The Parterre Box Guide to Wolf Trap Opera
Visiting Wolf Trap doesn’t have to be limited to the park. Where to stay, eat, drink, and explore across Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland — your Parterre Box guide to a mid-Atlantic opera getaway.
East Coast
Joie de vivre
Erin Morley, Lawrence Brownlee, and Malcolm Martineau put on a jolly good show at the 92nd Street Y.
No need to grin and bear it
An exciting cast digs their claws into a heady production of La Calisto at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées.
El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego
The opening night of Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz's opera, live from New York
Streamed May 14, 2026 at 7:30 PM
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Three faces of Violetta
Christopher Corwin surveys the three Traviata casts — led by Lisette Oropesa, Rosa Feola, and Ermonela Jaho — at the Met this spring.
Es gibt ein Reich (jenseits von Manhattan)
The Bronx Opera‘s Ariadnes auf Naxos is well worth the subway ride. Plus, two strong premieres at the Brooklyn Art Song Society.
A favorite Verdi performance from Tildy Diva
A well-known Met Aïda with a starry cast from 1967 is TildyDiva’s Favorite Verdi Performance
By Tildy Diva
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La traviata
Ermonela Jaho leads a live broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera
Streamed May 13, 2026 at 7:25 PM
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Don’t cry because it’s over
Grand Tier Grab Bag hearkens back to the days when Sondra Radvanovsky — who is singing no Verdi at all next season — seemed like the Verdi soprano of reference.
All the lovely things you are to me
To celebrate the 100th anniversary performances of Turandot at the Met starting next week, Patrick Dillon gives a listen to seven versions of “Signore, ascolta!” for Perspectives on an Aria.
Which side story?
Vivacious performances outweigh a host of odd directorial choices in the Washington National Opera‘s
West Side Story
La fille du régiment
A performance recorded last fall in New York
Streamed May 9, 2026 at 1:00 PM
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La traviata
Rosa Feola leads a live broadcast from New York
Streamed May 8, 2026 at 7:25 PM
135 comments
Un paio in tre
Christopher Corwin and Andrew Lokay provide dual perspectives on the National Symphony Orchestra‘s performances of Puccini’s triple-bill.
By Christopher Corwin and Andrew Lokay
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Don’t tread on Marie
Boston Lyric Opera’s Revolutionary War-set Daughter of the Regiment prioritizes accessibility without losing its charm.
As a hero going to conquest
A joint Beethoven–Adams program conducted by Dima Slobodeniouk suggests a way forward for the embattled Boston Symphony Orchestra.
‘Tis almost fairy time
Curtis Opera and a charming cast of young singers cast a spell with their beguiling production of Britten‘s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
They don’t stoop to conquer
The countertenors conquer the day in Handel‘s Giulio Cesare in Egitto at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.
“Modern convention is the oddity”
Michael Spyres talks to Kevin Ng about his winding path as a baritenor, which composer he wants to conquer next, and how he makes Wagner work in his voice — and in his native Ozarks.
Eugene Onegin
Iurii Samoilov and Asmik Grigorian star in a live broadcast from New York
Streamed May 2, 2026 at 1:00 PM
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Bloodless revolution
Bluebeard’s Castle and Erwartung at Canadian Opera Company deliver on fine performances even if Robert Lepage‘s production skimps on horror.
La voix surhumaine
Barbara Hannigan mesmerizes as both a brilliant vocalist and a proficient opera conductor in a double bill of Strauss and La voix humaine with the New York Philharmonic.
The night is dark and full of terrors
Opera Baltimore concludes its season with a piercing semi-staged production of Pelléas et Mélisande.
La sonnambula
A performance recorded this fall in New York featuring Nadine Sierra and Xabier Anduaga
Streamed April 25, 2026 at 1:00 PM
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I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).