The English National Opera’s new production of Dead Man Walking, which was performed at the London Coliseum in November of 2025 has won a 2026 Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production. The performances featured Christine Rice as Sister Helen Prejean and Michael Mayes as Joseph De Rocher.
To read more about ENO’s production or to watch video clips, please click here.
The 2026 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording was given to Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Intelligence. The recording was from the world premiere at Houston Grand Opera, with Kwamé Ryan, conductor; Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges and Janai Brugger; Blanton Alspaugh, producer.
The recording is available here:
You can order the vocal score here:
For additional information, please click here.
Composer Peter Boyer and photographer/video artist Joe Sohm have been commissioned to create a major new work entitled American Mosaic, for narrator and orchestra with video, in celebration of “America250,” the United States Semiquincentennial, in 2026.
The American Mosaic project is a co-commission of multiple orchestras. The Kennedy Center / National Symphony Orchestra is the lead commissioner, with Thomas Wilkins scheduled to conduct the premiere performances of the work, February 19-22, 2026. Other co-commissioners include the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for the Cincinnati Pops, narrated by Martin Sheen and conducted by John Morris Russell (March 13-15, 2026); Pacific Symphony, conducted by Alexander Shelley (May 28-30, 2026); the Des Moines Symphony, conducted by Joseph Giunta (dates TBA); and the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Butterman (May 7-9, 2026).
Additional orchestras and conductors are expected to join the commissioning consortium, with performances in summer and fall 2026, and to be announced at a later date.
Included here are links for the programs featuring American Mosaic, from the National Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, and Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra.
The American Mosaic project is also being developed as a potential television program for 2026. More information may be found here.
Composer Steven Morrell and Picnic Productions announce the availability of Pups of Liberty – In Concert.
Dogs, cats, in tricorn hats? Yes please! Pups of Liberty is a group of animated films created by veteran Disney animators Bert and Jennifer Klein. The American Revolution comes to life with the British as cats and the Founding Fathers as dogs- including Spaniel Adams, Paul Ruffere, and Bonejamin Franklin.
Composer Steven Morrell has written a score that evokes the excitement, adventure, and resolve of the American Colonists as they fight for freedom. The orchestration is very conservative, ensuring successful performances with minimal rehearsal time. Technical requirements are straightforward and easily implemented by virtually any venue with projection capabilities and a PA system.
Pups of Liberty in Concert premiered in 2024 with the Baylor University Symphony Orchestra led by maestro Miguel Harth-Bedoya as part of its Youth Outreach concert series. The performance was an overwhelming success and proved to be an audience pleaser with students, teachers, and parents alike. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence it is a perfect addition to any pops, children’s/family, or film music program.
A complete performance package consisting of score, parts, and digital video/audio files is available for rental exclusively through Bill Holab Music.
Bring Pups of Liberty to your venue!
For more information please click here.
Vivian Fung’s String Quartet No. 4 “Insects and Machines” has been nominated for a JUNO award as Classical Composition of the Year. Commissioned by the Red Bank Chamber Music Society and recorded by the Jasper String Quartet, the work is inspired by the composer’s recent trip to Cambodia to research an opera she is writing with librettist Royce Vavrek, in part based on her family’s ancestral roots.
Lucidity, a new opera by composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist David Cote premiered at the Abrons Arts Center in November 2024, in a stunning production by On Site Opera. The work deals with the challenging issues of aging and memory loss, in a profound way, by focusing on music’s effect on the brain.
In her twilight years, a retired singer grapples with dementia while her son forsakes his music career to care for her. Their lives converge with a young clarinetist and a music therapy researcher, igniting an exploration of music and memory. Amidst their individual struggles, moments of joy and profound sacrifice illuminate their intertwining paths.
The work featured a distinguished cast that included Lucy Shelton, Blythe Gaissert, Cristina Maria Castro and Eric McKeever. Directed by Sarah Meyers, with musical direction by Geoffrey McDonald.
The Memphis Composers Institute, a new collaboration between the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, The Walden School, and the University of Memphis, debuts this February as a unique opportunity for emerging composers to develop their orchestral writing. The program culminates in a February 9 concert featuring the world premieres of four new orchestral works, including D. J. Sparr’s viola concerto, Extended Play, performed by Kimberly Sparr.
