Former IMG Executive Bill Palant Launches Étude Arts LLC

Agent Man: Bill Palant launches venture
with exciting roster of opera singers

Now at the pinnacle of his career, artist manager Bill Palant has launched a new boutique company called Étude Arts LLC. We sat down with him to discuss his thoughts on the opera world and what it means to be independent in the opera industry: "Founder and Managing Director of Étude Arts, Bill Palant manages some of the world’s most acclaimed classical artists. His clients appear at the world’s greatest performing arts institutions and many have been recorded by the most distinguished media labels in the industry. Before establishing Étude Arts in 2015, Bill Palant was Senior Vice President at IMG Artists, where he served for nearly nineteen years. He also has worked for the Metropolitan Opera’s Rehearsal Department and for the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood. He was graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in psychology."

"Étude Arts is an independent management agency built on experience, fuelled by integrity, and emboldened by the possibilities open to artists and the arts in the twenty-first century. Étude Arts offers flexible, personalized service underpinned by the authority, expertise, and vision of its founder, Bill Palant. Having guided the careers of some of the world’s most accomplished classical musicians, Bill Palant approaches the culture and industry of classical performance with skill and discernment, combining – like any great artist – distinguished technique with creative flair. Étude Arts embodies a commitment to the development of exceptional artistry at every level of the profession. Bill Palant is dedicated to the holistic success of both performer and presenter: to health and well-being, to dynamic growth and career longevity, to progressive business practice, and to outstanding performance on a global stage." For more information and a complete roster of artists, visit the official website by clicking here.

How did you come up with the name of the new company? I was inspired to name the company Étude Arts after attending a transformative performance of Philip Glass’ piano etudes at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Not only was it a magnificent concert but also the experience prompted me to consider the meaning of an etude and its function as well as its practice. That the etude promotes the exploration and expression of a particular skill and the strengthening of technique resonated with me greatly and served as the perfect metaphor of what I am doing in this evolution of my professional career.

What got you interested in managing opera singers? After working for five years at the Metropolitan Opera, I wanted to spread my wings beyond the responsibilities of the Rehearsal Department. At the time, there weren’t positions available in New York City with other performing arts organizations of the same (or even near the same) caliber of the one I had at Met, so I looked beyond the stages of great artistic institutions like Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, etc. My introduction to the world of artist management, during my Met years, was less than

Michigan Opera House Joins Prestigious List Of Historic Theatres

"The Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater has been included in the 2015 Membership of the League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT), a list that also includes all the major NYC Broadway houses operated by Disney, Nederlander, Shubert, and Jujamcyn. As an LHAT member, Tibbits Opera House staff will have access to professional development opportunities and national media attention and will be able to attend the National Conference of Historic Theatres taking place in Nashville this summer. 'I am delighted to include Tibbits Opera House as a member of the League,' said Ken Stein, Executive Director for LHAT. 'We constantly showcase the important contributions being made in arts and preservation from historic theatres throughout North America, and it will be great to include the contributions from Coldwater.' The League champions the preservation, restoration and ongoing operations of historic theatres across the United States and Canada. Tibbits Opera 1-louse is among the distinguished list of theatres that have proven to be economic drivers and cultural cornerstones in communities across the nation." [Source]

David Daniels To Join University Of Michigan Voice Faculty In Fall 2015

Rising Star: Daniels appeared in the pages of Vanity Fair
 magazine just three years after getting his masters
 degree at the University of Michigan.

"The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) has announced that American countertenor David Daniels will be appointed professor of music in the Department of Voice beginning fall 2015, pending U-M Regental approval. Daniels will maintain his active international performance schedule while launching his academic career in Ann Arbor. He received his master's degree from SMTD in 1992, studying with acclaimed tenor George Shirley. Hailed by The New York Times as 'the most acclaimed countertenor of the day, perhaps the best ever,' Daniels, has appeared with the world's major opera companies and on its main concert and recital stages. The Chicago Tribune described him as 'today's gold standard among countertenors,' and Gramophone magazine acknowledged his contribution to recorded excellence, as well as his expansion of the repertoire for his voice type, by naming him one of the 'Top Ten Trailblazers' in classical music today. Honored by the music world for his unique achievements, Daniels has been the recipient of two of classical music's most significant awards: Musical America's Vocalist of the Year, and the Richard Tucker Award. Highlights of Daniel's recent seasons include multiple appearances at the Metropolitan Opera in the title role of Handel's Giulio Cesare directed by David McVicar; in the inventive The Enchanted Island; and in the title role of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice in a new production marking Mark Morris' debut at the Met as a stage director, conducted by music director James Levine. Daniels has won admiration for his performances of extensive concert and art song repertoire, including song literature of the 19th and 20th centuries not usually associated with his voice type. An accomplished recording artist with several critically acclaimed and best-selling solo albums to his credit, his latest release was a collection of Bach's Sacred Arias and Cantatas conducted by Harry Bicket with The English Concert. Daniels joins a celebrated voice faculty at SMTD, chaired by Stephen West. Recent graduates of the program include tenor Michael Fabiano, soprano Janai Brugger, and mezzo-soprano Carla Dirlikov. " [Source]

