Can the art of opera ever escape the suffocating grip of its magnificent past? Judging from the striking array of contemporary works that reached American stages in the past year, we might be closer to that goal than at any time in recent decades. The Met, which in the mid-twentieth century routinely presented entire seasons … Read more
Pablo Larraín’s new film “Maria,” the third in his trilogy of grandes-dames bio-pics (following “Jackie” and “Spencer”), is the best of the three for a simple reason: its protagonist, Maria Callas, faces the most suspenseful conflict, the attempt to restart her singing career after a long absence from the stage. The other two films are … Read more
Mariah Carey’s mother Patricia and sister Alison both died on the same day, the singer said Monday. “My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day,” the Grammy-winning singer said in a statement. “I feel blessed … Read more
Hong Kong singer Kari Ding, who shifted from a tenor to countertenor in 2019, says it is a somewhat misleading label. “It is not so much that a countertenor is rare but that the style of singing is rarely pursued,” Ding says. Consider a falsetto, he says of the voice used by male singers – … Read more
Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with The Code, an operatic ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing their non-binary identity. Nemo — the first non-binary contestant to win the competition and the latest to win for Switzerland since Céline Dion in 1988 — beat Croatia’s Baby Lasagna to the title by winning the … Read more
Loose bricks falling from the three-story façade of Leadville’s Tabor Opera House on Saturday closed the sidewalk and parking spots in front of the historic building, which has been the subject of extensive renovations in recent years. The venue, which opened in 1879 and lords over the town’s main drag, Harrison Avenue (a.k.a. U.S. Route … Read more
Hua Mulan, a legendary heroine in ancient China who took her father’s place in conscription for the army by disguising herself as a man, is now known all over the world thanks to The Walt Disney Co’s 1998 animated motion picture Mulan and its 2020 live-action film with the same title. Chinese people were reacquainted … Read more
Seiji Ozawa, the Japanese conductor who amazed audiences with the lithe physicality of his performances during three decades at the helm of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has died, his management office said Friday. He was 88. The internationally acclaimed maestro, with his trademark mop of salt-and-pepper hair, led the BSO from 1973 to 2002, longer … Read more
Actor-singer David Soul, a 1970s heartthrob who co-starred as the blond half of the TV crime-fighting duo Starsky & Hutch and topped the music charts with the ballad Don’t Give Up on Us, has died at the age of 80. His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that “David Soul — beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother — … Read more
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has announced 78 new appointments to the Order of Canada — a list that includes activists, authors, artists, Indigenous leaders and other accomplished Canadians. Simon’s office announced three new appointments of “companions” — the highest level of the Order of Canada — 15 officers, including one honorary officer, and 59 members. A number of journalists were … Read more
