By Francisco Salazar
Spain’s Orquesta de Extremadura has announced its 2022-23 season featuring two operatic performances and vocal highlights. Here are just the vocal performances for the season.
Wagner’s “Parsifal” will star Christopher Ventris, Allison Cook, Derek Welton, and Noel Bouley. Pablo Heras-Casado conducts.
Performance Date: Jan. 26, 2023
Raquel Lojendio and Javier Franco star in Menoitti’s “The Telephone” and Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s “Il Segreto di Susana.” Andrés Salado conducts.
Performance Dates: April 13 & 14, 2023
Ketevan Kemoklidze performs music by Berlioz in a program that also includes music by Schumann and Liszt. Christoph König conduct.
Performance Dates: May 11 & 12, 2023
The season will also include Juanjo Mena, Josu de Solaun, and Pablo Sainz Villega, among others.
By David Salazar
On May 18, 2022, Opera Naples’ Artistic Director Ramón Tebar was named Cultural Ambassador with the key to the city of Naples.
Tebar was honored by the Mayor Teresa Heitmann and the City Council for “his work influencing the arts throughout the region.”
“From the very first time I arrived in Naples seven years ago, people have made me feel at home, and now with the Key to the City of Naples, I really do have a home,” Tebar said in a press statement issued by Opera Naples. “We are trying to make Naples unique in the opera world by making this become a true destination for the arts, because this community sincerely loves and supports the arts.”
Since 2014, he has been the Artistic and Music Director of Opera Naples, where he founded the Opera Naples Festival Under the Stars.
Tebar has also been recognized for the Henry C. Clark Conductor of the Year Award by Florida Grand Opera in 2010 and 2013, “Top 20 under 40” by the Miami Herald, “100 Españoles” by Marca España, “Luigi Mancinelli” in Orvieto (Italy), and by Rotary Club Spain.
By Francisco Salazar
The Staatskapelle Dresden has announced its 2022-23 season with many vocal highlights. Here is a look.
Philippe Herreweghe conducts Dorothee Mields, Sophie Harmsen, Alex Potter, Reinoud Van Mechelen, and Krešimir Stražanac in Bach’s Mass in B Minor.
Performance Dates: Feb. 13 & 14, 2023
Christian Thielemann and Diana Damrau team up for an evening of Richard Strauss.
Performance Dates: April 15 & 16, 2023
Christian Thielemann conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with soloists Christa Mayer.
Performance Dates: May 21-23, 2023
Daniel Harding, Dame Sarah Connolly, and Andrew Staples perform Olga Neuwirth’s “Masaot/Clocks without Hands” and Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde.”
Performance Dates: July 9-11, 2023
Sonderkonzerte
Marie Jacquot conducts the Adventskonzert with Diana Damrau and Piotr Beczała.
Performance Date: Nov. 26, 2022
Christian Thielemann conducts Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, Christa Mayer, Klaus Florian Vogt, Georg Zeppenfeld, and Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden.
Performance Dates: Dec. 29-31, 2022
By Logan Martell
On May 12, 2022, American composer and educator Henry Mollicone passed away following a long-term illness.
A graduate of the New England Conservatory, Mollicone was offered a position as assistant conductor with the New York City Opera and in 1975 became music assistant to Leonard Bernstein for the musical “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
After moving to Los Angeles, Mollicone composed the one-act opera “The Face on the Barroom Floor” Central City Opera, where it has received numerous productions in the United States, The Netherlands, Germany, and the Edinburgh Festival. Other one-act operas composed during this time include “Starbird,” “Emperor Norton,” and “The Mask of Evil.”
Among his full-length operas are “Coyote Tales,” “Hotel Eden,” and “Gabriel’s Daughter,” in addition to numerous works for film, television, and ballet. He has held positions as Los Angeles Community College, Santa Clara University, Gavilan College, and Notre Dame de Namur University.
He was the founder and music director of The Winchester Orchestra of San Jose, music director of the South Valley Symphony, associate director of The Ernest Bloch Music Festival, and director of their composers’ symposium.
By David Salazar
Back in 1937, composer R. Nathaniel Dett’s “The Ordering of Moses” aired on NBC Radio. However, due to racist complaints, the network pulled the plug on the ending of the performance, resulting in a truncated broadcast.
Dett’s work will now get its due on June 17, 2022 when The Harlem Chamber Players will bring the work to life at the Riverside Church in New York City.
Moreover, the performance will be broadcast via WQXR.
