Opera Interviews

The Minnesota Opera's rendition of La Bohème will grace the stage of the Ordway Music Theater from May 4th to May 19th, 2024. The enchanting music is composed by Giacomo Puccini, with a compelling libretto crafted by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica....

It’s a big season at the Met for tenor Jonathan Tetelman—born in Chile, raised in New Jersey—and he’s taking every advantage of it. He’s come to town with a reputation as a Puccini specialist (not that there’s anything wrong with that). How does he feel about that? “Well, I basically built my voice...

Today’s subject Katherine Goforth is someone who can definitely be called a breakthrough artist to be sure. She is the inaugural recipient of Washington National Opera’s True Voice Award for transgender and non-binary singers. She will be making her Kennedy Center debut on May first at 6:00pm with a...

Have you ever wondered where the story of “Rent” or “Love Story” came from? Puccini’s classic opera has inspired generations with its true-to-life story of Rodolfo and Mimi — star-crossed lovers. With the romantic score and soaring melodies of Puccini, La Bohéme is the perfect opera for opera fans a...

BroadwayWorld Toronto spoke to ALL IS LOVE star Brueggergosman-Lee about her love for the show and the company, the importance of taking risks, and how her upcoming Governor General’s Lifetime Achievement Award is really an encouragement to keep creating....

“I think the story is about survival, and about people sheltering one another,” director Mary Birnbaum told me in our conversation about EMIGRÉ, the oratorio that features what she called “composer Aaron Zigman’s sweeping score” and the “complex storytelling” by librettist Mark Campbell and lyricist...

Today’s subject Jeanine Tesori is a two-time Tony Award winning composer whose work spans the gamut from large scale and chamber musicals for Broadway to grand opera and beyond. Her holiday children’s opera The Lion, The Unicorn and Me premiered ten years ago at Kennedy Center as a commission for Wa...

Broadway legend Audra McDonald returns to LA Opera backed by the LA Opera Orchestra and her four-piece ensemble (led by musical director Andy Einhorn) December 2, 2023. Be prepared to experience the stunning vocals of six-time Tony winner singing her expansive Broadway and opera repertoire filling t...

Today’s subject Sir Bryn Terfel is a Grammy, Classical Brit, and Gramophone Award–winning recording artist with a discography encompassing operas of Mozart, Wagner, and Strauss, and more than 15 solo discs including Lieder, American musical theatre, Welsh songs, and sacred repertory. He is, rightful...

Nearly a decade ago, when composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell started work on an operatic version of Stephen King’s novel “The Shining” for the Minnesota Opera they were dealing with one of the most popular psychological thrillers of the 20th century—as well as one of the scarier movi...

This absolute gem of a piece tells the story of Sylva Varescu, a successful cabaret performer who falls in love with a nobleman. Can their love survive the pressures of society? Full of lush melodies, humor, emotion and wit, you’ll see and hear why Die Csárdásfürstin (The Csardas Princess) remains a...

My journey with The Flying Dutchman has been almost as long as his. I was enthralled by the story as a child – a sailor who lost a bet with the Devil! – and then, twenty-five years ago, wrote a 10,000 line epic poem called Time’s Fool, where I substituted an endless ghost train for the cursed ship....

After being seen on Broadway in the 2012 revival of Godspell, Celisse has toured with acts like Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews Band, John Legend, and John Mayer. Now, she has partnered with the new company, Catapult Opera, to create a 30-minute opera and short film entitled “When All I Knew Changed.”...

Don Giovanni is an egotistical and infamous womanizer, brazen in his shameless seductions. But his betrayals soon catch up to him when divine retribution exacts the ultimate price. Set in the 1930s, this new production centers the women who cross paths with Don Giovanni and ultimately deliver his gr...

A company and audience favorite, Chioldi made his SO debut as Baron Scarpia in Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca in 2021...

BroadwayWorld chats with Tara Branham who is making her mainstage debut as director at Opera San Jose with the Puccini classic 'Tosca' running April 15 to 30....

Stephanie Blythe looks for “creativity, imagination and curiosity” in her students. The first two are required of any good artist. Curiosity is a little less obvious, but she credits it for her ever expanding interests. Kate Smith led to reading about song writers, which In turn led to playing ukule...

Stephanie Blythe is probably the only opera singer who represents an ukulele company. That she embodies the unexpected is further confirmed by her upcoming roles in the San Diego Opera's next production, two one-act operas by Puccini. The mezzo soprano will first sing a deeper contralto as the Princ...

