“Opera News” names opera’s “next wave” in August 2012 issue
In a special August issue, Opera News celebrates those who epitomize the “next wave” of opera. The cover story – the centerpiece of a comprehensive 24-page spread – profiles five artists whose stars are indubitably in the ascendant: conductor Michael Christie, soprano Ailyn Pérez, mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni. From composing sensation Nico Muhly and visionary director Thaddeus Strassberger, to the pioneering venue Le Poisson Rouge, this in-depth article pays tribute to 26 (24 individuals, plus one team of two and one venue) of the most influential up-and-comers in today’s evolving operatic world.
As Editor-in-Chief F. Paul Driscoll observes,
“This issue gives Opera News the perfect opportunity to shine a light on some of the brilliant new talent on the opera scene. Opera News has been following the progress of these exciting artists since the beginning of their careers. We believe that these men and women will help to define opera’s next decade – and we know that our readers will be eager to know more about them.”
Driscoll, in tandem with Features Editor Brian Kellow, wrote the entire 24-page feature, including profiles of the five cover artists, all of whom are poised on the brink of major careers. Conductor Michael Christie, described as “adventurous” by the New York Times, looks forward to leading productions of Nabucco, Anna Bolena, and Turandot in his inaugural season as Music Director of Minnesota Opera. The 2012-13 season also sees lyric soprano Ailyn Pérez – recently named as winner of the 2012 Richard Tucker Award – headlining La Bohème at Florida Grand Opera, La Traviata at Cincinnati Opera, and L’Elisir d’Amore at the Vienna Staatsoper. Kate Lindsey, “a young mezzo-soprano with a very bright future” (Boston Globe) and star of the Metropolitan Opera’s recent Live in HD broadcast of Les Contes d’Hoffmann, returns to the company for Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito in November (that production will be the first presentation this season of The Met: Live in HD on December 1). Lindsey also sings the title role in Los Angeles Opera’s La Cenerentola in March 2013. The 2010 George London Award-winning countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo – who in June was one of two first-place winners of Operalia, Plácido Domingo’s annual opera competition – premieres a new work at Lincoln Center’s upcoming Mostly Mozart Festival. And finally, Luca Pisaroni – “an exciting bass-baritone whose career is in the ascendant” (New York Times) – sings Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro at Opéra National de Paris, before taking Handel’s Radamisto on tour to Paris, London, Ann Arbor, and New York’s Carnegie Hall with Harry Bicket and the English Concert.
Besides the five cover artists, August’s Opera News spotlights 21 other rising stars of opera. These include two conductors: Anne Manson, the first woman to conduct at the Salzburg Festival; and Evan Rogister, who opens the new season of Houston Grand Opera conducting a new production of La Bohème, and who later leads Lyric Opera of Chicago’s premiere production of André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Also featured are three stage directors and designers: Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott, the creative team behind the Met’s “irresistibly entertaining” (Associated Press) production of The Enchanted Island; Thaddeus Strassberger, who this summer directs a rarely-heard Chabrier opera at Bard SummerScape, and who looks forward to directing Plácido Domingo in I Due Foscari at Los Angeles Opera before heading to Minnesota Opera to helm Nabucco and Hamlet; and Dmitri Tcherniakov, winner of numerous Russian Golden Mask awards, who directs Teatro Real Madrid’s upcoming production of Don Giovanni. Representing the opera world’s next generation of composers is New York wunderkind Nico Muhly, whose Two Boys and Dark Sisters recently generated unprecedented buzz; along with librettist Mark Stephen Campbell, whose previous work includes Volpone, which according to the Washington Post “stands out not only for its humor but also its brilliant marriage of words and music.”
Opera News also sheds light on a game-changing venue – New York’s Le Poisson Rouge – and on three administrators who, behind the scenes, contribute so much to opera: Andreas Mitisek, of Long Beach Opera and Chicago Opera Theater; Alexander Neef, of the Canadian Opera Company; and Darren K. Woods, of Fort Worth Opera. Finally, the upcoming issue calls attention to nine more singers to watch: sopranos Eglise Guttiérez, Angela Meade, Latonia Moore, and Amber Wagner; mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard; tenors Javier Camarena, Michael Fabiano, and Alek Shrader; and baritones Joshua Hopkins and Quinn Kelsey.
More information about the August issue of Opera News is available at the web sites below.