“Nathaniel Dett’s oratorio was composed in 1932 as monarchs and dictators were seizing power and committing genocide around the world. The piece is a meditation on the Moses in those of us who are willing to speak out against oppression wherever it is,” said concert host Terrance McKnight (WQXR Radio and Artistic Advisor to The Harlem Chamber Players) in an official press statement.
The showcase will feature a 75-member chorus from Chorale Le Chateau, a 60-piece orchestra featuring members of The Harlem Chamber Players, and five soloists including Brandie Sutton, Janinah Burnett, Krysty Swann, Kenneth Overton, and Chauncy Packer. Damien Sneed will conduct.
The performance will be dedicated to the memory of the late and legendary soprano Jessye Norman.
The work was last performed at Carnegie Hall in 2014.
By David Salazar
The Orchestre de l’Agora is set to present the “Gala de la Terre pour les Enfants” on June 22, 2022.
The showcase will feature a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 under the musical direction of Nicolas Ellis.
Soloist Marie-Nicole Lemieux will be joined by over 200 musicians, choristers, and three childrens choirs for the performance.
The Orchestre will present the concert in partnership with Canimex and Age of Union. All box office revenue will go toward UNICEF Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and the Sierra Club Canada Foundation.
“As a global environmental alliance, Age of Union is thrilled to support Gala de la Terre in our hometown of Montreal. I’ve always felt closely connected to the arts community, recently opening our own local exhibition space called Earth Centre. All art forms have the power to evoke change by creating emotional connections. It’s a privilege to be part of this special evening as many organizations and community leaders come together with the same mission of giving back to our planet,” said Dax Dasilva, Age of Union Founder and Gala de la Terre Honorary President, in an official press statement.
During the first installment of the gala back in 2020, the organization raised $138,000 for three environmental organizations. The goal for 2022 is to raise over $300,000; over $200,000 have been raised to date.
By David Salazar
The Irish National Opera has unveiled its 2022-23 season which will feature 60 performances over the course of 52 weeks.
The season kicks off with a production of “Maria Stuarda.” The opera will star Tara Erraught in the title role with Anna Devin and Amy Ní Fherraigh sharing the role of Elisabetta. Other cast members include Gemma Ní Bhriain, Arthur Espiritu, Giorgio Caoduro, and Callum Thorpe.
Fergus Sheil conducts with Tom Creed directing.
Performance Dates: June 5 – 22, 2022
Next up is “Horse Ape Bird,” a one-act youth opera by David Coonan and Dylan Coburn Gray. The show will feature Sharon Carty and Amy Ní Fhearraigh. Elaine Kelly conducts with Zoe Ní Riordáin directing.
Performance Dates: June 24 & 26, 2022
Sinéad Campbell Wallace will headline “Tosca” alongside Dimitri Pittas and Tómas Tómasson. Nil Venditti conducts while Michael Gieleta directs.
Performance Dates: July 11 – 17, 2022
Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh’s “The First Child” will star Sarah Shine, Niamh O’Sullivan, Samuel Levin, Dean Power, Emmett O’Hanlon, Eric Jurenas, Joan Sheehy, and Caia Leseure. Ryan McAdams and Elaine Kelly share conducting duties while Enda Walsh directs.
Performance Dates: July 18 -Sept. 25, 2022
“Out of the Ordinary,” a new virtual reality community opera, will bow in August 2022. The work stars Daire Halpin and Naomi Louisa O’Connell and features music by Finola Merivale. Nil Venditti conducts with Jo Mangan directing.
Performance Dates: August 2022
“William Tell” will make its return to the company for the first time in 147 years. The work will be double cast with Brett Polegato and Gyula Nagy taking on the title role; Jesús León and Konu Kim trading off as Arnold Melcthal; and Máire Flavin and Rachel Croash sharing Mathilde. Fergus Sheil conducts with Julien Chavaz directing.
Performance Dates: Nov 8- 12, 2022
Graeme Danby, Kelli-Ann Masterson, Patrick Kabongo, Rhodri Prys Jones, Ben McAteer, and Leanne Fitzgerald star in “Don Pasquale.” Teresa Riveiro Böhm conducts and Orpha Phelan directs.
Performance Dates: Nov. 26, 2022 – Feb. 11, 2023
Amy Ní Fherraigh, Stephanie Dufresne, Ronan Leahy, and Aoife Spillane-Hinks star in “Least Like The Other” with Fergus Sheil conducting and Netia Jones directing.
Performance Dates: Jan. 15 – 19, 2023
“Der Rosenkavalier” will star Paula Murrihy, Celine Bryne, Claudia Boyle, Andreas Bauer Kanabas, Mark Stone, Rachel Croash, Peter Van Hulle, Carolyn Holt, and César Cortés, among others. Fergus Sheil conducts a production directed by Bruno Ravella.
