Christine Goerke Among Headliners of AuditionAir’s Fundraiser
AuditionAir, a Michigan nonprofit, will host a fundraiser on April 23, 2026 at West Bloomfield’s Art Leaders Gallery featuring Grammy‑winning soprano Christine Goerke, Ingrid Kuribayashi, and Jake Surzyn. The 501(c)(3) provides airfare grants to emerging opera singers, having funded flights for seven Florida Grand Opera Studio artists in its first year and now targeting support for up to 30 performers in the 2026‑27 season. The event includes live performances, a silent auction, cocktails, and a “fund‑a‑flight” opportunity for donors to sponsor travel. Board members include leaders from Detroit Opera, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Anna Netrebko & Luca Salsi to Perform Recital at Teatro Verdi in Busseto
On May 1, Teatro Verdi in Busseto will host a recital starring soprano Anna Netrebko and baritone Luca Salsi, accompanied by pianist Nelson Calzi. The concert commemorates the 125th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi’s death and will be Netrebko’s first recital devoted entirely to Verdian repertoire....
Shannon Crowley Joins Fletcher Artist Management
Shannon Crowley has joined Fletcher Artist Management, adding a promising soprano to the firm’s roster. The Pittsburgh Opera resident recently reached the Grand Finals of the 2026 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and will finish her current season as Nannetta in...
Leonard Slatkin Receives 2026 Lincoln Medal
The Ford’s Theatre Society announced that Grammy‑winning conductor Leonard Slatkin will receive the 2026 Lincoln Medal at its annual gala on May 31. The honor recognizes Slatkin’s six‑decade career championing the nation’s musical repertoire, education, and preservation of symphonic heritage....
Intermusica Receives Major Investment From the Mouratoglou Family
Intermusica, the 45‑year‑old classical music agency, announced a majority‑stake investment from the Mouratoglou family, led by Paris Mouratoglou, a founder of medici.tv. Stephen Lumsden will stay on as chief executive and retain a substantial equity position, while the board and...
Opera Australia 2026 Review: Eugene Onegin
Opera Australia’s 2026 production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, revived by Heather Fairbairn from Kasper Holten’s design, opened on March 17 and earned praise for its authentic Russian atmosphere and nuanced storytelling. The staging emphasized the agrarian setting, while singers such as Lauren Fagan and...
Antonin Rondepierre & Meghan Lindsay Lead Opera Atelier’s ‘Pelléas Et Mélisande’
Opera Atelier will close its 2025‑26 season with Claude Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, staged at Toronto’s TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning in Koerner Hall from April 15‑19, 2026. The production is co‑directed by the company’s artistic leaders Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg and...
Erin Wagner Among Headliners of Walter M. Naumburg Foundation’s Centennial Gala
The Walter M. Naumburg Foundation celebrated its 100th anniversary on May 17, 2026 with a gala concert at the Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center. The program featured mezzo‑soprano Erin Wagner performing Alban Berg’s “Early Songs” with pianist Seth Knopp, a world premiere of Steven Mackey’s...
Joyce DiDonato Leads Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Innocence’
The Metropolitan Opera will stage the company premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s final opera, “Innocence,” featuring mezzo‑soprano Joyce DiDonato as the Waitress. Directed by Simon Stone and conducted by Susanna Mälkki, the production runs through April 29 and includes a cast of international talent....
Natasha Gesto Joins TACT Artists Management
Uruguayan‑Australian soprano Natasha Gesto has signed with TACT Artists Management and will be represented by veteran agent Samuel Levine. Gesto currently sings with the Junges Ensemble at Semperoper Dresden, covering roles such as Erste Dame in "Die Zauberflöte" and Musetta...
Sophie Rennert, Anna Bonitatibus, Salvador Simão, Jonathan Eyers Lead Innsbruck Festival of Early Music’s 2026 Season
The Innsbruck Festival of Early Music announced its 50th season for 2026, featuring an all‑vocal lineup anchored by soprano Sophie Rennert, mezzo‑soprano Anna Bonitatibus, baritone Salvador Simão and tenor Jonathan Eyers. Musical director Ottavio Dantone will present his newly completed...
Grisha Martirosyan & Siphokazi Molteno Lead Calgary Opera’s ‘The Barber of Seville’
Calgary Opera will close its 2026 season with Rossini’s comic masterpiece “The Barber of Seville,” staged at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium from April 18‑24, 2026. The production stars tenor Grisha Martirosyan and soprano Siphokazi Molteno alongside John Tessier, Dion...
