Ailyn Pérez

Symphony of the Americas presents 'Trailblazers!' celebrating the women of symphonic music. Join them on January 9, 2024, at Broward Center for Performing Arts Amaturo Theater. Featuring guest artist Jeanette Vecchione-Donatti.

The 46th Kennedy Center Honorees Billy Crystal, Renée Fleming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah, and Dionne Warwick were celebrated in Washington, D.C., at the Honors Gala on December 3, 2023 in the Kennedy Center Opera House.

Just as the Met’s debut of Mexican composer Daniel Catan’s FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS (FLORENCE IN THE AMAZON) began the other day, a member of the audience yelled out “Viva la ópera en español!” (“Long live opera in Spanish!”). And that was before a single note of the composer’s lyric, highly accessible and heavy-on-the-Puccini score was played.

Celebrate the sounds of the holiday season with Symphony of the Americas Holiday POPS! Conducted by Artistic Director Pablo Mielgo and featuring soprano Kyaunnee Richardson, enjoy a program of holiday classics, pop hits, and musical compilations that will bring joy to audiences. Don't miss this festive performance at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

An historic recording of golden age tenor Richard Tucker singing “Sound an Alarm” from Handel’s JUDAS MACCABEUS” set the tone for the Richard Tucker Music Foundation’s Gala concert at Carnegie Hall. There was wonderful singing ahead of us—but of a certain kind. Like many other classical organizations, the Tucker Foundation, has found that, as Charles Dickens said in “A Tale of Two Cities,” “It was the best of times, the worst of times.” The “best” is for the quality of the singers that the foundation has supported through varying kinds of grants. The “worst”? Money from the usual donor pool is in shorter supply than usual, which meant a less elaborate evening

Combine a supreme farceur with a stentorian voice that thrills and you get baritone Michael Volle’s portrayal of the title role in Verdi’s FALSTAFF, which breezed into town late last week for a limited run at the Met. While we’ve had dramatic singers in the role before, they were mostly from Italian repertoire; I don’t know when the last time a Wagnerian--a Wotan from the Ring, for instance--took on this role around here, but Volle did himself proud.

GHOSTS, an opera Nicolas Reveles completed shortly before his recent death, premieres on Friday, April 14. He was visibly ill when I interviewed him in January, but excited and enthusiastic about the coming production. Part 1 of my interview described how the new opera came to be written. This concluding part covers the fascinating background and career of the man who his many saddened friends called 'Nic.'.

I’ve heard the opera a number of times at the Met over the years and this year’s run holds up with the most breathtaking of them. Despite the number of star performances among the magnificent ensemble currently being heard at the Met, the star of the show doesn’t have a single word to say or note to sing. It's the John Dexter production that does it.

The 2013 production of Tchaikovsky's Pushkin-inspired opera EUGENE ONEGIN has triumphantly returned to the Met. I attended the final dress rehearsal and can attest to the fact that the story of Tatyana's infatuation with, and later rejection of, the eponymous 'hero' is vocally in superb hands. Both singers and orchestra were splendid.

Though the Met’s season doesn’t technically start till the end of the month, the company started off with a pair of what French chefs might call “amuses bouches”—sort of tastebud teasers. The first was Mahler’s Second, which was done in the open air; the second was its first inside the hall:The Verdi Requiem, which was broadcast (and which I saw) live last Saturday on PBS.

The George London Foundation for Singers will present two events at New York's Morgan Library and Museum in the 2021-22 season: the finals of the 50th annual George London Foundation Competition for American and Canadian opera singers, postponed from early 2021, and a recital by the exciting young tenor and 2017 George London Award winner Aaron Blake, with pianist Ken Noda, marking the resumption of the foundation's annual recital series.

The George London Foundation for Singers will present 2 events at New York’s Morgan Library & Museum in the 2021-22 season: the finals of the 50th annual George London Foundation Competition for American and Canadian opera singers, postponed from early 2021, and a recital by the exciting young tenor and 2017 George London Award winner Aaron Blake.

With nary a “Ho-yo-to-ho” to be heard, the Met’s “Met Stars Live in Concert” series brought four eminent Wagnerians--sopranos Christine Goerke and Elza van den Heever, tenor Andreas Schager and baritone Michael Volle--together from the dazzlingly Baroque Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden, Germany, live on May 8. This “Wagnerians in Concert” will be available from the Met’s website until just before the witching hour on May 21.

Twenty years after the launch of Rosenblatt Recitals and three years after the final concert, the series has returned in digital form to present a season of eight themed programmes - Rosenblatt Recitals at Home, in aid of Target Ovarian Cancer.

On September 22, in honor of National Voter Registration Day, pianist and activist Lara Downes is releasing a video of Leonard Bernstein's song 'Take Care of This House,' from the musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

While Broadway remains shut down, BroadwayWorld is keeping up with your favorite stars and giving you a peek at what they have been up to! Check out yesterday's highlights from some of your favorites, including the cast of Hadestown, Kelli O'Hara, and more!

Today's top stories: Broadway on Demand postponed its Tony Awards celebration set for this Sunday, Peter Pan Live! will stream this weekend, and more!

Ailyn Pérez led the fifth Memorial For Us All broadcast on Sunday, May 31.

Here's a look at how 'Light Shall Lift Us; Singers Unite in Song' (for OPERA America), a video project featuring 107 opera singers in “a song of hope and solidarity” by Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell, came together to help raise up the spirits of their communities as we deal with COVID-19. It went 'live' on May 14 at 1:30 pm EST.

Almost as soon as she went into lockdown at her New Jersey home in early March, soprano Angel Blue began producing her own weekly talk show. Faithful Friday with Angel Blue aims to help viewers 'keep the faith,' and believe in themselves. Guests welcomed via video hook-ups so far have included actress Laverne Cox, fashion and Instagram star Sandra Violante, and singers Christine Goerke, Golda Schultz, Matthew Anchel, Lucas Meachem, and Thomas Hampson.