By: Katy Lindhart What were you doing when you were fourteen? If you’re Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, you were hard at work on an operatic commission for Milan: Mitridate, re di Ponto. Composed in 1770, Mitridate is a remarkable synthesis of Baroque virtuosity and Classical clarity and expressiveness, showcasing the young composer’s exuberance and emerging voice, while still existing within the confines of the Italian opera seria (“serious opera”) genre. The virtuosic vocal writing in Mitridate demonstrates an understanding of the Baroque traditions Mozart inherited, reminiscent of the florid, intricate vocal writing of his predecessors, like George Frideric Handel and [...]

Opera is Impossible by Anne Bogart In his gorgeous recent book The Impossible Art: Adventures in Opera, composer Matthew Aucoin details the many impossibilities inherent in the opera experience. From its inception, he writes, opera undertook the daunting task of recreating Greek drama, a form that no one alive at the time had ever heard or experienced. He goes on to elaborate opera’s balancing act throughout history, for performers and spectators alike. Perhaps due to its unique position at the intersection of musical composition, theatrical performance, poetic expression, and visual artistry – not to mention its ability to interweave [...]

Opera’s Next Act: 5 Questions on the Future of Opera with BLO Artistic Director Nina Yoshida Nelsen As opera continues to evolve in response to cultural, technological, and society shifts, BLO remains at the forefront, reimagining classic repertoires, integrating bold contemporary works, and making opera more accessible to everyone in our community. We love opera for where it’s been and where we’re going. In our series, Opera’s Next Act, BLO’s artistic leadership will share in their own words what excites them about opera’s past, present and future— beginning with our Artistic Director, Nina Yoshida Nelsen. About Nina Nina Yoshida [...]

Calling All Opera Lovers: Give It Up for Love Thank you to our BLO audiences who participated in our Opera Lovers Survey. Whether it’s the timeless classics or the groundbreaking new work, your choices reflect a true appreciation for the art form. Your tastes and deep love for opera are what makes our community so vibrant! What was the first opera you ever saw? One of the many good things about opera is that there are so many to choose from! The top three first-time operas [...]

We Gave It All For Love! We can hardly believe it, but we are at the end of our 2023/24 mainstage season! Opera is a team sport, and we could not be more grateful for the artists, directors, designers, dramaturgs, BLO staff, backstage crew, board members, volunteers, and audiences that make what we do possible. THANK YOU! For the first time since August, our team has an opportunity to look back and see all that we’ve accomplished — we’re pretty proud, if we do say so ourselves! Here are some of our favorite moments from the past year.   [...]

Dear Friends, It is a busy spring at Boston Lyric Opera! After back-to-back productions of Joseph Bologne’s The Anonymous Lover and Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, we are moving ahead with a summer full of opera and plans for the newly announced 2024/25 Season, our most expansive season yet with new locations and partners. During our 2023/24 season so far, Boston Lyric Opera has reached over 620,000 homes through live opera performance. Our annual BLO Street Stage series launches June 1 with a return to Rowe’s Wharf in partnership with The Greenway and an appearance at Plaza Betances [...]

We can hardly believe it, but we are at the end of our 2023/24 mainstage season! Opera is a team sport, and we could not be more grateful for the artists, directors, designers, dramaturgs, BLO staff, backstage crew, board members, volunteers, and audiences that make what we do possible. THANK YOU! For the first time since August, our team has an opportunity to look back and see all that we’ve accomplished — and we’re pretty proud, if we do say so ourselves! Here are some of our favorite moments from the past year. A groundbreaking Madama Butterfly This September, [...]

Anne Bogart to be Presented with Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) Gordon Davidson Award for Lifetime Achievement and Distinguished Service in the American Theatre (New York, March 7, 2024) Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), announces that director and theatre visionary Anne Bogart will receive its 2023 Gordon Davidson Award. Named in honor of the founding artistic director of Los Angeles's Center Theatre Group and one of the visionary leaders of the resident theatre movement, the Gordon Davidson Award recognizes a director or choreographer for lifetime achievement and [...]

BLO Artistic Advisor and Boston Conservatory faculty member, Vimbayi Kaziboni joins a group of legendary conductors who have received the esteemed honor of the Ditson Conductor's Award. Columbia University has announced that Vimbayi Kaziboni has won the 2024 Alice M. Ditson Fund Conductor’s Award, a prestigious honor recognizing conductors who have a distinguished record of performing and championing contemporary American music. The Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University established the Conductor’s Award in 1945. It is the oldest continuing award honoring conductors for distinguished contributions to American music. The Zimbabwean-born conductor becomes the 79th recipient of what is [...]

Even with centuries of classical music available to us, Black composers and their works are still underrepresented, both on the opera and concert stage. It’s time we celebrate and bring in the voices of Black composers who have helped influence our musical landscape! In February, we celebrate Black History Month, a time for us to honor the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history. Even though we are only highlighting five composers in this blog post, there have been hundreds of notable Black composers throughout American history, and thousands more we may never have the opportunity to [...]