By Francisco Salazar
San Francisco Opera has announced a cast change for its Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice.”
The company said Meigui Zhang will make her role debut as Eurydice, replacing Christina Gansch who is expecting her second child and has withdrawn from the production.
Zhang made her company debut this past summer as Dai Yu in Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang’s “Dream of the Red Chamber.” The soprano also featured in San Francisco Opera’s “In Song.” A Merola Opera Program participant in 2018, Zhang was selected to join the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artists Development Program.
Zhang joins a cast that includes countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński and Nicole Heaston.
Matthew Ozawa directs San Francisco Opera’s new production, which will be performed five times between Nov. 15 and Dec. 1, 2022.
By David Salazar
The Mälmo Opera has unveiled the live streaming options for its 2022-23 season.
Audiences can watch the operas directly off the company’s official website.
First up will be “Roméo et Juliette.” The opera stars Kseniia Proshina and Sehoon Moon in the title roles. Patrik Ringborg conducts and Amy Lane directs. Other cast members include Orhan Yildiz, Alexander Roslavets, Mark Stone, Thomas Volle, Emma Sventelius, Francine Vis, Stefano Olcese, Eric Lavoipierre, and Darko Neshovski.
Streaming Date: Nov. 27 & Dec. 12, 2022
That will be followed up by “Le Nozze di Figaro.” Henning von Schulman, Maria Cabounia, Kartal Karagedik, and Verity Wingate headline the cast. Magnus Frylund conducts with Peter Stein in the director’s chair.
Streaming Date: Jan. 22 & 31, 2023
Closing out the streaming options will be “Vec Makropulos.” Agent Eichenolz stars as Emilia Marty. Magnus Vigilius, Rodion Pogossov, Hanna Husáhr, Thomas Volle, Lars Arvidson, Mathias Hedegaard, Bengt Ola Morgny, Katarina Lundborg, and Thomas Hildebrandt also star. Patrik Ringborg conducts while Elisabeth Linton directs.
Streaming Date: April 23 & 26, 2023
By Francisco Salazar
Opera Southwest will present “Zorro” in Albuquerque.
The work, which is set to be presented four times from Oct. 23 through Oct. 30, was written by Héctor Armienta and will be shown at the National Hispanic Cultural Center-Journal Theatre.
The work take place in Los Angeles when Alta California was still a colony of Spain and retells the Zorro legend following Diego de la Vega, esteemed swordsman and Spanish nobleman, as he fights for the poor and enslaved.
César Delgado, Stephanie Sanchez, Laura León, Octavio Moreno, Olga Perez Flora, Javier Ortiz, and Laura Soto-Bayomi make up the cast of the Armienta opera. Anthony Barrese conducts the production by Octavio Cardenas.
By Francisco Salazar
After the Metropolitan Opera’s opening night, Sondra Radvanvsky has no other contracts with the company.
In an interview with the AP, General Manager Peter Gelb revealed that there are no contracts currently for the soprano. However, he said that after opening night, “he would be meeting with her to discuss possibilities.”
The article revealed that the soprano and the company have had a rocky relationship. Even though Radvaovky has made history in Spanish theaters with several encores and performed worldwide to great acclaim, she has only once opened the Met season and has not been a consistent presence.
According to Gelb he “misjudged her.” The General Manager said that Radvanovsky was “not on my radar” in his early tenure.
He added, “I misjudged her. I didn’t fully understand the distinct quality of her voice, its ability to convey raw emotion.”
According to Radvanovsky that the rocky relationship was caused by a Rosalinde in “Die Fledermaus” she sang. She said, “It was just so far out of my realm, I was really a duck out of water. Quite frankly, if I had seen me as Rosalinde, in German, not my language, my medium, I wouldn’t have hired me again either.”
Still, the soprano has performed over 200 times at the Met and has opened in a number of productions like the Historic Three Queens cycle and new productions of “Il Trovatore,” “Norma,” and “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Categories
Новини
By Afton Wooten
New York’s longest-running early music series Music Before 1800 has announced Bill Barclay as its first Artistic Director.
Bill Barclay, an American composer, stage director, and curator, begins his new charge by overseeing the current season. He will take on planning the 49th and 50th seasons.
Music Before 1800’s founder Louise Basbas transitions from her role as executive director to board president. She praises Barclay in a press release by saying, “he is an innovative and imaginative producer with amazing experience in the theater. He is a composer who is steeped in early music…We know he will broaden our horizons with his programs, pleasing our traditional audience and luring newcomers to early music.”
Before his new appointment, Barclay spent seven years as director of music at Shakespeare’s Globe, created the Candlelit Concert series in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and work on international tours and filming, as well as produced a record label, Globe Music.
Barclay will continue to serve as artistic director at his company, Concert Theatre Works which merges symphonic works with puppetry, dance, film, acting, and design. Throughout 2023 he will tour new eight projects.
