By Gregory Moomjy  Over the course of its 400-year history, Opera has evolved to have a greater focus on the drama of everyday life. For instance, the genre successfully made the transition from stories of Gods and mythic leaders of the past in l’Orfeo (1607) to Italian peasants getting caught in adultery in Cavalleria Rusticana (1890). In the new…Continue reading REVIEW: Bon Appétit!

By Gregory Moomjy Every year the Prototype Festival pushes the boundaries of opera and musical theater for New York City audiences. In the past, they’ve presented works like Aging Magician composed by Paola Prestini.  Recently they have performed Blood Moon, an opera influenced by Japanese noh theater, the oldest form of theater in Japan.  The…Continue reading REVIEW: Modulation

By Gregory Moomjy To say that this year up-ended many performances is a gross understatement. However, a few days ago when I was scrolling through Facebook, I saw that the Metropolitan Opera had announced the district winners of the National Council Auditions. This reminded me that even one of my most favorite parts of opera…Continue reading REVIEW: Giargiari Bel Canto Competition

by Gregory Moomjy Unless you’ve been living under a rock, opera fans by now realize that COVID-19 has been particularly hard on the performing arts. Chorus and orchestra members of companies across the board have been out of work since early 2020. Many companies have been forced to cancel their seasons. The Metropolitan Opera, for…Continue reading REVIEW: LOVE in the Park

Gregory Moomjy One of the watershed experiences of my life as an opera lover was attending a lecture at The Met, given by William Berger. During his talk, he described his understanding of the significance of the soprano voice in opera. He said that being an opera singer in the 19th Century was one of…Continue reading REVIEW: Cycles of My Being at Opera Philadelphia