This is not a review. For the first time in years, I attended an event last Friday with no agenda but to enjoy the spectacle. But after such sights and sounds, the experience is still rolling around in my brain, and there are things to say. LA Opera, and in particular Sondra Radvanovsky, who reprises the … Read more
Starting with Puccini’s Tosca, one of the most beloved (and most sellable) operas in the rep, San Diego Opera (SDO) is back with a vengeance, helmed by a new general director, David Bennett (formerly of Gotham Opera in NY), and with this 51st season, the org is quite literally enjoying a new lease on their life in the arts. The … Read more
Vocal focus from CCMN* SOUTHERN CA VOCAL EVENTS Lauri D. Goldenhersh’s Weekly Highlights And they’re off! BACH COLLEGIUM SAN DIEGO launches their season with ‘Leipzig Legacy’, a program of… well, Bach, of course, but also Knüpfer, Schelle and Kuhnau, illustrating the essential role of cantor at the storied city’s St. Thomas Church. Tickets start … 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
Vocal focus from CCMN* SOUTHERN CA VOCAL EVENTS Lauri D. Goldenhersh’s Weekly Highlights Summer is waning… with a new season taking its place! September is a sort of golden hour for opera, as companies are gearing up and diving in, while choral organizations are just getting started. In the next few weeks, we’ll see season … Read more
Vocal focus from CCMN* SOUTHERN CA VOCAL EVENTS Lauri D. Goldenhersh’s Weekly Highlights My head is full of beautiful operatic moments. Just coming out of four incredible days teaching for the inaugural whirlwind of LA Vocal Lab, we worked with 19 talented singers, ranging from knockout newbies to established pros, and couldn’t be more proud. … Read more
Review by Coril Prochnow: As a revival of Cavalli’s La Calisto is being seen in Europe and the United States, Pacific Opera Project launched their own version of the complex and bawdy comedy in Highland Park during the merry month of May, executing what is quite possibly a premiere of the work in Southern California. The entertainment started as soon … Read more
Yesterday was a big day for Los Angeles Opera. With a Dulce Rosa dress rehearsal in Santa Monica and a Tosca dress at the Music Center, the company was plenty busy. Placido Domingo is conducting both productions, and several of the chorus members are in both, as well. As luck would have it, we were … Read more
