By Afton Wooten
The Young People’s Chorus of New York City and Grammy-nominated Voices of Ascension will present Paola Prestini’s “The Glass Box” on Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Premiered in 2018, “The Glass Box” is a multimedia piece centered around the phenomenon known as “uppgivenhetssyndrom,” a coma-like condition found in young refugees in Sweden whose families are slated for deportation. Playwright Royce Vavrek’s libretto is matched with pre-recorded and live paintings by Armenian-Syrian visual artist Kevork Mourad.
Also on the program is five pieces by the Young People’s Chorus including the world premiere of “When This All Ends” by David Lang; Mo-li-Hua arranged by Chen Yi and Rodgers and Hammerstein II’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” arranged by Elizabeth Núñez and Francisco J. Núñez.
Voices of Ascension will give the world premiere of James Bassi’s “Protect,” a reflection on humanity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evening will conclude with Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass.
The concert takes place at Church of the Ascension in New York City.
By David Salazar
The Academy of Vocal Arts is gearing up to present Verdi’s “La Traviata” starting on Nov. 11, 2022.
The opera will feature Lydia Grindatto and Emily Margevich rotating in the role of Violetta Valéry. They are joined by Matthew Goodheart and Luke Norvell as Alfredo Germont and Benjamin Dickinson and Kevin Godinez as Giorgio Germont. Other cast members include Monique Galväo, Angel Raii Gomez, Peter Barber, and Cumhur Görgün.
Christofer Macatsoris leads the AVA Opera Orchestra and Dorothy Danner directs.
The opening performance will be followed by a Nov. 13 showcase at Lehigh University’s Zoellner Arts Center. Then on Nov. 15-19, the opera heads to AVA’s Helen Corning Warden Theater before getting a Young Professionals performance on Nov. 21. The run concludes on Nov. 29 at The Haverford School’s Centennial Hall.
By David Salazar
Spoleto Festival USA has announced four new members to its executive leadership team.
Joining the team will be Brent Dickman as Chief Financial Officer, Dexter Foxworth as Chief Operating Officer, Liz Keller-Tripp as Lead Producer, and Katharine Laidlaw as Chief Marketing Officer.
“As we look to build upon our institution’s profound legacy, I am thrilled to welcome these talented and accomplished leaders to Spoleto,” said Mena Mark Hanna, the organization’s General Director and CEO, in an official press statement. “Their combined expertise in the cultural nonprofit sphere will galvanize the Festival and propel its next chapter.”
Dickman held top positions at Yale Law School, Yale University, the University of Michigan, and Union Theological Seminary. Meanwhile, Foxworth worked with the festival back in 2020 and has been the executive director of the nonprofit Zebra Coalition and led entertainment operations for Walt Disney Park.
Laidlaw has worked with such organizations as Interlochen Center for the Arts and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, while Keller-Tripp collaborated with Silkroad Ensemble, The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.
By Francisco Salazar
The Teatro de la Zarzuela has announced a cast change for its production of “Policías y Ladrones.”
The company said that baritone César San Martín will take on the lead role replacing Manuel Lanza, who was originally announced. Martín has performed at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Theatre du Capitole in Toulouse, Opera di Firenze and the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli.
The baritone will join a cast that includes María Hinojosa as his wife, Miguel Ángel Arias as the Police, Alba Chantar as the daughter, and César Arrieta as the son. Carme Portaceli directs the production and José Ramón Encinar conducts.
“Policías y Ladrones” is set to open on Nov. 18 and runs through Nov. 27, 2022.
By Francisco Salazar
A museum dedicated to Maria Callas will open in Athens, Greece.
The museum comes in time for the soprano’s centenary year, which will be celebrated on Dec. 2, 2023.
The museum will be located in a public building, which is the property of the city’s town hall. The exhibition will have a wide array of personal objects, recordings, and documents that been collected over the past 50 years.
There will also be a student diary with annotations from the soprano and various student awards as well as wardrobe, accessories, and a number of personal photos. There will also be a number of articles donated from the Teatro alla Scala, Arena di Verona, Teatro La Fenice, and Metropolitan Opera.
The Callas centenary celebration began earlier this season at the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli and is set to be celebrated all over the world.
