01/31/13 COMPREHENSIVE REAL-TIME NEWS FEED FOR OPERA.

• Who's 'Quadrophenia' still resonates ahead of Reno show _{2013-01-31, 03:00 am}
  When the Who chose to play its 1973 rock opera, "Quadrophenia," in its entirety on this winter's North American tour, it opened the group up to speculation that it's following the recent trend of bands doing tours based around a popular album from their back catalogs.
• Things to do this weekend _{2013-01-31, 05:00 am}
  ... at 4 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 27) at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church. Experience the baroque origins of Italian opera with works by Barbara Strozzi, Francesco Cavalli, Alessandro Scarlatti and others. Tickets are $25; $20 for seniors; $10 for ...
• 'American Idiot' set for 5-show run at Hanover _{2013-01-31, 04:53 am}
  ... girlfriend, Heather, is pregnant and uncertain what she should do. The musical is an adaptation of the 2004 rock opera "American Idiot" by the punk rock band Green Day. At first, at least, unhappiness and angst prevail as we watch the lives of the ...
• Gunn's blazing; from high school musicals to the Met, he's a vocal favorite _{2013-01-31, 04:06 am}
  Nathan Gunn is currently playing Rimbaud, the conspiring sidekick of the infatuated Comte'Ory at the Metropolitan Opera.
• IBM's Watson supercomputer goes to university _{2013-01-31, 04:03 am}
  ... was that along the way he would become a patent agent, a rocket scientist, a gourmet cook, a biotech entrepreneur, an opera tenor and a science writer. All articles by Brian Dodson
• Nibbles: Vibrante _{2013-01-31, 02:44 am}
  ... University's Armstrong Browning Library. Free, but donations accepted for the Baylor Voice Excellence Fund. Baylor Opera Theater stages Francis Poulenc's "Dialogues of the Carmelites" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29 and Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at Baylor's ...
• Wood-fired ceramics, tale-telling photos in new Baylor art show _{2013-01-31, 02:44 am}
  ... University's Armstrong Browning Library. Free, but donations accepted for the Baylor Voice Excellence Fund. Baylor Opera Theater stages Francis Poulenc's "Dialogues of the Carmelites" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29 and Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at Baylor's ...
• FCT's 'Lend Me a Tenor' was worth the wait _{2013-01-31, 02:38 am}
  ... the experience of almost being in the show. It also came with some delicacies. "Lend Me a Tenor" is about a famous opera singer doing a show in Cleveland and the madcap adventures that happen when there is a mistaken identity. I enjoyed bright-eyed ...
• S.F. Ballet season-opener: variety, contrast, excellence _{2013-01-31, 02:11 am}
  San Francisco Ballet 's 80th season began with a bang Tuesday night in the War Memorial Opera House.
• 'Turandot' will open Sarasota Opera's winter season _{2013-01-31, 02:10 am}
  Soprano Brenda Harris stars in Turandot , which opens the Sarasota Opera's winter season on Feb.
• Stella Zambalis is Tosca in St. Petersburg Opera production _{2013-01-31, 02:09 am}
  Stella Zambalis is going to be busy in February. First, she is playing the title role in Tosca , the St. Petersburg Opera production of the Puccini staple that opens this weekend. Next she'll be playing PBS chef Julia Child in Lee Hoiby's comedy Bon ...
• South Wales Evening Post published A whistlestop tour of G&S _{2013-01-31, 02:00 am}
  ... - the full Gilbert and Sullivan condensed into 90 minutes and lovingly presented by the Scratchy Bottom Wind and Light Opera Society." "I absolutely loved it as a child but I had forgotten about it a little as an adult, so it was wonderful to be ...
• Evita' auditions scheduled this week _{2013-01-31, 01:54 am}
  Auditions for "Evita" are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday at the Charleston Light Opera Guild Theatre at the corner of Tennessee Avenue and Roane Street on the West Side.