Los Angeles Opera Costume Sale Reaps Thousands Of Visitors

A potential buyer transforms into a soldier from
La Fille du Régiment or perhaps Carmen.
(Photo: Gary Leonard)

"The line started forming outside of the parking lot at 330 S. Alameda St. around 8 a.m., some two-and-a-half hours before the gates opened. By the time L.A. Opera’s one-day costume shop sale closed on Saturday, March 28, more than 4,000 people had perused the wares. Approximately 1,000 costumes from productions such as The Barber of Seville, The Birds and Salome were on the racks, and crowds scooped up everything from accessories to dresses to 'diva' costumes worn by leads such as tenor Plácido Domingo. About 750 pieces were purchased, and the items left over will be sold at discounted rates to schools around the county (anything remaining after that will be donated to charity). The sale comes as the costume shop leaves its 14-year home for a space on 14th Street in the Industrial District, thanks to rising rents in the searing-hot Arts District, according to Senior Director of Production Rupert Hemmings." [Source]

Opera Singers Killed In Alps Germanwings Flight 9525 Crash

The late Oleg Bryjak seen here in Los Angeles
 with Plácido Domingo.

"A stunned German town mourned 16 students who went down aboard Germanwings Flight 9525 on their way home Tuesday from a Spanish exchange, while the opera world grieved for two singers who were returning from performing in Barcelona - one of them with her baby. 'This is surely the blackest day in the history of our town,' a visibly shaken Mayor Bodo Klimpel said after the western town of Haltern was shocked by news that 16 students from the local high school and two of their teachers had been on the plane. They had just spent a week in Spain. Also among the passengers were two German singers who had been in Barcelona to perform in Richard Wagner's Siegfried at the city's Gran Teatre del Liceu - bass baritone Oleg Bryjak, a member since 1996 of the ensemble at Duesseldorf's Deutsche Oper am Rhein opera house, and Duesseldorf-born contralto Maria Radner. 'We have lost a great performer and a great person in Oleg Bryjak. We are stunned,' said Christoph Meyer, director of Deutsche Oper am Rhein. Radner took the Germanwings flight with her husband and baby, Liceu director of communications Joan Corbera said. He added that the theater's employees will hold two minutes of silence on Wednesday in the singers' honor." [Source]

Contralto Maria Radner, seen here performing in Wagner's Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera House 
under conductor Antonio Pappano, was among the crash victims. (Photo: Clive Barda)

Will Russia Charge Timofei Kulyabin With "Hooliganism" Over Wagner?

Dazed and Confused: A scene from the reportedly 'obscene' production

"Two men went on trial in Russia on Wednesday over their staging of Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser opera, which a senior Orthodox cleric complained was offensive to religious believers. Prosecutors said the modern-day staging, which fuelled [sic] anger among Orthodox Russians after it premiered in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk last December, 'desecrated' the image of Jesus Christ. A complaint by a senior cleric led to charges being filed against the head of Novosibirsk's State Opera and Ballet Theatre, Boris Mezdrich, and director, Timofei Kulyabin, who face fines of up to 200,000 rubles ($3,243) if found guilty. The original opera, considered one of Wagner's most controversial with its focus on sexuality and spirituality, was first performed in 1845. The hero, Tannhäuser, goes from frolicking with the goddess of love Venus, to seeking religious salvation from the Pope for his sexual excesses. Kulyabin's production shifts the action to the present day, with Tannhäuser a movie director making a film about Jesus visiting Venus's erotic grotto....'The question being decided now is whether we have religious censorship in our country,' Mezdrich said in court. The case comes three years after a probe against the Pussy Riot punks who were sentenced to two years for 'hooliganism', specifically offending believers, after a performance in a Moscow church. While the two men are currently charged with a civil misdemeanour, they still risk criminal charges on a new offence introduced by Russia in 2013 after the Pussy Riot case -- carrying out public acts that offend believers -- which carries a jail sentence of up to three years." [Source]