By Francisco Salazar
The Staatsoper Nürnberg has announced Roland Böer as its chief conductor.
The company noted that Böer will take over the direction of the Staatsphilharmonic Nürnberg during the 2023-24 season and will accompany the orchestra during the two-year transitional phase until the start of the opera house construction project as General Music Director.
He will succeed Joana Mallwitz, who is moving to the Konzerthausorchester in Berlin.
The conductor has worked as a guest conductor at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, the English National Opera in London, the Royal Swedish Opera and Copenhagen Opera House, the Grand Theatre, Warsaw, the Hungarian State Opera House, Prague’s State Opera, the Opéra national du Rhin, the Opéra de Nice, the Vienna Volksoper and the Opéra de Lyon.
He has served as the artistic director of the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte in Montepulciano from 2015 to 2020.
By Alan Neilson
Hila Baggio is an Israeli soprano with an international career who now resides in Europe. She has a wide repertoire ranging from the standard operatic roles to contemporary and liturgical music, and has appeared in numerous high profile productions, alongside many eminent musicians, including Daniel Barenboim for a staged production of “Pierrot Lunaire” in Berlin. Currently, she is performing Miranda in Halévy’s “La Tempesta” in this year’s Wexford Festival Opera.
OperaWire: What was the first opera you saw?
Hila Baggio: “La Bohème” in Jerusalem.
OW: What was the last opera you appeared in?
HB: “La Traviata” at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv. I was playing Violetta.
OW: What is your next scheduled performance?
HB: A concert of Yiddish cabaret music at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo.
OW: What is your favorite role?
HB: Violetta.
OW: Which role have you performed most often?
HB: Oscar from Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
OW: Which character that you have met on stage have you most disliked?
HB: The Duke from “Rigoletto.”
OW: Which role, that you have not yet performed, would you most like to play?
HB: Berg’s “Lulu.”
OW: Who is your favorite opera singer?
HB: Joan Sutherland.
OW: Which character that you have seen on stage would you most like to meet in real life?
HB: Violetta.
OW: If you could invite three guests to dinner, at least one of which must have a connection with opera, who would they be?
HB: Verdi, Putin and Biden.
OW: What is your favorite piece of non-classical music?
HB: I love Jazz. I can listen to Billie Holiday all day long.
OW: If you could have any composer, alive or dead, write an opera for you, who would it be?
HB: Verdi.
OW: What is your favorite film?
HB: “La Dolce Vita.”
OW: What book are you reading at the moment?
HB: Actually, I have just finished reading “The Tempest.”
OW: Who is your favorite painter?
HB: Monet.
OW: What qualities do you most appreciate in a conductor?
HB: During the rehearsals, I want to be given references to work with, while in the performance, I want the conductor to communicate and interact with me.
OW: What qualities do you most appreciate in a stage director?
HB: I like it when they are very good actors and can show you clearly what they are after.
OW: If you hadn’t been a singer, what job would you have done?
HB: If I were not afraid of blood, I would loved to have been a doctor.
OW: What do you like most about your voice?
HB: I like its versatility. I can adjust it to sing many different musical styles.
OW: What do you dislike most about being a singer?
HB: Being away from home for so long.
OW: What do you like most about being an opera singer?
HB: Rehearsals.
OW: Name two things which you enjoyed about your experience in Wexford
HB: The energy of the festival and meeting the director Roberto Catalano and the conductor Francesco Cilluffo.
By Logan Martell
On October 26, 2022, Lincoln Center’s newly-renovated David Geffen Hall presented the first of its opening night galas, titled “The Journey.” The event was a momentous celebration of the music and history which has played so large a part through the numerous forms and iterations the hall has taken over the decades.
The reinvented venue strikes a visually-appealing balance between form and function from nearly the moment one steps into the lobby, with sleek glass paneling, communal lounge layout, and digital media screen to open and enliven the hall’s familiar façade and sculpture terrace.
The second floor’s brass railings and blue are boldly set behind the red flower petal motif which adorns the outer doors of the newly-christened Wu Tsai Theater. During a pre-concert reception, remarks were given by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as well as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, speaking on the economic impact and cultural significance of the hall’s renovation, and toasting to the resiliency of the city, its arts, and its people.
