Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra have just returned from a tour to Asia which included three concerts in South Korea, setting a benchmark for visiting orchestras in the country. In order to secure the tour dates, the VPO had to submit an application to South Korean authorities, to be considered for an exemption to the two-week quarantine that is usually required of visitors. At present, visitors to the country must provide a compelling reason for their trip; exemptions…

The role of Isolde marked a decisive step in Nina Stemme's career. She performed it for the first time in 2003, onstage at the Glyndebourne Festival; her performance was eye-opening, and unanimously amazing. This score, which she worked on with Birgit Nilsson herself, is one of the most demanding of the repertoire. Performing the part of Isolde is immensely challenging. “You’re never ready to sing such monumental roles,” explains the soloist. The music requires a certain state of mind that…

On May 16 Plácido Domingo conducts Verdi’s Messa da Requiem at the re-opening of Teatro Municipale di Piacenza, in an evening dedicated to the victims of COVID-19. On his long awaited return to Piacenza after 48 years, Domingo leads the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, Coro del Teatro Municipale di Piacenza and soloists María José Siri, Annalisa Stroppa, Michele Pertusi and Operalia Winner Antonio Poli. Audiences from around the world will have access to the performance via Opera Streaming.

Nina Stemme’s role debut as Die Färberin in Richard Strauss opera Die Frau ohne Schatten is released on CD by Orfeo. The recording was made at the 150th anniversary of the Vienna State Opera, 25th May 2019, where Christian Thielemann conducted a stellar cast also including Camilla Nylund, Evelyn Herlitzius, Stephen Gould, and Wolfgang Koch.

With its launch on 21 June, the Ravenna Festival will bring live concerts back to Italy for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.­ It will take place in compliance with governmental regulations on social distancing. Masks will be mandatory for all 250 members of the audience, and there will be a staggered access system.

The 2021 New Year’s Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Riccardo Muti. It is an artistic collaboration that began in 1971. Daniel Froschauer, Chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic, emphasizes the special importance that Maestro Muti has for the orchestra: “Riccardo Muti holds an exceptional position in the history of the Vienna Philharmonic and has been an Honorary Member of the orchestra since 2011. As an expression of this close artistic relationship, we have asked…

The 2019/2020 season marks the 50th anniversary of Plácido Domingo’s debut at Teatro alla Scala. The prolific performer made his La Scala debut at the age of twenty-eight, in Verdi’s Ernani, on December 7, 1969 – opening night of the ensemble’s 1969-1970 season. He recalled, in My First Forty Years: “I had already sung at the Met, the Vienna State Opera, and other great theaters. But when you stand on the stage of La Scala and look into that beautiful auditorium, you cannot help…

On October 16, 2019, the world’s leading classical music magazine Gramophone awarded the Birgit Nilsson Foundationwith a Special Achievement Award; an award given to an organisation that has supported the legacy of a great artist with notable imagination and loyalty. Gramophone states in their communication around the Special Achievement Award: “In Birgit Nilsson’s centennial year, the Foundation has not only beautifully celebrated her extraordinary talent and artistry but is now also responsible for introducing Nilsson to a generation who were never able to experience her live.” – We are…

First Prize honors were awarded to Adriana Gonzalez (soprano, Guatemala) and Xabier Anduaga (tenor, Spain). Second Prize honors were awarded to Maria Kataeva (mezzo-soprano, Russia) and Gihoon Kim (baritone, South Korea), both of whom were voted as audience favorites. Christina Nilsson (soprano, Sweden) and Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen (countertenor, USA/Germany) were awarded the Third Prize. The Pepita Embil Zarzuela Prize was awarded to Adriana Gonzalez and the Plácido Domingo Ferrer Zarzuela Prize was awarded to Xabier Anduaga. Russian soprano Anna Shapovalova…