Tag Archives: Opera

by | February 13, 2026 · 3:03 pm

Operas Greatest Characters: Papageno, the Magic Flute

When it comes to opera characters who are energetic, humorous, and impossible to ignore, few can match Papageno. From Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Papageno is the archetypal comic figure — a bird-catcher with a heart as big as his appetite for food, drink, and love. On stage, he bursts with playful energy, moving with physical comedy that rivals his vocal agility. Every scene he enters is filled with movement, gestures, and expressions that instantly draw the audience into his world.

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by | January 27, 2026 · 1:57 pm

Opera’s Greatest Characters: Rigoletto, The Jester Who Can’t Outsmart the World

Matthew Aucoin as Rigoletto, LA Opera

Opera gives us kings, gods, and seducers. Rigoletto gives us a man who knows the world is cruel—and believes he can protect what he loves from it. He can’t.

Giuseppe Verdi’s 1851 masterpiece centers on Rigoletto, a court jester deformed in body and scorned in society. He survives by mocking the powerful, using cruelty as armor. Every insult reminds him he doesn’t belong—but at home, he is fiercely devoted to his daughter, Gilda. He hides her, shelters her, and convinces himself that ignorance equals safety. The love is real. The fear is genuine. The harm is inevitable.

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by | January 16, 2026 · 2:12 pm

Violetta: The Enduring Charm of La Traviata’s Star

In the world of opera, few characters are as immediately captivating and emotionally complex as Violetta Valéry from Verdi’s La Traviata. From the moment she steps onto the stage, she commands attention—not simply as a soprano role requiring vocal brilliance, but as a fully realized human being: charming, independent, passionate, and heartbreakingly vulnerable. Violetta is a socialite, a courtesan in Paris, yet she is written with layers that reveal courage, wit, and self-awareness, making her far more than a stock figure of melodrama.

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by | January 9, 2026 · 10:40 am

Figaro: The Man Who Makes the Opera Work

Every great comedy needs someone who knows everyone, fixes everything, and stays three steps ahead. In opera, that person is Figaro. In The Barber of Seville, he isn’t the romantic lead, but he is the reason the story moves at all. A barber by trade and a schemer by instinct, Figaro turns Count Almaviva’s impossible love problem into a fast-moving game of disguises, distractions, and perfectly timed interventions.

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by | March 12, 2025 · 12:03 pm

A Grand Night at the Met: Fidelio Simulcast in Theaters

On a grand night in New York, the iconic Metropolitan Opera will bring Beethoven’s powerful and poignant Fidelio to life on stage, but this time, it won’t just be confined to the opera house. For those who can’t make it to the Met’s historic building, the performance will be simulcast in theaters around the world on Saturday, March 15th, 2025, offering a unique opportunity to experience this monumental production from the comfort of local theaters.

Also note the comedy of Barber of Seville and the Marriage of Figaro will be simulcast as well in April and May.

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by | March 6, 2025 · 1:07 pm

La Boehme Final Night March 8-9 2025 & Where to Dine

Bekhzod Davronov

La Bohème, the beloved opera by Giacomo Puccini, will be presented at the Dallas Opera from March 8-9, 2025, featuring a star-studded cast. Bekhzod Davronov stars as the passionate poet Rodolfo, Sylvia D’Eramo as the fragile and beautiful Mimi, Takaoki Onishi as the loyal painter Marcello, and Emily Pogorelc as the spirited Musetta. Under the baton of Emmanuel Villaume, this production promises to captivate audiences with its emotional depth and timeless music.

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by | March 1, 2021 · 2:11 pm

TEXAS OPERA ALLIANCE NAMES RYAN SPEEDO GREEN AS ITS FIRST ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

The ​Texas Opera Alliance​ (TOA) today announces that acclaimed bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green will be its first Artist in Residence. Beginning Friday, March 12, and culminating with his performance at the end of the month in Austin Opera’s An All-Star Concert, Green will participate in a variety of outreach and performance programs for the Alliance’s five member companies: Austin Opera, The Dallas Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and OPERA San Antonio.

Green is renowned for his sensitive portrayals of a wide range of heroic roles on some of the world’s greatest stages. But he is also well known for his unique path in the opera world, an improbable journey that began in a juvenile detention facility and carried him from solitary confinement to stardom. Green’s gripping life story is the subject of a best-selling book, Sing for Your Life: A Story of Race, Music, and Family, which has recently been adapted for the stage.

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by | February 28, 2018 · 8:40 am

The Met Opera At Your Door

metopera.jpgby Steven Doyle

I am a huge fan of the theater, and adore the opera. If you are like me you will want to pay very close attention. The Metropolitan Opera has a few very sweet programs that brings the opera not only to local theaters, but also to your home.

The Metropolitan Opera is the largest classical music organization in North America. It presents about 27 different operas each year in a season which lasts from late September through May. The operas are presented in a rotating repertory schedule with up to seven performances of four different works staged each week. Moving to the new Lincoln Center location in 1966, performances are given in the evening Monday through Saturday with a matinée on Saturday.   Continue reading →

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