Liao Changyong to Debut New Chamber Arrangement for Chinese Art Song Centenary
World‑renowned baritone Liao Changyong will debut a chamber‑orchestra version of Chinese art songs on April 6 at Shanghai’s He Luting Concert Hall. The concert, part of the 41st Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, features the newly formed Shangyin Soloists, a chamber ensemble...
Francesco Angelico Named Music Director of Staatsoper Hannover
The Staatsoper Hannover has appointed Italian conductor Francesco Angelico as its new General Music Director. Angelico, a regular guest at leading European opera houses, is celebrated for his interpretations of German repertoire, including Wagner, Schumann, and Brahms. He previously served...
Central City Opera Announces Cast of ‘Master Class’
Central City Opera announced its upcoming production of Terrence McNally’s Tony‑winning drama “Master Class.” The show will be directed by Ken Cazan and feature Jennifer DeDominici and Marcia Ragonetti sharing the role of Maria Callas, with Arthur Bosarge as Emmanuel “Manny” Weinstock...
Rolando Villazón Awarded the Rheingau Music Prize for 2026
Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón has been awarded the 2026 Rheingau Music Prize, receiving €10,000 (approximately $11,000) from the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Art and Culture. The prize, established in 1994, honors artists, composers, musicologists, or institutions for lasting...
National Theatre in Prague 2025-26 Review: Parsifal
The National Theatre in Prague opened its 2025‑26 season with a daring production of Wagner’s Parsifal, directed by Andreas Homoki. Homoki replaces the traditional mystical setting with a Kafka‑inspired bureaucratic archive, using a rotating conical set to symbolize the containment of knowledge....
Arte.TV to Stream ‘Lohengrin’ From Baden Baden with Piotr Beczała
Arte.TV will stream Wagner’s Lohengrin from the Festspielhaus Baden‑Baden on April 5, featuring world‑renowned tenor Piotr Beczała in the title role. The production, directed for television by Nele Münchmeyer and conducted by Joana Mallwitz, joins Arte’s growing slate of premium opera broadcasts. The run,...
Q & A: Il Volo on Bringing Italy to North America
Il Volo, the Italian opera‑pop trio, has launched the North American leg of its world tour, beginning in Denver on April 15. The group, which boasts nearly a million Instagram followers and millions of YouTube and TikTok fans, will blend classic...
Jordi Savall, Hespèrion XXI & La Capella Reial De Catalunya Close Schubert Club’s International Artist Series
Jordi Savall will close the Schubert Club’s 2025‑26 International Artist Series at the Ordway in Saint Paul on April 16, 2026, leading his ensembles Hespèrion XXI and La Capella Reial de Catalunya. The concert, titled “Songs, Battles, and Dances from the Old and the New World,”...
Samuel Hasselhorn, Claire Lefilliatre, Anne Warthmann Lead Salle Cortot’s April 2026 Programming
Salle Cortot unveiled its April 2026 calendar, opening with a concert on April 4 that pairs Debussy’s “Danse sacrée et danse profane” with orchestrated songs by Duparc and Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony. A contemporary program drawing on Amerindian traditions follows on April 7,...
Luciano Pavarotti, Sondra Radvanovsky, Marina Rebeka, Piotr Beczala & Randall Scotting Lead CD/DVD Releases
This week’s classical releases span iconic reissues and fresh recordings, highlighted by Decca’s remastered Luciano Pavarotti “Verismo” album and a new Tenor Arias collection. Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky delivers a live Puccini Heroines set recorded in February 2025, while countertenor Randall Scotting issues a...
Margareta Matišić Joins Zelaya Artists
Zelaya Artists has added Croatian mezzo‑soprano Margareta Matišić to its roster. Matišić debuted professionally in 2018 at the Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka and quickly amassed a diverse operatic repertoire across Europe. Her international breakthrough came in 2023 with a...
Yeongtaek Yang Joins Centre Stage Artist Management
Baritone Yeongtaek Yang has joined Centre Stage Artist Management, adding a rapidly rising talent to the agency’s roster. Yang earned degrees from Seoul National University and the Manhattan School of Music and has been recognized with top honors in several...
Jasmin White, Le Bu & Konstantin Krimmel Win 2026 Herbert Von Karajan Prize
The Salzburg Easter Festival announced the 2026 Herbert von Karajan Prize, endowed with €50,000 (approximately $55,000) by the Karajan family. The award was presented to three rising opera singers—Jasmin White, Le Bu, and Konstantin Krimmel. White, recently cast as Erda in...