Philadelphia Metropolitan Opera House At Center Of Lawsuit

"After A North Philadelphia church that owned the historic Metropolitan Opera House began a partnership with developer Eric Blumenfeld, the pastor had a hard time finding him to discuss the planned $10 million renovation. According to a lawsuit filed Feb. 5 in Common Pleas Court, the Rev. Mark Hatcher, pastor of the Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center at the Met Inc., 'was reduced to chasing down his 'partner' on the street to secure a face-to-face meeting with him.' On another occasion, the suit says, Hatcher 'visited Blumenfeld's offices to discuss the project's progress [or lack thereof], and Blumenfeld literally ran out the back door upon realizing Reverend Hatcher's approach.' The suit claims that 'Blumenfeld misled the Church into relinquishing title to and giving him [Blumenfeld] a controlling interest in the Met.' The massive structure, on Broad Street near Poplar, was built for Oscar Hammerstein in 1908 in the Classic Revival architectural style and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The church bought the Met for $250,000 in 1997. It is now worth more than $20.9 million, according to city records, which show that Blumenfeld gained control of the title in February 2013 for $1." [Source]

Sad News: Ailyn Pérez And Stephen Costello To Divorce

Soon to be a single lady: Ailyn Pérez talked recently about a new life (Photo: Paul Marc Mitchell)

Stephen Costello announces his pending divorce from wife, Ailyn Pérez, on his official website. Did the soprano hint about the news in a recent interview with Latin Post: "I'm about to start a new page. A different life but I don't know what it looks like. This one has been intense, I don't know how I am going to lighten it up but maybe I'll hang out with friends more, meeting new people, getting a hobby. I like dancing a lot. But I am going to figure it out. People just tell me to have fun and do the things that mean something to you." [Source] The last decade has seen divorces of other famous opera couples including Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu; Isabel Leonard and Teddy Tahu Rhodes; as well as the separation of Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott. See the news from the tenor after the jump.

Greek Soprano Dimitra Theodossiou Survives Ship Fire

The soprano at a concert in China last May.

Dimitra Theodossiou was a first-class passenger on the Norman Atlantic ferry when she awoke to smoke in her cabin. The opera soprano describes in detail throwing on a sweater, grabbing money, and gathering identification, before making her way to the upper decks of the ship. She was shocked to see men pushing women out of the way to make it to the helicopters rescuing passengers. A fellow passenger also slapped her face to keep her awake waiting for her chance for rescue declaring, "You must not sleep. If you sleep, you die." She was particularly distressed by the lack of no fire alarm on the ship and the fact that not all of the life boats were put in the water. The full account of the tragic event can be found after the jump. Read the full interview with the soprano by clicking here. For videos of the fire and rescue, click here. Read the soprano's complete biography here. Listen to a telephone interview, and watch a video tribute to the Greek opera star, below.

Former Athens Home Of Maria Callas To Become Opera Academy

If these walls could talk, they just might sing:
The five-year residence of Maria Callas in Greece.

"The historic but long-neglected building at 61 Patission Street in central Athens where opera legend Maria Callas lived from 1940 to 1945 before she left for the United States is set to undergo renovation work so that it can house the Maria Callas Opera Academy, as daily Kathimerini online reported. The City of Athens has already reached an agreement with the owner of the building, the Sailors' Pension Fund (NAT), and officials are reportedly working out the details so that the project can be included under EU Community Support Framework for Greece in 2015. The agreement was marked yesterday with a grand opera gala concert organized by the association for the building of the opera house and the academy in cooperation with the Greek National Opera. Artistic director of the Greek National Opera Myron Michailidis said the organization would support plans to establish an opera academy. Born Maria Kalogeropoulos, Callas first performed in Greece when she was 18. She died in Paris at the age of 53 in 1977." [Source] "A rich audio-visual exhibition with emblematic photos and interviews, along with personal objects, will be presented in two of the building’s three floors. The museum will also have a library with books and records for opera lovers. Additionally, there will be a hall for temporary exhibitions, classes and small opera concerts. The ground floor will feature a thematic museum shop as well as a bistro named La Divina, where visitors will have the chance to taste some of Callas’s favorite dishes." [Source] After the jump is a complete list of operas that the hallowed walls of this apartment would have heard Madame Callas singing during this time period.