BroadwayWorld chats with baritone Darren Drone & soprano Chanae Curtis, stars of Verdi's comedic masterpiece 'Falstaff' at Opera San Jose February 11-26. The 2 up-and-coming singers represent the new face of opera....

The Daughter of the Regiment has romance, humor, vocal pyrotechnics-and one of the most unique roles in the repertoire, the Duchess of Krakenthorp. This cameo role has a storied history of portrayal by actors and public figures (including late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg and Golden Gi...

When Paul Moravec calls himself as “a sort of Method composer,” in describing his work on A NATION OF OTHERS, commissioned for the Oratorio Society of NY, debuting at Carnegie Hall on Nov. 15, he’s likening his writing to the “Method Acting” technique: getting inside the heads of his characters, und...

Set for a March 25, 2023, premiere at the Herbst Theater, the upcoming opera is based on The Tempest...

In theatre, as well as in life, we all need a little help from our friends. This holds true for Director Ryan Gibbins at Arkansas State University-Beebe Theatre Department, who will be presenting BIG FISH this Thursday through Saturday, November 3 through 5, in the Owen Center Theatre, beginning at ...

BroadwayWorld chats with 17-year-old classical music phenom about her opera 'Cinderella' which she will be conducting in Opera San Jose's lavish production November 12 to 27....

Cranna’s unique history with the company extends over a 40-year period....

Brian Watkins is the writer of Epiphany, which just opened at Lincoln Center Theater. He is also the creator, and showrunner, and executive producer of Outer Range on Amazon Prime Video, and has a film project in the works. Read BroadwayWorld's interview with Watkins about Epiphany, the differences ...

He expresses himself as articulately when speaking as he does when singing...

The Richard Tucker award-winning singer’s star is rising at an astonishing rate...

Can you imagine the Met--or any other major opera house--cutting the length of a new opera so commuters could make the last train? That’s what baritone Etienne Dupuis told me about the world premiere in Paris of Verdi’s DON CARLOS (1867). Dupuis is starring as Don Rodrigue, Marquis de Posa, at the M...

One of Broadway’s favorite leading ladies Kelli O’Hara will be appearing with SiriusXM Radio staple Seth Rudetsky for a one-night concert at The Wallis April 2, 2022 as part of The Wallis Broadway @ concert series. Kelli was gracious enough to carve out a little time to answer a few of my theatrical...

Conductor Yves Abel arrived in San Diego from Europe a few days ago to begin rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet by French composer Charles Gounod. The Maestro does get around a lot, even for an internationally in-demand musician. His wife and boys five and eight sometimes travel with him when he conduc...

LA Opera’s next production St. Matthew Passion will open March 12, 2022, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. LA Opera’s music director James Conlon conducts with choreographer John Neumeier staging Johann Sebastian Bach’s scared masterpiece with members of the Hamburg Ballet. The always busy Maestro f...

'I'm just Reggie from Atlanta' baritone Reginald Smith, Jr. explained during our hour-long discussion on Zoom. That may be how he would like to view himself, but it's hardly how most others do since he's also a Grammy winning opera star who's performed at the Met. Until high school, neither o...

LA Opera has opened their 35th season with Verdi's IL TROVATORE. Conducted by James Conlon and directed by Francisco Negrín, live performances at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion through October 10th will be supplemented by two live streams October 3rd and 6th. IL TROVATORE stars Guanqun Yu in the role...

It would appear that acclaimed baritone Sidney Outlaw is having the busiest year of his career. In addition to starring as composer Antonio Salieri in Opera San José’s new virtual production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s 'Mozart and Salieri,' Outlaw will be performing 'Barber of Seville,' 'Porgy and Bess,' a...

David Bennett is now six years into his job as general director of the San Diego Opera Association. When hired, he faced shaky finances, a loss of major donors, and huge turnover in the membership of the board of directors. The new board hired him with the understanding that downsizing and reinventi...

The first live post-pandemic opening for the company....

The New York City-based award-winning baritone and Pittsburgh, PA, native specializes in dramatic roles of Verdi, Puccini, and Strauss...

After a highly successful debut hailed as 'an operatic musical extravaganza', CANTIAMO - MZANSI OPERA CELEBRATION returns to the Mandela Theatre this month. Directed by acclaimed artistic producer and director Marcus Desando, he discusses with BroadwayWorld his role as director in this celebratory s...

You may not be aware of World Voice Day, but it’s celebrated every April 16th to demonstrate the enormous importance of the voice in the daily lives of all people. I can’t imagine a better person to observe it with than Candace Johnson, who leads CJ’s FitnesSing!™ on the MarshStream platform every F...