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The trailblaizing playwright makes a return to the operatic stage to direct a new production of Strauss’ Salome with Regents Opera – held in an old boxing venue, an apt location given the opera’s bloody subject...

With significant works by Louise Farrenc, Augusta Holmès and Clémence de Grandval – including two grand operas – Palazzetto Bru Zane is pioneering rediscovery of French music of the 19th century. 

We sit down with two of the opera world’s leading figures, and masterminds of Brussels’ La Monnaie (De Munt) – how do they balance the competing challenges and thrills of running an opera house?

The Irish soprano talks about singing Mozart’s Così fan tutte with English National Opera, in London and Manchester – and how the wily Despina is the perfectly subversive character for her. 

Thomas Leininger’s Baroque-inspired children’s opera at Geneva’s La Cité Bleue is a unique stylistic departure, which asks the essential question: what happened to the dinosaurs left off Noah’s Ark?

Magdalena Kožená, která byla spolu se svým manželem Sirem Simonem Rattlem oceněna Cenou Antonína Dvořáka za rok 2025, hovoří o bohatství české hudby, jazykových bariérách a důležitosti čtení programních poznámek.

Awarded with the 2025 Antonín Dvořák Award together with her husband Sir Simon Rattle, Magdalena Kožená talks about the richness of Czech music, language barriers, and the importance of reading programme notes.

Fresh out of her triumphant appearance in La sonnambula at the Met, soprano Nadine Sierra talks about being on a turning point in her career. 

Returning to conduct Rome’s Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia this November, John Adams reflects on the situation of music in the US – and why he has so often been labelled a ‘political’ composer.

Contemporary music theatre seems to be in a state of rude health, and we preview several new stage works soon to hit the boards this coming season at venues and opera houses around the world.

The bespoke streaming platform, launched by Opéra national de Paris in 2023, boasts a wealth of fine opera performances – and many standout ballet performances as well.

Enjoying its debut run at London’s Charing Cross Theatre, Matthew Wilder’s new passion project musical Stiletto focuses on a fascinating corner of opera history: castrato singers.

The Cascais Opera Competition successfully concludes its second edition – establishing itself as a springboard for emerging singers from all over the world.

From Henry Purcell to George Benjamin, a set of ten operas to demonstrate that English is not just a language for prose and poetry, but also a vibrant language for opera.

Musicologist Alexandre Dratwicki talks about Palazzetto Bru Zane’s cycle of Georges Bizet performances, of rare works and historical stagings, continuing throughout this year across Europe and Asia.

This February, Regents Opera stages Wagner’s complete Ring cycle at London’s York Hall. Soprano Catharine Woodward talks about embodying one of the most iconic characters in all opera: Brünnhilde.

Buffetted from symphonies, opera and ballet to West End musicals, film scoring sessions, and maybe even Glastonbury, the life of the freelance musician can be as chaotic as it is thrilling.

Kazushi Ono, Artistic Director at Tokyo’s foremost opera house, introduces this year’s bel canto-infused season – and explains his vision for the house’s distinctive Theatergeist.

We preview nine major new operas on stage this season in Europe, from composers including Unsuk Chin, Rebecca Saunders, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Philip Venables and Toshio Hosokawa.

Both Swiftie and opera fan, Isabella Steppan spends her summer between Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and the Salzburg Festival – two worlds apart, but on a second glance connected by more than just music.

The German soprano talks about her early love of the stage, her time in ensembles before going freelance next season, hiking and... Kaiserschmarrn.

Despite a comparably small population of two million, the seats of the three big opera houses in Vienna are filled to capacity. How? We find out at the Opera Europa Spring Conference taking place in Vienna.

This June, Grand Théâtre de Genève offers a rare chance to hear three of Donizetti’s Tudor-themed operas, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux, in back to back performances directed by Mariame Clément.

In March, 15 months after they faced a storm of protest after cuts to UK opera, Arts Council England published Let’s Create: Opera and Music Theatre Analysis. It’s an eye-poppingly poor piece of work.

As summer approaches (hopefully!), we take a look at the increasingly competitive array of UK summer opera festivals – and what they have in store to entertain opera lovers in 2024. 

Contemporary opera has bounced back from the disruptions of the pandemic with significant gusto. We look ahead to several major operatic world premieres in the 2023–24 season.

The question of animal performers is a thorny one: should they be on stage at all? We explore their use in multiple productions, including Heiner Goebbels’ De Materie, which included a hundred sheep.

Audiences, energy prices, politics, sustainability... With nearly 400 opera executives assembled in Copenhagen, the Opera Europa autumn conference was the ideal venue to take the temperature of the opera industry.

With ten new productions and a ballet world premiere, the 2023–24 season at Zurich is the opera gastronome’s delight.

Opera Europa counts 220 opera companies and festivals amongst its members. Its Director discusses how the opera world is – or isn't – changing.

Streaming will continue to permit “virtual travel” and ARTE’s 2021-22 opera season, just announced, is ambitious.

We spoke to Martin Wåhlberg, director of Orkester Nord, about their upcoming production at Barokkfest Tidlig Musikk festival.

The composer-in-residence at Bergen International Festival has been more productive than ever during the pandemic. She tells us how.

Aix-en-Provence, La Scala, Paris and now San Carlo in Naples: his CV reads like a hit parade of world opera. We meet a man who has no fear of speaking his mind.

After a 2020 summer bereft of live performance, dozens of UK opera companies are planning to return. Here's a whistle-stop tour of what's coming.

The irrepressible man of the theatre and Intendant of one the flagships of German opera gives us an insight into what makes him and his company tick.

In this second part of our interview, Káel discusses opera and film direction and his plans for the Hungarian film industry.

We spoke to multi-genre composer and producer Keiichiro Shibuya about his new opera, due to premiere at the New National Theatre Tokyo in August, that will see a robot in a starring role.

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 composer and librettist of one of the most successful contemporary operas tell us about its creation.

The New Generation Festival will take place in Florence in August: I discussed hope, beauty and conviviality with co-founder Frankie Parham.

The most prolific librettist in the burgeoning contemporary opera scene in the United States talks about his working life and his craft.

We spoke to Ville Matvejeff, the new artistic director of the Savonlinna Opera Festival, to find out more about this year's programme. 

Jason Cady, artistic director of Experiments in Opera and opera composer writes about all the exciting paths opera is taking nowadays.

“It’s just like learning to say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!!” The Welsh bass-baritone reflects on learning the patter for his latest role, Donizetti's Don Pasquale. 

We talk to the director about the sparkling world of operetta and how exhausting yet rewarding it is to bring this genre to the stage.

The new General Director of the Grand Théâtre de Genève talks about the city, about bringing audiences on voyages of discovery and about the 2019-20 season.

We talk to Stefanie Paglialonga, Head of the Wig Department at Opera Australia, to find out more about this unique profession.

Mascarade Opera Studio in Florence offers radically different training for the opera stars of the future.