At Opera Philadelphia, Vivaldi’s music meets a contemporary libretto by Sarah Ruhl; in New York, Lincoln Center Theater presents Gian Carlo Menotti’s written-for-television opera in a production starring Joyce DiDonato. By Heidi Waleson Dec. 22, 2025 at 5:19 pm ET Abigail Raiford and Megan Moore STEVEN PISANO Philadelphia “The Seasons,” an ambitious project performed last weekend by …
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‘The Delta King’s Blues’ Review: Robert Johnson at the Opera
A new work in Washington from composer Damien Geter and librettist Jarrod Lee depicts the life and legend of the great guitarist. By Heidi Waleson Dec. 9, 2025 at 5:49 pm ET Albert R. Lee, Marvin Wayne, Anthony Ballard, Christian Simmons STORY MODE Washington At a compact 45 minutes, “The Delta King’s Blues,” given its world premiere …
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Opera Review: A Wild Musical Utopia
Philip Venables and Ted Huffman adapt Larry Mitchell’s classic of 1970s gay literature in a joyous, boundary-blurring event at Park Avenue Armory; also in New York, singer Kate Lindsey performed a program that tracked the career of Kurt Weill. By Heidi Waleson Dec. 5, 2025 at 5:06 pm ET Themba Mvula (center) and ensemble in the …
A Propulsive Premiere and a Thoughtful ‘Parsifal’ at San Francisco Opera
Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King’ persuasively conjured the spirit of Chinese opera; Matthew Ozawa’s new Wagner production had admirable clarity. By Heidi Waleson Nov. 19, 2025 at 4:31 pm ET Kang Wang in ‘The Monkey King.’ CORY WEAVER/SAN FRANCISCO OPERA San Francisco Huang Ruo’s “The Monkey King,” which had its world premiere at the San …
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Adventures in Early Music at the Frick Collection
Les Arts Florissants performed a concert in dialogue with an exhibition devoted to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; Sonnambula, the museum’s ensemble-in-residence, collaborated with singer Davóne Tines to reconstruct a 1605 court entertainment. By Heidi Waleson Nov. 4, 2025 at 5:09 pm ET Singers of Les Arts Florissants. CHRIS SUNWOO/THE FRICK COLLECTION New York The Oct. …
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‘La Sonnambula’ Review: At the Met Opera, a Sleepwalking Soprano Shines
Nadine Sierra stars in the company’s new production, thoughtfully directed by Rolando Villazón, of Bellini’s opera about a woman coming up against the strictures of a Swiss village. By Heidi Waleson Oct. 8, 2025 at 5:13 pm ET Nadine Sierra in ‘La Sonnambula.’ PHOTO: MARTY SOHL/MET OPERA New York For the new Metropolitan Opera production of Vincenzo Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” …
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Il Viaggio a Reims’ Review: Opera Philadelphia’s Raucous Rossini
The company opened its 50th season with a gleefully silly, powerfully sung production that set the 1825 comedy in an art gallery; in New York, Samoan tenor Pene Pati brought warmth and expressiveness to a recital at Park Avenue Armory. By Heidi Waleson Oct. 1, 2025 at 5:01 pm ET A scene from the opera. PHOTO: STEVEN PISANO …
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‘The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay’ Review: The Met Opera’s Simplistic Superhero Story
An adaptation of Michael Chabon’s novel about the creation of a comic-book hero at the outset of World War II struggled to come to life in the company’s season-opening production, directed by Bartlett Sher. By Heidi Waleson Sept. 23, 2025 at 5:22 pm ET Andrzej Filończyk and Miles Mykkanen PHOTO: EVAN ZIMMERMAN / MET OPERA Like many contemporary …
‘Galas’ Review: Anthony Roth Costanzo Gives Voice to Maria Callas
The countertenor stars and sings in Charles Ludlam’s irreverent 1983 play about the legendary diva, directed by Eric Ting at New York’s Little Island. By Heidi Waleson Sept. 15, 2025 at 5:03 pm ET Anthony Roth Costanzo in ‘Galas.’ PHOTO: NINA WESTERVELT New York The countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo has a seemingly endless appetite for work and risk—just last year, …
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2025 Glimmerglass Festival Review: Singing Across Centuries
The upstate New York opera company’s 50th-anniversary season stretches from Puccini to a world premiere, and shines in stagings of Sondheim and Stravinsky. By Heidi Waleson Aug. 13, 2025 at 5:00 pm ET John Riddle (left) and the cast of ‘Sunday in the Park With George.’ PHOTO: BRENT DELANOY/THE GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL Cooperstown, N.Y. The Glimmerglass Festival, which celebrates …
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