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THE birth of Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), in 1931, was modest, not to say eccentric. Milton Schwartz, a local violinist, later described being approached by a “seedy-looking person in an old coat” who announced: “I am here to form a symphony orchestra. I just heard you play and I like you very much.”  The person was Hans Kindler,...

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Verdi's Nabucco has opened at St. Louis' Union Avenue Opera, and it is a remarkably fine production. Of the many beautiful shows that this amazing small company has presented in its twenty-four seasons Nabucco is, perhaps, the most vocally gorgeous of all. This is due not only to the stellar quality of the principals, but also-and especially-to the...

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In conjunction with the Rossini Opera Festival ROF (August 11-23), a yearly international music festival held in August in Pesaro, the birthplace of Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868), and on the occasion of 150th anniversary of the composer's death, the IIC will host three outdoor screenings of operas from the stages of the ROF. La scala di seta (The S...

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A bit of history, a bit of gossip, a lot of music, and no homework! This course, held on Thursdays, October 25 to November 8, 2018, will cover the basics of Italian opera, starting with its invention in Florence and the lavish Venetian operas of the 17th century. It continues with the vocal fireworks of opera seria alongside the comic antics of ope...

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Opera Theater of Connecticut celebrates its 33rd anniversary with a production of Tosca at the air-conditioned Andrews Memorial Theater, 54 East Main Street, Clinton, sung by a cast of professional opera singers. A volatile diva, a sadistic police chief, and an idealist artist are featured in this triangle of love, political intrigue, and obsession...

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Michael Fabiano’s first memory of classical music is dancing around his childhood living room to a record of the New World Symphony. Though at the time he was more into umpiring baseball and arguing on the debate team, he loved classical music, and from Dvorak to Beethoven, the house was full of it. A third-generation American, Fabiano was briefly...

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In conjuction with the Rossini Opera Festival (ROF), a yearly international music festival held in August in Pesaro, the birthplace of Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868), and on the occasion of 150th anniversary of the composer's death, the IIC will host an outdoor screening of La scala di Seta.  This sparkling 1812 farsa comica in one act weaves a burl...

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Boston Midsummer Opera returns for its 12th summer with one of the comic wonders of the operatic repertoire: the 17th and most beloved of Gioachino Rossini’s 40 operas, “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” (“The Barber of Seville”) — the story of how the clever barber Figaro helps the delectable Rosina slip out of the clutches of her elderly guardian into the...

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Mario Lanza's birthplace has been reduced to a pile of rubble. Despite opposition from the local neighbors association and some South Philly residents of Italian heritage, a developer has moved forward and demolished the home at 636 Christian St., where the famous opera singer was born. The plan is to construct two buildings with seven apartments a...

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After his last appearance four years ago, Maestro Riccardo Frizza is returning to the Bay Area for his fourth collaboration with the San Francisco Opera. This season he will be conducting Donizetti's iconic Roberto Devereux, from September 8th to the 27th, 2018. His previous productions include Lucrezia Borgia in 2011, I Capuleti e i Montecchi in 2...

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