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My boss, the CEO of OPERA America, has a favorite “first question.” Every time he interviews an opera creator, artist, board member or business partner, he asks them, “What is the first opera you saw? Who took you?” For nearly 10 years, I’ve lived in dread that he’d ask me that question in public – because I just don’t remember. I mean, I know I we...

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The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera has announced that in March the “Bring the Family to the Opera” initiative will resume. This well-received program introduces children and the extended family to live, fully-staged performances of grand opera, as the composer intended. The program offers 40% off special ticket rates on $55 and $45 tickets...

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When: Wednesday, February 28, 2018 At 6:00 pm - Where: PianoForte Studios 1335 S Michigan Ave Chicago - Organized by : Istituto Italiano di Cultura Chicago In collaboration with : PianoForte Foundation - Entrance : Free On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of Gioachino Rossini, the Italian Cultural Institute, in collaboration with...

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Puccini’s melodrama about a volatile diva, an idealistic artist, and a sadistic police chief is the next The Met: Live in HD screening at San Juan Community Theatre on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. The Met’s new production of the 1900 Italian opera, entitled “Tosca,” features sumptuous new staging, with soprano Sonya Yoncheva and tenor Vittorio Grigolo...

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You've probably heard how all three original stars dropped out of the Metropolitan Opera's new "Tosca" and how the conductor had to be replaced twice. But did you know about the flap over the angel's wings? A replica of the bronze statue of Archangel Michael that stands on the roof of Rome's Castel Sant'Angelo sword in hand was supposed to dominat...

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At the Millbrook Library last Saturday Millbrook Arts Group in conjunction with Catskill Jazz Factory presented Puccini Meets Bechet: Parallels in Opera & Jazz with Aaron Johnson Trio. The parallel dimensions of jazz and opera collide with this condensed chamber group featuring operatic vocals, piano, clarinet and soprano saxophone. Multi-instrumen...

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A wise man of opera once said in my hearing, testifying to the enduring emotional impact of Puccini: “When I no longer cry at ‘Boheme,’ I quit.” The same should be said of “La Fanciulla del West,” from “Ch’ella mi creda” to the end – and so it is with Lillian Groag’s production that opened on Nov. 10 at the Virginia Opera in Norfolk, with performan...

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An icy princess is terrified of love. A mysterious prince solves three riddles and melts her heart while breaking another's. Love triumphs, but it's complicated. Starring Amber Wagner, Stefano La Colla, Maria Agresta/Janai Brugger Turandot (1926), the final work of Giacomo Puccini's career, showcases the composer's magnificent melodic outpourings a...

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Every four or five years almost since it was launched in Tucson in 1971, Arizona Opera has performed Puccini’s popular Italian melodrama “Tosca,” and Joseph Specter has an idea why: There’s just something about Puccini that is irresistible. “Puccini and this work are always such a powerful combination of engaging people in opera,” said the Arizona...

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Arizona Opera is proud to present the first Mainstage production of its 2017/18 Season, Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, one of the most exciting and dramatic operas of all time. Set in the turmoil of Rome in 1800, Tosca is one of opera's greatest stories, filled with heartbreak and revenge. The beautiful and fiery Italian diva, Floria Tosca, is passionate...

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