Corinne Winters Makes Much-Anticipated ROH Debut

September 22, 2016

“A great actor, Winters had a regal calmness about her, which suited the gorgeous, rich warmth in her sound. Her ‘Per pietà’ was phenomenal, paced beautifully; she always found room for her best sound, and still she had lovely agility saved for the end. Winters negotiated extraordinarily long lines in a slower-than-necessary quintet. [Her] singing is top-notch, full of style and individuality…”

— Schmopera

Photo by Stephen Cummiskey

Corinne Winters makes her much-anticipated Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut in her adopted hometown as Fiordiligi in a new Jan Philipp Gloger production of Mozart's Così fan tutte.

Conducted by Semyon Bychkov, the production also stars Angela Brower, Alessio Arduini, and Daniel Behle. The production will be simulcast in cinemas around the world on October 17, with future showings throughout the season.

Read more reviews: 

“Winters has a very pretty soprano voice, with warmth, real character and not a hint of wobble: her Act I aria “Come scoglio” (Like a rock) applied rather more correctly to Winters’ singing technique than to Fiordiligi’s constancy.”
Bachtrack

“This success is no doubt also down to a shining cast: Corinne Winters’s rich-toned Fiordiligi…”
The Stage

"Corinne Winters is superb in Fiordiligi’s famous aria “Per pieta” as she falls in love with the man who in real life is her sister’s fiance."
Daily Express

“Corinne Winters’s superbly conflicted Fiordiligi and Angela Brower’s more easy-going Dorabella — are well aware that they are falling for each other’s men.”
The Times

“Così is nothing if not an ensemble piece, and this cast is unusually well-matched vocally. Even so, there are standouts in the shape of Daniel Behle’s volatile Ferrando, and in the sheer spirit with which Corinne Winters’s by that point almost suicidally troubled Fiordiligi attacks every note of Per Pietà.”
The Guardian

“Winters is a splendid tormented Fiordiligi and sings her two highpoint arias with panache.”
Plays to See

“Winters’ Fiordiligi is indeed as ‘steady as a rock’ vocally: she has a bright, ringing top and she agilely leapt through ‘Come scoglio’.”
Opera Today

“American Corinne Winters was an indecisive Fiordiligi with a warm and beautiful soprano. She was particularly good in the arias ‘Come scoglio’ and ‘Per pietà’, delivered with touching sensitivity and sadness. Fantastic.”
Fanáticos da Opera

“Probably the best sung Così that I have ever seen. With American soprano Corinne Winters glorious as Fiordiligi…it produces a wonderful evening.”
Daily Express

“When Fiordiligi (Corinne Winters) pours out her torment in “Per pietà” and then succumbs to the rapture of forbidden love in the duet “Fra gli amplessi”, it’s clear Mozart isn’t being ironic but the staging doesn’t quite support this emotional truth. With her impressively weighty voice, Winters isn’t perhaps an ideal Fiordiligi, but she has a thrilling stage presence and offers an intriguing and detailed performance.”
Blouin Art Info

“As the two with the most stage time, Dorabella (Brower) and Fiordiligi (Winters) have the most daunting of vocal tasks. But carry it they do, with Winters’ mastery of melisma and technical delivery being particularly noteworthy. This is a young cast, but one that carries the mantle of Mozart’s great work without strain.”
Exeunt Magazine

“Three performances stand out in particular, and the first is that of Corinne Winters as Fiordiligi. This may be her Royal Opera debut, but she seems totally at ease as she ensures that ‘Per pietà, ben mio, perdona’ becomes a definite highlight of the evening. Her voice is extremely rounded so that the high notes almost do not seem to be because they feel so rich and full.”
musicOMH

“Both Corinne Winters and Angela Brower give delightful accounts of the young women. Winters in particular sings a Fiordiligi of rare range and beauty, with surprisingly strong mezzo notes as well as a radiant upper range.”
What’s On Stage

Corinne Winters Makes Debuts in Italy, England in Summer 2016

July 14, 2016

Soprano Corinne Winters makes a series of role and company debuts this summer, beginning with her first Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, sung in concert under the baton of Semyon Bychkov at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Winters will make her Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut in the same role in fall 2016.

