artist highlights

Helene Schneiderman celebrates her silver anniversary at Staatstheater Stuttgart, and stars alongside tenor John Uhlenhopp in Der Prinz von Homburg at Theater an der Wien, before returning to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Despina in Cosi fan Tutte.

Mezzo-soprano Rebecca de Pont Davies joins the European Roster, fresh from her triumph as Auntie in David Alden’s critically acclaimed Peter Grimes at English National Opera.

Anna Shafakinskaya will return to Tokyo to star in Turandot, in a lavish production by renowned film and theatre director Zhang Zimou.

Exciting singer-actress Tara Venditti joins the roster, making her role-debut as Carmen with Staatstheater Mainz alongside tenor Michael Wade Lee, and her UK debut, also as Carmen, with Opera Holland Park (London). Ms Venditti will also appear in Carmen with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, and at Teatro alla Scala, both conducted by Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, alongside bass François Lis. Mr. Lis returns to the Paris Opera to perform Jupiter in Platée.

Soprano Wioletta Chodowicz makes her UK debut with Welsh National Opera in Wozzeck, and returns to Polish National Opera; also in Wozzeck, alongside bass-baritone Matteo de Monti.

Accomplished Verdian soprano Gweneth-Ann Jeffers will sing her first staged Aida with Theater Kiel following her success in the staged concerts of the piece for Theater Bremen, her role-debut as Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera with Theater Erfurt, before returning to Opera Holland Park as Leonore in La Forza del Destino.

Sarah Castle will make her debut with Opera Lausanne in the title-role of Dido and Aeneas, alongside performances with San Diego Opera in Romeo and Juliet, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in Salome.

Helen Field will be seen at the Bregenz Festival in performances of Die Passagierin and Das Portrait, before taking the role of Countess de la Roche in Die Soldaten with The Netherlands Opera.

Johannes Mannov will be heard at Royal Danish Opera as Goloud in Pelleas et Melisande.

Daphné Touchais stars in Les Brigands with Opera de Bordeaux and Luxembourg Opera, before joining the all-star cast of A Little Night Music at the Chatelet, alongside mezzo Rachael Lloyd, and bass-baritone Nicholas Garrett.

Bass Gregory Reinhart will be heard as Seneca in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Norwegian National Opera, before appearing at the Bastille in Fénelon’s Faust, The Cunning Little Vixen and Salome.

On the US Roster, conductor Timothy Myers served as Associate Conductor and Rolex Fellow for Lorin Maazel’s Châteauville Foundation inaugural festival season, conducting all performances of Britten’s Albert Herring.

British conductor Timothy Redmond debuts with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, conducting the premiere of Peter Ash’s opera The Golden Ticket.

Tenor Ryan MacPherson returns to Portland Opera for two roles, Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Heurtebise in Philip Glass’ Orphée, after making an auspicious company debut as Peter Quint in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw.

Audience favorites Mr. MacPherson and soprano Jee Hyun Lim return to Dublin to perform the leading roles in Madama Butterfly with Lyric Opera Dublin.

Melissa Parks makes her debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra as Mescalina in concert performances of Ligeti’s La Grand Macabre under the baton of Maestro Alan Gilbert.

Peter Tantsits will also perform the role of the White Minister in these concerts marking his sophomore performance with the orchestra. Mr. Tantsits also creates the role of Xu Xian in the world premiere of Madame White Snake, a production that will tour China after its first showing at Opera Boston.

In New York, Hugo Vera and Andrew Oakden return to the Metropolitan Opera roster and Branch Fields performs the role of the Gravedigger in the first revival of Weisgall's dynamic opera, Esther, with the New York City Opera.

Chicago-based Gwendolyn Brown debuts with the Washington National Opera and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Hollywood Bowl) in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess as the spirited Maria.

Mezzo-soprano Ariana Chris triumphed at the Mezzo Competition in Hungary and subsequently engaged to debut the role of Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos with the Baltic State Opera in Poland.