Composers

The world of opera that we know and enjoy today was greatly influenced by the composers of yesteryear. Such composers as Beethoven, Berlioz and Bizet created some of the more well-known operas. In fact, artists are still performing many of these operas today.   Opera is a type of theatre in which the story is portrayed either wholly or primarily through music and/or singing. Many operas also make use of... Read more >

Famous Operas

Opera is a form of performance art in which the performers tell a dramatic story through song. Operas are generally accompanied by live music, usually in the form of an orchestra.   Opera is generally placed in the category of classical music, though operas contain many of the same aspects of theater, including actors, costumers, scenery and more. However, actors in an opera, most often referred to as opera... Read more >

Opera Companies

As a respected part of classical music, opera has a rich tradition that dates back centuries, generally to Jacopo Peri’s opera "Dafne" in 1597. From France to Italy to England to the United States, many countries have kept this tradition alive through the continued work of their world-renowned opera companies.   By definition, opera is a form of music that incorporates acting, costumes and stage sets to... Read more >

Opera Houses

An opera house is a type of large performing arts building in which operas, ballets and other theatrical performances can take place. While some opera companies are the primary residents of an opera house, other opera houses are equally shared by a few different types of performing arts companies. In general, opera houses around the world share a few of the same characteristics, including: a back stage area in... Read more >

Sharing With Your Child

If you have a strong family history of a genetic disease, such as cancer, you may be considering having your child tested. If your child tests positive for a genetic mutation, it may be difficult for you to process the information, and even harder to share it with your child. Even though it is challenging, an honest discussion with your child can relieve stress in the long run by: easing children's fears... Read more >

Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner, born May 22, 1813, became a composer, conductor, music theorist and essayist. He believed in the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, or total artwork, which refers to a synthesis of the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, which many critics feel Wagner epitomized in his four-opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen." Wagner even built his own opera house so he could have these works performed... Read more >

Rossini

Gioachino Rossini may well be the best known of all Italian opera composers. Music from Rossini's opera is very familiar to the general public. Almost anyone can hum the overture from "William Tell" even if they don't know the name of the piece, and "The Barber of Seville" stands as one of the greatest comedic operas of all time. The Life of Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini was born Feb. 29, 1792... Read more >

Madame Butterfly

The history of "Madame Butterfly," which Puccini composed in 1904, is a strange one. At its production in Milan, it was hissed off the stage and withdrawn after a single performance. No one seems to know why it failed to please the Scala audience, with whom Puccini had previously been a great favorite. Possibly the unfamiliar Japanese surroundings displeased the conservative Milanese, or the singers may have been... Read more >