You searched for Étienne Dupuis - OperaWire https://operawire.com/ The high and low notes from around the international opera stage Mon, 02 Dec 2024 18:40:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 Frederica Von Stade, Philippe Jaroussky, Franco Corelli, Asmik Grigorian & Nicole Car Lead Cyber Monday New CD/DVD Releases https://operawire.com/frederica-von-stade-philippe-jaroussky-franco-corelli-asmik-grigorian-nicole-car-lead-cyber-monday-new-cd-dvd-releases/ Mon, 02 Dec 2024 18:40:31 +0000 https://operawire.com/?p=93314 Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. It’s about the holidays so this week there is a new Christmas album as well as a final recording by one of the great mezzos of her time, a re-release of a classic recording, a new recording of Massenet’s work, and many baroque {…}

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Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world.

It’s about the holidays so this week there is a new Christmas album as well as a final recording by one of the great mezzos of her time, a re-release of a classic recording, a new recording of Massenet’s work, and many baroque works with great casts.

Crimson Roses: Contemporary American Choral Music

Naxos releases Musica Viva NY’s latest album. Conducted by Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, the album features a compilation of contemporary American choral music by Joseph Turrin, Richard Einhorn, and Gilda Lyons.

The album also features mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, in her final recording and soloist Erinn Sensenig.

Hasse: Serpentes ignei in deserto

Six virtuoso vocal soloists and the instrumentalists of Les Accents perform in “Serpentes ignei in deserto.”

The recording by Erato features Philippe Jaroussky alongside Julia Lezhneva, Bruno de Sá, Jakub Józef Orliński, Carlo Vistoli, and David Hansen.

Les Accents is accompanied by Thibault Noally.

inVISIBILI

Baroque orchestra Vespres d’Arnadí releases a new album on Musièpoca. The album features countertenor Xavier Sabata and pays tribute to composers who were forgotten or lived in the shadow of more renowned contemporary figures such as Bononcini, Porta, Sarro, Porsile, and Lotti. Dani Espasa conducts the album.

All is Bright

Living Opera releases “All Is Bright,” a new Christmas album featuring internationally acclaimed soprano Soula Parassidis and tenor Norman Reinhardt. Accompanied by the Benevento Orchestra under the baton of conductor Davide Levi and executive producer Dr. Christos A. Makridis, the album brings together timeless holiday favorites.

The album was recorded in Benevento, Italy.

Puccini: Madama Butterfly

Opus Arte releases the Royal Opera’s production of “Madama Butterfly” featuring Asmik Grigorian, Joshua Guerrero, Ya-Chung Huang, Hongni Wu, and Lauri Vasar. Kevin John Edusei conducts Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier’s production.

Ferruccio Busoni: Doktor Faust

Naxos releases Buosini’s opera featuring Olga Bezsmertna, Daniel Brenna, Joseph Dahdah, Dietrich Henschel, and Wilhelm Schwinghammer. Cornelius Meister conducts the recording which was made from the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

Massenet: Hérodiade

Naxos releases a recording of Massenet’s rarely performed work from the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Nicole Car stars alongside  Clémentine Margaine, Matthew Polenzani, and Etienne Dupuis. Enrique Mazzola conducts the star-studded cast.

Giuseppe Verdi: Don Carlo

Verdi’s masterpiece is re-released from a recording made in 1970 by the Wiener Staatsoper. Nicolai Ghiaurov, Franco Corelli, Eberhard Waechter, Gundula Janowitz, Shirley Verrett, Edita Gruberova, Ewald Aichberger, Martti Talvela, Tugomir Franc, and Judith Blegen star in the work alongside Horst Stein conducting.

The recording is famous Herbert von Karajan did not conduct the new production himself and entrusted it to German conductor Horst Stein. Though Stein was a local favorite, on this occasion he was greeted at the curtain call with boos, completely unrelated to his artistic performance.

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Q & A: Étienne Dupuis
 On His Opera Career & How He Envisions His Future https://operawire.com/q-a-etienne-dupuis-on-his-opera-career-how-he-envisions-his-future/ Sat, 23 Nov 2024 05:00:06 +0000 https://operawire.com/?p=94177 (Credit: Yan-Bleney) Born in Montreal, Étienne Dupuis has established himself as one of the most distinguished baritones of his generation. Amongst his wide-ranging repertoire, he is especially in demand for Verdi roles. In the 2023-24 season, Étienne made a series of role debuts: as Don Carlo di Vargas in “La forza del destino” at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, {…}

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 On His Opera Career & How He Envisions His Future appeared first on OperaWire.

