Opera News

Opera News was an American classical music magazine. It was published from 1936 to 2023 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, a non-profit organization located at Lincoln Center which was founded to promote opera and also support the Metropolitan Opera of New York City. Opera News was initially focused primarily on the Met, particularly providing information for listeners of the Saturday afternoon live Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. Over the years, the magazine broadened its scope to include the larger American and international opera scenes. Published monthly, Opera News offered opera-related feature articles; artist interviews; production profiles; musicological pieces; music-business reportage; reviews of performances in the United States and Europe; reviews of recordings, videos, books and audio equipment; and listings of opera performances in the United States.

Opera News

The cover of the March 2020 issue, featuring soprano Diana Damrau
Editor-in-Chief	F. Paul Driscoll
Categories	Classical music/Opera
Frequency	monthly
Total circulation (2018)	51,578^[citation needed]
First issue	1936 (1936)
Final issue	2023
Company	Metropolitan Opera Guild
Country	United States
Based in	New York City
Language	English
Website	www.operanews.com
ISSN	0030-3607

The final Editor-in-Chief was F. Paul Driscoll. Regular contributors to the magazine included its former features editor, Brian Kellow, William Ashbrook, Scott Barnes, Jochen Breiholz, Erika Davidson, Justin Davidson, Peter G. Davis, Matthew Gurewitsch, Joel Honig, Tim Page, Judith Malafronte, Mark Thomas Ketterson, Martin Bernheimer, Ira Siff, Joanne Sydney Lessner, Anne Midgette, Drew Minter, William R. Braun, Phillip Kennicott, Joshua Rosenblum, Leslie Rubinstein, Alan Wagner, Adam Wasserman, Oussama Zahr, and William Zakariasen.^{[citation needed]}

The magazine was also available online.

On August 15, 2023, the Metropolitan Opera announced that the magazine would be discontinued in November and incorporated into the British magazine Opera.^[1]

History

Opera News^{[note 1]} was founded in 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild with Mrs. John DeWitt Peltz (Mary Ellis Peltz) serving as the publication's first editor.^[4] It was initially intended to be a "useful, instructive, and factual weekly newspaper of Opera in New York".^{[This quote needs a citation]} Its first issue was published on 7 December 1936 and consisted of only one folded broadsheet. Its second year of publication saw its transformation into a 17-page magazine with advertising, with its first magazine issue appearing on 15 November 1937. Beginning with the December 1940 issue, the magazine began to concentrate much of its content on the weekly Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. The magazine at this point offered bi-weekly issues of an expanded size during the Fall, Winter, and Spring, but was on hiatus during the summers. As time went on, the magazine began to take on a more international scope of coverage; but it still maintained a strong interest in the New York opera scene and the Met in particular.

Frank Merkling succeeded Peltz as the second chief editor of Opera News, with his first issue appearing on 14 October 1957.^[5] In 1972, the magazine became a year-round publication, adding monthly issues in the summer months while maintaining its bi-weekly schedule during the opera season. In 1974, Robert Jacobson became the magazine's third chief editor.^[6] Jacobson was succeeded by Patrick O'Connor (1988), who was succeeded in 1989 by Patrick J. Smith. In 1998, Smith was succeeded by Rudolph S. Rauch. Under the leadership of Rauch and executive editor Brian Kellow, the magazine switched to a monthly publication format in September 1998. F. Paul Driscoll, the final editor in chief, was appointed in July 2003.

Beginning with the June 2012 issue, the Metropolitan Opera said that Opera News would cease reviewing Met performances, following dissatisfaction among the Met leadership with the magazine's recent critiques of Robert Lepage's production of the Ring Cycle and of the company's direction under Peter Gelb.^[7] However, reactions from the public led to the decision being reversed.^[8][9]

Opera News Awards

From 2006 to 2023 the magazine annually bestowed five Opera News Awards for Distinguished Achievement.

Recipients of the awards included:

• 1st — 2006: James Conlon, Régine Crespin, Plácido Domingo, Susan Graham, Dolora Zajick^[10]
• 2nd — 2007: Ben Heppner, James Levine, René Pape, Renata Scotto, Deborah Voigt^[10]
• 3rd — 2008: Stephanie Blythe, Olga Borodina, Thomas Hampson, Leontyne Price, Julius Rudel^[11][12]
• 4th — 2009: John Adams (composer), Natalie Dessay, Renée Fleming, Marilyn Horne, Sherrill Milnes^[13]
• 5th — 2010: Martina Arroyo, Joyce DiDonato, Shirley Verrett, Gerald Finley, Philip Glass^[14]
• 6th — 2011: Jonas Kaufmann, Riccardo Muti, Patricia Racette, Kiri Te Kanawa, Bryn Terfel^[15][16]
• 7th — 2012: Karita Mattila, Anja Silja, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Peter Mattei, Peter Sellars^[17][18]
• 8th — 2013: David Daniels, Simon Keenlyside, Eric Owens, Mirella Freni, Dawn Upshaw^[19][20]
• 9th — 2014: Patrice Chéreau, Juan Diego Flórez, Christa Ludwig, James Morris, Nina Stemme^[21][22]
• 10th — 2015: Piotr Beczała, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Sondra Radvanovsky, Samuel Ramey, Teresa Stratas^[23]
• 11th — 2016: Joseph Calleja, Elīna Garanča, Waltraud Meier, Anna Netrebko, José van Dam^[24][25]
• 12th — 2017: Robert Carsen, Christine Goerke, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Matthew Polenzani, Frederica von Stade^[26]
• 13th — 2018: William Christie, Fiorenza Cossotto, Vittorio Grigolo, Hei-Kyung Hong, Sonya Yoncheva^[27]
• 14th — 2019: Ramón Vargas, Ailyn Pérez, Luca Pisaroni, Laurent Pelly, Rosalind Elias^[28]
• 15th — 2020: Thomas Allen, Javier Camarena, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Diana Damrau, Ana María Martínez^[29]
• 16th — 2021: Lawrence Brownlee, Janet Baker, Cecilia Bartoli^[30]
• 17th — 2022: Denyce Graves, Quinn Kelsey, Elza van den Heever^[31]
• 18th — 2023: Lise Davidsen, Erin Morley, George Shirley^[32]

