#west-edge-opera

#west-edge-opera

Chris Thomas, a notable composer, has created music that resonates with the styles of John Williams and Danny Elfman, particularly in his theme park compositions.

The production that just opened at OSF, directed by Marcela Lorca, is the best I have seen. Working with a strong cast and a spectacular movement and design team, this production crackles with vitality and originality.

Evan's misery goes far deeper than the typical pop-culture depiction of a struggling teen. His despair is so palpable, we can't be certain he'll emerge from it.

Rowe and Garen Scribner's libretto takes its liberties, setting the action in a world where everything is green and an evil princess has ruled that nothing be eaten but peas.

Wagner's reputation can be both a headache and an irresistible challenge to opera directors. Though opera usually demands strict fidelity to the music as it was written, there is traditionally more leeway in staging decisions.

Fast forward a few decades and John Wilson is still hand-picking musicians and still serving up performances so polished they leave critics scrabbling for superlatives. These days Wilson's main outfit is the Sinfonia of London, and he is as likely to be conducting the symphonic mainstream as showtunes.

The opening night of the Metropolitan Opera's new Tristan und Isolde was one of those great nights at the opera, the kind that will have people arguing what shone most: the confident complexity of Yuval Sharon's staging, Lise Davidsen's indelible Isolde, her chemistry with tenor Michael Spyres, or the sensuous discipline of the orchestra. The answer, of course, is all of the above.

March 8 itself has been International Women's Day for just over a century, and although there are several versions of "why March 8?" the answers all lead back to early 20th-century socialists and communists. Soviet Russia in particular made a big thing of commemorating March 8 as the beginning of the first of the two revolutions that created their empire.

The piece is steeped in Schopenhauer's meditations on the futility of worldly striving and the necessity of accepting oblivion. It is also infused with Wagner's paganistic worship of desire and his matchless ability to translate longing into perpetually unresolved musical phrases.

People all saw that there is something new is being attempted here that you've just got to see. I think that is its own reward. In an era where New York's storied Met Opera has faced layoffs, pay cuts, postponed productions, and a controversial financial agreement with Saudi Arabia, forward-thinking artistic direction becomes essential for survival.

PLC announces the retirement of its Artistic Director, Mary McCarty, following 11 years of inspired leadership and artistic excellence.

Volti and Left Coast meet in a bold and dramatic new work by Chris Castro for storyteller and musicians, which delves into the ancient and universal human explanations for our beginnings. The human relationship to our environment forms a through-line from romantic to experimental musical sensibilities.

So another word about tickets. They did finally announce single-game tickets were going on sale, but only for games though June. It's not enough to keep season plans limited to those requiring fans to buy more tickets than they can use, feeding the secondary markets which the Mets also get a cut of, but "make-your-own-plan" fans like me who've reliably occupied seats for decades,

With a familiar narrative, an enchanting storyline, and an enduring message of hope, Cinderella is a ballet that appeals to all generations. Eugene Ballet's production of the classic work this month incorporates the efforts of multiple generations of dancers and staff. Former artistic director Toni Pimble choreographed the production, which is set to Sergei Prokofiev's Cinderella score, performed live by Orchestra Next.

The Keller is profitable, popular, and central to downtown's recovery. It is time to stop the time-wasting charade and make a decision that reflects fiscal responsibility and the will of Portlanders.

Glass joined a growing list of performers and artists who have canceled shows and cut ties with the arts center since President Trump replaced its board with people who share his aversion to woke programming, and affixed his name to the facade without congressional or Kennedy family approval. The new board also named Trump as chairman, and, in an unprecedented move, the president hosted this year's Kennedy Center Honors, which garnered its lowest ratings ever when broadcast on CBS. Ticket sales have also tanked.

From Super Bowl fun to the return of a beloved conductor and the Odo akland Interfaith Gospel Choir, there is a lot to see and hear in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond. A stroke of luck for Swims fans Teddy Swims is set to headline the Super Bowl LX Tailgate Concert presented by NetApp the NFL's top pregame party at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 8.

The sad part of theater, says Illya deTorres of Chapel Theatre Company in Milwaukie, is that the experience evaporates. "It's like being in summer camp," he says. "It just goes by in a blur."

Angels exist, I swear! If you were at the sold out Austra show on Monday, you would have witnessed Portland-born, Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist Colin Self descending from the heavens to bless us mere mortals with their angelic vocals and cherub-like presence. If you're looking for something to believe in, believe in music-it's one of the very few things with ability to unite complete strangers in dialog, movement, and tears.

I'm a harmonica and accordion player and one half of folk-classical duo Stevens & Pound. As a multi-instrumentalist I am rooted in a folk tradition that is oral, aural and communal. Music and song are passed down by ear, either through recordings or more fun traditional music sessions. Here, players and singers get together to share, swap and play tunes, drawing from a repertoire that is always evolving.

On January 17 Jennifer Wright gave a stellar performance of her compositions for her self-crafted instruments. This performance marked the conclusion of a month-long exhibition of her instruments and sound sculptures in the galleria of PLACE in Northwest Portland. This is the performance where she said she "finally had a chance to let all the parts of me out to play."

Andre de Ridder is either brave or stupid. He has accepted the role as the music director of English National Opera its chief conductor and keeper of its musical flame. He will take up the role formally in 2027. The post has been empty for several anguished years, sparked by Arts Council England's 2022 announcement that the company would lose all its funding unless it moved out of London.