Jay Hunter News

Ash Lawn Opera, Charlottesville, Virginia's premier opera company for 40 years, will become Charlottesville Opera in 2017. Imagine 1978: the downtown mall had just opened in Charlottesville and Ash Lawn Opera had its first season as a summer festival of local singers presenting opera in the boxwood garden of Ash Lawn-Highland. Since then, our city has transformed into a vibrant cultural and culinary hub and emerging tourist destination.

This morning, The Recording Academy and 2016 GRAMMY Best New Artist, Meghan Trainor, kicked off this year's GRAMMY Awards nominations by revealing nominees in the four General Field categories (Best New Artist, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Album Of The Year) live on 'CBS This Morning.

This Saturday, December 3 at 8 pm, Ash Lawn Opera launches its 40th Season as Charlottesville, Virginia's premier opera company with a special performance of by world-renowned tenor Jay Hunter Morrisat The Paramount Theater. Morris -- the self-proclaimed 'blue-collar opera singer' -- will perform beloved opera arias, jazz, and country; play guitar; and tell stories about his life on the road. In conjunction with the Virginia Festival of the Book, Morris will sign copies of his autobiography, Diary of a Redneck Opera Zinger, a hilarious chronicle of his 15-year career, immediately following the performance.

The Dallas Opera is very proud to present the eagerly anticipated revival of an historic Dallas Opera production: Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's critically acclaimed twenty-first century masterpiece: MOBY-DICK, starring world-renowned heldentenor Jay Hunter Morris as Captain Ahab.

Florida Grand Opera (FGO) is pleased to announce the promotion and addition of new members to its music staff. Katherine Kozak, continuing in the position of Chorus Master at Florida Grand Opera and celebrating 20 years in the opera industry, will be promoted to also serve as Head Coach of the company's Young Artist Program. Howard Lubin will serve as Senior Coach, and Paul Schwartz and Paul Kovacovic will fill the roles of staff accompanists.

Ash Lawn Opera launches its 40th Season as Charlottesville, Virginia's premier opera company with a special performance of by world-renowned tenor Jay Hunter Morris on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at 8 pm. Morris will perform beloved opera arias, play guitar, and tell stories in his delightful Texan drawl.

The Dallas Opera is very proud to present the eagerly anticipated revival of an historic Dallas Opera production: Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's critically acclaimed twenty-first century masterpiece: MOBY-DICK, starring world-renowned heldentenor Jay Hunter Morris as Captain Ahab.

The Dallas Opera is thrilled to announce the fourteenth in a series of free public simulcasts, this time involving a game-changing Dallas Opera production: Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's critically acclaimed twenty-first century masterpiece: MOBY-DICK, starring world-renowned helden tenorJay Hunter Morris as Captain Ahab.

General and Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun announced today the launch of The Atlanta Opera's first ever young artist program, The Atlanta Opera Studio. Four singers, one stage director and one pianist will participate in the inaugural 2016-17 season. The artists will make their stage debut at the annual Opera with an Edge season preview concert on Sunday, October 2nd at the Cobb Energy Centre.

The Glimmerglass Festival, which presents four mainstage productions of opera and musical theater every summer, rounds out each season with a schedule of guest appearances, concerts, public master classes, youth opera performances and more.

Carnegie Hall's 2016-2017 season is fast approaching, and the venue is looking forward to exciting new projects and outstanding concerts.

Although the solstice doesn't officially appear for another week or so, the summer opera clock is already ticking. There's a plethora of performances going on all over New York City, in addition to interesting, entertaining and fascinating productions that are just a hop, skip and jump away. Among them: Lincoln Center's Lincoln Center Festival and Mostly Mozart and On Site Opera's West Village venue, to the more bucolic realms of Bard SummerScape in Dutchess County (NY) for Mascagni and Caramoor in Katonah (NY) for Rossini and Beethoven.

Houston, March 28, 2016—Houston Grand Opera (HGO) opens its spring repertory with Siegfried, the much- anticipated third installment of Wagner's epic Ring cycle, on April 16. The ground-breaking Ring by Carlus Padrissa of Catalan theater company La Fura dels Baus, with its cutting-edge visuals and acrobats in tableaux of human scenery, has thrilled Houston audiences and played to sold-out houses.

Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) and the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) today announce their 2016-17 season.

Opera Philadelphia General Director & President David B. Devan today announced that baritone Jarrett Ott, recently praised by Opera News as a “rising star” with “a voice that is polished and immaculately produced,” will replace Nathan Gunn as protagonist W.P. Inman for all five performances of Cold Mountain, Feb. 5-14 at the Academy of Music. Mr. Gunn, who performed the role in August's World Premiere at The Santa Fe Opera, was compelled to withdraw from the Philadelphia production due to a serious family illness.

The Dallas Opera is proud to announce its spectacular 2016-2017 Season, consisting of five brilliant mainstage productions, including two repertoire classics never before performed by this company. 

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) opens its 2016 winter repertory on January 22with an inventive staging by multiple-award-winning theater director Michael Grandage of Mozart's genial farce, The Marriage of Figaro. Performances continue through February 7. Co-produced by HGO and the Glyndebourne Festival and premiered at Glyndebourne in 2012, this production, set in 1970s Spain with sets and costumes by award-winning designer Christopher Oram, was hailed for its beauty and for affirming “Mozart's comic masterpiece as both of its time and perennially modern” (Sunday Times). HGO is delighted to bring this elegant staging to Houston under the direction of Ian Rutherford, who worked with Grandage and toured the production following its Glyndebourne run.   

Houston, January 6, 2016— Houston Grand Opera (HGO) opens its 2016 winter repertory on January 22with an inventive staging by multiple-award-winning theater director Michael Grandage of Mozart's genial farce, The Marriage of Figaro. Performances continue through February 7. Co-produced by HGO and the Glyndebourne Festival and premiered at Glyndebourne in 2012, this production, set in 1970s Spain with sets and costumes by award-winning designer Christopher Oram, was hailed for its beauty and for affirming “Mozart's comic masterpiece as both of its time and perennially modern” (Sunday Times). HGO is delighted to bring this elegant staging to Houston under the direction of Ian Rutherford, who worked with Grandage and toured the production following its Glyndebourne run.   

It is almost Mountain time in Philadelphia! Cold Mountain, the first opera by Philadelphia-based, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, makes its East Coast Premiere with five performances at the Academy of Music, February 5-14, 2016.

 DALLAS, TX, December 8, 2015 – The Dallas Opera will present opera legend Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano, for another magnificent performance in The Robert E. and Jean Ann Titus Art Song Recital Series. The one-time-only recital will be presented Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at City Performance Hall (a 749-seat venue located at 2520 Flora Street in the Arts District, Dallas, TX 75201). Also featured at the exclusive event will be Jake Heggie, composer (Great Scott, Moby-Dick) and accomplished pianist, who has had a long-standing artistic collaboration with Miss von Stade.