Notes and references

Notes

1. The magazine The Opera News was published by the John Wanamaker department stores Wanamaker's in the early twentieth century.^[2][3]

References

1. Blum, ronald (2023-08-15). "US-focused Opera News, to cease publication in November after 87 years". Associated Press. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
2. "John Wanamaker collection, 1827–1987 2188". The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. from the original on 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
3. The Opera News at Google Books
4. Rothstein, Edward (1981-10-27). "Mary Peltz, Editor of Opera News". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
5. "New Editor". Daily News. New York City. 1957-04-13. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Robert M. Jacobson". Daily News. New York City. 1987-05-11. p. 35 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Wakin, Daniel J. (2012-05-21). "Latest Met Aria: Bad Opera News Is No News". The New York Times. from the original on 2021-03-14. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
8. Barton, Chris (2012-05-22). "The Met reverses policy, will allow Opera News to review productions". Los Angeles Times. from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
9. Tsioulcas, Anastasia (2012-05-24). "An Online Debate Of Operatic Intensity: The Met And Its Critics". Boise State Public Radio. National Public Radio. from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
10. Westphal, Matthew (2007-01-26). "Heppner, Levine, Pape, Scotto and Voigt to Receive 2006 Opera News Awards at Jan. 28 Gala". Playbill. from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
11. "Sigourney at Opera Awards". Newsday. 2007-10-15. p. A10. Retrieved 2022-03-16 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Westphal, Matthew (2007-10-10). "2007 Opera News Awards Go to Blythe, Borodina, Hampson, Price and Rudel". Playbill. from the original on 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
13. "John Adams Named Winner of 2008 Opera News Award". Nonesuch. 2008-08-04. from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
14. Guerin, Richard (2009-08-05). "2009 Opera News Awards". Philip Glass. from the original on 2018-06-07. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
15. Giovetti, Olivia (2011-04-18). "Working the Room with the 2010 Opera News Awards Recipients". WQXR-FM. from the original on 2017-05-12. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
16. "Sixth Annual Opera News Awards to Honor Jonas Kaufmann, Riccardo Muti, Patricia Racette, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa & Bryn Terfel". Opera News. 2010-08-04. from the original on 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
17. Sierra, Gabrielle (2011-08-02). "2011 Opera News Awards Honorees Announced". BroadwayWorld. from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
18. "2011 Opera News Awards to Honor Karita Mattila, Anja Silja, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Peter Mattei and Peter Sellars". Opera News. 2011-08-11. from the original on 2011-08-12. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
19. Denette, Kelsey (2012-08-07). "2012 Opera News Awards Honorees Announced". BroadwayWorld. from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
20. "2012 Opera News Awards Honorees Announced". Opera News. 2012-08-07. from the original on 2012-08-11. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
21. Ozery, Arielle (2013-09-11). "Honorees Announced for Ninth Annual Opera News Awards". BroadwayWorld. from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
22. "Patrice Chéreau, Juan Diego Flórez, Christa Ludwig, James Morris and Nina Stemme to be Honored at the Ninth Annual Opera News Awards". Opera News. 2013-09-10. from the original on 2013-09-15. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
23. "Tenth Annual Opera News Awards to Honor Piotr Beczala, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Sondra Radvanovsky, Samuel Ramey and Teresa Stratas". Opera News. 2014-12-09. from the original on 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
24. "2015 Opera News Awards Announces Five Honorees". BroadwayWorld. 2014-12-09. from the original on 2015-01-03. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
25. "Joseph Calleja, Elīna Garanča, Waltraud Meier, Anna Netrebko & José van Dam Named as 2016 Opera News Awards Recipients". Opera News. 2015-12-10. from the original on 2015-12-13. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
26. Mancuso, Christina (2016-10-31). "12th Annual Opera News Awards Are Announced!". BroadwayWorld. from the original on 2018-07-15. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
27. Salazar, Francisco (2017-11-01). "Opera News Announces 13th Annual Opera News Awards". OperaWire. from the original on 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
28. "Luca Pisaroni Named as Recipient of the 14th Annual Opera News Awards". Luca Pisaroni. 2018-11-05. from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
29. McPhee, Ryan (2019-11-26). "Anthony Roth Costanzo, Diana Damrau, More to Receive 2020 Opera News Awards". Playbill. from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
30. Salazar, Francisco (2020-12-04). "Lawrence Brownlee, Janet Baker & Cecilia Bartoli Lead Opera News Awards". OperaWire. from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
31. "South Africa's Elza van den Heever Named as Opera News Awards Recipient". SAPeople. 2021-11-09. from the original on 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
32. "The 18th Annual OPERA NEWS Awards". www.metguild.org. Retrieved 2023-08-20.

External links

• Official website
• Metropolitan Opera Guild