• 'Spamalot' tour gives singer a chance to horse around a bit _{2013-01-31, 01:54 am}
  ... people, so it's landing with the right people at the right time." Hamilton got his start in classical music with opera. "I discovered that I could sing when I was in sixth grade," he said. "And then I taught myself. I really wanted to just play ...
• A Bloody Good Time 01.31.13: The Ten Best Dario Argento Films _{2013-01-31, 01:50 am}
  ... an entire movie over what was a silly twist. I won't spoil it, except to say there is a chimpanzee involved. #8 : Opera (1987) When I first saw Opera , I actually didn't like it. I've re-watched it since, realized that most of my problems with it ...
• Lifestyle briefs -- Published Jan. 31, 2013 _{2013-01-30, 08:35 pm}
  Auditions for the chorus for Stockton Opera's production of "Le Nozze di Figaro " are scheduled for Sunday at the Recital Hall at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music.
• Evancho has loads of talent - and manners too _{2013-01-30, 07:02 pm}
  ... and manager have to agree on all of the songs, but I did bring up "The Music of the Night" from "The Phantom of the Opera" as my favorite of all. I just had to have it on the CD. Q. You sing a lot of popular classical opera, like "O Mio Babbino ...
• Philip Glass - The New Frontier in The Age of Aquarius _{2013-01-30, 08:06 am}
  ... from the man considered to be the contemporary world's "greatest living composer." Even though I had a career as an opera singer, my exposure to any kind of non-mainstream music was by self exploration. And when I first began my trek of foraging ...
• Vocal student brings home several honors from conference in Denton _{2013-01-30, 03:00 am}
  ... with Debbie Berry, voice lecturer; Laney, Lymer and Wall study with Deborah Dalton, associate professor of voice and opera; Garza and Hanna study with Scott Lagraff, associate professor of voice; and Mayfield studies with Nita Hudson, voice and ...
• The Hartt School Presents Die Fledermaus, Now thru 2/2 _{2013-01-31, 01:32 am}
  The Hartt School's Hartt Opera Theatre presents Johann Strauss II's frothy comic operetta, Die Fledermaus, tonight through Saturday, January 31 through February 2, at 7:30 PM, and Sunday, February 3, at 3:00 PM, in Millard Auditorium, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT.

COMPREHENSIVE REAL-TIME NEWS FEED FOR THE LATEST OPERA NEWS

• Movie Review: 'Quartet' _{2013-01-17, 02:41 am}
  ... The plot, such as it is: three members of the titular foursome must convince an aging and reclusive prima donna of an opera singer, played by the inimitable Maggie Smith -- who was once the group's solo star and was briefly married to one of the two ...
• DiDonato luminous in Metropolitan Opera's 'Maria Stuarda' _{2013-01-17, 02:09 am}
  In this photo provided by the Metropolitan Opera, Joyce DiDonato plays Maria Stuarda and Matthew Polenzani is Leicester during a dress rehearsal of Donizetti's "Maria Stuarda." NEW YORK - The Metropolitan Opera may have pretty much turned opening night over to the glamorous Anna Netrebko, but New Year's Eve belonged to a very different diva - Joyce ... (more)
• Opera star home for talent search _{2013-01-17, 02:06 am}
  ... professionals in the field. Joining Madlala on the panel is South African-born British operatic lyric mezzo-soprano, opera director and educator, Sally Burgess, and pianist, William Vann. I spent a day with the remaining contestants at they ...
• Houston Grand Opera to show Valencia Ring Cycle _{2013-01-17, 01:58 am}
  The Houston Grand Opera plans to present the futuristic Fura dels Baus productions of Wagner's four Ring Cycle operas over four consecutive seasons starting with "Das Rheingold " in 2013-14. Sixty-seven-year-old Mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade will come out of retirement for the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's "A Coffin in Egypt," the ... (more)
• EVITA Kicks Off Eight-City Tour in Israel Tonight _{2013-01-17, 01:51 am}
  ... For the first time in English in Israel, opening tonight, Jan 17th for an eight city tour. Evita is a musical theater opera, with some of the most haunting and evocative music Andrew Lloyd Webber has ever written. The lyrics by Tim Rice are sharp ...
