Events Reviews Articles Video

Find articles | Erica Miner

Erica Miner

Erica Miner

As a Metropolitan Opera violinist Erica performed with James Levine, Leonard Bernstein and countless opera luminaries. Now an award-winning author, screenwriter, arts journalist and lecturer, Erica’s opera presentations include Wagner Societies in California, New York, Boston, North Carolina and Sydney, Australia. Her recently released novel Aria for Murder, the first in her ‘Operatic Mystery’ series, authentically reflects her experiences in the Met Orchestra. Sequels are due in 2023 and 2024. Erica’s personal website is here.

Author:Erica Miner

Put content in English at top

Showing 50 of 69 articles

Ludovic Morlot conducts the Seattle Symphony © James Holt | The Seattle Symphony (2025)

Ludovic Morlot brings renewal to Seattle in spring-inspired program

By Erica Miner, 24 October 2026

A conductor's fascination with the spring-themed works of two contemporary composers leads back in time to the Spring Symphony of Robert Schumann.

****1

Ludovic Morlot conducts the Seattle Symphony © James Holt | The Seattle Symphony (2025)

Morlot brings renewal to Seattle in spring-inspired program

The Seattle Symphony © Jon Pendleton

In Seattle, Nicholas McGegan brings delicacy and elegance to Mendelssohn

By Erica Miner, 18 April 2026

The Seattle Symphony offers an enchanting evening immersed in the joy and brilliance of both the young and the mature genius of Felix Mendelssohn.

****1

The Seattle Symphony © Jon Pendleton

Nicholas McGegan brings delicacy and elegance to Mendelssohn

Peter Oundjian conducts the Seattle Symphony © Jim Holt

Peter Oundjian bridges the centuries in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 15 March 2025

The Seattle Symphony co-commissions a new work, Jan Lisiecki plays Mozart with religious fervor, and Stravinsky's Sacre still creates an uproar.

***11

Peter Oundjian conducts the Seattle Symphony © Jim Holt

Peter Oundjian bridges the centuries in Seattle

Brandie Sutton (Pamina) and Rodion Pogossov (Papageno) © Sunny Martini

Mozart meets Vaudeville in Seattle's silent movie Magic Flute

By Erica Miner, 22 February 2025

Eye-popping, hand-drawn animation melds with Mozart's fantastical world and the silent film era to create a colorful and energetic new-to-Seattle production.

***11

Brandie Sutton (Pamina) and Rodion Pogossov (Papageno) © Sunny Martini

Mozart meets Vaudeville in Seattle's silent movie Magic Flute

Ludovic Morlot conducts the Seattle Symphony © Brandon Patoc

An evening of French music charms in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 1 February 2025

Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony commemorate the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel’s birth and present the world premiere of Benjamin Attahir's Hanoï Songs.

****1

Ludovic Morlot conducts the Seattle Symphony © Brandon Patoc

Morlot's evening of French music charms Seattle

Lisa Arrindell (Ella Sheppard) © Sunny Martini

African American spirituals ring out in world premiere of Jubilee at Seattle Opera

By Erica Miner, 12 October 2024

A world premiere opera about the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the intrepid troupe of African American singers who changed music history.

*****

Lisa Arrindell (Ella Sheppard) © Sunny Martini

African American spirituals ring out in world premiere of Jubilee

Ludovic Morlot © Courtesy of Seattle Symphony

Morlot contrasts the contemporary with the iconic in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 15 June 2024

In combining two works of contemporary American composer John Adams with Beethoven's most iconic symphony, Conductor Emeritus Morlot gave the audience much to think about.

*****

Ludovic Morlot © Courtesy of Seattle Symphony

Morlot contrasts the contemporary with the iconic in Seattle

Lang Lang, Peter Oundjian and the Seattle Symphony © Brandon Patoc

Master of contrasts: Lang Lang excels in Saint-Saëns in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 29 September 2023

A manic 20th-century ride and a Technicolor showpiece bookend the astounding virtuosity of superstar pianist Lang Lang.

