first-ever production of America's original "musical play."
The Glimmerglass Festival Announces 2020 Season
With The Glimmerglass Festival's 2019 season approaching, the Cooperstown-based opera and musical theater company has announced programming for 2020, as well as the 2020 Festival's pair of Artists in Residence.
Lyric Opera of Chicago to Hold Ensemble Auditions for WEST SIDE STORY
Lyric Opera of Chicago will hold auditions for dancer/singer/actors for the 2018-19 Season production of Leonard Bernstein's musical theater masterpiece West Side Story. Directed by Francesca Zambello, this new co-production is shared by Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and the Glimmerglass Festival. James Lowe is the conductor and the original Jerome Robbins' choreography will be recreated by Julio Monge. Eric Sean Fogel is the associate director. The production design is contemporary, with sets by Peter J. Davison, costumes by Jessica Jahn and lighting by Mark McCullough.
WNO Presents THE LION, THE UNICORN, AND ME
Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its annual holiday family opera tradition with The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me, December 14-16, 2018, in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Based on Jeanette Winterson's award-winning children's book which tells the Nativity story from the donkey's point of view, The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me features music by Tony-award winning composer Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home) and a libretto by the late poet J.D. 'Sandy' McClatchy. These performances star current and former members of WNO's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program.