Winters also joins bass-baritone Bryn Terfel in concert with the Welsh National Opera Orchestra at the 2016 Henley Festival. The United Kingdom's only black tie festival, Glamour called Henley "the future of festivals."

The summer season concludes with a concert version of Verdi's Falstaff with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, led by Edward Gardner. Winters sings her first Alice opposite the world's leading Falstaff, Ambrogio Maestri.

Read reviews: 

"Corinne Winters, in peachy voice, offered an impish Alice, leading Windsor's 'Merry Wives' in their plotting to teach Sir John a lesson or two. Deliciously phrased, Winters' Alice is the real deal, soaring in ensemble, sighing in mock adoration at Falstaff's clumsy courting."
Bachtrack

"Corinne Winters’s Alice and Justina Gringyte’s Meg were a fearsome pair: Winters’ soprano soared…"
The Guardian

"Gardner certainly knows how to assemble a cast. Corinne Winters, as Alice Ford, was a perfectly chosen foil for Maestri: all knowing smiles, flashing eyes and sassy self-confidence, with a voice as bright as it was expressive. Falstaff didn't stand a chance."
The Arts Desk

"Corinne Winters and Justina Gringyte were the sexiest Alice and Meg I’ve heard; watchful and witty."
The London Times

Rolando Sanz to Make Metropolitan Opera Debut

June 24, 2016

Photo by Kristin Hoebermann

Tenor Rolando Sanz makes his Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2016/17 season in Mozart's Idomeneo, under the baton of Maestro James Levine. The production will be simulcast in cinemas worldwide via Met Live in HD.

Sanz returns to the Met roster for productions of Verdi's La traviata, Strauss's Salome, and Beethoven's Fidelio. Sanz also sings Beethoven works in concert as tenor soloist in the Mass in C Major and Choral Fantasy with Spoleto Festival USA and as tenor soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Asheville Symphony.

For tickets and more information, visit www.rolandosanz.com.

Corinne Winters to Bookend Her 2016/17 Season at Royal Opera House

April 6, 2016

Corinne Winters will open her 2016/17 season with her Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut this fall as Fiordiligi in a new Jan Philipp Gloger production of Mozart's Così fan tutte.

She will return to close out her season as Violetta in the beloved Richard Eyre production of La traviata, marking her first London Violetta since her explosion onto the international opera scene in the 2013 English National Opera production.

Così fan tutte performances will run September 22 – October 19, 2016, and will also feature Angela Brower as Dorabella, Daniel Behle as Ferrando, and Alessio Arduini as Guglielmo. The October 17 performance will be screened live in cinemas in over 35 countries.

Winters will appear in La traviata June 27 – July 4, 2017, alongside Atalla Ayan as Alfredo and George Petean as Germont. The July 4 performance will be featured as a live, free relay to several outdoor screens as part of BP Big Screens.

Tickets for both productions will be available via the Royal Opera House website.

Amanda Majeski to Debut at Washington National Opera on 2016/17 Opening Night

March 8, 2016

Amanda Majeski will make her Washington National Opera debut as the Countess in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro on opening night of the 2016/17 season. 

The Kennedy Center production will complete a trilogy of opening night Figaro performances for Majeski, a run that began at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 and continued at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2015.

Majeski will be joined by Lisette Oropesa as Susanna, Joshua Hopkins as Count Almaviva, Ryan McKinny as Figaro, and Aleksandra Romano as Cherubino, under the baton of James Gaffigan in a Peter Kazaras production.

Performances will run September 22 – October 2, 2016, with the September 24 performance simulcast to Nationals Stadium for the popular M&M’S Opera in the Outfield event.

More information >

Photo by Todd Rosenberg

Amanda Majeski to Return to Metropolitan Opera in 2016/17

February 17, 2016

Photo by Kelly and Massa Photography

Amanda Majeski will return to the Metropolitan Opera in the 2016/17 season in her house debut as Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Majeski's Elvira has been praised for her "wonderful vocal and psychological specificity" (Philadelphia Inquirer) and deemed "a revelation. A strange figure, Donna Elvira, but made human by Majeski's devastating rendition of her plight." (Broadway World)

Fabio Luisi will conduct performances on November 1, 4, and 10, 2016, also starring Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role, Matthew Rose as Leporello, Malin Byström as Donna Anna, Ramón Vargas as Don Ottavio, Nadine Sierra as Zerlina, and Adam Plachetka as Masetto.

