Saioa Hernández Leads Berlin State Opera’s ‘Tosca’

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...

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...

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.

Austria’s Bregenzer Festspiele has appointed Enrique Mazzola to the newly created position of conductor in residence. The festival noted that Mazzola will conduct “Ernani” in the Festspielhaus in 2023 and “Der Freischütz” on the Lake Stage in 2024. Mazzola made his debut at the...

Madrid’s Ibermúsica has announced its 2022-2023 featuring international soloists. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Verdi’s Requiem will feature the Milan Symphony orchestra under the direction of Claus Peter Flor. Carmela Remigio, Anna Bonitatibus, Carlo Allemanno, and Fabrizio Beggi star. Performance Dates: Nov. 9, 2022.

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...

The Metropolitan Opera has announced another cast change for its production of Brett Dean’s “Hamlet.”. The company noted that Eve Gigliotti will sing the role of Gertrude on May 18, replacing Sarah Connolly. Gigliotti is the latest jump-in for the performance as Daniel Moody and Eric Jurenas will...

The Boston Lyric Opera has announced that it will present Terrence Blanchard’s “Champion” in concert form instead of in production. The company noted that “following the cancellation of tomorrow’s (Wed, May 18) first performance, Boston Lyric Opera’s Fri @ 7:30PM and Sun @ 3PM performances of ‘Champion: An Opera in Jazz’ will continue as planned at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater. However, due to COVID disruptions during the rehearsal process over the past two weeks, BLO will present these performances concert-style on the production’s main set, with costumes.”

That’s what’s on offer with Pocket Opera’s “No Love Allowed,” a bright, energetic revival of Richard Wagner’s second opera, “Das Liebesverbot.” The production features a translation by the company’s beloved founder, Donald Pippin, as directed by Stage Director Nicholas A. Garcia, and with music conducted by Jonathan Khuner.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic has announced its 2022-23 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be on classical vocal performances. The Opening Concert will feature soprano Katerina Kneziková in a performance of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. Domingo Hindoyan will also conduct Janácek’s Sinfonietta. Performance...

Sergei Producciones Líricas, Divaria Productions, and the City Council of Logroño are teaming up to present a unique new adaptation of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on June 8, 2022. The iconic work will be adapted for chamber orchestra and chorus by conductor and composer Pedro Halffter. “Symphony...

NEW Sinfonia is set to present “The Classical Masterpieces” concert on June 10, 2022 at St. Asaph Cathedral in the U.K. Mezzo-soprano Morgana Warren-Jones will headline the program, performing Mahler’s “Ruckert Lieder.”. Also on the program will be music by Debussy, Mozart, and Schubert. Conductor Robert...

The Royal Danish Opera has announced its 2022-23 season featuring operatic productions, musicals and concerts. Opera i Roskilde will feature Sine Bundgaard, Hanne Fischer, Niels Jørgen Riis, and Magnus Berg. Performance Date: July 31, 2022. “Papageno og Papagena” will be performed by pianist Kristoffer Hyldig and soloists Julie Meera...

Opera Memphis has announced a major change for its May 21 performance of “Così fan tutte.”. The company revealed that the performance will no longer feature the participation of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra or conductor Moody. Instead, the performance will showcase Jennifer Q. McGuire at the piano accompanying...

On May 28, the Metropolitan Opera will revive a production of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” will a new cast that will include Mariinsky Theatre singer Yulia Matochkina. The performances at the Metropolitan Opera will mark the mezzo’s debut and will also come after the mezzo performed at the Mariinsky Theatre, a state-funded theater in Russia that President Vladimir Putin has supported throughout the years.

Spain’s Festival Castell de Peralada has announced its 2022 season featuring many great stars. Here is a look at the vocal highlights of the season. Emily D’Angelo and Sophia Munoz lead a program of opera arias. Performance Date: July 23, 2022. George Petean, Dmitry Belosselskiy, Anna Pirozzi, and...

(Credit: Matthew Williams Ellis) The Longborough Festival Opera has announced that the chairman of the board Martin Graham is stepping down from his position. Graham, who is the founder of Longborough Festival Opera, served on the Board for over 20 years and will retain his close interest in the season’s performances.

Catalyst New Music will present a world premiere workshop of “This Is Not That Dawn” on May 27, 2022. The showcase, which will take place at The Center for the Arts at the Armory in Somerville, MA, will feature a preview of Omar Najmi’s new opera. The...

What is our relationship to music? Do we know what music is? Have we listened to the world around us as we probably should? When was the last time we just stopped and began to “hear?” Questions like these draw us out of our realities and into realms of musicking that seem entirely foreign to the conventional methods of listening that we may think are normal when attending a concert—sitting in our seat, staring blankly ahead, clapping when need be, staying silent, and then leaving with a feeling of aesthetic pleasure. But the beauty of contemporary composers is that convention be damned. The era of music-as-knowledge is upon us. Composers are no longer obligated to create in a certain manner and stringently adhere to formulas, and the previous and current centuries have ceaselessly attempted to bring art back home.

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...