Legendary New York Conductor Julius Rudel Is Dead At 93

The maestro (left) with Beverly Sills (center)

"Julius Rudel, the Austrian-born conductor who raised the New York City Opera to a venturous golden age with highbrow music for the masses and a repertory that, like him, bridged the Old and New Worlds, died on Thursday at his home in Manhattan. He was 93. His death, announced by his son, Anthony, came eight months after his beloved and financially struggling City Opera filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors. 'I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would outlive the company,' he told The New York Times shortly afterward. Mr. Rudel was the maestro and the impresario, the principal conductor and the director of City Opera for 22 years (1957-79), working in the orchestra pit while running the company on shoestring budgets, signing contracts, casting productions and nurturing young singers like José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes and Beverly Sills." [Source] Watch a video of the National Endowment for the Arts paying tribute to Julius Rudel in 2010, and see more pictures of the conductor with opera singers, after the jump.

The Dallas Opera Appoints Ian Derrer As Artistic Administrator

"In the wake of Jonathan Pell’s decision to step down after thirty years of distinguished service to The Dallas Opera, General Director & CEO Keith Cerny is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Artistic Administrator, Ian Derrer....Mr. Derrer grew up in North Carolina and, in 1996, completed a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from the Meadows School of the Arts at SMU. He then worked as a freelance Assistant Director and Stage Manager for Santa Fe Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Opera Carolina, Opera Pacific, and Washington Opera. From 1999-2005 he completed Masters Degrees in Opera Production, Voice, and Performing Arts Management from Northwestern University and Brooklyn College. During the summers of 2001-2003 he was also the Scheduling Coordinator for the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy. Afterwards, he served as Rehearsal & Music Coordinator for the New York City Opera (2004-2006). Mr. Derrer also has invaluable experience in the field of orchestra and artist management. Immediately prior to joining the Dallas Opera, Ian held multiple positions at the Lyric Opera of Chicago (2006-2014), including Head of the Rehearsal Department, Rehearsal Administrator, and Director of Production, while, also, making time to serve as Rehearsal Director for Santa Fe Opera during the summer of 2012." [Source]

Belgium's Vlaamse Opera Latest Rooftop To Host Honey Bee Colonies

Opera Buzz: Chef Nobels (r) and Rik Janssens (l)

Following suit of the Palais Garnier in Paris and Wien Staatsoper in Vienna, Vlaamse Opera becomes the most recent addition to placing bee colonies on the roof. The idea to put 160,000 bees on the roof was generated by chef Seppe Nobels from the restaurant Graanmarkt 13 in Antwerp. Four hives are under the supervision of beekeeper Rik Janssens. Hoping to produce 30-45 kilograms of "opera honey" annually, the opera intendant Aviel Cahn says he hopes it will help the environment as well. A portion of the proceeds from honey sales will go to the opera. In addition to being sold in the gift shop, guest singers will be offered the sweet nectar when performing with the opera.   

Ex-opera CEO Kevin Smith Will Temporarily Lead Minnesota Orchestra

Minnesota Non-Profit Hero: Kevin Smith

"Kevin Smith, who retired as CEO of Minnesota Opera in 2011, is becoming interim chief executive at the Minnesota Orchestra. The Star Tribune reports on the appointment, which will take effect in July as current Minnesota Orchestra CEO Michael Henson steps down. Henson exited after the end of the orchestra's long-running labor dispute. Smith led the Minnesota Opera for 24 years, a period of strong growth for the nonprofit. A search for a permanent replacement is expected to take up to six months; Smith isn't expected to be a permanent replacement." [Source]

Chinese Soprano Song Zuying Promoted To Leadership Position

"Song Zuying, the most famous soprano in China, was promoted to become the new leader of the Song and Dance Troupe of China's Naval Political Department in early August for her outstanding performance serving as the deputy leader of the troupe....In recent years, Song has visited Europe, Australia, United States, Canada and Southeast Asia as part of Chinese art delegations. During the World Cup held in South Korea in 2002, Song was invited to represent China in a large -scale vocal concert. In December 2002, as the cultural ambassador for the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Australia, she held a concert in Sydney. In November 2003, she held a concert in the Golden Hall in Vienna. In 2006, her album The Diva Goes to the Movies: A Centennial Celebration of Chinese Film Song was nominated for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in the category of Best Classical Crossover Album. Song also performed a duet with tenor Plácido Domingo at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Beijing. She also performs regularly on the Chinese Spring Festival Gala. In 2009, in addition to her own song, she sang a duet with Jay Chou. On May 1, 2010, the day following the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Expo 2010, Song joined tenor Andrea Bocelli, singer Jay Chou, and concert pianist Lang Lang in a concert titled Charming China at Shanghai Stadium, in front of an audience of 80,000 people. On June 5, 2012, Song once again performed with Bocelli, Yu Long and Lang Lang in the East Meets West concert at London's Royal Albert Hall. On February 9, 2013, Chinese New Year's Eve, Song Zuying sang the traditional Chinese song Jasmine Flower as a duet with Canadian pop star Celine Dion at the CCTV New Year's Gala." [Source] Watch performances of the soprano after the jump.

