Siemens Opera Contest in Istanbul gears up for May 11-13 finals with judges Yekta Kara, the director of the Turkish State Opera and Ballet; İstanbul State Opera baritone Mete Uğur; Achim Thorwald, the artistic director of Germany’s Karlsruhe Opera; and Heidelberg Opera Artistic Director Peter Spuhler. [Today's Zaman]
The Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris presents Sondheim's Sweeney Todd with a successful Rodney Gilfrey in the title role. [The New York Times]
Opera singer Paul Potts "has been appointed as an honorary ambassador of Jeju Island, which is competing to become one of the 'New7Wonders of Nature.' Organized by a Switzerland-based nonprofit organization called New7Wonders, Jeju Island was selected as one of 28 candidates among 77 sites around the world." [Korea JoongAng Daily]
Berlin presents the first semi-underwater opera. Aquaria Palaoa was the idea of Claudia Herr, a champion swimmer turned singer, who plays the lead role, diving into the Stadtbad Neukoelln pool in her green evening dress. [UnterwasserOper]
New York City Opera's Spring Gala is presented with plenty of stars, just few of them in opera. Guests included playwright Marsha Norman, composer and arranger Jeanine Tresori, City Opera's General Manager and Artistic Director George Steel, Gilles Bensimon, Hamish Bowles, Nell Campbell, Mary Sharp Cronson, producer Ken Davenport, Natural History Museum's Peter Lyden, Liz and Jeff Peek and fashion's Robert Verdi. [Hamptons.com]
Fordham University’s $1.6 billion renovation broke ground this week with the first buildings to go up (a new School of Law and an undergraduate residence). The 22-story facility is designed by architects Pei Cobb Freed & Partners is scheduled for a 2014 and will compliment the design of Lincoln Center's Metropolitan Opera House. [GlobeSt.com]
