Talking with singers: Rachel Willis-Sørensen

Interview

"I used to think that you can be exactly yourself, but what I have learned is that not everyone deserves to see you that way. Your family and close friends and some trusted colleagues can see you how you are, but it is ok to present more a guarded version of yourself until you find who is trustworthy."

The evil banality of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at Oper Frankfurt

Review

Both Kampe and Golovnin are extraordinary in terms of vocal technique and stamina. Neither voice diminished noticeably by the end of what is an enormously challenging sing. But neither voice translates the overwhelming circumstances of the opera into music that matches its stakes. Points for consistency, but where was the drama?

Room & Board hosts hilarious triple-bill

Review

And yet, something about the confines of the store were perfect for producing the triple-bill of short operas by Jonathan Bailey Holland that graced Room & Board, courtesy of Boston Opera Collaborative, and it led to a very entertaining, and frequently hilarious, night at the opera.

A fab kick-off to the FireWorks Festival: Belle Darling Klondike Queen

Review

It's not just a historical vaudeville hoot, but it's as different as it could be from the other two on the line-up - the social-media tragedy of Crystal Wood's Grief Circus, and the feminist-Cinderella of If the Shoe Fits.

#TheStories, for better or for worse

Editorial

You likely noticed that most of the stories are anonymous - but that doesn't mean I never got a name. It's a weird mix of feeling entrusted with delicate information, and feeling laden with a secret that's not mine to tell.

Check out: New Opera West

Interview

"The strength of any given piece is usually revealed fairly early in the process. Even a first run-through can indicate whether something is going to work or not."

Talking with singers: Erin Wall

Interview

"It's fairly extreme in its demands, and Massenet saved some of the hardest writing for the very end - the duet which closes the opera builds to two high Ds! It requires the singer to finesse a pianissimo one minute, and then have a huge fortissimo outburst over full orchestra the next!"

"A grandiose spectacle" in Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera

Interview

"The show itself is a grandiose spectacle indicative of traditional opera productions, but more importantly the score written by Julien Bilodeau is incredibly rich, beautiful, impressive and clever."

Stellar performances from a star cast in Chicago's Dead Man Walking

Review

Graham's performance is gut-wrenchingly sincere and she's as vocally resplendent as ever, even when her voice seems on the verge of breaking with emotion.

Ambitious & epochal: Saul at Houston Grand Opera

Review

The performance I saw was a microcosm of Houston at her best, a perfect example of the glorious, if not uncontroversial, results of numerous talented individuals combining their efforts to create something far bigger than the sum of its parts.