This week the Opera A Coruña is set to open its 2023-24 season with a production of “Aida” in a new production that will be headlined by one of the most exciting rising stars in opera, Marigona Qerkezi. Qerkezi, who began her career with lyric and coloratura roles, has swiftly moved into taking on Verdi operas, performing such works as {…}
(Photo credit: Kristen Loken) On Sept. 9, Opera San José will open its 40th anniversary with a new production of Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” by Shawna Lucey. The production will mark the role debuts of several artists who are also rising stars in the opera world. One of those artists is Joshua Sanders who will take on the lead role {…}
This week the Festival Opera is set to open its production of “Carmen” with a cast of rising stars including Nikola Printz, who is well-known for their interpretation of the iconic heroine. Over the years Printz has performed Carmen to great acclaim with the West Bay Opera, Opera Modesto, Opera San Jose, and Shreveport Opera, among others. Printz has had {…}
This week the Rossini Opera Festival is set to open with a rarely performed work, “Eduardo e Cristina.” It will be the first time the work is produced by the festival. In this premiere, the Fondazione Rossini will perform a new critical edition, edited by Alice Tavilla and Andrea Malnati. The production will bring some of the best Rossini singers {…}
This week, Piotr Beczała returns to Italy for his highly anticipated debut at the Arena di Verona. The Polish tenor, who is one of the most acclaimed singers of his generation has not performed at any major Italian theater since 2013; the tenor noted 10 years ago that he would not return to Italy after he was booed at the {…}
(Credit: (c) ROH 2021) This week, the Salzburg Festival is set to open its new production of Verdi’s “Macbeth” with a stellar cast that includes one of today’s most exciting artists at the festival, Asmik Grigorian. Ever since her debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2017 as Marie in “Wozzeck,” Grigorian has become a favorite of the festival. She has {…}
(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper) It’s a big week for Juan Diego Flórez – the Peruvian tenor is set to take the stage of the Arena di Verona for the first time. Following a career that has led him to some of the most important Italian theaters in the world, including the Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Teatro dell’Opera di {…}
This week Oper Im Steinbruch will open a new production of Bizet’s “Carmen.” The production will feature a soprano in the title role, something that is rarely heard today. And the soprano in question will be Joyce El-Khoury, who is making her role debut. Throughout the past years, El-Khoury has performed a variety of operas that have included the works {…}
As the Teatro Real de Madrid closes its 2022-23 season, the company is set to present a new production of “Turandot” with three casts that include some of the greatest interpreters of the roles. Among the cast will be Ewa Płonka, who returns to Madrid a year after her debut. Płonka has become one of the leading dramatic sopranos of {…}
This week the Santa Fe Opera is set to open a new production of Wagner’s early work “Der Fliegende Holländer” with a cast of superstars and rising stars. Among the cast is Nicholas Brownlee, who is singing the title role and making his role debut. Brownlee has been a mainstay at the Santa Fe Opera since his debut in 2015 {…}
(Credit: Philip Grosbong) This week the Cincinnati Opera is set to present the world premiere staging of the opera “The Knock.” The opera explores what must be endured by the loved ones of those who serve. Based on years of interviews with real spouses of American soldiers, this new opera tells dramatic stories of heroism that often go unheard, tragedies {…}