• 'American Idol' Recap: Nicki Minaj & Mariah Carey Fight At Auditions _{2013-01-17, 01:12 am}
  ... will remain just that - dreams. The 25 year old sang/mumbled a disturbingly high-pitched version of "Phantom of the Opera." I was confused, scared and horribly entertained. Let's just say it was hard for both Nicki and me to keep the laughs ...
• Tons of Art and Music With Your WOO Card _{2013-01-17, 01:09 am}
  ... all his friends from Sesame Street for six shows. Let's make some music! Link Sunday, January 20th Greater Worcester Opera presents The Magic Flute at Briarwood 65 Briarwood Circle , Worcester Greater Worcester Opera presents a semi-staged concert ...
• Vesuvius Ensemble gives a blast from Italy's past _{2013-01-17, 01:06 am}
  ... it as a boy, and according to him, turned pro at age nine, singing at weddings every weekend. He later veered into opera, singing in the chorus and appearing in tenor roles at Milan's La Scala for five years. "I learned all this music with the ...
• Innovative Michigan-based Eisenhower Dance ensemble leaps back to Detroit Opera House _{2013-01-17, 01:00 am}
  Now in its 17th year, the Michigan Opera Theatre's dance season brings top companies from all over the world to the stage of the Detroit Opera House.
• Virginia Opera presents 'Camelot' _{2013-01-17, 12:26 am}
  ... Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet , three powerful performers who kept the focus on the music. When an opera company tackles a Broadway musical, the emphasis needs to stay on the music as well, says Greg Ganakas, stage director of ...
• DiDonato rules stage in Metropolitan Opera's 'Maria Stuarda' _{2013-01-17, 12:10 am}
  Never before performed at the Metropolitan Opera, "Maria Stuarda," the second opera in Donizetti's so-called "Three Queens" trilogy, portrays the lethal conflict between Mary, deposed queen of Scotland, and Queen Elizabeth I of England.
• 'Maria Stuarda' - Live from the Met, in select theaters, Saturday, January 19th _{2013-01-17, 12:04 am}
  San Francisco-trained soprano Elza van den Heever made her Metropolitan Opera debut as "Elisabetta" in the company's new David McVicar production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda this past New Year's Eve alongside mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and tenor Matthew Polenzani.
• Far Away Places: Live at 54 BELOW _{2013-01-17, 12:00 am}
  ... LuPone: Far Away Places" Live From 54 BELOW CD and digital formats Broadway Records / 54 BELOW Bryan Hymel is one of opera's most in-demand tenors, but he remembers his days as a starving artist when studying music in Philadelphia. This week he ...
• Quartet _{2013-01-16, 10:53 pm}
  ... that made The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel such a hit. Newly arrived at Beecham House, a fictional retirement home for opera singers, legendary soprano Jean Horton (Maggie Smith) finds herself amidst old colleagues (Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins) ...
• Hexaphone and Via Choralis join up for Northern Reflections _{2013-01-16, 10:52 pm}
  ... Together the two groups will end the concert with the song Prayer and Temple Dance from Norweigian Edward Grieg's opera Olav Trygvason . The show takes place in Sidney on Sunday, Feb. 3 at St. Elizabeth's Church (10030 Third St.) Tickets are $15 for ...
• 'Pirates of Penzance' opens at Wheaton College _{2013-01-16, 09:52 pm}
  When Wheaton College's Opera Music Theater presents Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera "The Pirates of Penzance" this week, theatergoers can expect a performance that sticks faithfully to the original, as performed in 1879.