The changes are instantly visible inside the new theater, where architects and acoustic experts have overhauled nearly everything in the name of aural and visual efficiency. The curve of the beechwood panels covering the balconies and the rippling in the side panels help guide not only our eyes to the stage, but sound towards our ears, making it all the more easy to engage with the closer stage. As patrons filed into their seats and the hall filled, there was a strong sense of intimacy as the stage and upper sections seemed to flow together, further reducing the boundaries between audience and artists. Before the lights dimmed fully, the “firefly” fixtures of the chandelier briefly rose and fell in a dance-like pattern to make one last visual impression before the concert started.
Following the national anthem, Chair of the Board Katherine Farley gave introductory remarks, welcoming the audience to the new hall, and acknowledging the efforts and contributions of those who were able to make the project possible and bring it to completion two years earlier than anticipated. In celebration of this feat, Farley cued in Van Zweden to lead the chorus and orchestra in an exultant rendition of the “Hallelujah” chorus.
The Journey
After this brief musical prelude, the concert was launched into vibrant motion with the overture from Leonard Bernstein’s operetta “Candide.” This tribute to the former Laureate Conductor could hardly be more fitting for the start of the evening, and made for a splendid showcase of the hall’s new acoustics through all the jubilance and fervor of its phrases and motifs.
Following a short film on the hall’s renovation, featuring figures from construction workers to celebrities such as Nathan Lane, and Judge Judy, the stage was joined by guest artist and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Alicia Keyes, with a surprise performance of her hit song “New York” delivered from the piano.
At this point, Van Zweden tagged out for conductor Rob Mathes, who would lead the orchestra for the remainder of the evening. Returning to musical theatre, Broadway star Bernadette Peters took to the stage to pay respects to the efforts and accomplishments of the women behind the project, doing so with a passionate rendition of the “South Pacific” song “There is Nothin’ Like a Dame.” Peters made the most of every moment as the pattery verse settled and she delivered the lines with a comedic, sultry flair before she and the orchestra made a shift to strong swing to roll out the chorus with aplomb.
After this was renowned soprano Renée Fleming, who sang the dreamy and despondent torch song “Down in the Depths (On the Ninetieth Floor)” from Cole Porter’s 1936 “Red, Hot, & Blue.” While this number mostly carried through her relaxed and velvety lower register, Fleming adorned these phrases of longing and luxury with suitably-rich accents of vocal beauty. Continuing in the tribute to the legendary conductor and composer was Jaime Bernstein, who spoke briefly on the relationship and legacy between her father and the Philharmonic, before introducing Tony Award-winner Joaquina Kalukango in a soaring rendition of “Take Care of This House” from Bernstein’s “1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”
The evening held no shortage of entertaining musical numbers, such as Irving Berlin’s “Anything You Can Do,” sung by Sarah Bareilles and Nik Walker as musical substitutes for the respective presidents of Lincoln Center and the NY Phil, Henry Timms and Deborah Borda. This humorous battle of vocal chops carried with great energy as the two pushed each other in showing off their skills in the redesigned space. Paying tribute to all the musical performances yet to be held within the hall was Broadway actress Vanessa Williams to sing Cy Coleman’s “The Best is Yet to Come.”
Following remarks from comedian Stephen Colbert, touching on his time onstage with the Philharmonic for the 2010 concert production of Sondheim’s “Company,” the stage was soon taken by Lin Manuel Miranda and the cast of the Broadway sensation “Hamilton” for a medley of songs from the hit show.
Bringing the first night’s program to a close, Fleming returned joined by Broadway baritone Brian Stokes Mitchell to perform the finale from Candide “Make Our Garden Grow.” This rousing number saw the two stars in excellent form, bolstered by not only the philharmonic chorus, but the Juilliard Prepatory Chorus as they entered through the aisles, and all artists built towards a massive, glorious harmony of voices and instruments.
