There’s good news out there for contemporary opera and its fans, some right here in the Queen City, where the 97-year old Cincinnati Opera has just announced its 2017 season (its 97^th), in which, in addition to evergreens La boheme and The Magic Flute, Evans Mirageas will bring to his loyal audience Robert Xavier Rodríguez’ 1991 opera, Frida, an account of the life and loves of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.

In addition to Frida, the Cincinnati Opera will present the US premiere of Another Brick in the Wall by Roger Waters.

Meanwhile, in NYC, the New York City Opera has also gotten the word out about what it has in store for this year. They will be doing the first production of Peter Eötvös’ 2004 opera, Angels in America in quite a number of years.

Based on Tony Kushner’s multi-award winning two-part saga, the opera by the Hungarian-born Eötvös comprises Kushner’s two-part saga about Gay life in America in the 1990’s and distills its multi-hour length to an 140 minute running time. The NYCO will also bring to its audience Ottorino Respighi’s rarely done La Campana Sommersa (The Sunken Bell) and Los Elementos (The Elements) a late Baroque opera by Spanish composer, Antonio Literes.

It is a pleasure to see the reborn City Opera returning to its roots by doing very well what nobody else is brave enough to attempt. Kudos, likewise to the Cincinnati Opera for its daring choice of repertory.

For more information: http://www.nycopera.com and http://www.cincinnatiopera. org

 

 

 

 

CCMPower President, Bill Harvey–owner of Buddy Roger’s Music Store, a Cincinnati music institution) created the “LINKS PROGRAM–“Lonely Instruments for Needy Kids”–getting musical instruments into the hands of children, so they can learn and know they joy of music.

For two days every March, CCMPower volunteers gather at the Joseph Beth Book Store at Rookwood Commons, to accept donations of musical instruments, which are then completely refurbished and donated to area schools, so that children can participate in school music programs.

It is such a wonderful cause, and it’s great fun to meet people who come in with instruments to donate, and to hear their stories of playing the instruments, or having a child play an instrument in school, and then passing it on, so that another child can experience the joy of learning music and have a life-changing experience.
And, children from the C-CM Prep department perform throughout the event. So charming, and always gathers a crowd, which helps to spread the word the way no one else can.

IF YOU HAVE AN OLD INSTRUMENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE, YOU CAN DO THAT AT ANY TIME THROUGOUT THE YEAR. YOUR INSTRUMENT’S VALUE WILL BE GIVEN, AND YOUR DONATION WILL BE COMPLETETLY TAX DEDUCTIBLE. JUST CALL 513 556 2100, OR TAKE YOUR INSTRUMENT TO BUDDY ROGER’S MUSIC STORE. CASH DONATIONS ARE ALSO WELCOMED, WHICH ARE ALSO TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

GIVE THE GIFT OF MUSIC, AND TRANSFORM A YOUNG LIFE. WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN THAT!

Excerpted from a Kimberly Daniel de Acha Facebook post.

In Basque literature, at the end of a story, instead of saying: ” …and they lived happily ever after…”, they say “…and they lived well and they died well…” which, in eight short words, encapsulates what Euskaldunak and Euskal Herria (Basques and their homeland) are all about. The Basques are tough, unsentimental survivors, who honor their past, live in the here and now, and have no doubt that they will be right where they have been, long before the Iberians and the Etruscans and the Romans arrived, and where they will be long after all the rest of us become ancient civilizations

Long live the Basque People and their Country!

Check out this terrific documentary by Orson Welles on a 1955 visit to the Basque Country: https://youtu.be/hJlKx3NPuts.

Check out also this You Tube with music by features music by Basque composers Jesús Guridi, José M. Usandizaga, Jesus Arambarri, Andrés Isasi, Francisco Escudero and Maurice Ravel played by the Euskadiko Orkestra Sinfonikoa (Basque National Orchestra),
Miguel A. Gómez Martínez, Conductor.

Inoiz ez dut gehiago harro euskaldun izan nahi du gaur gauean naiz baino Dokumental zoragarri honetan behaketa ondoren izan da.
Euskal literaturan, istorio bat, ordez esaten amaieran: “Eta pozik bizi izan dute inoiz ondoren …”, esan dute “… Eta ondo bizi izan dute eta ongi hil dute …” horrek, in 8 laburrak hitzak  Euskarri eta Euskal Herria zer dira guztiak buruz. Gogorra bizirik, bere iragana omenez nor, gaur eta hemen bizi dira, eta argi daukate hemen izango dira, lekuan izan dute, geroztik iberiarren eta etruskoek eta erromatarrek arrrived luze baino lehen, eta hemen izango da luze ondoren gurekin gainerako guztiak antzinako zibilizazio bihurtu.

Bizitza oparoa EUSKADI eta EUSKALDUNAK!

Begiratu emanaldirik dokumental hau Orson Welles-ek 1955an Euskal Herriko bisita bat: https://youtu.be/hJlKx3NPuts.

Begiratu ere musikarik batera Tube honen ezaugarri musika euskal konpositoreen Jesús Guridi, José M. Usandizaga, Jesús Arámbarri, Andrés Isasi, Francisco Escudero eta Maurice Ravel Euskadiko Orkestra Sinfonikoaren (Euskadiko Orkestra Sinfonikoa) jokalariak jokatu dituen, Miguel A. Gómez Martínez, zuzendaria.

 

Up next, La Traviata from the MET at noon on Friday (c0rrection: Saturday at 12:55 p.m.)  on your local movie screen or on the radio. An NY Times listing is… well … provocative… as is the photograph, showing the red-hot pair of Michael Fabiano and Sonya Yoncheva. The NY Times caption reads: “Lower Depths for a Soprano”…

I will let it stand at that.

On the subject of tenors, it is now official that German heartthrob tenor Jonas Kaufmann has cancelled all of his appearances at the MET for next season, including a new production of Tosca that will replace the current one in the rep of the NYC house. And that means that another heartthrob tenor by the mane of Vittorio Grigolo will step into the role of Mario Cavaradossi.

Kaufmann’s appearances on this side of the ocean have been touch and go for the past few years, and concerns about his future continue.  Meanwhile the word on and, more importantly, what we hear in the singing of other younger and rising tenors at the MET is very encouraging.

Grigolo’s turn opposite Isabel Leonard in this past Saturday broadcast of Werther was nothing short of sensational. His singing was full-throated and Italianate and his handling of the very French Massenet vocal line was impeccable, nowhere better than in his show-stopping Pourquois me reveiller.

Grigolo’s and Fabiano’s careers are going great guns with no missteps one can think of. And, at a time when true lyric-spinto tenors ready to take on the Verdi-Puccini roles are as rare as hen’s teeth, this is good news.

Rafael de Acha

UC’s College-Conservatory of Music’s (CCM) Department of Musical Theatre presents the annual “Not Famous Yet” Showcase on March 8, 10 and 11 in Patricia Corbett Theater. Each year, seniors from CCM’s musical theatre program travel to New York to present a showcase for the leading agents, casting directors and managers in the business. The show takes the format of a Broadway audition, with the actors showing off their solo and ensemble skills through song and dance numbers.

The March 8 benefit performance starts at 7 p.m. and features a reception prior to the show with CCM Musical Theatre Young Alumni Award recipient Betsy Wolfe. Tickets include wine and dinner-by-the-bite after the showcase in the CCM Atrium.

In addition to the benefit performance, the musical theatre students also present the showcase at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 10 and 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 11. These two performances are free, but reservations must be made in advance. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 6; please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to make a reservation. Limit two tickets per order.