The Elgar Festival Announces 2026 Season
The Elgar Festival has unveiled its 2026 program, running May 23‑31 across Worcester, Malvern and nearby venues. The lineup includes vocal performances by the Jenny Lind Singers, a recital by soprano April Fredrick and pianist Eric McElroy, and I Fagiolini’s 40th‑anniversary tour....
Coro Allegro to Present ‘Luminous Rescue: Psalms of Protest and Reconciliation’
Boston’s LGBTQ+ and allied chorus Coro Allegro will close its season on May 17 with “Luminous Rescue: Psalms of Protest and Reconciliation” at the Church of the Covenant. The program pairs Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” and Charles Ives’s “Psalm 90” with...
Natalya Romaniw, Martin Muehle, Daniel Johansson, Catherine Foster, Olena Tokar & Franz Xaver Schlecht Lead Oper Leipzig’s 2026-27 Season
Oper Leipzig unveiled its 2026‑27 season, introducing new productions of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, and Kaija Saariaho’s contemporary work Innocence. The lineup spotlights leading singers Natalya Romaniw, Martin Muehle, Daniel Johansson, Catherine Foster, Olena Tokar and...
Laureano Quant, Sara Gartland, Efraín Solís, César Delgado & John Moore Lead Utah Opera’s 2026-27 Season
The Utah Opera unveiled its 2026‑27 season, featuring four productions—Héctor Armienta’s “Zorro,” Rossini’s “La Cenerentola,” Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” and Mason Bates’s tech‑driven “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs.” Notable performers include Laureano Quant, Sara Gartland, Efraín Solís, César Delgado, and John Moore,...
Iria Goti to Perform Recitals in Valencia & Barcelona
Spanish soprano Iria Goti will present two recitals in Spain—first on March 31 at Valencia's Sala Rodrigo and then on April 9 at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu. Both concerts are organized by local foundations and feature pianist Leonardo Moyano...
Benevolence Opera Project & Redwood Theatre to Present ‘Don Giovanni’
Benevolence Opera Project and Redwood Theatre will stage a one‑night performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni on May 22 at Toronto’s Redwood Theatre. Canadian baritone Alexander Hajek leads a cast of emerging local talent, with Brahm Goldhamer directing and Ryan Hofman narrating....
Bass Andrew Munn to Headline ‘postWinterreise’ Premeire at Tanglewood
Interdisciplinary hub A Circle will present the world premiere of “postWinterreise” at Tanglewood Linde Center on April 25, 2026. Bass Andrew Munn and pianist Elenora Pertz perform a fragmented version of Schubert’s Winterreise, with the score physically eroded by melting...
Opera Is a Place: Understanding Why Younger Audiences Come to the Opera House
The essay argues that opera houses should be positioned as cultural "third places" rather than merely performance venues to attract younger audiences. It highlights how young people are drawn to the architecture, ambiance, and social opportunities of spaces like Mexico...
Q & A: Janet Farrell on IN Series Opera & Being a Recipient of a National Opera Trustee Recognition Award
Janet Farrell, a senior executive at M&T Bank and board president of Washington, D.C.’s IN Series Opera, was named one of five recipients of Opera America’s National Opera Trustee Recognition Award. Farrell highlighted the company’s bold, socially‑charged productions—such as a “Madama Butterfly”...
E. Scott Levin, Kyaunnee Richardson, Jonny Kaufman & Melody Wilson Lead Union Avenue Opera’s 2026 Festival Season
Union Avenue Opera announced its 2026 Festival Season, running July through August at Union Avenue Christian Church in St. Louis. The lineup includes three productions: "Fiddler on the Roof" (July 3‑11) starring E. Scott Levin as Tevye, Donizetti’s "L’elisir d’amore" (July 24‑August 1) featuring...
Ryan Opera Center Ensemble to Present ‘Rising Stars in Concert’
The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center will stage “Rising Stars in Concert” on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Lyric Opera House. The free evening features the 2025‑26 ensemble performing selections such as Donizetti’s “Viva la mamma,”...
Grimeborn Opera Festival Unveils 2026 Lineup
Grimeborn Opera Festival announced its 2026 season, featuring a diverse slate of productions from contemporary premieres to baroque classics. The schedule runs from July 15 through September 5, with double bills, solo productions, and overlapping performances across multiple venues. Notable...
