There are many reasons why Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème is among the most popular works in the operatic repertoire. Its beautiful, romantic score, full of soaring melodies, boasts of several hit tunes, like “Che gelida manina”, “Quando men vo’”, and what fellow singers affectionately refer to as “The Bass National Anthem” – “Vecchia zimarra”. Based … Read more
Southern California Vocal Events from Jim Eninger’s Clickable Chamber Music Newsletter from the South Bay “Three Wishes” — LAURI D GOLDENHERSH’s Weekly Highlights Let’s start with a little shout-out to my mother and resident unSUNg groupie, MARILYN DAVIDIAN, who makes her own birthday wishes today… Love you, Mom! Happy Birthday! I don’t start this … Read more
Southern California Vocal Events from Jim Eninger’s Clickable Chamber Music Newsletter from the South Bay “Three Wishes” — LAURI D GOLDENHERSH’s Weekly Highlights Happy Oscar weekend! The days of the little gold guy are upon us, and in deference to one of the Southland’s grandest annual traditions, there aren’t as many concerts going on as … Read more
by Monika Beal, Lister reviewer Pacific Opera Project (POP) has already secured a reputation for producing operas in modern settings – you may remember the Star Trek milieu for Abduction from the Seraglio, or perhaps the too-cool, hipster La Boheme, which returns later this year. Now, their new production of Donizetti’s colorful Elixir of Love feels … Read more
Vocal focus from CCMN* Southern CA Vocal Events Lauri D. Goldenhersh’s Weekly Highlights This is that time of the year when the most touted carpets are red, narrow, and bedecked with well-dressed superstars. This Sunday, of course, is Oscar Sunday, an international holiday that tends to steal an incredible amount of focus in SoCal. So … Read more
Celestial Opera Company returned to the stage this spring with the classic double-bill pairing of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci. Executive director Judith Townsend assembled a full team to relaunch the company after a nearly three-year hiatus, with Andrea Renée Fuentes as Artistic Director and Producer; Timothy León as Musical Director; and Josh Shaw as Stage … Read more
Imagine Los Angeles in 1913: before World War I, before Hollywood, before downtown was really a thing. Pacific Opera Project has done it again, building something unique from the familiar, and giving Richard Strauss’ beloved opera-about-opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, a nostalgic turn in modernity by looking back to the show’s own time period… in California. Sung … Read more
by Carol Winston, guest reviewer Pacific Opera Project’s production of Mozart’s The Abduction From the Seraglio opened this week, and was performed at the historic El Portal Theater in North Hollywood to a sold-out audience on Saturday night. The 360-seat house was a terrific venue for the opera, the small Art Deco space creating an … Read more
By Bryan Dahl, Guest Reviewer Why do hipsters always burn their mouths when they eat? Because they have to chew their food before it’s cool…right? Before you go see Pacific Opera Project‘s (POP) production of La bohème, forget what you think you know about both hipsters and opera. Picture an intimate crowd of about two … Read more
The Chamber Opera Players of Los Angeles, founded by E. Scott Levin and Ariel Pisturino, specializes in presenting quirky chamber operas which can be performed in under an hour, using small casts and piano accompaniment in an intimate space. On November 7 and 8, they showcased two works: George N. Gianopoulos’s The Last Silent Voice – a world … Read more
