Today is the 75th birthday of James Levine, whose current plans do not include conducting Verdi’s “Requiem Mass” for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra, guesting with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra through 2022, serving for five years as conductor laureate at the Ravinia festival, or penning a book for Knopf Doubleday. Happy 62nd birthday soprano Sylvia McNair.
Will and disgrace
Today is the 75th birthday of James Levine.
WindyCityOperaman
Dan Soda (Windy City Operaman) is a Chicago native whose first visit to opera was at age 17 and Massenet’s Werther with Troyanos and Kraus. Nothing was ever the same. Opera and concert performances, recordings and video are an obsession. He prepares Parterre Box’s daily birthday and anniversary tributes. He also enjoys concerts, live theater and movies.
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Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.