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(Credit: Yan-Bleney)

Born in Montreal, Étienne Dupuis has established himself as one of the most distinguished baritones of his generation. Amongst his wide-ranging repertoire, he is especially in demand for Verdi roles. In the 2023-24 season, Étienne made a series of role debuts: as Don Carlo di Vargas in “La forza del destino” at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, in the title role of “Rigoletto” in a new production at the Teatro Real Madrid, as Count Karl Gustav in the world premiere of Bilodeau’s “La Reine-garçon” at the Opéra de Montréal, as Paolo Albiani in “Simon Boccanegra” and Sancho Pança in a new production of Massenet’s “Don Quichotte” at the Opéra national de Paris.
He was also made a Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres de la république de France in 2021.

OperaWire caught up with Étienne via video conference in Washington where he was preparing for another debut, as Macbeth at the Kennedy Centre.

OperaWire: Hello Etienne. Thank you for speaking to OperaWire. I know you’re about to open as Macbeth. How are rehearsals going?

Étienne Dupuis: Big night yesterday: dress rehearsal. Big night tomorrow: opening night. I mean the house here is wonderful, it’s typical, you know, I want to say of North America… I come from Montreal… and this is where I grew up. Washington is very similar in terms of the commitment that people give to what they do with the amount of resources they have. So everyone is pitching in from their own personal passion. So I love these shows because you always feel everyone on stage is enjoying themselves and in the pit as well, backstage as well. You know, it’s not just a job, you know what I mean?

OW: Indeed. And this is your debut in this role. Tell me about how you see the character, Macbeth, how you decided to approach the role.

ED: It’s funny, so, I accepted the role and then I didn’t give it much thought for about a year because I was doing all of these new operas. I did my first “Forza,” my first “Rigoletto,” my first “Boccanegra” ( I was singing Paolo), and “Don Quichotte”… I had so many new operas coming up. But you know, I always played the part in the back of my head. I’m French Canadian, so I grew up in French. Shakespeare is not something that we went towards naturally. There were all these different things that made me feel like an imposter from the get-go, you know? And so, the way I decided to tackle it was to just be…to come at it as a newcomer from someone who wasn’t raised with it.

A lot of people think that the best way to play a role is to partly be that role. Like if you were to cast an opera with a bunch of French Canadians, hire a bunch of French Canadians, then that would be a perfect cast. But then, at the same time, in opera we spend a lot of time playing gods and kings and I’ve played murderers and rapists, I’ve played all sorts of things, and of course I am none of those. So, you know, this is what my brain was telling me, you can do this. And then I remember I got emailed for an interview. It was just like two or three questions. And the questions were all in the vein of: he’s the ultimate villain, he’s the worst scum on the earth human you could think of, how do you get around to play a role like that? And I remember thinking… I don’t think so. Why is he? There’s a context here. He’s in context in the years that he is. The next leader was always going to be the best fighter, right? It was always about survival. So who’s the best fighter, the one that can lead our armies to make sure that we survive? He was the best one. And then once he got there…and this is to me the most interesting thing about him…he really got into those witches and the witches’ predictions. And that is his downfall, because until then he’s doing just fine in this context, in the context of the years he lives in and the people that surround him. But then he starts paying too much attention to what they have to say. And as we know, as an exterior audience, is that everything they say is just one layer of truth, there’s always, another side to everything they say. 

And so…I just thought I would play him like any human today that starts to believe predictions and starts to believe in it, the way they start to believe fate before it happens. So, in this case, for a long time, he’s doomed to be invincible. It’s not a doom but it plays above his head like the Damocles sword and everything he does is informed by this. He wouldn’t take that many risks if the witches hadn’t told him that he can’t be killed you know? So, I decided to play him just as human as I could. Flawed. He loves his wife and he’s manipulated by her. He loves power. He is hurt by not being able to have a descendant, especially a male one, to father a long line of kings. These are all, except for the king’s part, these are all human traits, they’re all common, you see them around us, some of them I’ve experienced either personally or through friends. That’s how I decided to play him, and that’s how I decided to play pretty much all of my characters, I just tried to put them back in context.

OW: Who did you take inspiration from when preparing for the role, and who did you aspire to sound like?