Performance Dates: March 5 – 11, 2023
Paride Cataldo will take on the title role of “Werther” alongside a cast featuring Niamh O’Sullivan, Charles Rice, Sarah Shine, and Wyn Pencarreg. Philipp Pointner conducts a production directed by Sarah Bacon.
Performance Dates: April 22 – May 14, 2023
Finishing out the season will be a production of “Così fan tutte” featuring two casts. The stars of the opera will include Anna Devin, Sarah Brady, Sharon Carty, Gemma Ní Bhriain, Benjamin Russell, Gianluca Margheri, Dean Power, Robin Tritschler, Majella Cullagh, Sinéad O’Kelly, John Molloy, and Milan Siljanov. Peter Whelan and Elaine Kelly conduct a production by Polly Graham.
Performance Dates: May 19 – June 2, 2023
By Francisco Salazar
The Gran Teatre del Liceu has announced a cast change for its production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”
The company noted that Serena Saenz will sing the role of Pamina instead of Papagena, replacing Nuria Rial in performances scheduled for June 21,25,27,30, and July 2, 2022.
Saenz is a rising star who recently won the Montserrate Caballé Vocal Competition and has performed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real, and Staatsoper Berlin.
She joins a cast that includes Stephen Milling, Julien Behr, Matthias Goerne, Sara Blanch, and Joan Martín-Royo. Gustavo Dudamel conducts the production by Sir David McVicar.
“The Magic Flute” opens on June 20 and runs through July 2, 2022. The opera will also star another cast led by Javier Camarena, Kathryn Lewek, and Lucy Crowe.
By Francisco Salazar
The Birgit Nilsson Foundation President, Susanne Rydén has announced that the 2022 Birgit Nilsson Prize will be awarded to the cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
The prize compromises $1 million USD, the largest in classical music, awarded to artists and institutions who have contributed an important chapter to music history.
The cellist is the first instrumentalist to receive the Prize, which will be presented to him by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf at the Prize Ceremony on Oct. 18 at the Stockholm Concert Hall.
In a statement, Yo-Yo Ma said: “I wish I could have met Birgit Nilsson in person. Yet, she is alive for me through the recordings of her legendary voice and the legacy of her great generosity, her sense of humor and a lifetime grounded in cultural values. It is a great privilege to receive this honor and to play a small part in the legacy of one of our great musical role models, an artist whose attention was directed outward, toward young people and music’s role in creating a better world.”
The Oct. 18 Prize Ceremony will see Yo-Yo Ma accompanied by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Swedish Radio Choir as well as young Swedish artists, Amalie Stalheim (cello) and Birgit Nilsson Stipendium recipients, Johanna Wallroth (soprano) and Emma Sventelius (mezzo-soprano).
Past winners include Nina Stemme, Riccardo Muti, Plácido Domingo, and Vienna Philharmonic.
By David Salazar
The San Francisco Opera has announced a major cast change for its upcoming production of “Don Giovanni.”
The company revealed that Nicole Car will take over the role of Donna Elvira, replacing Carmen Giannattasio who was originally scheduled to perform.
“I am incredibly sad to share that I will not be singing Donna Elvira in San Francisco Opera’s new production of ‘Don Giovanni.’ I had been postponing a necessary surgery in my abdomen for quite some time,” Giannattasio said in an official press statement. “Between my performance schedule and COVID delays at the hospital it was not possible to have this procedure until just weeks ago, and I am facing a more difficult recovery than expected. I had hoped to be completely recovered by the time I started rehearsals, but unfortunately, I am not healed properly and must return home for additional physiotherapy to be able to meet the physical demands of singing in a staged production. I want to thank the San Francisco Opera and my colleagues, as well as my family and friends for their support, especially during these last couple of months. I look forward to returning to the stage this summer to sing ‘Tosca’ in Macerata, Italy.”
Car was originally scheduled to appear in the June 30 concert “Eun Sun Kim Conducts Verdi” and has performed the role of Donna Elvira at a number of companies around the world. Of her performance in Paris, OperaWire’s Mauricio Villa noted, “From the first lines of her entrance aria, ‘Ah chi mi dice mai,’ it was clear that Australian soprano Nicole Car’s interpretation of Donna Elvira was going to be a great success.”
She joins a cast starring her husband Étienne Dupuis, Luca Pisaroni, Adela Zaharia, Christina Gansch, and Amitai Pati, among others. Bertrand de Billy conducts. “Don Giovanni” opens on June 4, 2022.
