September 18, 2020
Lyric Music & More: October 6
In a delightful new video series, Breaking Down the Score: Attila with Maestro Enrique Mazzola, Lyric’s Music Director Designate invites you to turn the pages of Verdi's masterpiece with him and discover the depth of emotion that lies within the music. In each episode, Maestro Mazzola reads through one of the 12 numbers of Attila — which was planned as the next installment in Lyric’s Early Verdi Series — and shares his unique insight into what makes this music so special. We’ll be sharing more videos from this series in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more!
Then, meet tenor Brian Jagde’s adorable furry companion, catch up with soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, hear mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves perform at Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Capitol ceremony, and read about new trends in marrying music and film, from Beyoncé to contemporary composer Jimmy López (Bel Canto).
Breaking Down the Score: Attila with Maestro Enrique Mazzola // Part 1
Q&A with Sondra Radvanovsky
One of the world’s most in-demand sopranos
Superstar soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, who starred in Lyric’s Three Queens and The Queen of Spades last spring, is featured in an interview from OperaWire on her Screaming Divas series, discussing how she prepares for new roles and how she’s dealing with the pandemic.
60 seconds with Brian Jagde
A tenor with a penchant for Journey
Tenor Brian Jagde, who portrayed Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly earlier this year, shares a bit of his favorite karaoke song and introduces us to his adorable pet Cav in a quick-fire interview.
Denyce Graves performs at Justice Ginsburg’s lying-in-state ceremony at the U.S. Capitol
Graves sings “Deep River” and “American Anthem”
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a lifelong opera fan, and one of her favorite singers was Denyce Graves. The mezzo-soprano performed for Justice Ginsburg one last time, honoring the first woman to lie in state in our nation’s capital. Watch a clip of the performance in an article from The New York Times.
What can opera learn from Beyoncé?
Transforming music and film in unexpected ways
With her visual album Black is King, pop star Beyoncé has boldly mixed the media of film and music in unexpected ways. This WFMT article explores the future of opera and artists including Bel Canto composer Jimmy López, who recently teamed up with director Kevin Newbury to transform his piano concertino Epiphany into a work of cinema.
Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you're passionate about something, then you're more willing to take risks.