Notes from the wings

Currently

Upcoming productions on my radar, short dispatches, pointers to other people's good writing, and the occasional aside.

2026

May 30, 2026

Upcoming

Sacramento Phil's B9

Bay Area opera season is in high gear, but Sacramento Phil & Opera makes it consistently worth the drive out of town. An impressive list of soloists for Beethoven 9, including Edward Graves, Kenneth Kellogg, and Janai Brugger. I've never seen Brugger live — her “Tulsa, 1921: Catch The Fire” for Lovecraft Country is unforgettable.

Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera

2027

Feb 11, 2027

Upcoming

Mozart + Ligeti requiems in one night at the LA Phil

Esa-Pekka Salonen pairing the Mozart Requiem with the Ligeti Requiem on a single program, Michael Sumuel among the soloists, in the acoustics of Disney Hall. A surfeit of riches.

LA Phil — Rituals: Requiem

Mar 11, 2027

Upcoming

Ariadne auf Naxos at Lyric Opera Chicago

A once-in-a-lifetime casting coup. Leah Hawkins as the Prima Donna/Ariadne, Russell Thomas as Bacchus, Erin Morley as Zerbinetta, Samantha Hankey as the Composer. Are we going? We're going.

Lyric Opera 2026–27