Tensions Rise in Turkey Over Possible Opera House Location

"The protests were triggered by a smaller campaign to protect Gezi Park at Taksim Square, a small and rare patch of green space in central Istanbul which the government wants to raze to build a multipurpose building modeled after a historic Ottoman barracks. An administrative court on Friday ruled to halt construction at the park, providing a brief, if temporary, win for the protesters seeking to preserve the park. In the past five days, demonstrations have gained more steam and attracted a broader swath of the population with each heavy-handed police response that helped turned the event into an antigovernment rally. As protesters continued to move toward Taksim Square, many reported that social-networking sites, which demonstrators have used to organize gatherings, were interrupted or not functioning. Turkey's telecoms regulator said in a statement that any disruption was due to heavy traffic, rather than a government intervention, which would require a court order. Mr. Erdogan's remarks on Saturday showed little sign that he would succumb to protesters' demands to abandon government construction projects, let alone resign. The premier also said that a cultural center at Taksim Square named after modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, should be replaced with an opera house, further inflaming tensions with secularist Turks devoted to the country's first president." [Source]

Jean Stapleton (January 19, 1923 – May 31, 2013)

Stapleton was a trained mezzo-soprano. She made
her operatic debut in 1984 at the Baltimore
Opera Company in Bernstein's Candide.

"The daughter of an opera singer and businessman, Stapleton grew up on Long Island and in New York City. It was there during the early 1940s, while working as a typist for the British War Ministry Office, that she began her career in theater. Stapleton made it to Broadway in the production In the Summer House in 1953, the same year of her television debut on the daytime drama Woman With a Past. Other big stage roles followed, including in Bells Are Ringing and Damn Yankees. She also did more and more television, including appearances on shows such as Philco TV Playhouse and Dr. Kildare. Her breakout role was as Edith Bunker, the conscience of All in the Family as the kindhearted foil to husband Archie, played by the late Carroll O'Connor." [Source] Watch a clip of Ms. Stapleton singing, on The Muppet Show, after the jump.

1890 North Dakota Opera House On Sale For $1.2 Million

"The historic Metropolitan Opera House in downtown Grand Forks might soon have a new owner. The Grand Forks Herald reports that building owner Oriental Avenue LLP is negotiating a sale to Rhombus House of Pizza, the company behind Rhombus Guys pizzerias in Grand Forks, Fargo, and Mentor, Minn. It's not known why the company is interested in the building. The opera house was built in 1890 and is on the National Register of Historic places. It was severely damaged in the 1997 Red River flood and under threat of being demolished before Oriental Avenue bought it and completed renovations. It has 21 apartments on its upper two levels but the 5,000-square-foot first floor has remained vacant. County records show that the building and lot are valued at $1.2 million." [Source] Read more about the history of the opera house here and some information about the current opera lofts here.

Harolyn Blackwell To Be Part of Kennedy Center Honors Committee

"Under the revised process, the Kennedy Center will begin seeking recommendations from the public for the first time in the award's 35-year history. Recommendations can be submitted online beginning Thursday. The center will also seek more recommendations from a committee of artists. To narrow the roster of potential honorees, the center is forming a new Special Honors Committee. Former honorees Chita Rivera and Yo-Yo Ma will serve on the panel, along with opera singer Harolyn Blackwell, dancer Damian Woetzel and two center board members, Elaine Wynn and Cappy McGarr. From there, the Kennedy Center chairman, president and award producers will create slates of potential honorees to balance the selections across artistic disciplines, and the executive committee of the center's board of trustees will make the final decision." [Source]

Harry Bicket To Spend More Time in the Summer Desert

(Photo: Richard Haughton)

"Harry Bicket, the British early music specialist, is to be the next chief conductor of Santa Fe Opera, starting in October. He succeeds conductor Frederic Chaslin, who resigned last August after just two seasons on the job, saying he wanted to focus on composing and his duties as music director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Bicket's appointment, announced on Wednesday morning, is to some extent an indication of the inroads Baroque music has made in the traditional operatic establishment. He is currently manning the pit in Handel’s Giulio Cesare at the Metropolitan Opera. His opera resume also includes Handel performances at the Royal Opera House, the Glyndebourne Festival and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment." [Source]