By Francisco Salazar
The Arena di Verona has announced a cast change for the last two performances of “Aida.”
The company noted that Liudmyla Monastyrska will no longer sing the title role and will be replaced by Maria José Siri on August 28 and by Monica Conesa on Sept. 4.
Siri recently performed in the Arena di Verona’s Placido Domingo gala and in a production of “Nabucco.” She has also performed in the company’s “Aida” over the years. Conesa recently made her professional debut as “Aida” at the Arena di Verona and is set to perform at the Teatro Filarmonico in a production of “La Gioconda.”
Siri will join a cast that includes Olesya Petrova, Jonas Kaufmann, Abramo Rosalen, and Sebastian Catana while Conesa will sing alongside Petrova, Fabio Sartori, Riccardo Zanellato, and Amartuvshin Enkhbat. Daniel Oren conducts both performances.
Monatstyrska opened the Arena di Verona’s “Aida” in June and performed a total of three performances. The soprano returns to the stage for a production of “La Forza del Destino” at the Verdi Festival in Parma.
By Francisco Salazar
Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” is set to open at the Teatro La Fenice.
The opera will be conducted by Sesto Quatrini, who has performed the Puccini opus on several occasions.
“I love ‘Madama Butterfly’ so much. It’s probably the opera that I’ve seen and heard live the most often. When I was working at the Metropolitan, for two whole seasons I followed all the performances from the audience and fell deeply in love with Anthony Minghella’s extraordinary Butterfly full of imagery,” Quatrini said in an official press statement released by the Teatro La Fenice regarding his relationship with the work. “Life takes us on marvelous, unexpected journeys and, a few years later, I had the honor and the pleasure of debuting exactly the same version of this work on the podium of my theatre in Vilnius which, together with the Met and the English National Opera, is its co-producer. This season, besides conducting it at the end of January for three performances, again in Vilnius, I’m delighted to be back with this work at one of the theater I love the most: La Fenice.”
The opera will star Monica Zanettin in the title role, Manuela Custer, Vincenzo Costanzo, and Alberto Mastromarino. Àlex Rigola’s production will be revived from Sept. 10 to 22, 2022.
By Francisco Salazar
The U.K.’s Garsington Opera has announced its 2023 season.
The season will open with a production of Rossini’s “Il barbiere di Siviglia” with conductor Douglas Boyd and Christopher Luscombe.
Performance Dates: May 31-July 22, 2023
The second opera of the season will be Mozart’s “Mitridate, re di Ponto.” Clemens Schuldt will conduct while Tim Albery will direct.
Performance Dates: June 1-July 2, 2023
Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” will be conducted by Mark Wigglesworth and directed by Bruno Ravella.
Performance Dates: June 18-July 21, 2023
Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride” will be revived with conductor Jac van Steen and director Rosie Purdie. The production is originally by Paul Curran.
Performance Dates: June 30-July 23, 2023
Casts will be announced at a later date.
By Francisco Salazar
After the San Antonio Symphony closed its doors in June 2o22, the musicians of the orchestra have announced the formation of the San Antonio Philharmonic.
In a statement, the new organization said, “when the San Antonio Symphony management ceased operations in June 2022, the musicians – some of whom won their seats in the 1970s and ‘80s — were determined to preserve world-class music in San Antonio. With their formation of the San Antonio Philharmonic, we all have an historic opportunity to re-invent what an orchestra in the 21st century can be. One that reflects the spirit of our time and place. We invite all to take part and feel the pride.”
The new orchestra’s vision also noted that “the Philharmonic envisions a San Antonio in which every resident has access to high-quality orchestral performances and educational opportunities that reflect the beautiful history, diversity, and culture of our community and beyond. We are seeking ways to involve new audiences in the transformative power of music. Expect dynamic and professional concerts as before. If you are often in the audience, you will recognize your favorite musicians. We also are actively engaging the community, collaborating with artistic and educational institutions, mining ideas and developing programs. Student performances are high on our list — music has the power to open minds and spirits for life. ”
The season is set to open on Sept. 16, 2022 with a concert featuring Ken-David Masur conducting works by Prokofiev, Ravel, Brahms, and Wickman.
By Afton Wooten
Sarasota Opera has announced new partners for its annual Food and Wine Festival.
New partners include local restaurants such as Rise and Nyes and Happy Soul. Many of the previous partners like Michael’s on East, Tsunami Sushi and Hibachi Grill, Classico, and Selva Grill are returning to this event. The money raised at the Food and Wine Festival will go to the Sarasota Youth Opera program.
The youth opera program will be providing performances including selections from the upcoming production of “The Secret World of Og.”
The program places students in choirs starting at the age of eight, regardless of skill level or ability to pay. The groups perform throughout the community in formal concerts, outreach events, youth opera productions, and in mainstage opera.
The Food and Wine Festival is scheduled for Sept. 17, 2022.
By David Salazar
Washington Bach Consort has announced its 2022-23 season.
For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal performances.
First up will be “Mythologies Past and Present” at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C. The showcase, which will feature the world premiere of Trevor Weston’s “A New Song” and Bach’s “Geschwinde, Ihr wirbelnden Winde” will star Sherezade Pantahki, Sarah Davis Issaelkhoury, Jacob Perry Jr, Patrick Kilbride, Paul Max Tipton, and Ian Pomerantz.
