Nun the wiser Nun the wiser

Matthew Travisano has such doubts about Douglas Cuomo‘s opera recently seen at Opera Parallèle.

Di qualità, di qualità! Di qualità, di qualità!

San Diego Opera presents a strongly directed and cast revival of Il barbiere di Siviglia. 

Tag team Tag team

The women were the highlights of Washington National Opera’s militaristic Aïda

Now, voyager Now, voyager

The miracle workers at Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera have published another premiere recording of a work that I’ve long heard of but never heard: Dominick Argento’s The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe.

The rain in Spain The rain in Spain

Wolf Trap Opera concluded its 2025 summer season last month with a production of Carmen that was vocally strong, though not entirely dramatically satisfying, amid challenging weather.

Non son l’umile ancella Non son l’umile ancella

“[W]omen are interesting and important in real life. They are not an afterthought of nature, they are not secondary players in human destiny, and every society has always known that.” — Margaret Atwood, February 2017

Purple pros Purple pros

On Friday, June 21st, Opera Parallèle – the Bay Area nomadic, contemporary opera company – together with the Presidio Theatre unveiled their final production of the season, the West Coast premiere of Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce’s Fellow Travelers, an adaptation of Thomas Mallon’s 2007 novel of the same name.

Overachiever Overachiever

The program for Jasmine Rice LaBeijas concert as part of Works & Process at the Guggenheim on Wednesday, March 8 read a bit like a curriculum vitae.

The March King The March King

Celebrating Independence Day didn’t seem like a great idea in recent years, but for hope-filled 2021 Trove Thursday offers El Capitan, John Philip Sousa’s best-known operetta.

Speed kills Speed kills

Minnesota Opera’s stab at boosting revenue with extra performances of something surefire never caught fire. 

The opposite Sox The opposite Sox

Joel Puckett and Minnesota Opera hit it out of the park.

The farce of destiny The farce of destiny

The chaos is nonstop, the comedy is broad and physical, and requires a large ensemble of singers who can execute Rossinian polysyllabic patter while taking pratfalls.

Coming out Coming out

Beautiful singing, thoughtful staging, lovely melodies… a perfect escape from daily life.

Barihunks without causes Barihunks without causes

La Cieca regrets to say it’s time to step back from the gratuitous display of bare skin in opera.

Babylon revisited Babylon revisited

What if you could time travel back to the first run of Giuseppe Verdi’s first great success Nabucco?

Girlhood, interrupted Girlhood, interrupted

Erin Wall was an elegant, warm, and sensitive Arabella.

My new philosophy My new philosophy

A rollicking performance of his delightful comic opera Der geduldige Sokrates featuring a fine cast and the magnificent Akademie für Alte Musik conducted by René Jacobs.

The party’s over The party’s over

Seven characters step forward and sing a rousing opening number, “The Party Goes On,” accompanied by images of job lines, Hoovervilles, and soup kitchens.

All right on the western front All right on the western front

Silent Night is in a sense a giant middle finger raised against the conventional wisdom that musical sophistication requires inscrutability.

Comedy on the Calais Coach Comedy on the Calais Coach

Friday night Music Director James Conlon sold Die Entfürhung aus dem Serial to a tony crowd of Angelenos. 

Heaven must be missing 14 angels Heaven must be missing 14 angels

The Hänsel und Gretel discussions over the holidays plunged me down a YouTube rabbit hole.

Commie dearest Commie dearest

The Manchurian Candidate is indeed operatic: outsized characters, a doomed love story and a narrative fraught with suspense.

Grand, hotel Grand, hotel

Sneaking in under the wire during the final week of May were two highpoints of New York’s opera season: the Cleveland Orchestra’s Salome with a stunning Nina Stemme and operamission’s revelatory US stage premiere of a complete edition of Handel’s first opera Almira.