''Opera News'' is an American

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...

magazine. It has been published since 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, a non-profit organization located at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

which was founded to engender the appreciation of

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

and also support the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

of New York City. ''Opera News'' was initially focused primarily on the Met, particularly providing information for listeners of the Saturday afternoon live Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. Over the years, the magazine has broadened its scope to include the larger American and international opera scenes. Currently published monthly, ''Opera News'' offers opera related feature articles; artist interviews; production profiles; musicological pieces; music-business reportage; reviews of performances in the United States and Europe; reviews of recordings, videos, books and audio equipment; and listings of opera performances in the U.S. The Editor-in-Chief is currently F. Paul Driscoll. Regular contributors to the magazine, both past and present, include its former features editor,

Brian Kellow Brian Kellow (March 1, 1959 – July 22, 2018) was an American biographer and magazine editor. As an editor at ''Opera News'' from 1988 to 2016, he commissioned hundreds of articles from a range of writers, seeking out well-known voices and cultiv ...

, William Ashbrook, Scott Barnes, Jochen Breiholz, Erika Davidson,

Justin Davidson Justin Davidson (born in Rome, Italy, in 1966) is a classical music and architecture critic. In 1983, he graduated from the American Overseas School of Rome, where his mother was an English teacher. Davidson began his journalism career as a l ...

, Peter G. Davis, Matthew Gurewitsch,

Joel Honig Joel Honig (October 13, 1936 – September 25, 2003) was an American music critic, copy editor, writer, and pianist. He is best remembered for his extensive contributions to ''Opera News'' magazine. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Honig studied piano ...

, Tim Page, Judith Malafronte, Mark Thomas Ketterson,

Martin Bernheimer Martin Bernheimer (28 September 1936 – 29 September 2019) was a German-born American music critic. Described as "a widely respected and influential critic, who is particularly knowledgeable about opera and the voice", Bernheimer was the chie ...

, Ira Siff, Joanne Sydney Lessner, Anne Midgette, Drew Minter, William R. Braun, Phillip Kennicott, Joshua Rosenblum,

Leslie Rubinstein Leslie Rubinstein (Pueblo, CO, June 21, 1939 — Glenview, IL, September 22, 2007) was an American music critic and journalist. She was a regular contributor to ''Opera News'' magazine from the mid-1970s through the 1990s. Her first article with t ...

Alan Wagner Alan Cyril Wagner (October 1, 1931 – December 18, 2007) was an American television executive, radio personality, writer, and opera historian and critic. He served as the East Coast vice president of programming at CBS from 1976 to 1982. After ...

, Adam Wasserman, Oussama Zahr, and

William Zakariasen William Zakariasen (August 19, 1930 – September 4, 2004) was an American operatic tenor and music critic. Biography Born in Blue Earth, Minnesota, Zakariasen began his career as a classical tenor in the late 1950s, appearing in operas and in co ...

. The magazine is also available online, with some archival content going back to 1949. The web site was redesigned in spring 2010. Some of the online content is available only to subscribers to the print edition.

History

''Opera News'' was founded in 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild with Mrs. John DeWitt Peltz (

Mary Ellis Peltz Mary Ellis Peltz (4 May 1896 – 24 October 1981) was an American drama and music critic, magazine editor, poet and writer on music. Born Mary Ellis Opdycke, Peltz was educated at the Spence School and Barnard College (Phi Beta Kappa). At the age ...

) serving as the publication's first editor. It was initially intended to be a "useful, instructive, and factual weekly newspaper of Opera in New York". Its first issue was published on 7 December 1936 and consisted of only one folded broadsheet. Its second year of publication saw its transformation into a 17-page magazine with advertising, with its first magazine issue appearing on . Beginning with the December 1940 issue, the magazine began to concentrate much of its content on the weekly Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. The magazine at this point offered bi-weekly issues of an expanded size during the Fall, Winter, and Spring, but was on hiatus during the summers. As time went on, the magazine began to take on a more international scope of coverage; but it still maintained a strong interest in the New York opera scene and the Met in particular. Frank Merkling succeeded Peltz as the second chief editor of ''Opera News'', with his first issue appearing on . In 1972, the magazine became a year-round publication, adding monthly issues in the summer months while maintaining its bi-weekly schedule during the opera season. In 1974, Robert Jacobson became the magazine's third chief editor. Jacobson was succeeded by Patrick O'Connor (1988), who was succeeded in 1989 by Patrick J. Smith. In 1998, Smith was succeeded by Rudolph S. Rauch. Under the leadership of Rauch and executive editor

, the magazine switched to a monthly publication format in September 1998. F. Paul Driscoll, the current editor in chief, was appointed in July 2003. Beginning with the June 2012 issue, the Metropolitan Opera said that ''Opera News'' would cease reviewing Met performances, following dissatisfaction among the Met leadership with the magazine's recent critiques of Robert Lepage's production of the Ring Cycle and of the company's direction under Peter Gelb. However, reactions from the public led to the decision being reversed.

''Opera News'' Awards

Since 2005 the magazine has annually bestowed five ''Opera News'' Awards for Distinguished Achievement. Past recipients of the awards have included: *1st2005: James Conlon, Régine Crespin,

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

, Susan Graham, Dolora Zajick *2nd2006:

Ben Heppner Thomas Bernard Heppner (born January 14, 1956) is a Canadian tenor and broadcaster, now retired from singing, who specialized in opera and other classical works for voice. Early life and career Heppner, of Mennonite descent, was born in Mur ...