ED: (Laughing) These are two very different thoughts! I listen to Piero Cappuccilli. He’s always my go to guy because I’m not him. That’s why I listen to him. He has this incredible easiness in creating long legato lines. And in the recording I listen to, he actually does something that I didn’t expect. He actually does a lot of sounds that will be like “ugly” sounds. Not ugly, but he’ll make a vowel very bright all of a sudden because he’s playing a character that gets scared from seeing a ghost. I really truly enjoyed that because he can be so wooden and so strong in his immobility. Everything, all the acting, all the intentions are in the singing. And so that’s not me. I’m like, I’m the guy with thoughts and movements and blah blah and then the singing suffers from it. So, I try to listen to people that are not me, like they are the opposite. I listen to Cappuccilli in a lot of roles, but in this particular one, in the “Macbeth” one, he really sold me on it.

There are many things to say about this “Macbeth,” but although Verdi wrote it, it’s different. It’s not Verdi the way we think it is. I asked my friend William Berger, who works at the Met, I asked him: what is “Macbeth?” And he said to me…and he says this to everybody…he says: “early Verdi…. midlife Verdi….. late Verdi…. and ‘Macbeth!’” It doesn’t fit a specific writing era per se, you know, he created it earlier, but then he reworked it just before “Don Carlo.” And it’s in real time. I almost never repeat any sentence. In Verdi operas, if I sing “Traviata,” or “Rigoletto,” or “Trovatore,” or any of the midlife and early works of Verdi, a lot of the lines, you get to repeat. You repeat them over, because he’s creating a musical moment. But “Macbeth” doesn’t do that much. “Macbeth” just talks. His mind races. He’s got these contradicting, conflicting thoughts and Verdi wrote it that way.

So, when I listen to Cappuccilli sing it, he manages to play with those things but just with his sound and just with his voice and that amazes me and I try to emulate some of that whilst, of course, still being myself. Of course, I really, really love Ludovic Tézier as well!

OW: 
I saw your debut last year at the Royal Opera House as Don Carlo di Vargas in “La Forza,” which you sang to great acclaim. You were a replacement stand in, I believe, and this performance seemed to elevate your career somewhat. What do you remember about the performance?

ED: Yes, that was with Brian Jagde. Brian and I love each other, we want to do as much together as we can in the future and I think we will, I have big hopes. It’s still very interesting to me that they called me because their original guy didn’t get his visa. And so, they called me and said, “Can you come and do this?” I think I had maybe a month to learn it. I knew some of it (I was supposed to do it during the pandemic months). But I remember saying, I want to do it because first of all, I love challenges. But I wanted to do it because I wanted to show a big opera house…I wanted to show people where I thought I was going and what I could do. So, “Forza” was the first one…. and that was with Sondra Radvanovsky as well!! She is probably in the top three humans of the singing world! So, I did this, and I think a lot of people in the opera house just kind of went: “Oh, you CAN do this”. And then it just kept going. Then “Rigoletto” came by and “Boccanegra” came by. And now in the future, I have “Boccanegra” and “Macbeth.” and I have “Rigoletto” coming. And that was from the first one, that “Forza.” That was what opened the door to this…. Although, also, before that in Paris I’ve got to say I’d done a “Trovatore” that got people talking as well. I think that’s where probably the “Forza” came from, the “Trovatore” I did in Paris.

OW: You mentioned that you like challenges and looking through your performance credits, I would say you have sung quite a wide-ranging number of roles, some you have only sung once or twice, but I would say you have quite a diverse repertoire.

ED: I do! I’m not going to complain. I love it. I love it. I love being able to touch all these different things. I love that my career is taking me to new places. If I had been one of those singers who only sang the same two or three roles, especially the first 10 years of my career, I don’t think I would be doing that anymore. Now it’s different. Now I’m craving a bit more time, you know, for my family and to spend less time learning new stuff.

OW: So have you sung pretty much all that you aspired to sing or is there still some dream roles that you would love to perform?

ED: Right now, I’m dreaming about sitting down with a team and creating TV shows and movies. These are my dreams at the moment. I call it my midlife crisis (laughing). That’s what I call it. It’s like a self-titled midlife crisis. Because for years and years, you ask yourself every year, am I still happy doing this? It’s important to me to rethink the pros and cons at least once a year, like in any other job! People ask you, like in interviews or, or just in coaching and stuff, and people will say: “why, why are you a singer? What do you like about being a singer? And I reply that I love being on stage. I love telling stories. I love telling stories with the group of people that I get along with. And I think THAT love is starting to not outgrow, but it’s growing bigger than just opera. Opera is still, it’s a frame still. And I’d like to start telling stories going outside of that frame if I can.

