It was another sold-out evening on September 23rd, and the excitement was palpable. Even on the Los Angeles Master Chorale‘s second night of the season, it felt like a gala or the night of a grand premiere. But the massive crowd settled into their seats at some length, and after a quick and gregarious intro by … Read more
Vocal focus from CCMN* Southern CA Vocal Events Lauri D. Goldenhersh’s Weekly Highlights Susannah, Carlisle Floyd’s now-classic American opera, is a thought-provoking tale of small towns, innocence and the darkness that can dwell anywhere. PASADENA OPERA will perform the show just twice at A Noise Within this weekend (Friday and Saturday), and it will likely … 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 Coril Prochnow, Review Coordinator Long Beach Opera delivers memorable musical experiences with every production, and their most recent project is no exception. In Marilyn Forever, LBO invites the audience into an intimate visit with Marilyn Monroe during the last hours of her life. The story of her death is legendary: At the height of her fame and beauty, she … 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
Community review by Arthur Freeman Pacific Opera Project’s new production of Puccini’s Tosca, running through Sept 28 at St. James’ Church in Pasadena, is billed as “a moving production”, which is meant both literally and in terms of emotional impact. The production’s most unusual element involves the audience moving from location to location as the … Read more
Chamber Opera Players of Los Angeles (COPOLA) brought a polished pair of comedic one-act operas to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church’s Parish Hall in Glendale, CA, on Friday, May 23rd and Saturday, May 24th, 2014. Sunday Excursion was the hors d’oeuvres of the evening. Written by Alec Wilder in 1953, it is set in the early … Read more
Nowadays, the word “pop-up” probably doesn’t refer to things toasted. It can be a small shop opening suddenly to offer goods to the neighborhood for a short time. It might be a spectacular children’s book or a 3D work of art like you’ve never seen before. But in our neck of the woods, it may … Read more
As our lead reviewers were either performing with us or otherwise occupied during our first unSUNg concert, let’s be clear: this is not an attempt to review our own event. But I’d like to personally thank all of the performers and organizers who participated in this first installment of our new concert series, and give … Read more