, James Levine,

René Pape René Pape (born 4 September 1964) is a German operatic bass. Pape has received two Grammys, was named "Vocalist of the Year" by Musical America in 2002, "Artist of the Year" by the German opera critics in 2006, and won an ECHO award (the German ...

, Renata Scotto, Deborah Voigt *3rd2007: Stephanie Blythe, Olga Borodina, Thomas Hampson, Leontyne Price, Julius Rudel *4th2008: John Adams (composer), Natalie Dessay,

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for ...

, Marilyn Horne,

Sherrill Milnes Sherrill Milnes (born January 10, 1935) is an American dramatic baritone most famous for his Verdi roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera. His voice is a high dramatic baritone, combining good legato with an in ...

*5th2009: Martina Arroyo, Joyce DiDonato, Shirley Verrett, Gerald Finley, Philip Glass *6th2010: Jonas Kaufmann, Riccardo Muti,

Patricia Racette Patricia Lynn Racette (born 1965) is an American operatic soprano. A winner of the Richard Tucker Award in 1998, she has been a regular presence at major opera houses internationally. Racette has enjoyed long-term partnerships with the San Franci ...

, Kiri Te Kanawa, Bryn Terfel *7th2011: Karita Mattila, Anja Silja, Dmitri Hvorostovsky,

Peter Mattei Peter Mattei (born 3 June 1965) is a Swedish operatic baritone, particularly known for his performances in Mozart's baritone roles. Biography Mattei studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and debuted in Mozart's ''La finta giardiniera' ...

Peter Sellars Peter Sellars (born September 27, 1957) is an American theatre director, noted for his unique contemporary stagings of classical and contemporary operas and plays. Sellars is professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), whe ...

*8th2012: David Daniels, Simon Keenlyside, Eric Owens, Mirella Freni, Dawn Upshaw *9th2013: Patrice Chéreau, Juan Diego Flórez,

Christa Ludwig Christa Ludwig (16 March 1928 – 24 April 2021) was a German mezzo-soprano and occasional dramatic soprano, distinguished for her performances of opera, lieder, oratorio, and other major religious works like masses, passions, and solos in symp ...

, James Morris,

Nina Stemme Nina Maria Stemme (born Nina Maria Thöldte on 11 May 1963) is a Swedish dramatic soprano opera singer. Stemme "is regarded by today's opera fans as our era's greatest Wagnerian soprano". In 2010, Michael Kimmelman wrote of one of Stemme's perf ...

*10th2014:

Piotr Beczała Piotr Beczała (Polish pronunciation: ); born 28 December 1966) is a Polish operatic tenor with an international career based primarily in Europe and the United States. He has performed in the world's leading opera houses including Metropolitan ...

, Ferruccio Furlanetto,

Sondra Radvanovsky Sondra Dee Radvanovsky (born 11 April 1969) is an American-Canadian soprano. Specializing in 19th-century Italian opera, Radvanovsky has been called one of the leading Verdi sopranos of her generation. Her signature roles include Elvira in ''Erna ...

, Samuel Ramey, Teresa Stratas *11th2015:

Joseph Calleja Joseph Calleja (born January 22, 1978) is a Maltese operatic tenor. Early life and career Calleja was born in Attard, Malta. He began singing at the age of 16, having been discovered by tenor Brian Cefai and continued his studies with Maltes ...

Elīna Garanča Elīna Garanča (born 16 September 1976) is a Latvian mezzo-soprano. She began to study singing in her hometown of Riga in 1996 and continued her studies in Vienna and in the United States. By 1999 she had won first place in a significant competi ...

, Waltraud Meier,

Anna Netrebko Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко; born 18 September 1971) is an Austrian operatic soprano with an active international career and performed prominently at the Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Vienn ...

, José van Dam *12th2016: Robert Carsen, Christine Goerke, Yannick Nézet-Séguin,

Matthew Polenzani Matthew Polenzani (born 1968) is an American lyric tenor. He has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Royal Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Vienna State Opera, and San Francisco Opera, among others. He ...

, Frederica von Stade *13th2017: William Christie, Fiorenza Cossotto, Vittorio Grigolo, Hei-Kyung Hong, Sonya Yoncheva *14th2018: Ramón Vargas, Ailyn Pérez, Luca Pisaroni,

Laurent Pelly Laurent Pelly (born 14 January 1962 in Paris) is a French opera and theatre director. He enjoys a career as one of France's most sought after directors of both theatre and opera, working regularly in the world's most prestigious houses. Biograp ...

, Rosalind Elias *15th2019: Thomas Allen,

Javier Camarena Javier Camarena (born March 26, 1976) is a Mexican operatic tenor. Camarena was born in Xalapa, Veracruz. His father was a nuclear plant technician. He specializes in roles from the bel canto era of Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti operas such a ...

Anthony Roth Costanzo Anthony Roth Costanzo is an American countertenor, actor, and producer who has led performances at opera companies around the world. Beginning his career in musical theatre at the age of 11, he has since been featured at the Metropolitan Opera, ...

, Diana Damrau, Ana María Martínez *16th2020: Lawrence Brownlee, Janet Baker, Cecilia Bartoli *17th2021: Denyce Graves, Quinn Kelsey,

Elza van den Heever Elza van den Heever (born 1979) is a South African soprano in opera and concert, who began her career as a mezzo-soprano. She has appeared in leading roles at major houses and concert halls of the world. One of her signature roles is Elisabetta ...

Notes and references

Notes References

External links

*
Metropolitan Opera Guild
{{Authority control 1936 establishments in New York City Magazines about opera Magazines established in 1936 Magazines published in New York City Monthly magazines published in the United States Music magazines published in the United States