‘A Masked Ball’ at San Francisco Opera – Time For an Unmasking

Verdi’s A Masked Ball, now at San Francisco Opera through October 22, is a scary enterprise. The production, last seen in 2006, is looking stale and funky and the stodgy staging by Jose Maria Condemi and silly bits of choreography by Lawrence Pech beyond rescue…. [Click here to read my complete review on Examiner.com] Click […]

Author Steve Wilson on “The Making of Gone with the Wind”

Just when I thought I could answer any trivia question on the 1939 production of Gone with the Wind, comes a treasure of new material in Steve Wilson’s book, The Making of Gone with the Wind. It is the companion piece to an exhibit now at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas […]

Bass-Baritone Christian Van Horn – A Busy Season at San Francisco Opera

“I won the Metropolitan Opera Competition in 2003. From the time I won it to the time I came back as a principal artist was ten years. This is rarely easy for anybody….” Click here to read the full interview on HuffingtonPost.com

A Conversation with Pianist Stewart Goodyear

“I’ve wanted to record these two concerti for a very long time,” said Stewart. “I created the opportunity – there was no label assigned to it. It all started with an e-mail…. [Click here to read the full article on HuffingtonPost.com]

Julie Adams and Thomas Gunther – On ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’

“The scary thing about Stanley,” says Tom, “is not that he hits Stella all the time, but that you never know when he’s going to hit her. You never know what’s going to set him off.” “This is opera,” says Julie. “There are going to be some differences from the movie. This is Previn’s idea, […]

Myles Thatcher – Profile of An Upcoming Dancer and Choreographer

“Myles Thatcher’s skills and growing reputation as a promising choreographer have been recognized and honored by the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Last month, Myles was awarded a grant and the opportunity to mentor with world renowned choreographer Alexei Ratmansky during the 2014-15 cycle…. ” [Click here to see my complete interview with Myles […]

Anita Monga – Talking with the Artistic Director of the SF Silent Film Festival

“The Four Horsemen made him a star,” she said. “It’s his combination of hard and soft along with the androgynous…. ” [Click here to see the full interview on Examiner.com]

A Conversation with Dmitri Hvorostovsky – This Week at Davies Hall

“My voice is a perfect instrument,” he said. “I can be as lyric as a tenor….” [Click here to read the full interview on HuffingtonPost.com]

Jeffrey Biegel Is Rainbow High on New CD: Life According To Chopin

Pianist Jeffrey Biegel’s latest CD, Life According To Chopin: Chopin’s Greatest Piano Solos may be the first tell-all recording…. [Click here to read my full interview with Jeffrey Biegel on HuffingtonPost.com]

In Conversation with Stewart Copeland – Famed Drummer Composes New Soundtrack for ‘Ben-Hur’ (1925)

“I hope the ethnicity of the score will stand out. The orchestral score is about two thousand pages….” [Click here to see the complete interview on HuffingtonPost.com]