Performer: Sarah Shafer

An idiosyncratic outing at Chamberfest Cleveland recounts original sin in ragtime and finds redemption in a neglected wartime masterpiece.

James Darrah stages Handel's sensual oratorio for Festival O, a feast of wonderful singing. 

Dangling and turning like shards of a giant overhead chandelier in Don Giovanni’s banquet hall, this is an evocative multimedia production that tantalizes the senses while shining new light on Mozart's genius. 

Jun Kaneko's production of The Magic Flute at San Francisco Opera is a feast for the eyes, but both the stage direction and the translation need work.

Marco Tutino's Two Women at San Francisco Opera feels lacking in musical originality and its out-of-date accompanying taste of re-heated Italian verismo comes a little over-cooked.

Some very fine singing and beautiful, if sometimes confusing, visual effects in Opera Philadelphia's Don Carlo.