Opera and Choral Events

WINNER of 2012 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY'S BEST OF RHODE ISLAND AWARDS: Website for La Boheme Junkies

Your source for classical voice, opera, and choral events

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Week of September 28 - October 5, 2017




All links are live.


This week on Rhode Island Public television,
WSBE:  (Comcast 294, Cox 808, Full Channel 109, and Verizon 478)  
 Great Performances at the Met 

Saturday, September  30, 8:00pm
Sunday, October 1,   3:00am
Monday,  October 2, 1:00am

The Merry Widow



















Tony Award winner Susan Stroman helmed and choreographed this production of Franz Lehár's "The Merry Widow," which features a fresh translation from Jeremy Sams. Renée Fleming stars as a wealthy widow who's wooed by an old flame (Nathan Gunn), but for reasons that may not have much to do with love.
Length: 150 minutes| 







OPERA ON THE INTERNET
WITH 
DAVE D' AGUANNO

As has been the case in recent weeks, the operas scheduled for broadcast in the next few days range from the familiar works of Verdi and Puccini to an obscure Swedish opera from 1925, plus a world premiere by a contemporary Latvian composer.

First up, tomorrow (Thursday) you can watch the LIVE video-stream of Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" as performed in Liege.

Also on Thursday, there's the world premiere of "Rose & Blood" by Latvian composer Zigmar Liepins.

On Saturday, one of Verdi's most dramatic works -- "La Forza del Destino" -- can be heard on Radio 4 (the Netherlands). The performance being broadcast was one that occurred earlier this month in Amsterdam, and features Eva-Maria Westbroek in the role of Leonora.

Swedish composer Wilhelm Peterson-Berger wrote several operas, the last of which ("Adils och Elisiv") can be heard on Swedish Radio in a performance that took place in Stockholm on January 26 of this year.
(http://sverigesradio.se/p2/)

Then on Monday (October 2), the Met is offering a FREE live audio-stream of the ever-popular "La Boheme."

Enjoy!

DAVE





WQXR


When Plays Are Inspiration for Opera

Review: The Met's New 'Norma' Goes Next Level With Combustible Singing
“Each of the artists had their own special keys for unlocking the opera and taking it to the next level,” writes David Patrick Stearns of the Met's new production of Norma. Sep 26, 2017

Good, Better, Best in Opera?
Fred Plotkin writes of the subjectivity of opera, which like a taste in food, is developed over time after varied experiences. Sep 25, 2017







News from Around the World of Music



We Shall Not Be Moved
Opera Philadelphia

A Composer’s Debut, at 82

Opera director David McVicar: not so ‘terrible’ after all?

(Beware the pay wall!)

The Magic Flute | LA Opera 2013/14 Season

Mozart's THE MAGIC FLUTE | Teaser

Pure Magic


Soprano Ailyn Pérez casts her spell at the Met this autumn as Thaïs.
By Scott Barnes
Photographs by Dario Acosta

Houston Grand Opera to Utilize Exhibit Hall in Brown Convention Center as Makeshift Theater Following Damage to Wortham Center
Houston's Brown Convention Center DRIVEN FROM ITS HOME, the Wortham Theater Center, following major infrastructural damage sustained after Hurricane Harvey.

Timothy O'Leary, General Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Named as Next General Director of Washington National Opera
TIMOTHY O'LEARY, who has served as general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis since 2008, was named today as the new general director of Washington National Opera.  

Metropolitan Opera | Free Live Audio Streams
Adès; Luna, Echalaz, Matthews, Bevan, Coote, Rice, Davies, Kaiser, Antoun, Portillo, Moore, Gilfry, Burdette, Van Horn, Tomlinson
METOPERA.ORG

“It’s a balls-buster!” Latonia Moore on tackling Aida



George Gershwin's Got Rhythm — See for Yourself
Watch this video of the American composer in action during a concert in May, 1931. Sep 26, 2017


4 More Unplayable Works (That Were Eventually Played)
Jennifer Gersten shares four pieces of music that were written intentionally to be near impossible to play. Sep 25, 2017

Film is an incredible gift — it's quite something to see both the likeness of and voice of musical legends. Here's Dmitri Shostakovich presenting his Seventh Symphony. Sep 25, 2017


Shostakovich Plays an Excerpt of One of his Symphonies
Watch This Late Beethoven Quartet Performed by Hieronymus Quartet
The U.K.-based string quartet has uploaded its first music videos to Youtube, and they look pretty good! Sep 25, 2017

10 Pieces Perfect for Whenever the Apocalypse Strikes
Some people seem to think the world is ending in 2017. It's not, but here's a playlist for your apocalyptic anticipations anyway. Sep 21, 2017

Every String Quartet Needs a Ping-Pong Player
Get ready to witness some impressive multitasking alongside well-known tunes from Joplin and Bizet. Sep 21, 2017

'Original DREAMer' Tereza Lee Talks Immigration Rights and Plays Chopin


Tereza Lee, dubbed the Original DREAMer, joined WQXR host Elliott Forrest in the Greene Space for a live taping of the Brian Lehrer Show to discuss her activism and play Chopin. Sep 20, 2017

Daniela Mack and Kevin Puts Perform an Aria From the New Opera 'Elizabeth Cree'
"Elizabeth Cree" is in the middle of its world-premiere run at Opera Philadelphia. The composer and the world's first Cree stopped by to discuss the opera and share a short performance. Sep 20, 2017



