News
Anna-Lena Elbert: Theme Concert
On 21 March 2026, the soprano Anna-Lena Elbert will be part of the 2nd Theme Concert of the Bayerische Staatsoper at the Brainlab Munich. She will sing madrigals and vocal pieces by Michael East, Henry Purcell, Thomas Tallis, William Byrd i. a.. The Theme Concert will be focusing on the Australian composer Brett Dean whose opera Of One Blood will have its world premiere in Munich in May. Dean‘s Intimate Decisions for viola solo and I Starred Last Night, I Shone for mezzo-soprano and viola will also be part of the concert programme. Further performers will be musicians of the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Brett Dean (viola), Alessandro Praticò (organ), Elene Gvritishvili (soprano), Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo-soprano), Michael Butler (tenor) and Armand Rabot (baritone). Already in 2020, Anna-Lena Elbert made her successful debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper in the world premiere of the children opera Spring doch! by Gordon Kampe.
(published on 9 March 2026)
Vanessa Porter: BETTER ME in Berlin
On 13 March 2026, the percussionists Vanessa Porter and Emil Kuyumcuyan will perform excerpts from their duo-programme BETTER ME at the series Schöne Töne Live presented by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin at the Haus des Rundfunks Berlin. They will play Calls, Your Stories and Last Duty II for duo-percussion and multimedia. This live radio concert will be recorded for radioeins-rbb and broadcasted at a later date. Furthermore, the DSO Berlin will perform under the baton of Stefan Malzew Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Orphic Hymn, Julie Campiche’s Solo- und Orchesterstück, Julia Wolfe’s Cruel Sister for string orchestra and Pretty for orchestra. The host and composer Sven Helbig will guide the audience through the programme. The complete duo-programme BETTER ME will be released on CD in spring 2026.
(published on 5 March 2026)
Tora Augestad: Helsingborg Symphony
On 11 March 2026, the mezzo-soprano Tora Augestad will once again perform a concert with the Swedish Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra - this time under the baton of Johannes Gustavsson - at the Helsingborgs Konserthus. The programme will present Henrik Hellstenius’/ Robert Schumann’s A Chorus of Nightingales based on Schumann‘s song cycle and will also be recorded on CD.
In spring 2026, Tora Augestad will then present her new CD of Reinbert de Leeuw‘s Im wunderschönen Monat Mai – another Dichterliebe-tribute – recorded with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra for LAWO.
(published on 3 March 2026)
Sarah Defrise: Debut Opernhaus Zurich
On 8 March 2026, the soprano Sarah Defrise will make her debut at the Opernhaus Zurich in the Swiss premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s & Elfriede Jelinek‘s latest opera Monster's Paradise, which just has received its critical acclaimed world premiere at the Hamburgische Staatsoper. Further performances will be presented on 14/18 March 2026 and on 10/12 April 2026. Titus Engel will lead the Orchester der Oper Zürich in the staging by Tobias Kratzer, and the set and costume is designed by Rainer Sellmaier. Sarah’s colleagues on stage are Anna Clementi (Gorgonzilla), Georg Nigl/Robin Adams (King/President), Eric Jurenas (Tuckey), Sylvie Rohrer (Vampi-actress), Ruth Rosenfeld (Bampi-actress), Kristina Stanek (Bampi) and Andrew Watts (Mickey). As avatars of themselves, composer Olga Neuwirth and author Elfriede Jelinek send two “vampiresses” on a journey around the world. They observe the decline of humanity while a tyrannical king and a sea monster he has conjured up himself fight for power. All hope rests on him: the great Gorgonzilla. But what kind of world is it that can only be saved by monsters?
(published on 27 February 2026)
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