La Cieca
James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.
Heading the cast of this Irish National Opera production is mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught.
From the Staatsoper Berlin, Anja Kampe sings Minnie, Marcelo Álvarez is the bandit Dick Johnson and Michael Volle plays Jack Rance. Massimo Zanetti conducts.
In a slow month for opera, parterre box readers turned their attention to a musical: Into the Woods.
In this video from 2015, soprano Lisette Oropesa makes her role debut as Violetta in a new production of Verdi’s La traviata at the Academy of Music.
Baritone-turned-tenor SeokJong Baek and superstar mezzo Elina Garanca take the title roles in Richard Jones‘s new production of Saint-Saëns’s biblical opera.
A new production of Puccini’s lyric drama is conducted by Zubin Mehta and directed by Philipp Stölzl.
Live from La Scala, Ponchielli’s melodrama featuring Saioa Hernández, Daniela Barcellona, Erwin Schrott, Anna Maria Chiuri, Fabio Sartori Stefano La Colla and Roberto Frontali, conducted by Frédéric Chaslin.
A very political month indeed focused sharply on the Met’s revival of Turandot.
Maestro Susanna Mälkki (not pictured) leads Stravinsky’s ingenious neoclassical satire.
Happy 51st birthday to Broadway and soundtrack diva Idina Menzel.
Riccardo Frizza conducts Nadine Sierra (Lucia), Javier Camarena (Edgardo), Artur Rucinski (Enrico) and Christian Van Horn (Raimondo.)
An evening with Finland’s most famous opera star.
Performance from November 4, 2021
The beloved concert and opera singer died earlier today.
Tenor Yusif Eyvazov, who was scheduled to sing Rodolfo in the upcoming four performances of Puccini’s La bohème, is ill and has withdrawn.
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.