Amanda will also perform as part of the 50th Anniversary Gala, celebrating the Met's golden anniversary in its home in Lincoln Center. Tickets are available through the Met website.

Amanda Majeski Stars in Season Opener at Lyric Opera of Chicago

September 26, 2015

Photo by Todd Rosenberg

““Amanda Majeski’s Countess Almaviva proved the high point of the evening. She inhabited her role in such a way that its essence was illuminated, transcending the ludicrous stage business thrust upon her. Majeski exuded a radiant humanity that strongly recalled the late Elisabeth Soederstroem – and what a Jenufa or Katya Kabanova Majeski may prove to be! Her account of the fiendishly difficult “Dove sono” was notable for poise and polish, luminously sung and launched with a grandly phrased, deeply felt recitative. In a still young career, Majeski has moved from strength to strength.” GB OPERA MAGAZINE”

Amanda Majeski returns to her home company, Lyric Opera of Chicago, as the Countess in their season-opening production of Le nozze di Figaro, a role that also served as her Met debut last season. Critics have praised her Countess as "transcendent," (Stage and Cinema) responsible for "some of the opera’s most moving moments and most exquisite singing." (Chicago Sun-Times)

The cast includes Luca Pisaroni as the Count, Adam Plachetka as Figaro, Rachel Frenkel as Cherubino, and Christiane Karg as Susanna. Conducted by Henrik Nánási, performances run through October 24, with tickets available on the Lyric's site.

Read reviews:

"Luca Pisaroni and Amanda Majeski are both fine Mozarteans... Majeski sings with her customary poise, her creamy soprano blending beautifully with that of German soprano Christiane Karg."
Chicago Tribune

"His adoring, long-suffering, elegant wife, Countess Almaviva is Illinois-born soprano Amanda Majeski. The Countess’ pain is dealt with comically early on as she gorges sweets on the gargantuan bed she once shared with her husband. But some of the opera’s most moving moments (and most exquisite singing) come when she recalls the joys of her earlier days of passion with the Count, and then, in a duet with Susanna, she dictates a love letter suggesting an assignation between Susanna and the Count."
Chicago Sun-Times

"Amanda Majeski sang “Porgi amor” with delicate but resonant pathos and fluid evenness across registers."
Chicago Classical Review

"Majeski’s soprano is both luminous and ringing, and in the heart-breaking aria “Dove sono,” she moved convincingly from aching despair to a firm resolve to recapture the Count’s affection."
Musical America

"From one of the evening’s first gestures – Amanda Majeski, stately as the Countess, pulling the curtain down instead of letting it rise – one knew that this production would play up the opera’s mischievousness no less than its spectacle. But the Versailles bordello aesthetic that runs through much of this production’s visual style didn’t come close to overshadowing the vocal talent, which is very strong. Majeski’s trilling vibrato is most distinctive..."
Bachtrack

"Pisaroni is well-matched by Amanda Majeski, whose noble heart redeems her wayward husband. Her tender and delicate singing approaches the transcendent, from the poignant solo aria “Porgi amor” to the breathtaking duet “Sull’aria” (with Christiane Karg)."
Stage and Cinema

"Amanda Majeski’s Countess Almaviva proved the high point of the evening. She inhabited her role in such a way that its essence was illuminated, transcending the ludicrous stage business thrust upon her. Majeski exuded a radiant humanity that strongly recalled the late Elisabeth Soederstroem (and what a Jenufa or Katya Kabanova Majeski may prove to be!). Her account of the fiendishly difficult “Dove sono” was notable for poise and polish, luminously sung and launched with a grandly phrased, deeply felt recitative. In a still young career, Majeski has moved from strength to strength, justifying Lyric Opera’s confidence in its former Ryan Opera Center member."
GB Opera Magazine