AIX-EN-PROVENCE— The rebirth of France’s premier opera festival after a barren, Covid-blighted 2020 felt like a joyous act of defiance. Not only has Artistic Director Pierre Audi programmed a record number of operas (nine in all, if … » Read

LONDON—The Cinderella among Handel’s so-called “magic” operas, Amadigi –composed four years after Rinaldo and two full decades before his bewitching masterpiece Alcina— boasts music of the utmost enchantment. … » Read

On June 12 and 13, The Woodland’s Cemetery in Philadelphia provided the backdrop for performances of we got time , composer Matana Roberts' “experimental protest music” honoring Breonna Taylor. Each of the 24 members of the The … » Read

This year’s commemorations received a boost when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. The event dates back to the end of the Civil War when, on June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union … » Read

Opening in May, Opera Theater of St. Louis became one of the first companies in the U.S. to offer the semblance of a season to a live audience. The al fresco venue, with 263 socially distanced seats, is a makeshift facility in a parking lot … » Read

LOS ANGELES – When James Conlon struck up the first chord from Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex June 6 in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, it came as a shock – a delicious shock. Technology is a wonderful thing, a lifesaver … » Read

LONDON--England’s number two opera festival (after Glyndebourne) is on a roll of success that not even a pandemic can stall. It’s been heart-warming to follow Garsington Opera’s ascent under Douglas Boyd, music and artistic … » Read

Written for the German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, the title role in Aribert Reimann’s Lear remains one of the ultimate challenges for a great singer and actor. This new staging at the Bavarian State Opera, which streamed May 30, … » Read

CINCINNATI—“Singing is back,” posters for the May Festival exclaimed—a sentiment echoed by conductor Robert Porco on stage Friday evening. After cancelling all activities in 2020, the country’s oldest choral festival … » Read

CHICAGO--The concert was short, but savoring the moment could not have been sweeter. Last weekend, for the first time in more than 14 months, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was back onstage at Symphony Center playing for a live audience. Given … » Read