• Theatrical music coming to a Prince Albert stage _{2013-01-16, 08:51 pm}
  ... scene while Burgess acted as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables and Caine acted as Christine Daae in Phantom of the Opera. "About a year-and-a-half ago it just tuned up among friends that we thought we might do some concerts together, and it's worked ...
• Houston Grand Opera announces impressive 2013-2014 season _{2013-01-16, 08:31 pm}
  While the Dallas Opera presumably will limp along with yet another three-production season, Houston Grand Opera has announced a pretty impressive lineup of eight operas for 2013-2014. The offerings include the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's "A Coffin in Egypt" and the North American premiere of Polish/Russian composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg's ... (more)
• Staging An Exhibition _{2013-01-16, 08:02 pm}
  ... MVT and local favorite Rap's Hawaii (1/11) at HTY. Religious art always impresses. We select the interestingly titled opera Dialogues of the Carmelites (2/15) by modern French composer/librettist Francis Poulenc, at HOT. A group of nuns during the ...
• Elementary students experience their first opera _{2013-01-16, 07:28 pm}
  Sneakers shuffled along Maple Street and voices rose with excitement as more than 300 people lined up to see the Los Angeles Opera.

01/06/13 The Raw Opera News Feed

COMPREHENSIVE REAL-TIME NEWS FEED FOR OPERA.

• The Barber of Seville at the Metropolitan Opera, December 18, 2012 _{2013-01-07, 01:23 am}
  That's right: not exactly Rossini's flawless Il barbiere di Siviglia, but the Met's new family-friendly shortened Barber in English.
• Museums step it up with diverse lineup of shows _{2013-01-07, 01:00 am}
  ... "The Design Show." The opening will also feature a fashion show with drawn from the costume room at the Michigan Opera Theatre. There's an emphasis on "Barber of Seville" and "Aida." Gallery manager Sarah Balmer anticipates up to 15 models strutting ...
• Goings on About Town: Classical Music _{2013-01-07, 12:00 am}
  Jan. 9 at 7:30 and Jan. 12 at 1: It's David McVicar month at the Met. In 2009, when the Met's new production of "Maria Stuarda" was just a gleam in his eye, he made a solidly traditional staging of "Il Trovatore" that rescued the opera from years of ignominy at the house.
• New CD Features Thematic Collection of Ricky Ian Gordon's Songs... _{2013-01-06, 11:22 pm}
  ... by a brilliant young soprano whose voice has been rapidly gaining recognition since her debut with the Houston Grand Opera as Beth in , at Lyric Opera of Chicago. This lead to a collaborative recital at the Chicago Cultural Center, and the birth of ...
• Lees: Barbara Poole remembered by favourite musicians _{2013-01-06, 10:53 pm}
  ... Cathedral, pianist Tommy Banks and saxophonist P.J. Perry played at a Winspear Centre reception, while the Edmonton Opera chorus sang. Friends of all ages, and representatives from the arts and business communities, paid their respects to a ...
• Placido Domingo visits Miami, mentors young artists _{2013-01-06, 10:51 pm}
  Hailed as the "King of Opera," Placido Domingo has carved a unique place in the entertainment world.
• Soprano tops local Metropolitan Opera auditions competition; advances to New York _{2013-01-06, 10:10 pm}
  A dazzling display of seemingly impossible high notes locked in the first place finish for a South Korean soprano at the annual Metropolitan Opera National Council's Gulf Coast regional auditions on Sunday afternoon.
• energy can come from motivation _{2013-01-06, 09:28 pm}
  Recently I had a very interesting experience involving Dustin Hoffman, James Lipton, opera and the new film "Quartet". Like most artists in there late twenties I am at a loss; a loss for direction, a loss for inspiration, a loss for passion, a loss for hope and for anybody who knows what that feels like, then you also know the kind of drain on your ... (more)
• a NZ Arts organisation making a name for itself _{2013-01-06, 08:17 pm}
  ... Hughes, Susan Boland and John Cameron got tired of singers complaining there was no work for them, so the trio of opera singers decided to make work for themselves and others. "We basically decided the world doesn't owe you a living so we formed ...
