Renata Tebaldi “Pace, Pace Mio Dio” from La Forza del Destino, Giuseppe Verdi
OPERA SINGERS
Young Romanian Soprano Adela Zaharia Wins The First Prize of the Operalia
Young Romanian soprano Adela Zaharia has won the first prize of the Operalia opera competition, established by Spanish tenor Placido Domingo. She also won the section dedicated to the zarzuela, a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre similar to the operetta. The two awards total USD 40,000.
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Interview: Jennifer Johnston, Mezzo-Soprano
Who or what inspired you to take up singing, and make it your career?
I’ve always sung, since I was a little girl, and I’ve always loved music. So singing as a job seemed like a natural step. However, I didn’t follow a logical route, as I first became a Barrister, after reading Law at Cambridge University. But the lure of singing was too great in the end, and so I accepted a place at the Royal College of Music and I’ve never looked back.
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Steve Jobs’ Life Makes for a Perfect Modern Opera
With The(R)evolution of Steve Jobs, premiering July 22 at the Santa Fe Opera Festival in New Mexico, San Francisco-based composer DJ Mason Bates showcases “a redemption story” as channeled through a conflicted baritone (opera vet Edward Parks).
Whenever Steve is singing, you hear quick electronica with fast, finger-picked acoustic guitar. That represents his busy inner soul, whereas with his wife, Laurene, you hear oceanic strings. That difference is what the opera is about in many ways — she is able to slow down his music.
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[News] Tenor Juan Diego Flórez Announces Debut Album
Sony Classical has announced has Juan Diego Flórez’s new CD.
The new album, entitled “Mozart,” will see the tenor exploring arias from the composer’s famed works. The album will also mark his first album for Sony Classical and his first album since 2015 when Decca released “Italia.”
The album is slated for Oct. 6, 2018.
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[News] Tenor Placido Domingo to Head Fort Worth Opera’s New Artistic Advisory Council
International star tenor and conductor Placido Domingo will head a newly formed advisory council to the Fort Worth Opera, officials announced.
The Fort Worth Opera National Artistic Council will be composed of renowned artists, classical musicians and directors who will help support and guide the company in its artistic and educational efforts, according to a statement Friday.
“This extraordinary ensemble of creative minds and operatic entrepreneurs will keep FWOpera informed of larger trends within the opera world, as the company embarks upon its 72nd year and writes its next great chapter,” the statement said.
The artistic council will seek and evaluate suggestions from the community and serve as a resource and advocate for the opera company.
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Photo Credit: Bela Szandelszky
BambinO, Opera For Babies, Opens at Manchester International Festival
That’s the scene for perhaps Manchester International Festival’s most ambitious arts world premiere yet – Bambino, an opera for babies.
Written by Scottish Opera’s acclaimed composer in residence Lliam Paterson and directed by Improbable theatre’s Phelim McDermott, BambinO is billed as a twin celebration of the possibilities of music and the power of the infant imagination.
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