Nothing says that those things won’t be linked. Perhaps once we finish working on a project and telling a story we’d like to tell, we’d realize, hey, we’d make a great opera. You know, like, it doesn’t have to be just like a TV show or, I don’t know, five minutes on YouTube or something. But I just want to write stories and collaborate to them in any way I can. So, this is my dream at the moment. But I think there’s… I think in me there’s still a lot that I can use on stage in regard to making people feel something….. like the emotion I can create with an audience…. and it has to do with the psychological arc of a character. So of course, if you’re talking to me about Wagner, like Wolfram or something, there’s an arc, you know, it’s okay. But it doesn’t come to touch me the same as Puccini does, because Puccini’s characters are so like in real time, you know? I’d love to tell a Gianni Schicchi story. Most people think, oh, it’s a comedy. Yeah, it’s a comedy but there’s serious stuff to tell in there. Some of the greatest operas have some really good morals to them. I love to touch those. I mean, Gianni Schicchi is… I’m naming him just because I like the role. There’s many… I don’t know, there’s many. It needs a good team. It needs a good director that’s going to have a great idea for bringing the context back into today. Here, I’m going to say, I’m hesitating because I don’t want to go on a tangent, but I keep thinking that new operas should be more informed about what everyone knows today. Every opera that’s been written usually, the big masterpieces that we play today, usually stem from common knowledge at the time. You know, books that were highly popular, news that everyone had talked about, even mythology that everyone knew about. So, they had the codes. No one went in there, not knowing the codes. They probably had read the book, or if not, people had discussed it with them. Nowadays you sit someone in front of “La Boheme” or a “Carmen” and no one’s read the book, but they still have some of the codes because they’re very famous and popular operas that you can hear in other mediums but then you get them into a different opera something like “Falstaff” for example and they’ve never heard of the “Merry Wives of Windsor.” The whole time they’re like, what is happening? But it’s a genius piece. It’s genius, genius. But I go, how about we write genius pieces today on the events of today? And to facilitate things, we don’t have to write music that is so hard to understand that you need like five degrees just to get the reference of it. Like, you may have ten people in the audience going “wow!” but then you have thousands going, “what?” I think we’re doing a disservice to the art to create only that kind of new opera. So, this is the tangent coming back to what I was saying… I need directors and conductors who are willing to do that with operas we know. We don’t have to change the original setting, necessarily, but we have to change the idea of how we’re going to put things on stage.

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 On His Opera Career & How He Envisions His Future appeared first on OperaWire.

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Étienne Dupuis & Ewa Płonka Lead Washington National Opera’s ‘Macbeth’ https://operawire.com/etienne-dupuis-ewa-plonka-lead-washington-national-operas-macbeth/ Mon, 07 Oct 2024 04:00:26 +0000 https://operawire.com/?p=92786 The Washington National Opera is set to present a new production of “Macbeth.” The new production will star Canadian baritone Étienne Dupuis who makes his role debut as Macbeth and Polish-American soprano Ewa Płonka as Lady Macbeth. Australian-Chinese tenor Kang Wang will sing the role of Macduff and American bass Soloman Howard will take on the role of Banquo. Brenna {…}

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The Washington National Opera is set to present a new production of “Macbeth.”

The new production will star Canadian baritone Étienne Dupuis who makes his role debut as Macbeth and Polish-American soprano Ewa Płonka as Lady Macbeth. Australian-Chinese tenor Kang Wang will sing the role of Macduff and American bass Soloman Howard will take on the role of Banquo.

Brenna Corner will direct the new production with Evan Rogister conducting. The new production will feature costumes from a co-production of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Canadian Opera Company.

Dupuis is a baritone who has performed at the major theaters in the world such as the Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, and Royal Opera House while Płonka has performed at the Teatro Real Madrid, Semperoper Dresden, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, and The Royal Opera House.

“Macbeth” will be showcased from Nov. 13 to 23, 2024 at the Opera House.

 

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Denyce Graves Foundation Presents Classical Vocal Arts Symposium ‘Shared Voices’ https://operawire.com/denyce-graves-foundation-presents-classical-vocal-arts-symposium-shared-voices/ Wed, 25 Sep 2024 22:07:06 +0000 https://operawire.com/?p=92431 The Denyce Graves Foundation announced the 2024 Classical Vocal Arts Symposium “Shared Voices.” This year’s symposium features collaborations with 14 music schools, conservatories, and HBCUs. Participants are offered an immersive experience to engage with classical vocal arts, gain an understanding of the industry, and receive foundational music training including aspects of vocal health, mental health, and physical fitness. In the {…}

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The Denyce Graves Foundation announced the 2024 Classical Vocal Arts Symposium “Shared Voices.”