Performance Date: Sept. 18, 2022
Next up is a performance showcasing the works of Purcell with such artists as Amy Broadbent, Clifton Massey, Matthew Loyal Smith, Jonathan Adams, and Jason Widney.
Performance Date: Oct. 30, 2022
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio will close out the programming for 2022. Soloists include Elijah McCormack, Kristen Dubenion-Smith, Jacob Perry Jr., and Enrico Lagasca.
Performance Date: Dec. 10, 2022
Sonya Headlam, Patrick Dailey, Matthew Hill, and Jonathan Woody will headline a program of Händel’s “Messiah.”
Performance Date: March 19, 2023
Margot Rood, Crossley Danielle Hawn, Roger O. Issacs, Andrew Bearden Brown, and Dashon Burton will lead a performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor.
Performance Date: April 30, 2023
Capitol Cantata Series
The Cantata series opens with a performance featuring Bach’s “Jesu, der du meine Seele.”
Performance Date: Oct. 3 & 4, 2022
Next up is Bach’s “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott.”
Performance Date: Oct. 31 & Nov. 1, 2022
That will be followed up by “Christum, wir sollen loben Schon.”
Performance Date: Dec. 5 & 6, 2022
Next up is “Auf, scmetternden Tönen.”
Performance Date: March 6 & 7, 2023
In April, audiences will hear “Jesu, meine Freude.”
Performance Date: April 3 & 4, 2023
The series comes to a close with “Jauchzet Gott, in allen Landen.”
Performance Date: May 1 & 2, 2023
By David Salazar
Pittsburgh-based Chatham Baroque has announced its 2022-23 season.
For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal and operatic works.
The first vocal performance of the year will feature soprano Sherezade Panthaki as she takes on the cantata “The Isle of Delos” alongside such instrumentalists as Kathryn Montoya, Kathie Stewart, Charlotte Mattax Moersch, Andrew Fouts, Patricia Halverson, and Scott Pauley.
Performance Dates: Feb. 4 & 5, 2023
Next up will be “Mirrors,” a program starring soprano Jeanine De Bique and the Concerto Köln as they perform arias by Händel.
Performance Dates: March 26, 2023
Closing out the season will be “The Joy of Bach,” a program featuring music by Bach including his Cantata 170 “Vernügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust” with alto Kristen Dubenion-Smith.
Performance Dates: April 22 & 23, 2023
By Logan Martell
October 7, 2022, ALL ARTS will present the world premiere of “Everything For Dawn,” a 10-episode miniseries created by Experiments in Opera.
The series features original music from 10 composers and librettos from a six-person writers’ room to tell the story of a young girl’s personal journey after her father, an outsider artist, commits suicide. Directed by Alison Moritz, the series stars soprano Britt Hewitt as Dawn Logan, and Grammy-nominated artist Aaron Engebreth as Mac Logan.
Each episode was written by a different pairing of composer and librettist to allow for multiple voices and styles, with the full work being workshopped and rehearsed over a three-year period and recorded on a soundstage in the fall of ’21.
“When we set out to create ‘Everything for Dawn’ in 2018, we couldn’t have imagined the vigorous journey of collaboration and experimentation ahead of us,” said Experiments in Opera co-founder Aaron Siegel. “At a time when so much new opera is based on existing stories or figures, ‘Everything for Dawn’ is a story of intrigue and drama that could only have emerged from the unique group of artists who created it.”
“Everything for Dawn” will be available to stream for free until November 4 from the ALL ARTS app and their website.
By Francisco Salazar
The Dutch National Opera is set to present Humperdinck’s “Königskinder” this October.
The production will reunite Marc Albrecht and Christof Loy who collaborated in “Tannhäuser” at Dutch National Opera in 2019.
The work stands in sharp contrast to Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel,” which sees the goose girl and the prince discover that a person’s true worth is measured by how they treat others and the world in general.
Albrecht will conduct the opera with Loy directing a production inspired by the Oscar-nominated film “The White Ribbon.” Daniel Behle leads a cast that includes Olga Kulchynska, Josef Wagner, Doris Soffel, Sam Carl, Michael Pflumm, Henk Poort, Roger Smeets, Kai Rüütel, Lucas van Lierop, and Eva Kroon.
“Königskinder” opens on Oct. 6 and runs through Oct. 18, 2022.
By Francisco Salazar
Italian tenor Professor Giuseppe Filianoti has joined the voice faculty of the Texas State University – School of Music.
The tenor took to social media media to announce the new stating, “I am pleased to announce that I have accepted a one-year appointment to join the faculty of the School of Music of Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas as a Lecturer in Voice. Although I have only been here a couple of days, I have already remarked on the warmth and collegiality of the other members of the voice faculty, and I am immensely grateful to them for the way they have welcomed me into the school.”
He added, “I am really excited to meet the students and to share with them what I have been so fortunate to learn from so many great teachers and colleagues over my 25 years as a professional singer.”
Filianoti has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Colon, and San Francisco Opera, among others. He has recorded for Opera Rara, Naxos, BMG/Ricordi, Bongiovanni, ROF, TDK, Arthaus Musik, La Voce, Dynamic, Hardy Classics and CPO.