*****

Lang Lang, Peter Oundjian and the Seattle Symphony © Brandon Patoc

Master of contrasts: Lang Lang excels in Saint-Saëns in Seattle

Karen Vuong (Diane Tran) and Nina Yoshida Nelsen (Khanh) © Sunny Martini

Huang Ruo’s riveting Bound makes Seattle Opera debut

By Erica Miner, 10 June 2023

Bound tells of a second generation of Asian immigrants, born and raised in the US, their problematic association with their cultural heritage, and the difficulties and challenges they face, bound to their culture but trying to be wholly accepted as American.

*****

Karen Vuong (Diane Tran) and Nina Yoshida Nelsen (Khanh) © Sunny Martini

Huang Ruo’s riveting Bound makes Seattle Opera debut

Katharina Wincor conducts the Seattle Symphony © Seattle Symphony

Seattle Symphony pays tribute to Rachmaninov’s 150th

By Erica Miner, 29 April 2023

The Seattle Symphony celebrates 150 years of Rachmaninov with stunning performances of two of his piano concertos.

****1

Katharina Wincor conducts the Seattle Symphony © Seattle Symphony

Seattle Symphony pays tribute to Rachmaninov’s 150th

J'Nai Bridges (Dalila) © Sunny Martini

Seattle natives shine in Samson et Dalila

By Erica Miner, 20 January 2023

Ludovic Morlot conducts a strong cast, led by local mezzo J’Nai Bridges, in a concert performance of Saint-Saëns' biblical opera.

****1

J'Nai Bridges (Dalila) © Sunny Martini

Seattle natives shine in Samson et Dalila

Olivier Messiaen’s Canyons echo through the American West

By Erica Miner, 4 June 2022

Ludovic Morlot conducts the Seattle Symphony in Messiaen's remarkable Des Canyons aux Étoiles, which bows to the majesty of the stunning geological and astrological entities of the southwestern US landscape, still sounding as if it had been written yesterday.

****1

Olivier Messiaen’s Canyons echo through the American West

Seattle Opera rises from the ashes with La bohème

By Erica Miner, 16 October 2021

Colorful sets and lavish costumes greet Seattle audiences as live opera finally returns to the McCaw Hall.

***11

Seattle Opera rises from the ashes with La bohème

Rare Respighi shines in Seattle Chamber Music Society online stream

By Erica Miner, 20 July 2021

After solo Bach, Alessio Bax joins string players for the Italian's Brahmsian Piano Quintet in F minor.

****1

Rare Respighi shines in Seattle Chamber Music Society online stream

Seattle Chamber Music Society's Summer Festival opens online with bravado

By Erica Miner, 17 July 2021

All three works were spirited, full of bravura and performed with panache and undisputed virtuosity.

****1

Seattle Chamber Music Society's Summer Festival opens with bravado

Nézet-Séguin and Philadelphia recreate “Mahler’s greatest symphony”

By Erica Miner, 27 May 2021

Mahler did not compose an opera, but the writing in Das Lied is intensely operatic; Yannick Nézet-Séguin shows himself to be a great singer’s conductor.

*****

Nézet-Séguin and Philadelphia recreate “Mahler’s greatest”

Andris Nelsons' Paths of Romanticism finale preserves Strauss’ “high art of our fathers”

By Erica Miner, 29 April 2021

Nelsons, in his “Paths of Romanticism” series, has chosen programs that can be played by a small chamber group made up some of the world’s finest musicians.

****1

Finale of Andris Nelsons' Paths of Romanticism in Boston

Chicago Symphony soloists channel the Infinite in Messiaen

By Erica Miner, 22 April 2021

Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time is given a rapt performance in Chicago.

****1

Chicago Symphony soloists channel the Infinite in Messiaen

France meets Russia at the Detroit Symphony

By Erica Miner, 3 December 2020

Enrique Mazzola conducts an intriguing combination of a French work and a Russian work with a French title focusing on turn-of-the-century France.

***11

France meets Russia at the Detroit Symphony

Seattle Symphony welcomes back Ludovic Morlot

By Erica Miner, 5 November 2020

Conductor Emeritus Ludovic Morlot chose a thought provoking and unusual program for his first return to the Benaroya stage since 2019.

*****

Seattle Symphony welcomes back Ludovic Morlot

Seattle Symphony’s Noah Geller shines in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto

By Erica Miner, 29 October 2020

The Seattle Symphony continues its “Music Unleashed” series with spirited works by youthful composers, focusing on a perennially popular violin concerto.

