opera
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Black Opera Composer Is Dismissed Over Lyrics for 100-Year Commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre
When composer Daniel Roumain was commissioned to create an original work for “Greenwood Overcomes,” a celebration led by the Tulsa Opera to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, I’m sure he never thought one lyric would be enough to lose him the commission. Unfortunately, it was. As Vulture reports, Roumain composed an aria…
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From Carmen to Nefertiti, J'Nai Bridges Is the Next Big Voice in Opera
Amid the surrealist sets, majestic costumes, soaring voices and intricate harmonies of the Met Opera’s current revival of Philip Glass’ Akhnaten, based on the 17-year reign of the revolutionary 18th Dynasty Egyptian king, one of the most striking elements is that of his famed queen, Nefertiti. Performed by mezzo-soprano sensation J’Nai Bridges (pronounced “Jah-Nay”), Nefertiti…
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Akhnaten: A Revolutionary King Gets an Equally Innovative Opera
It’s strangely fitting that one of history’s earliest renegades has been immortalized with an opera that also defies convention—and indeed, for those unfamiliar with the music of Philip Glass, the operative word some may use to describe his opera Akhnaten might be “strange.” For the genre’s purists, the Metropolitan Opera’s production of his now 35-year-old…
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Jessye Norman, Heralded Soprano of the Opera World, Dies at 74
Jessye Norman, the internationally celebrated soprano, died surrounded by loved ones Monday, of complications suffered as the result of a 2015 spinal cord injury, her family announced. She was 74. “We are so proud of Jessye’s musical achievements and the inspiration that she provided to audiences around the world that will continue to be a…
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Atlanta Police Investigate Facebook Livestream of Alleged Sexual Assault in Atlanta Nightclub
Police in Atlanta say they have identified and contacted a man seen in a video showing an alleged sexual assault at a local nightclub early Sunday morning. The video—a Facebook livestream—was shared from inside Opera nightclub and was intended to show a young woman’s birthday celebration. Instead, people who watched the video saw her being…
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I Tried It: A Night at the Opera
If I had to guess about my first real introduction to opera, it was back in the Napster days. I was in high school, and like many other kids who knew how to use the internet at that time, I was frequently solicited with musical requests once my parents got wind that there was a…