30 Nov 2025
On November 30, Beth Taylor appears as the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Glyndebourne Sinfonia and Chorus, under the direction of Aidan Oliver. She joins a distinguished cast featuring soprano Soraya Mafi, tenor James Way, and bass James Platt. The performance marks a fitting conclusion to an intense and rewarding month, and a most elegant way to usher in the festive season through Handel’s immortal masterpiece.
26 Nov 2025
On November 26, 2025, Beth Taylor performs Edward Elgar’s Sea Pictures with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Edward Gardner. The Glasgow-born mezzo-soprano has become a devoted champion of this evocative song cycle, which she has performed in both its original orchestral guise and its piano adaptation, most recently in Montreal this past August.
24 Nov 2025
Michael Spyres makes his long-awaited role debut as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, in a production by Mario Gas Cabré under the baton of Diego Matheuz. He leads a distinguished cast that includes Marina Monzó as Adina, Carles Pachón as Belcore, Fabio Capitanucci as Dulcamara, and Núria Vilà as Giannetta. Performances take place on November 24, 27, and 30, and on December 3, 7, and 14. The American baritenor will have another chance to showcase his comic acting skills later this season, when he brings his Nemorino to the Wiener Staatsoper. Spyres is no stranger to the Liceu stage, where he has already appeared as the protagonist in Les contes d’Hoffmann, as Fernando in La favorite, in the title role of Mitridate, re di Ponto, and in the concert Mite i tragèdia d’Electra i Èdip.
21 Nov 2025
Beth Taylor continues her impressive string of high-profile engagements on November 21 with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester at the Sacred Heart Church in the Bavarian capital. Under the musical direction of Anu Tali, she performs the soloist part in The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, composed by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins in 2000. Muezzin Nabil Al Chalabi joins her in this powerful anti-war oratorio, which gives voice to Christian, Muslim, and Far Eastern traditions. Beth Taylor is no stranger to contemporary music. Notably, in August 2021, she sang the mezzo-soprano part in Tom Cunningham and Alexander McCall Smith’s Songs of Edinburgh at St Michael’s Church in Edinburgh, a performance that was also released on CD.
19 Nov 2025
Taking a break from his acclaimed Baroque repertoire, Juan Sancho turns to zarzuela, appearing as Prince Escamón in Emilio Arrieta’s 1870 work El Potosí submarino. This fantastical title by one of the true masters of the genre is being revived at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in a new production by Rafael R. Villalobos, conducted by Iván López Reynoso. The Sevillan tenor is joined by a distinguished cast featuring Manel Esteve (Misisipí), Carolina Moncada (Celia), Alejandro del Cerro (Cardona), María Rey-Joly (Perlina), Mercedes Gancedo (Coralina), Rafa Castejón (Pale-Ale), and Marina Fita (Caracolina). The premiere takes place on November 19, with additional performances on November 21, 23, 27, and 29. This is not Juan Sancho’s first foray into zarzuela: in 2009 he appeared as Don Urbano in the long-awaited revival of Clementina, Luigi Boccherini’s only theatrical work, where, as noted by zarzuela.net, he ‘served the part with elegance, using a falsetto of great expressiveness.’
17 Nov 2025
Kangmin Justin Kim appears as Ruggiero in Alcina with the National Theatre Brno at the Janáček Theatre, in a production by Jiří Heřman conducted by Václav Luks. The cast also features Magdalena Kožená in the title role, Doubravka Novotná as Morgana, Andrea Široká as Oberto, Václava Krejčí Housková as Bradamante, Ondřej Koplík as Oronte, and Roman Hoza as Melisso. The premiere takes place on November 17, with further performances on November 19 and 30. Widely regarded as one of today’s foremost specialists in Baroque opera, Kangmin Justin Kim has already performed Ruggiero in this Brno production on two occasions, to great acclaim. His portrayal of the knight of Charlemagne’s army at the Opéra Royal de Versailles also earned him a nomination for the prestigious Thálie Award.