****1

Seattle Symphony’s Noah Geller shines in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto

Sir Donald Runnicles conducts the Atlanta Symphony in the classics

By Erica Miner, 22 October 2020

The Atlanta Symphony manages to keep live performance flourishing under the current unprecedented circumstances.

***11

Runnicles conducts the Atlanta Symphony in the classics

The Dancers Reward, from Salomé by Aubrey Beardsley © Public domain

Salome: the greatest Strauss tone poem?

By Erica Miner, 24 April 2020

A look at the succès de scandale that was Strauss first operatic hit, Salome, placing it in the context of his early tone poems Don Juan and Death and Transfiguration.

The Dancers Reward, from Salomé by Aubrey Beardsley © Public domain

Salome: the greatest Strauss tone poem?

Linking jazz and opera: Charlie Parker's Yardbird in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 22 February 2020

Composer Daniel Schnyder and librettist Bridgette A. Wimberly, both in their Seattle Opera debuts, have done a creditable job of conveying the jazz artist’s lifework.

***11

Linking jazz and opera: Charlie Parker's Yardbird in Seattle

Thomas Zehetmair does double duty in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 18 January 2020

Thomas Zehetmair plays Beethoven's sole violin concerto in Seattle before conducting lively Mozart with a Bohemian flavour.

***11

Thomas Zehetmair does double duty in Seattle

Feddeck channels North Sea in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 16 November 2019

James Feddeck conducts the Seattle Symphony in a premiere of Angelique Poteat's cello concerto by plus Britten and Rachmaninov.

***11

Feddeck channels North Sea in Seattle

Strong chamber performances win admiration in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 3 July 2019

The Seattle Chamber Music Society presented an ambitious program with a distinguished ensemble of performers.

***11

Strong chamber performances win admiration in Seattle

Beloved Maestro conducts arresting farewell concert

By Erica Miner, 22 June 2019

Music Director Ludovic Morlot placed an emphatic Fortissimo ending on an eight-year tenure that has placed the Seattle Symphony on the global map.

*****

Beloved Maestro conducts arresting farewell concert

Bach meets Harbison in the Land of Shostakovich

By Erica Miner, 23 March 2019

Seattle audiences welcomed Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison to Benaroya Hall this past weekend with the west coast premiere of his work, What Do We Make of Bach? for orchestra and obbligato organ.

****1

Bach meets Harbison in the Land of Shostakovich

Kanneh-Mason gives royal performance in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 20 October 2018

British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason gave the impression that he had been playing the cello since he was in the womb

***11

Kanneh-Mason gives royal performance in Seattle

Morlot shows true French colors in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 29 September 2018

The anticipation of an all-French program with Morlot was almost too delicious to contemplate.

****1

Morlot shows true French colors in Seattle

Morlot conducts in Seattle, with and without heroes

By Erica Miner, 10 February 2018

In yet another intriguing programming maneuver, Seattle Symphony music director Ludovic Morlot devoted this weekend’s performances to the subject of heroism.

***11

Morlot conducts in Seattle, with and without heroes

Dausgaard shows the wisdom of Seattle Symphony's choice

By Erica Miner, 27 January 2018

If Principal Guest Conductor and Music Director Designate Thomas Dausgaard wore his array of conducting posts as a series of medals on the lapel of his tux, it would weigh him down considerably.

***11

Dausgaard shows the wisdom of Seattle Symphony's choice

Morlot and the Seattle Symphony present a rediscovery and a première

By Erica Miner, 6 January 2018

When news of the discovery of Stravinsky's Funeral Song reached the classical music world, a near-revolution of excitement took place.

****1

A rediscovery and a première in Seattle

Messiah is Seattle Symphony’s “Glory to God”

By Erica Miner, 16 December 2017

“Leave your hoop skirts and swords at home,” the audience was advised, in order to avoid overcrowding when Handel’s Messiah premiered in Dublin in 1742.

****1

Messiah is Seattle Symphony’s “Glory to God”

Gerstein and Debus are a sensation in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 2 December 2017

Late romantic music in the key of D minor reigned at Saturday night’s Seattle Symphony performance.

