Blue-Eyed Countertenor David Hansen Releases Debut Album

The release date in Germany for Rivals: Arias for Farinelli & Co. is August 23, 2013. Purchase your copy by clicking here. Video EPK and album cover art can both be found after the jump.

Bulgarian Soprano Nellie Petrova Tapped To Entertain Lobby Guests

"Designer luggage and fussing bellhops were rarely part of the backdrop for the soprano Nellie Petrova. Then the Bulgarian-born opera singer landed the unusual mission of helping a new UAE five-star hotel go the extra octave to give guests a sophisticated experience. Now, four nights a week, Petrova’s voice greets guests at the spectacular lobby of the Venetian-inspired Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, as sunset illuminates the neighbouring Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Although it’s a contrast to the concert halls she is used to, Petrova is bewitched by the setting. 'This is an elegant venue to perform in,' she says, 'an awesome venue, so beautiful, I feel like I am in a movie.' And she should know; the soprano claims a brief appearance in Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Although Petrova admits that while she didn’t meet Tom Cruise, officially, she worked alongside him. 'You could see me in a bright red dress, on his left, as he leaves the bar in the Mumbai party scene.'"

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!

Celebrate Bastille Day by listening to Hildegard Behrens interpret

 "Les nuits d'été" of Hector Berlioz.  

Les nuits d'été (Op. 7):
I. Villanelle
II. Le spectre de la rose
III. Sur les lagunes
IV. Absence
V. Au cimetière
VI. L'île inconnue

Royal Baby Will Light Up Opera House In New Zealand

"One of Wanganui's most historic buildings will be bathed in light the night after the birth of the new royal baby. The city is joining the nationwide 'light-up' initiative, organised by Monarchy New Zealand, which will mark the birth of the first child for Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. The due date for the royal baby is today. The Royal Wanganui Opera House will be lit in pink or blue - depending on the gender of the baby - on the night following the announcement of the birth. Mayor Annette Main said lighting up the Opera House was an appropriate way to recognise the birth of a future King or Queen of New Zealand. 'Wanganui already has an association with the royal family, with Prince Edward having lived here during his time as a junior master at Wanganui Collegiate in 1982,' Ms Main said. The Opera House celebrated its centennial in 1999. In October that year it was given a Royal Charter as part of the centennial celebrations, changing the name to the Royal Wanganui Opera House." [Source]

Beverly Sills Lives On In Rare Recordings Released From Ohio

Beverly Sills as Tosca (Photo: Cleveland Public Library)

"DoeHeads – those die-hard fans of Douglas Moore’s opera, The Ballad of Baby Doe – have new reason to rejoice. Among the eight live recordings of operas performed at Musicarnival in Warrensville Heights in the 1950s and 1960s soon to be available to the public is a 1958 production of Baby Doe starring soprano Beverly Sills in one of her signature roles. There’s a lot more here than Moore, who served as director of music at the Cleveland Museum of Art in the 1920s and conducted the Cleveland Orchestra in the premiere of his Four Museum Pieces in 1923. Sills, who lived in Cleveland in the late 1950s, appears in four other productions in the Musicarnival series, including the title roles in two great potboilers – Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s Tosca – she performed only in John L. Price’s tent theater-in-the-round. By the end of

The Ansonia Featured Everything From Opera Singers To Gay Baths

Vanity Fair tells the story of this famed New York landmark that Enrico Caruso and Arturo Toscanini once called home. From the laying of the cornerstone to Steve Ostrow's gay Continental Baths, this building has quite a history. Not even Eleanor Steber could stay away!

Renée Fleming Receives National Medal of Arts From President Obama

Seems as though the soprano cracks up the commander-in-chief while receiving her honor. For a complete list of honorees go to the official White House website by clicking here. Look at more pictures of the ceremony and watch the video (Ms. Fleming comes on at 14:09...) after the jump.

Is Angela Gheorghiu Tasting Forbidden Fruit At The Opera?

After last week's revelations about Ms. Gheorghiu's tumultuous marriage to Roberto Alagna and her affair with Cezar Ouatu, Romanian websites (1, 2, and 3) are trying to romantically link her to co-star tenor Charles Castronovo. He was formerly involved with another soprano before settling down into marriage with Russian soprano Ekaterina Siurina. The rumored pair are performing together in La Rondine at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London. One has to wonder how long it will be before accusations start to fly that she had a fling with former tenor colleague James Valenti. Pictures of all the gentlemen are after the jump.

Deutsche Grammophon Previews Anna Netrekbo Extended Clips

(Photo: Kristian Schuller/Deutsche Grammophon)

Watch the Deutsche Grammophon tribute video, celebrating Anna Netrebko's 10-year anniversary with the label, after the jump.