Sonya Yoncheva Makes Vogue Magazine Spread For Debut

A Star is Born: Soprano Sonya Yoncheva Arrives

"As Yoncheva made her debut in major operas in Europe, word of her singular range and tone made its way to Gelb. 'We have a very sophisticated scouting system,' he later explained by phone. 'Sometimes I hear reports about young singers that make it clear we should bring them in. European opera houses are typically smaller than the Met. Singers who can make an impression in a smaller European house sometimes do not have the same success on stage at the Met. The singer has to be even more intensely charismatic on stage.' Following her turn as Gilda, Gelb said, Yoncheva has been on a 'meteoric rise to operatic stardom.' Tonight, Yoncheva will begin the first of four performances in La Traviata, one day after releasing her first album, the result of an exclusive, long-term deal with Sony Classical. She is now booked five years out, including in the opening of the Met’s next season, when she will sing the part of Desdemona in a new production of Verdi’s Otello that is slated for a live-broadcast in movie theaters around the world." [Source] Read the full article "Meet Sonya Yoncheva: Opera's Brightest New Star" by clicking here and see more photos by Vogue's Ruven Afanador after the jump. Sonya Yoncheva will be appearing at the Metropolitan Gift Shop on January 22 to sign copies of her new CD, see details here. Sample tracks off the soprano's new album are also after the jump. 

Vogue Covers Opera Fashions On MET's Opening Night "Figaro"

Pre-Nozze: Anna Netrebko and soon-to-be-husband Yusif Eyvazov at opening night festivities.

Vogue photographer Hannah Thomson was at the Metropolitan Opera's Opening Night Gala. The evening featured a performance of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. Evening attendants included Maggie Grace, Zac Posen, Vera Wang, Grace Coddington, Josh Lucas, Christine Baranski, and more. See the full gallery of the glamorous night by clicking here. 

Fall Fashions: Mercedes Bass and soprano Renée Fleming

One Of Sarah Jessica Parker's Surprisingly Operatic Favorite Words

Highly Fashionable Opera Divas On The Cover Of A Magazine

Kathleen Battle (Japan, 1992)	Barbara Hendricks (Paris, 1987)
Anna Netrebko (Russia, 2012)	Renée Fleming (USA, 2005)

It's pretty typical to find opera sopranos gracing the covers of industry magazines in glamorous gowns and jewels, but it is a rare sight to see these divas go mainstream with coverage the likes of Tatler, Vogue, Esquire, and Town & Country. Here we have some wonderful samples of ladies who truly reached the zenith of popularity and gave good face for these leading publications. We didn't forget the men. Be sure to check out a special cover (not for the faint of heart...) after the jump. 

Did Elijah Moshinsky Influence American Horror Story Coven?

Bewitched, bothered and bewildered: Cast members from left to right - Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau, Jessica Lange as Fiona Goode, and Kathy Bates as Madame Delphine LaLaurie.

Last night FX premiered the third season of its wildly successful series American Horror Story. Titled "Coven," the theme revolves around witchcraft, voodoo and telekinesis. As promos began to air leading up to the premiere, one in particular stood out: "Initiation." The tall statuesque figures of the leading ladies conjured up memories of the three nymphs (Najade, Dryade, and Echo) in the Elijah Moshinsky production of Ariadne auf Naxos, which ran from 1993-2011 at the Metropolitan Opera. Check out comparison images after the jump.

When One Legend Inspires Another Legend

Madame Callas looms large in the work space of former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland

Be sure to watch the trailer for the new film "Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel" by clicking here.

Santa Fe Opera Makes Vogue Magazine's "30 Days of Summer"

"On the desert’s most enchanting stage, the Santa Fe Opera’s 2012 season kicks off with Puccini’s Tosca, which hasn’t been performed in the open-air theater–against the backdrop of the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains—in eighteen years." [Source]

Anna Netrebko Does Russian Vogue Magazine in Style

Trench by Jean Paul Gaultier and gloves by Georges Morand. (Photo: Peter Rigaud)

Thanks to Intermezzo for leading the way to the current spread of Anna Netrebko in the Russian edition of Vogue. The soprano sports the styles of Jean Paul Gaultier, Hermès, Prada, Christian Louboutin, Chopard, Dior Homme and more! Check out the full article here.

Vogue Covers Anna Netrebko's Costumes For "Anna Bolena"

Thanks to Intermezzo who points the way to the this delicious spread from Vogue magazine about the historical accuracy of Anna Netrebko's costumes for the upcoming production of Donizetti's Anna Bolena at the Metropolitan Opera. More photos over at Vogue.com.

Anna Netrebko debuts the opera at the Metropolitan Opera on September 26, 2011 (Photo: Ken Howard)

"The adage 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' gets an epic narrator next Monday night, when soprano Anna Netrebko, a true and beloved diva of the classical-music world, reprises her role as Anna Bolena....To master the accuracy of the sixteenth-century petticoats, gowns, double-sleeves, and men’s britches, Tiramani pieced together a 'jigsaw' of references, starting with portraits of the English Court by Hans Holbein the Younger, and moving on to tapestries, wills detailing the deceased’s most prized garments, as well as relics—including a perfect model of a shoe—from Henry VIII’s sunken flagship, the Mary Rose. 'We kept the character of Anna in more of the French style that she seemed to bring to the English court,' said Tiramani, in between acts at a rehearsal this week. 'There really is only one acknowledged portrait of her—in the National Portrait Gallery in London—and it shows her in a French hood, which is the shape we’ve used to separate her from the court.' The result of Tiramani’s careful eye are costumes that are both stunning and believable: a mix of specially made fabrics, black-dyed silk, and intricate hooks, as rarefied and authentic as Netrebko herself. As Gelb points out: 'She is a once-in-a-generation artist. She combines vocal technique and dramatic truth to a degree that is rarely seen or heard on any stage.'" [Source]

A scene from the David McVicar production of Anna Bolena (Photo: Thomas Prior)