****1

A sensation in Seattle

Morlot conjures fantastical Berlioz with the Seattle Symphony

By Erica Miner, 4 November 2017

Both of these works are united in their depiction of love gained and lost, and embodied Berlioz’s take on love and music, which the composer called, “the two wings of the soul”.

***11

Fantastical Berlioz with the Seattle Symphony

Giancarlo Guerrero leads Seattle Symphony into its new season with Mahler

By Erica Miner, 23 September 2017

The Seattle Symphony, under the outstanding leadership of guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, overcame the absence of their maestro and gave a worthy reading of the monumental work.

****1

Guerreo leads Seattle Symphony into its new season

Morlot in his element for L’Enfant et les sortilèges

By Erica Miner, 3 June 2017

Music Director Ludovic Morlot, known for his intriguing programming, outdid himself with a summery breeze of a program that enchanted from beginning to end.

****1

Morlot in his element for L’Enfant et les sortilèges

Seattle Opera's Magic Flute as enchanting as ever

By Erica Miner, 6 May 2017

“Love, love, love… that is the soul of genius,” said Mozart. In no other work does he demonstrate this affirmation more compellingly than in his forever-beloved opera, Die Zauberflöte.

***11

Seattle Opera's Magic Flute as enchanting as ever

Hilary Hahn and Ludovic Morlot ignite Seattle

By Erica Miner, 11 February 2017

Debussy provided a scintillating introduction to Hilary Hahn’s glorious rendering of Bruch’s Violin Concerto no. 1 in G minor and Prokofiev’s fiery Fifth Symphony.

****1

Hilary Hahn and Ludovic Morlot ignite Seattle

Seattle begins New Year with Beethoven's Ninth

By Erica Miner, 7 January 2017

To open the new year, Seattle Symphony music director Ludovic Morlot chose a standard work, Beethoven’s Ninth, prefaced with an unusual one by French composer Olivier Messaien.

***11

Seattle begins New Year with Beethoven's Ninth

Phenomenal technical proficiency: Khachatryan's Sibelius impresses in Seattle

By Erica Miner, 5 November 2016

Sibelius' Violin Concerto remains one of the true tests for violinists, and was performed with great emotional depth in Seattle by young Armenian violinist Sergey Khachatryan.

***11

Khachatryan's Sibelius impresses in Seattle

Impeccable Haydn from Yo-Yo Ma and Seattle Symphony

By Erica Miner, 14 October 2016

It is a testament to Ma’s power as a musical force that, despite the typhoon-related weather raging outside, the auditorium was packed to capacity.

*****

Impeccable Haydn from Yo-Yo Ma and Seattle Symphony

Xavier Phillips glows in Elgar with the Seattle Symphony

By Erica Miner, 1 October 2016

Two spirited, late romantic works bookended a more somber one in Ludovic Morlot’s Masterworks performance with the Seattle Symphony.

*****

Xavier Phillips glows in Elgar with the Seattle Symphony

Heggie's Great Scott wins big in San Diego

By Erica Miner, 7 May 2016

Returning stars and high-profile company debuts contributed panache to the energy-charged atmosphere.

*****

Heggie's Great Scott wins big in San Diego

Ling shows love for Mahler in “Tragic” Symphony in San Diego

By Erica Miner, 30 April 2016

Jahja Ling and the SDS gave a luminous performance of Mahler's Sixth, clearly showing his deep love for the composer.

*****

Ling shows love for Mahler in “Tragic” Symphony

Latonia Moore a shimmering Madama Butterfly in San Diego

By Erica Miner, 16 April 2016

San Diego Opera's main stage offering proved that even a warhorse can remain thoroughly enchanting when a production looks and sounds as beautiful as this company’s Madama Butterfly.

****1

Latonia Moore a shimmering Butterfly

Alexia Voulgaridou a passionate Tosca at San Diego Opera

By Erica Miner, 13 February 2016

Tosca’s popularity stems not only from its music, but also from the inherent truth in its drama and its in-depth portrayal of unrestrained human passions.

****1

A passionate Tosca at San Diego Opera

Brahms at the double with Alisa Weilerstein in San Diego

By Erica Miner, 12 December 2015

The San Diego Symphony presented a glittering holiday gift to audiences with its final Jacobs Masterworks program of 2015

****1

Brahms at the double with Alisa Weilerstein