• Cinderella gets to go to the ball — in Seattle Opera production _{2013-01-06, 10:01 am}
  By Gioachino Rossini. With Daniela Pini and Ren Barbera , and Joan Font, director, and Giacomo Sagripanti, conductor; Saturday-Jan. 26, Seattle Opera, McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St., Seattle; $25-$215 . A motherless child.
• Little Cinderellas go to the ball at McCaw Hall for a "La Cenerentola" open house _{2013-01-06, 12:32 am}
  Alyssa Stone, teaching artist in the education department for Seattle Opera, reads the story of Cinderella during the "La Cenerentola" Open House at McCaw Hall at the Seattle Center Saturday.
• Southern Rep's 3X3: the One Acts Set for 1/14 & 15 _{2013-01-06, 06:09 pm}
  ... created to get writers writing-and it works. The 6X6 Play Slam and DEBAUCHERY by Pat Bourgeois, a monthly NOLA soap opera, just celebrated their two-year anniversaries. Audiences are hungry for new plays in New Orleans!" --Aime Hayes, Producing ...
• This month's season concert by Symphony Parnassus _{2013-01-06, 06:01 pm}
  ... take the usual overture-concerto-symphony format, beginning with the overture composed by Gioachino Rossini for his opera L'italiana in Algeri (the Italian girl in Algiers). The symphony will be Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Opus 64 in E minor (his ...
• Seyfried desperate for 'Les Miserables' role - Indiatalkies.com _{2013-01-06, 04:46 pm}
  ... full circle if you want something badly enough," contactmusic.com quoted Seyfried as saying. The 27-year-old studied opera for five years before switching to acting and landing roles in "Mamma Mia" and "Mean Girls". Sut she feels her latest part ...
• A roller-coaster theatre ride: plenty of live theatre to look forward to in Edmonton _{2013-01-06, 04:45 pm}
  ... of blue-chip pedigree. And in the course of one character's efforts to better understand its mysteries, an entire opera will get written. Naturally, Eros and the Itchy Ant is de rigueur for anyone who has ever taken piano or voice lessons. The ...
• San Francisco Symphony Preview 2013 _{2013-01-06, 04:25 pm}
  ... beginner over the next six months: 1. Soprano Renee Fleming (above center, backstage at Lucrezia Borgia at the SF Opera) is singing a bunch of French songs this week, with Tilson Thomas conducting Debussy's La Mer. January 10-12. 2. Charles Dutoit ...
• Independent, experimental theater festivals fire up cold New York _{2013-01-06, 03:22 pm}
  ... catch the Nature Theater of Oklahoma's "Life and Times: Episodes 1-4," an 11-hour story of a life. Part I is a ukulele opera, but Russell isn't worried about the sound of that scaring anyone away. "Believe me, you'll be hooked and scream to get a ...
• Big budget approach certainly paid dividends _{2013-01-06, 01:31 pm}
  ... tone and impressive range to soar in the thrilling Act One climax. Meanwhile, in Australian soprano Nicole Car Opera Australia surely has a star-in-the-making. Her Mi chiamano Mimi had the spontaneous, open tone of an innocent at large, but her ...
• BBC makes Space for cultural history _{2013-01-06, 01:06 pm}
  ... having already sat on the advisory board for its first practical incarnation, The Space , in his previous job as Royal Opera House chief executive. Initially launched in May 2012 as a six-month pop-up service and extended until March 2013, The Space ...
• Crowe/Maltman/Johnson - review _{2013-01-06, 01:04 pm}
  ... him accompanying Lucy Crowe and Christopher Maltman in an exploration of the often vexed relationship between song and opera. Most 19th-century French composers aspired to write for the Paris Opera, an ambition in which very few succeeded. Their ...