This year’s symposium features collaborations with 14 music schools, conservatories, and HBCUs. Participants are offered an immersive experience to engage with classical vocal arts, gain an understanding of the industry, and receive foundational music training including aspects of vocal health, mental health, and physical fitness.

In the first event, the cohort will perform a fusion of classic, crossover, and contemporary music. This concert also features a guest performance by countertenor John Holiday. Mock auditions will take place the following day, led by Francesca Zambello, Robert Spano, Brian Zeger, Damien Sneed, and Jonathon Heyward. The symposium’s finale takes place in the form of a masterclass with Susan Ashbaker.

“Shared Voices” is hosted on the Peabody Conservatory campus from Sept. 27 -29.

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Asmik Grigorian & Joshua Guerrero’s Vienna ‘Don Carlo’ to be Broadcast https://operawire.com/asmik-grigorian-joshua-guerreros-vienna-don-carlo-to-be-broadcast/ Sun, 22 Sep 2024 19:23:29 +0000 https://operawire.com/?p=92316 (Credit: Frol Podlesnyi) The Wiener Staatsoper’s New Production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo is set to be broadcast on Arte.tv and Orf III. The production will be broadcast on Sept. 29 with a slight delay and will be directed by Russian helmer Kirill Serebrennikov, and conducted by Philippe Jordan.  The cast will include Joshua Guerrero in the title role, Asmik Grigorian, {…}

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(Credit: Frol Podlesnyi)

The Wiener Staatsoper’s New Production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo is set to be broadcast on Arte.tv and Orf III.

The production will be broadcast on Sept. 29 with a slight delay and will be directed by Russian helmer Kirill Serebrennikov, and conducted by Philippe Jordan. 

The cast will include Joshua Guerrero in the title role, Asmik Grigorian, Roberto Tagliavini, Étienne Dupuis, Dmitry Ulyanov, and Eve-Maud Hubeaux.

Unitel Classica is producing the broadcast with Michael Beyer directing the video recording and Dorothée Haffner presenting.

“Don Carlo” is the first new production of the Vienna season and the fall performances opening on Sept. 26 are already sold out. The production will return in March with four performances starring Nicole Car and Elīna Garanča.

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Opera Australia Unveils 2025 Season https://operawire.com/opera-australia-unveils-2025-season/ Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:45:24 +0000 https://operawire.com/?p=92135 Opera Australia has announced its 2025 season. Sydney The season opens with Massenet’s “Cendrillon.” Evan Rogister and Tahu Matheson conduct. Laurent Pelly directs a cast starring Emily Edmonds, Margaret Plummer, Sian Sharp, and Emma Matthews. Performance Dates: Dec. 31, 2024 – March 28, 2025 “The Barber of Seville,” in a production by Elijah Moshinsky, stars Samuel Dale Johnson, Samuel Dundas, {…}

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Opera Australia has announced its 2025 season.

Sydney

The season opens with Massenet’s “Cendrillon.” Evan Rogister and Tahu Matheson conduct. Laurent Pelly directs a cast starring Emily Edmonds, Margaret Plummer, Sian Sharp, and Emma Matthews.

Performance Dates: Dec. 31, 2024 – March 28, 2025

“The Barber of Seville,” in a production by Elijah Moshinsky, stars Samuel Dale Johnson, Samuel Dundas, Helen Sherman, Emily Edmonds, John Longmuir, and Shanul Sharma. Tahu Matheson conducts the production.

Performance Dates: Jan. 18 – Feb. 28, 2025

Sarah Giles directs “La Traviata” with Samantha Clarke and Lorina Gore starring. Johannes Fritsch and Paul Fitzsimon conduct.

Performance Dates: Jan. 23 – March 27, 2025

Shaun Rennie directs “Opera Up Late” with Reuben Kaye.

Performance Dates: Jan. 30, 2025

Dean Bryant directs “Candide.” Brett Weymark conducts a cast that stars Annie Aitkin.

Performance Dates: Feb. 20 – March 14, 2025

Erin Heylard and Chad Kelly conduct “Dido and Aeneas” in a production by Yaron Lifschitz. The cast includes Anna Dowsley, Jane Ede, and Nicholas Jones.

