A new study by the Voice Project finds more than 37 million people in Europe who are actively engaged in choral singing. That’s 4.5 percent of the continent’s total population.
Send this stat to your nearest politicians next time they suggest cutting music in schools.
Download the report here.
The Metropolitan Opera’s general manager has been talking money to Bavarian Radio. He claims to have saved $22 million on this year’s budget and to have earned a profit of $17-18 million on the Met’s cinema streaming (not making clear whether this is in one year, or ten).
He makes no mention of the company’s ever-widening deficit, or of his own inflated wage.
Catch the interview (dubbed in German) here.
I well remember the night Aprile Millo sang her first Turandot at the Met and Birgit Nilsson, who owned the role, sailed serenely down the aisle by way of benediction.
Last night at the Liceu in Barcelona something similar happened.
The fabulous Ileana Cotrubaş came backstage to meet two Violettas in La Traviata, Anita Hartig and Elena Mosuc. Hartig was making her debut in the role. She won’t forget the moment as long as she lives.
Hartig with Leo Nucci in David McVicar’s production
The Athens Festival has called off a Carmen production due to open in the last week of July. A website announcement says:
The Greek National Opera, due to the current situation, announces the postponement of the production of “Carmen” which was scheduled to be performed for the 26,28,30,31 July at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
The new dates for the production will be announced soon.
Cast members have not yet been directly notified. The production was by Stephen Langridge. The role of Carmen was to have been shared between Rinat Shaham and Géraldine Chauvet.