Artist of the Week: Toni Marie Palmertree
The Metropolitan Opera will close its current run of “Madama Butterfly” with a landmark casting: soprano Toni Marie Palmertree makes her principal‑role debut as Cio‑Cio San. Palmertree, already acclaimed for her Butterfly interpretations at venues such as San Francisco Opera and the Lyric Opera of...
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Names Robert Kahn Assistant Conductor
Robert Kahn has been appointed Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the 2026‑27 season, a role sponsored by the Solti Foundation U.S. He will serve as a cover conductor during select subscription weeks, lead March 2027 youth concerts,...
Les Machinchouettes Releases Krzysztof Żelichowski’s ‘Hitzli Putzli (Opera-Movie)’ Gets YouTube Release
Les Machinchouettes has launched the operatic short film “Hitzli Putzli” on YouTube, a project composed and directed by Polish creator Krzysztof Żelichowski. The EU‑sponsored co‑production, featuring Polish and Italian talent, premiered in mid‑March 2026 and follows two young people who meet on...
Franz Schubert Filharmonia Announces 2026-27 Season Featuring Mark Padmore, Irene Mas & Gemma Coma-Alabert
The Franz Schubert Filharmonia unveiled its 2026‑27 season, presenting four major vocal concerts between November 2026 and February 2027. Highlights include Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony and Mozart’s Requiem under Guillermo García Calvo, Casals’ “El Pessebre” conducted by Edmon Colomer, and Schubert’s “Winterreise” featuring Mark Padmore...
Bella Voce to Present ‘Star of the Sea: Music for Mary From Colonial Guatemala’
Chicago‑based early‑music ensemble Bella Voce will stage “Star of the Sea: Music for Mary from Colonial Guatemala” on May 2 in Chicago and May 3 in Evanston. The a cappella program pairs Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Missa Ave maris stella with Marian...
How Motherhood, Career Gaps & Stage IV Cancer Led Toni Marie Palmertree to Her Met Opera Debut
American soprano Toni Marie Palmertree, a Peabody Conservatory graduate, will make her Metropolitan Opera principal debut as Cio‑Cio‑San in “Madama Butterfly” on March 28 at age 44. After a decade‑long hiatus for motherhood, a manufacturing job, and a battle with stage IV uterine...
Tippet Rise Art Center Announces 2026 Season
The Tippet Rise Art Center has unveiled its 2026 concert season, featuring a dedicated classical voice program. Soprano Mireille Asselin and baritone Jesse Blumberg will present a selection of songs by Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Marc Blitzstein, Kurt...
University of Houston’s Moores Opera Center to Present Houston Premieres of Two Carlisle Floyd Operas
The University of Houston’s Moores Opera Center will present the Houston premieres of Carlisle Floyd’s one‑act operas “Slow Dusk” and “Markheim” as part of his centennial celebrations. The double‑bill runs April 16‑19, 2026, directed by artistic director Kathleen Smith Belcher and...
FEDORA Opera Prize Winner ‘The Curing Line’ Set to World Premiere in Ireland
FEDORA Opera Prize 2025 winner “The Curing Line” will debut worldwide at the Kilkenny Arts Festival’s Watergate Theatre in Ireland on August 7, 2026. The immersive work, composed by Michael Gallen and co‑directed by Shawn Fitzgerald Ahern, fuses traditional Irish...
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Publishes New Report on Public Interest in Orchestral Music & AI
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2025 audience trends report shows a surge in public interest, with 35% of UK adults wanting to learn more about orchestral music, up from 20% in 2024. Interest among under‑25s jumped dramatically to 30%, and daily...
Shanghai Production to Mark First Time Katharina Wagner Directs ‘Die Walküre’
Katharina Wagner will direct her first production of Wagner’s "Die Walküre" in Shanghai, premiering on April 24 and 26, 2026 at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. The staging is the second installment of the three‑year "Bayreuth in Shanghai" project, following last year’s...
Summermusik Festival Announces 2026 Season
The Summermusik Festival announced its 2026 season, featuring a three‑night vocal series in August. Resident Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra remains the festival’s core ensemble, while vocalists Annie McAllister, flutist Annie Darlin Gordon, and rising star Victoria Okafor headline the new programs....
Washington National Opera 2025-26 Review: The Crucible
Washington National Opera opened its spring season with a revival of Francesca Zambello’s 2016 production of “The Crucible” at the Lisner Auditorium on March 21. The minimalist staging, striking lighting, and a split‑orchestra led by Robert Spano highlighted the opera’s neo‑Romantic...