Performance Dates: March 13 – 29, 2025

“Carmen” will be directed by Anne-Louise Sarks and conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya, Natalie Murray Beal, and Tahu Matheson. Cafiero. The opera stars Rihab Chaieb, Danielle De Niese, Angela Hogan, Stacey Alleaume, Andrii Kymach, Phillip Rhodes, Jennifer Black, and Diego Torre.

Performance Dates: July 10 – Sept. 19, 2025

Johannes Fritzsch conducts “Rusalka” in a production directed by Sarah Giles. The opera stars Nicole Car, Gerard Schneider, Warwick Fyfe, and Ashlynn Tymms.

Performance Dates: July 19 – August 11, 2025

David McVicar directs “Le Nozze di Figaro” with Siobhan Stagg, Gordon Bintner, Michael Sumuel, Kiandra Howarth, and Jane Ede. Teresa Riveiro Böhm conducts.

Performance Dates: July 31 – August 27, 2025

Gale Edwards directs “La Bohème” with Erina Yashima conducting. The opera stars Olivia Cranwell, Kang Wang, Iain Henderson, and Rachelle Durkin.

Performance Dates: August 23 – Sept. 20, 2025

There will several “Great Opera Hits” concerts throughout the season.

Performance Dates: TBA

Melbourne

There will be an open-air concert with conductor Brian Castles-Onion.

Performance Dates: Feb. 5, 2025

The company will present a Verdi Gala with Nicole Car and Étienne Dupuis.

Performance Dates: April 30 & May 5, 2025

There will be a tour of “La Bohème” directed by Dean Bryant.

Performance Dates: July 7 – Sept. 14, 2025

The Spring season opens with “The Barber of Seville” in a production by Elijah Moshinsky. Tahu Matheson conducts the production. The cast includes Samuel Dale Johnson, Samuel Dundas, Helen Sherman, Emily Edmonds, John Longmuir, and Shanul Sharma.

Performance Dates: Oct. 31 – Nov. 5, 2025

“Carmen” will be directed by Anne-Louise Sarks and conducted by Clelia Cafiero. The opera stars danielle De Niese, Abraham Bretòn, Sian Sharp, Jennifer Black, and Diego Torre.

Performance Dates: Nov. 15-25, 2025

Closing out the Spring season is “Orpheus and Eurydice” with Iestyn Davies and Samantha Clark. Dane Lam conducts and Yaron Lifschitz directs.

Performance Dates: Dec. 2 – 5, 2025

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Sinéad Campbell Wallace Leads Washington National Opera’s ‘Fidelio’ https://operawire.com/sinead-campbell-wallace-leads-washington-national-operas-fidelio/ Fri, 06 Sep 2024 04:00:59 +0000 https://operawire.com/?p=91788 (Credit: Courtesy of the Washington National Opera) The Washington National Opera is set to present a new production of Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello will direct the production and it will be conducted by Music Director Designate Robert Spano. The international cast will be led by Irish soprano Sinéad Campbell Wallace as Leonore/Fidelio and New Orleans-born tenor Jamez {…}

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(Credit: Courtesy of the Washington National Opera)

The Washington National Opera is set to present a new production of Beethoven’s “Fidelio.”

WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello will direct the production and it will be conducted by Music Director Designate Robert Spano. The international cast will be led by Irish soprano Sinéad Campbell Wallace as Leonore/Fidelio and New Orleans-born tenor Jamez McCorkle as Florestan. Australian bass-baritone Derek Welton, American baritone David Leigh, and mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves also star.

In a statement, Zambello said, “Beethoven’s only opera is set against the backdrop of a society oppressed by a corrupt government. Beethoven is a composer very aware of the politics of his time. Fidelio is not only about one woman’s fight to release her husband from unjust incarceration but also a rallying cry for all the unfairly prosecuted and clandestinely executed.”

“Fidelio” will be presented from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4, 2024, at the Opera House in German with projected English titles.

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Adrianne Pieczonka, Harolyn Blackwell, Étienne Dupuis, Susan Graham Headline Jury for 2025 Concours Musical International de Montréal https://operawire.com/adrianne-pieczonka-harolyn-blackwell-etienne-dupuis-susan-graham-headline-jury-for-2025-concours-musical-international-de-montreal/ Thu, 05 Sep 2024 06:32:56 +0000 https://operawire.com/?p=91766 (Photo by Bo Huang) The Concours Musical International de Montréal has announced the jury and guest conductors for its Voice 2025 edition. The jury will be chaired by soprano Adrianne Pieczonka and also includes soprano Harolyn Blackwell, baritone Étienne Dupuis, pianist and broadcaster Iain Burnside, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, Seattle Opera’s outgoing general director Christina Scheppelmann, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s (also {…}

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(Photo by Bo Huang)

The Concours Musical International de Montréal has announced the jury and guest conductors for its Voice 2025 edition.