Music Before 1800’s 48th season opens on Oct. 2 with “We’ll Be There: American Spirituals Black and White 1800-1900,” featuring the Boston Camerata.
By Afton Wooten
The Marjan’s Musical Soirees podcast released a new episode focusing on the Polish tenor Jan Kiepura (1902-66).
The podcast features the late tenor’s son, pianist Marjan Kiepura, and is hosted by Jane Knox-Kiepura. The duo will recount Kiepura’s opera career in this episode.
Kiepura was one of the most well-known tenors and film stars in the 20th century. He made his debut at the Lvov Opera in 1924 in Moniuszko’s “Halka” before going on to perform on opera stages throughout Europe and the Americas. He graced the stages of Teatro alla Scala, Vienna State Opera, Paris Operas, and the Metropolitan Opera, where he frequented lead tenor roles in “Tosca,” “Rigoletto,” “Carmen,” “Manon,” and “Aida,” among others.
In addition to his operatic career, Kiepura appeared in 19 films. Alongside his wife Hungarian soprano and film star Marta Eggert (1912-2013), Kiepura featured in the film adaptations of Franz Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” and “Zarewitch” and the operetta “Polonaise.”
The husband and wife team began Marjan’s Musical Soirees” podcast in 2021. Episodes feature performances by both Marjan and Jane, as well as histories and insights to classical music and opera.
By Francisco Salazar
(Credit: Lena Kern)
The Board of Deal Music and Arts has announced the appointment of its new Artistic Director Matthew Rose.
Rose will take up his appointment at the beginning of October ready to plan the 2023 season.
In a statement Chair of Trustees, Christopher Cook said, “We are so lucky to have Matthew as our new artistic director. His commitment to the arts in these troubled days will bring innovation and commitment to the Festival, helping to rethink our relationships with the diverse communities that we serve in East Kent as we celebrate our fiftieth birthday”
Rose is an international singer who performs regularly at the Teatro alla Scala, The Royal Opera House, Opéra National de Lyon, Houston Grand Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. He has worked with such conductors as Sir Colin Davis, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Andrew Davis, Vladimir Jurowski, Sir Charles Mackerras, Yannick Nézet-Seguin, and Antonio Pappano.
Deal Music & Arts has brought the best in arts and culture to East Kent for nearly 40 years, and in that time has welcomed many of the world’s greatest artists. Over those years, the organization has evolved from a summer festival to a year-round organization that maintains the festival and supports a series of education programs.
By Francisco Salazar
The Maryland Lyric Opera is set to open its 2022-23 season with Verdi’s “Macbeth.”
The opera, which is set to be presented on Sept. 23 and 25 at Strathmore, will star baritone Lester Lynch as Macbeth and Jill Gardner as Lady Macbeth. The cast will be rounded out by MDLO favorites Andrea Silvestrelli as Banco and Yi Li as Macduff.
The opera will put the MDLO Orchestra center stage, while dramatic lighting, captivating projections, and enhanced visual supervision by David Gately will be used for the production. Joseph Colaneri conducts the renowned work.
Lynch is a well-known baritone who has performed at the Opéra de Montréal, Pittsburgh Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Minnesota Opera, among others. Gardner is a favorite of the MDLO as she has performed in the company’s “La Fanciulla del West.”
By Chris Ruel
Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) has announced the appointment of Nicole Wendl as BU Tanglewood Institute’s (BUTI) new executive director.
Wendl, a professional violinist and administrator, will helm the prestigious summer training program for young musicians ages 14-20. The program takes place on a 64-acre campus in western Massachusetts’ Berkshire mountains, close to Tanglewood.
For the past three years, Wendl has served as BUTI’s Director of Education and Programming, during which she worked directly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s senior leadership to include BUTI in Tanglewood and BSO events. She also expanded donor relations and implemented action plans for equity and Inclusion program growth.
As BUTI’s new executive director, Wendl will work to install a team poised to manage the organization through the next academic year, including roles that oversee recruiting, enrollment, education, and communications. She will also look to build a strong relationship with the Advisory Council.
In a press statement, Cynthia Curme, BUTI Advisory Council Chair, said, “Nicole is exactly the executive director BUTI needs at this moment. She understands every operational detail and has the energy, passion, and stamina to perform it with care, generosity, and sensitivity. Her passion for the transformational power of a music education is always beautifully articulated and she will be a fantastic advocate for the program. I really look forward to working with her!”
By Francisco Salazar
© Christophe Abramowitz.
The Orchestre National de France has renewed Christian Macelaru’s contract as Music Director.
The Rumanian conductor will continue with the orchestra through 2027.
Măcelaru is the Chief Conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester, Artistic Director of the George Enescu International Festival and Competition, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Interlochen Center for the Arts’ World Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director and Conductor of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
He is a GRAMMY® Award winning artist who has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, and National Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked with the Philadelphia Orchestra where he served as a conductor-in-Residence and Associate Conductor for two seasons as well as an Assistant Conductor.
