Written when Mozart was only eighteen years old, it seems fitting that a university opera program should produce La finta giardinera. Perhaps unexpected, however, is the professional quality that student…
Romanian Music Shines in Recital with Bel Cantanti Opera Company and Nicolae Bretan Music Society
This month, for the first time, Bel Cantanti Opera Company and the Nicolae Bretan Music Foundation are joining forces to promote the composer’s legacy and Romanian music and culture in…
Parsifal in San Francisco
San Francisco Opera unveiled a handsome new production of Parsifal just now — new productions a fairly rare occurrence at SFO. More importantly this Parsifal continues San Francisco Opera’s music…
Shakespeare Opera Theatre Announces 11th Season 2025-26
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Shakespeare Opera Theatre launches their 11th Season with a fully staged production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel December 5-14th at Hudson Hall in McLean, VA. Starring Amanda Densmoor as Gretel, Natalie…
ENO’s Dead Man Walking Asks the Big Questions
“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating”. This much-quoted line from Dietrich von Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) – a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident – could encapsulate the essence…
A Russian Rarity Fails to Truly Cohere: Staatsoper Hamburg’s New Ruslan and Lyudmila
There are a number of instances where the overture is much better known than the entire opera. One of those is Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila. Little other music by this…
Katie Mitchell’s Farewell to Opera with an Utterly Absorbing and Stimulating The Makropulos Case for The Royal Opera House
Who would want to live for 300 years? That is the question posed by Janáček’s all too rarely seen but fascinating opera The Makropulos Case: initially an open one perhaps,…
All Aboard for Glyndebourne’s The Railway Children
Dramatic intrigue and heart-warming nostalgia are perfectly matched in E. Nesbit‘s The Railway Children – the author’s enduring tale that first appeared in serialised form in 1905. Over five decades…
Cherubini’s Medea at Lyric Opera of Chicago
The Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its 2025-2026 season recently with a dramatically powerful production of Luigi Cherubini’s Medea. The opera is a co-production of Lyric Opera of Chicago, the…
Annapolis Opera’s Don Giovanni: Vocal Performances Worthy Of A Sold-Out House
Who can resist a well-done classic? No one, apparently, as Maryland Hall was sold out for the second performance of Annapolis Opera’s Don Giovanni this past weekend. From the moment…