The jury will be chaired by soprano Adrianne Pieczonka and also includes soprano Harolyn Blackwell, baritone Étienne Dupuis, pianist and broadcaster Iain Burnside, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, Seattle Opera’s outgoing general director Christina Scheppelmann, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s (also outgoing) CEO and General Director Anthony Freud, and Canadian Opera Company’s Director of Artistic Planning Roberto Mauro.

Patrick Summers will be the Guest Conductor for the event.

The finals are set to take place from May 25 – June 6, 2025.

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Wiener Staatsoper Announces Cast Change for ‘La Traviata’ https://operawire.com/wiener-staatsoper-announces-cast-change-for-la-traviata/ Tue, 03 Sep 2024 16:49:53 +0000 https://operawire.com/?p=91716 (Credit: Yan-Bleney) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for Verdi’s “La Traviata” on Sept. 6 and 9. The company said that Etienne Dupuis will sing the role of Germont replacing an ill Ludovic Tézier. Tézier took to social media and said, “Dear friends, I was on my way to our beloved Wiener Staatsoper to give alongside my fantastic {…}

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(Credit: Yan-Bleney)

The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for Verdi’s “La Traviata” on Sept. 6 and 9.

The company said that Etienne Dupuis will sing the role of Germont replacing an ill Ludovic Tézier.

Tézier took to social media and said, “Dear friends, I was on my way to our beloved Wiener Staatsoper to give alongside my fantastic colleagues Lissette Oropesa and Juan Diego Flórez a series of Papa Germont but a virus caught me, leaving me voiceless! Despite the fact I am curing it and am improving, I wouldn’t be good enough to shine on stage with such a great cast! I think it is fair for the public’s legitimate expectation and for those super artists and friends to share music and stage for the 2 first performances of ‘La Traviata’ with another great artist like them; currently in Vienna (lucky Vienna!) my good friend Etienne Dupuis! All the best to you all!”

Dupuis is currently rehearsing a new production of “Don Carlo” at the Wiener Staatsoper and will join a cast that includes Lissette Oropesa and Juan Diego Flórez. Domingo Hindoyan conducts the production by Simon Stone.

Tézier returns for the final performances on Sept. 13 and 15, 2024.

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Jonas Kaufmann, Anna Netrebko, Marina Rebeka, Juan Diego Flórez, Asmik Grigorian Headline OperaWire’s 10 Operas to See During Fall 2024 https://operawire.com/jonas-kaufmann-anna-netrebko-marina-rebeka-juan-diego-florez-asmik-grigorian-headline-operawires-10-operas-to-see-during-fall-2024/ Fri, 09 Aug 2024 17:53:10 +0000 https://operawire.com/?p=90760 With 2024-25 just a month away, OperaWire is breaking down 10 opera productions that are must-sees for all opera lovers from around the world for the fall season. Aindamar – Metropolitan Opera (Oct. 15 – Nov. 9, 2024) For the second year in a row (and the first time in its history that this happens), the Metropolitan Opera will present {…}

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With 2024-25 just a month away, OperaWire is breaking down 10 opera productions that are must-sees for all opera lovers from around the world for the fall season.

Aindamar – Metropolitan Opera (Oct. 15 – Nov. 9, 2024)

For the second year in a row (and the first time in its history that this happens), the Metropolitan Opera will present an opera in Spanish. Following last year’s “Florencia en el Amazonas,” Osvaldo Golijov’s tango opera will make its Met premiere. Miguel Harth-Bedoya makes his Met debut conducting a new production by Deborah Colker.  OperaWire raved about the production noting it was “effective.”

The all-star cast will include Angel Blue, Gabriella Reyes, Elena Villalón, Daniela Mack, and Alfredo Tejada.

La Battaglia di Legnano – Festival Verdi, Parma (Sept. 29 – Oct. 20, 2024)

The Verdi Festival is set to present one of the composer’s rarely performed works continuing its rediscovery of the icon’s operas. It will feature an all-star cast that includes Riccardo Fassi, Antonio Poli, Marina Rebeka, and Vladimir Stoyanov.

Diego Ceretta conducts the production by festival favorite Valentina Carrasco.