334 Bunnies
A Contemporary Opera in One Act




Our 2017-2018 Concert Season includes:

A Full & Glorious Messiah

G. F. Handel

Saturday, November 25, 2017 ~ 7:30pm

The Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul, 30 Fenner St., Providence, RI

Sunday, November 26th, 2017 ~ 3:00pm

St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center, 84 Cumberland St., Woonsocket, RI

Tomorrow's Stars Today


Saturday, March 24, 2018 ~ 7:30 PM

The Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul, 30 Fenner St., Providence, RI
 W. A. Mozart:  Coronation Mass
Gustav Holst:  Four Hymns from the Rig Veda
Benjamin Britten:  Rejoice in the Lamb

Love and Peace: Two Journeys
Saturday, June 2, 2018 ~ 7:30 PM
Immaculate Conception Church, 237 Garden Hills Dr., Cranston, RI
Esa-Pekka Salonen:  Dona nobis pacem
Geoffrey Gibbs:  Until Forever Ends (WORLD PREMIERE)
R. Vaughan Williams:  Dona nobis pacem

(All concerts performed with orchestra.)
or visit our website:  www.ricco.org.


"I invite any and all who share in our enthusiasm for great choral music to become part of the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra experience. I promise you the best music, hard work, camaraderie, enthusiasm, a commitment to excellence, and rewards which greatly surpass things material. We offer the opportunity to share your talent and enthusiasm with other like-minded individuals as well as appreciative and knowledgeable audiences."   
--Dr. Edward Markward









An early peek at our 46th season

Baroque Brilliance  |  Saturday and Sunday, November 11-12, 2017
Baroque masterworks for chorus and orchestra, including:
   • Purcell’s Come Ye Sons of Art
   • Handel’s Zadok the Priest and Dettingen Te Deum
   • Zelenka’s Magnificat.

Messiah  |  Saturday, December 16, 2017
Christine Noel conducts the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, Providence Singers, and soloists in the eleventh annual performance of Handel’s masterpiece — a fresh reading informed by Baroque performance practice.

Of Sea and Sky  |  Saturday and Sunday, March 10-11, 2018
Music inspired by the power and majesty of the natural world, including these and more:
   • Brahms’ O Schöne NachtSpätherbstAbendlied, and Warum
   • Elder’s Ballade to the MoonSky Sonnet, and Sunrise Carol
   • Eric Whitacre’s Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine
Also on the program: The traditional Scottish ballad Loch Lomond and the U.S. Navy Hymn.


Opera Choruses  |  Saturday, May 19, 2018
We present a grand and glorious journey through the world of opera, done up in fine formal style as a gala concert to benefit choral performance and education. Count on it: Giuseppe Verdi’s creations will be there for sure, with contributions from Giacomo Puccini, Gioachino Antonio Rossini, and a number of their talented friends
.






Chorus

The Metropolitan Opera Announces Chorus Auditions 
for the 2018–19 Season


Met Opera Chorus performs  The Merry Widow


The Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Extra Chorus offer unique and rewarding career opportunities for highly qualified performers. Classically trained professional singers who have been invited to audition should be prepared to sing two operatic arias in different languages from memory. Selections should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to sing lyrically. An accompanist will be provided.

All applicants will be considered for Full Time (Regular) and Extra Chorus positions.

Applicants shall submit via email addressed to ChorusAuditions@metopera.org the following materials:

a cover letter requesting an audition; please indicate your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd audition session preference from the dates below; any union affiliation should be also be listed
a current one-page resume, including a photo/head-shot
an audio clip (MP3 file, no larger than 10 MB) of an operatic aria (no youtube clips or links)
a list of no more than 5 operatic arias, two of which will be selected as your audition pieces
PDF or JPEG copy of current documentation proving the ability to work in the United States.
Auditions will be granted by invitation only, and will be held at the following times:

Session #1       Tuesday, October 31st, 2017       1:45pm to 4:45pm

Session #2       Friday, November 3rd, 2017       2:45pm to 5:45pm

Session #3       Wednesday, November 15th, 2017       2:45pm to 5:45pm

Session #4       Friday, November 17th, 2017       2:45pm to 5:45pm

Applications must be received on or before 12 midnight EST, Friday, September 1st, 2017.  Submissions received after this date, regardless of postmark or email transmission time, will not be considered.

Only applicants with current documentation proving the ability to work in the United States will be granted an audition.

Any singer who is offered employment and is not already a member of AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) will be required to join AGMA.

All applicants will be notified as to whether an audition has been granted. No audition comments will be shared with the applicant.

Similar information about the auditions may be found by contacting the following:

American Guild of Musical Artists
1430 Broadway 14th Floor
New York, NY  10018
(212) 265-3687
www.musicalartists.org

The Metropolitan Opera
Donald Palumbo, Chorus Master
Steven Losito, Chorus Administrator
Daniel Hoy, Incoming Chorus Administrator effective July 31st, 2017
Lincoln Center
New York, NY  10023

The Metropolitan Opera is an Equal Opportunity Employer










The Met Saturday afternoon
 radio broadcast is on hiatus until 
December 2.
but You can hear operas from the Royal Opera in Covent Garden, the Chicago Lyric Opera, and other operas around the world at 
1:00PM on WQXR


Go to:  http://www.wqxr.org/streams

Then click on 

WQXR 105.9 FM





NO OPERA ON
WGBH THIS WEEK!


Senator John McCain (R-AZ)