Venetian blinding Venetian blinding

West Bay Opera’s Otello punches well above its weight

Summertime lovin’ Summertime lovin’

An impressively well-rounded revival of Francesca Zambello‘s production of Porgy and Bess concludes the Washington National Opera season

Many happy returns Many happy returns

The Met’s mostly successful revivals of The Queen of Spades and La bohème showcase the returns of Sonya Yoncheva and Corinne Winters

Virginia is for lovers Virginia is for lovers

An innovative score and fluid production by Denyce Graves-Montgomery are highlights of Virginia Opera’s production of Loving v. Virginia

Reconcilable differences Reconcilable differences

Cameron Kelsall reports on a transcendent Jenufa from the Cleveland Orchestra

The revolution will be digitized The revolution will be digitized

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at the Kennedy Center: not a poorly made opera, but so relentlessly mid.

Three ages of woman Three ages of woman

Asmik Grigorian’s scorching turn in Il trittico in Paris has Nigel Wilkinson wondering, ‘what is it that makes Americans so weepy?’

Satan keeps the beat Satan keeps the beat

With tight, jazzy orchestrations, a queer-coded Mephistopheles, and sassy modern recitative, Heartbeat Opera’s fast 100-minute Faust delivers Gounod in miniature, minus some of the schmaltz.

Sweet birds of youth Sweet birds of youth

Buoyed by a cast of emerging stars, the Metropolitan Opera’s revival of Il Barbiere di Siviglia asserted a key trait of this ubiquitous buffo: it is a young person’s opera.

Sexual orientalization Sexual orientalization

An impressive cast blurs binaries as John Adams‘s ambitious Antony and Cleopatra arrives at the Met

Down for the Count Down for the Count

An uneven new cast can’t dim the glow of Richard Eyre‘s incisive Le nozze di Figaro at the Met

Strawberry blonde forever Strawberry blonde forever

The Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble’s Das Lied von der Erde skirts the sublime at Carnegie Hall

Frick in the sheets Frick in the sheets

The Jupiter Ensemble with Lea Desandre and Anthony Roth Costanzo offers sleek and sexy HIP inaugurates the Frick Collection’s new Stephen A. Schwartzman Auditorium

Now you Caesar, now you don’t Now you Caesar, now you don’t

Before stopping at Carnegie Hall this weekend, The English Concert returned to the Bay Area last week with a fiery performance of Giulio Cesare

Little girls get bigger every day Little girls get bigger every day

Elza van den Heever and Peter Mattei (and the stage elevator) elevate an assertive, if not definitive, new Salome at the Met

Fjord every stream Fjord every stream

Lise Davidsen‘s singular Senta dominates the forces of the Norwegian National Opera in a roiling new recording of Der fliegende Holländer out now on Decca Classics

Force of habit Force of habit

Turmoil and injustice in the federal government; turmoil and grief in the Catholic Church: the time sure seems right for a staging of Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites.

Ritorna vincitrice Ritorna vincitrice

Elina Garanca is back at the Met for the first time since 2020 — her Amneris is, in a word, sensational.

Momentum mori Momentum mori

A fine Don Giovanni at Opera Philadelphia rounds out the company’s inaugural season under Anthony Roth Costanzo

A masked ball A masked ball

Opera San José (OSJ) concluded its eclectic 41st Season with another first, Héctor Armienta’s Zorro, which received its Northern California premiere at the California Theatre on Friday, April 19th.

Sex power god Sex power god

Breaking the Waves and Tannhaüser at Houston Grand Opera are a can’t-miss doubleheader of sex and miracles.

Smash or pass Smash or pass

The long-awaited Broadway musical adaptation of the NBC series Smash is “not Bombshell – it’s just a bomb,” according to David Fox and Cameron Kelsall.

Bye bye, birdie Bye bye, birdie

A feast of whimsy for the recently resurrected in Aaron Siegel’s new opera, Rainbird

Fractured féerie tales Fractured féerie tales

Félix Fourdrain‘s “féerie” Les Contes de Perrault by the Frivolités Parisiennes is as fun for adults as it is for children