Les Contes d’Hoffmann – Royal Opera House (Nov. 7 – Dec. 1, 2024)

Juan Diego Flórez and Leonardo Caimi lead a new production of Offenbach’s masterpiece. Damiano Michieletto brings his vision to life with an all-star cast that also includes Alex Esposito, Olga Pudova, Ermonela Jaho, and Marina Costa-Jackson. Conductor Antonello Manacorda leads the production.

The production will be shown live in cinemas for those not in London on Jan 15 and 19, 2024.

Don Carlo – Wiener Staatsoper (Sept. 26, 2024 – March 23, 2025)

Verdi’s opera is always exciting for its massive solo cast and ensembles. This year Vienna’s major theater will present a new production by Kirill Serebrennikov and will be conducted by Philippe Jordan.

The cast is also irresistible as it will mark yet another Verdi role for Asmik Grigorian who makes her debut as Elisabetta. She will be joined by Roberto Tagliavini, Joshua Guerrero, Dmitry Ulyanov, Étienne Dupuis, and Eve-Maud Hubeaux.

As second cast will return for the production in the spring featuring Vitalij Kowaljow, Nicole Car, and Elīna Garanča.

Fanny and Alexander – La Monnaie (Dec. 1 – 19, 2024)

This winter, Ingmar Bergman’s semi-autobiographical film “Fanny och Alexander” will come to life on the opera stage, in a creation by composer Mikael Karlsson and librettist Royce Vavrek.

The work will star legendary singers Thomas Hampson and Anne Sofie von Otter alongside Susan Bullock, Peter Tantsits, Sasha Cooke, Sarah Dewez, Lucie Penninck, Alba Weiner, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, and Alexander Sprague. 

Director Ivo van Hove brings his vision of the work to life with scenographer Jan Versweyveld. Ariane Matiakh conducts.

La Fille du Regiment – Bayerische Staatsoper (Dec. 22, 2024 – July 1, 2025)

Donizetti’s classic work will finally get a new production at the Munich Theater directed by Damiano Michieletto. The new production will place the question of true identity front and center and will showcase a cast that is led by Pretty Yende and Serena Sáenz. Joining them will be Susan Graham, Sunnyi Melles, Xabier Anduaga, Lawrence Brownlee, and Misha Kiria.

The opening performance will be broadcast live on BR-Klassik radio.

La Forza del Destino – Teatro alla Scala (Dec. 7, 2024 – Jan. 2, 2025)

The Teatro alla Scala’s opening night is perhaps the most important opening night in the world with celebrities dominating the evening’s proceedings and the performance is recorded and shown worldwide. This year, Leo Muscato brings a new production of Verdi’s epic with an all-star cast led by Jonas Kaufmann, Anna Netrebko, Ludovic Tézier, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Marco Filippo Romano, and Alexander Vinogradov. Riccardo Chailly conducts the production.

A second cast will also be present led by Elena Stikhina, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Luciano Ganci, and Simon Lim.

The Handmaid’s Tale – San Francisco Opera (Sept. 14 – Oct 1, 2024)

Poul Ruders’ evocative opera which has become one of the most impactful operas of the late 20th century, will make its West Coast premiere in a new co-production with The Royal Danish Theatre.

Karen Kamensek conducts the new production by John Fulljames, who makes his San Francisco Opera debut. The cast will include Irene Roberts, Lindsay Ammann, Sarah Cambidge, John Relyea, Simone McIntosh, Christopher Oglesby, Rhoslyn Jones, Caroline Corrales, Katrina Galka, Gabrielle Beteag, Sara Couden, Brenton Ryan, and Matthew DiBattista.

Nabucco – Berlin State Opera (Oct. 2 – 26, 2024)

The Berlin State Opera is set to Present a new production of Verdi’s early masterpiece directed by Emma Dante. The new production will feature the stage debut of Anna Netrebko in the role of Abigaille alongside her frequent stage partner Luca Salsi. Ivan Magrì, Marina Prudenskaya, and René Pape will also join them. Following the performances by Netrebko, Anastasia Bartoli will also sing several performances as Abigaille. Bertrand de Billy conducts the all-star cast.

Zoraida di Granata – Donizetti Opera Festival (Nov. 16 – Dec. 1, 2024)

This rarely performed Donizetti opera was chosen for the #donizetti200 project. The festival will perform the second version, that of 1824, and will be presented in a new staging directed by Bruno Ravella, in a co-production with the Wexford Festival.

The cast will include soprano Zuzana Marková (Zoraida), mezzo-soprano Cecilia Molinari (Abenamet),  and tenor Konu Kim (Almuzir).  Alberto Zanardi conducts.

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