Just plain great: PBO's Le nozze di Figaro

Review

Palm Beach Opera put on a great show, but it's worth noting that the aspects that made it so great – a stellar cast, thoughtful design, skillful interpretation – can be applied to any opera, regardless of inclusion in the Greatness canon.

A Butterfly, but not from Puccini

Review

The riverboat set is a marvel of art and engineering by Mark Frederic Smith. Taking up nearly the entire width of the proscenium, it gracefully and quickly revolves to reveal the front, back, and both sides of the boat, giving Ms. Evans and her cast many options to play the various scenes.

The Lady steals the spotlight in ROH's Macbeth

Review

What Verdi does illustrate brilliantly is the power struggle and fight for status between this couple. Who is the driving force behind all of these horrible acts? It could be either one of the power-hungry duo, although at times it's clear that behind every powerful man there is an even more powerful woman.

Strong despite the details: Rigoletto in Minnesota

Review

The musicality and the drama reached its peak with the final scene. The electricity coming up from the pit was so palpable, I felt physically ill when Rigoletto held his daughter for one last time. Despite a few issues with the production itself, the power of the story came through.

BLO's Threepenny Opera: a misanthropic delight

Review

And then Kelly Kaduce came onstage: when her Polly Peachum walked on in an unglamorous wedding dress and unkempt black hair playing a sarcastic, monotone version of the typical operatic ingenue her character is written as, it became clear exactly what the work was setting out to do.

"Susannah is THE great original American opera."

Interview

"I particularly love the wide open interval leaps in her first aria 'Ain't it a pretty night.' You feel Susannah's longing to escape the small town and you see the beauty of the mountains and valleys before her. It's pure Americana in spirit and sound."

Calgary Opera launches 2018-19 season

Editorial

"This story seemed to have all those big emotions, everything from love and death and hubris and heroism, " says Talbot. "People absolutely pushed to the full extremes of their mental and physical capacity. It's an interesting psychological journey through the minds of various different people."

Review: ALICE and the Patriarchy

Review

The gallery setting served Prescott's creation. The piece thrives on intimacy. The audience benefits from the freedom to wander around, whisper to their neighbor, and collectively figuring out how to behave in and interact in the brightly lit environment.

Talking with singers: Tara Erraught

Interview

"It never gets easier to say no to an interesting offer, even though you may well know you don't have the time, so your management team and your teacher are vital in guiding you at every step in what is a healthy decision, always."

Talking with singers: Isabel Bayrakdarian

Interview

And right in between, there's the chamber group experience, which feels intimate enough that you don't need a conductor, but there's a constant sense of awareness of the need to be very sensitive to each instrument enveloping you (literally and figuratively) on stage. So there's more conscious give and take - teamwork - to make the collective work and shine.