The Joy
The second night of the opening galas saw a smaller, but no less powerful program, comprised of only three works drawing from different eras. Making its premiere with the philharmonic was Baroque composer Giovanni Gabrieli’s “Canzon in Echo duodecimi.” This work saw two brass choirs flanking the podium as they engaged in sound and expression which seemed to take the theater’s resonant qualities to majestic heights. While less than 5 minutes long, the piece made for splendid fanfare in the ongoing celebrations for the hall.
Following this was the premiere of a new work titled “You Are the Prelude,” commissioned for the reopening of the hall, by Puerto Rican composer Angelica Negron with text by poet Ricardo Alberto Maldonado. Described as honoring “the impact that the design of the new David Geffen Hall has on the communal experience of listening,” this new piece played with both sound and silence as the orchestra opened with three resounding chords spaced just enough to let the impact melt into the atmosphere before the choir powerfully joined. As this motif elaborated and repeated, what ensued was a stunning blend of vocal textures built over seemingly disparate parts as the choir lapped over one another until they filled the air.
Making up the bulk of the program was Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125.” This iconic work was a symphonic showcase that the orchestra and Van Zweden executed with utter finesse through the evocative subtleties of the “Allegro ma non troppo,” to the sheer rejoicing of the “Presto –Recitativo: ‘O Freunde, nicht diese Tone.” The soloists featured in this performance were soprano Joelle Harvey, mezzo Kelley O’Connor, tenor Issachah Savage, and bass-baritone Davone Tines, with both men making their Philharmonic debuts. While by no means an overlooked selection, the symphony could hardly have been more fitting to celebrate the enduring human spirit and the triumph of the arts.
In all, the two nights of musical jubilance wove a captivating tapestry of history and song, honoring some of the most significant milestones and feats of the New York Philharmonic, while turning our gazes towards the promise of all the performances yet to be heard within the new David Geffen Hall. It’s no secret that previous iterations of the venue suffered from a number of visual and acoustical obstacles, but the end result of this new endeavor is a space where music takes the forefront and the audience can enjoy almost total immersion in the beauty.
By David Salazar
Composer Blake Allen will showcase his “INSOMNIA” at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on Nov. 8, 2022.
The work, which is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Sleeping and Walking” will feature soprano Cree Carrico, Jeanna de Waal, the Argus Quartet, and pianist Chris Koelzer.
The work blends opera, musical theater, and classical music to create a multi-movement composition that focuses on the effects of sleep deprivation and anxiety on two people living 100 years apart.
“Insomnia is said to be an innate, evolutionary condition stemming from the time when humans were hunters and gathers,”Allen said in an official press statement. “According to anthropologists, wolf pups would hunt right before dawn, often targeting young children, and so humans would wake up early, before the hunt to protect their offspring. Since then, the anxiety of the ‘encroaching’ wolf pup has been replaced by sleepless nights filled with worrisome thoughts, growing lists of tasks and projects to complete, decisions we have yet to make, texts we shouldn’t have sent, and the stress of our impending day-to-day circumstances and life events.
“Through music and story, my ‘INSOMNIA’ evening dissects what happens when we battle with our subconscious thoughts and the potentially far-reaching effects of the decisions we make when our mind is racing, compounded by the very real stress of trying to fall asleep.”
By Francisco Salazar
The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Vedi’s “Rigoletto” for 14 performances.
The opera, which is set to run between Nov. 10 and Dec. 29, will showcase Benjamin Bernheim in his highly anticipated company debut as Duke. He will share the run with Stephen Costello.
Baritone Quinn Kelsey and soprano Rosa Feola will reprise their roles of Rigoletto and Gilda from last season. Lisette Oropesa and Luca Salsi will also perform as Gilda and Rigoletto, respectively.
The cast will be rounded out by mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, who makes her Met debut as Maddalena, and bass-baritone John Relyea who also makes his company role debut as Sparafucile. Michael Chioldi will also perform some shows as the title role which OperaWire praised stating, “Michael Chioldi Triumphed.”
Speranza Scappucci makes her Met debut on the podium, leading Bartlett Sher’s production.
“Rigoletto” will be broadcast live on Nov. 10 and 17 and Dec. 17 and 29 on the Metropolitan Opera Radio on SiriusXM Channel 355. The Dec. 17, 2022, performance will also be broadcast over the Toll Brothers–Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.