The Memphis Composers Institute was Sparr’s brainchild, and he reflects on the collaboration, saying, “I’m honored that The Walden School, Memphis Symphony, and University of Memphis came together to create the Memphis Composers Institute. More than anything, I’m excited for Sina Karachiani, Soomin Kim, and Evan Erickson to hear their orchestral pieces come to life and participate in this incredible weekend of music-making and camaraderie.”
As Artistic Coordinator, Sparr helped shape the program into a weekend of rehearsals, mentorship, and collaboration. A faculty member at The Walden School’s Creative Musicians Retreat, D. J. is also a frequent collaborator with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra as an electric guitar soloist and composer. A distinguished composer-performer, his work has been praised as “exemplary” (Gramophone) and “iridescent and wondrous” (The Mercury News).
The Memphis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kyle Dickson, will perform these new works at Harris Hall, University of Memphis, on February 9, 2025, at 2:00 PM.
Read more about the Memphis Composers Institute:
https://waldenschool.org/memphis-composers-institute-2025/
American Opera Projects (AOP) is proud to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the premiere of As One, the chamber opera that the esteemed company commissioned and premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 4, 2014. Created by Kimberly Reed, Laura Kaminsky, and Mark Campbell, this highly innovative work–which traces the experiences of its transgender protagonist in her formative years–has since been produced in 60+ venues in the U.S., Europe, Canada, South America, and Australia. The original production starred Sasha Cooke and Kelly Markgraf, with Steven Osgood conducting the Fry Street Quartet and Ken Cazan directing.
AOP’s Interim General Director Charles Jarden says, “For more than three decades, AOP has been a major force in developing new opera. While I am gratified with the monumental success of As One, I am equally thrilled that the opera has increased the visibility of trans people in our world and our industry.” Adds Amy Cassello, Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, “BAM is very proud to have played even a small part in the launch of this groundbreaking opera.”
When asked why As One is so appealing, co-librettist and filmmaker Kimberly Reed explains: “More than anything else, I think Laura, Mark, and I sought to create a joyful story centered on a character who gives audiences a chance to empathize. And laugh. And maybe cry.”
Lucia Lucas and Blythe Gaissert in Atlanta Opera’s As One (photo by: Raftermen)
Adds Alexandra Enyart, who has frequently conducted the opera: “As One has changed the trajectories for transgender performers around the country. For many companies, As One marks the first time they’ve ever featured a transgender person on stage. Even better, many companies have used As One as a springboard to include transgender people in roles and stories of all kinds.”
Lucia Lucas, who performed in the Atlanta Opera production (and stars in the Tobias Picker/Aryeh Lev Stollman opera, Lili Elbe), says: “I am so thankful to Kim for sharing her story and bringing it into the medium of opera with Mark and Laura. Some of the scenes perfectly encapsulate moments I have experienced in my life; it was very powerful to play those moments on stage.”
“As One has been an important part of my own personal and professional story.” continues Lucas Bouk, who has also performed in the opera. “It has helped me explore what it means to be trans, how to tell my own story, and how to create community.
Lucas Bouk and Georgia Jacobson in Lyric Opera of the North’s As One (photo by: Michelle Skirda)
But the story of As One doesn’t end there. In 2022, the creative team decided to leverage the success of their work and conceived the True Voice Award to support the training of transgender and nonbinary opera singers. Washington National Opera (WNO) agreed to administer the bi-annual award. Francesca Zambello, Artistic Director, WNO, says, “We are proud to be the home of the True Voice Award and grateful for these amazing artists who allow us to be an integral part of their artistic journey.” Adds Christopher Cano, Director, Cafritz Young Artists and the American Opera Initiative, WNO: “Nonbinary and trans artists deserve to have a place in our world, to have their stories told, and to have their voices heard with honesty and pride.”
On this landmark day, AOP extends its gratitude to the many companies that have produced As One in the decade since its premiere and to Kimberly, Laura, and Mark for creating the work.
Marc A. Scorca, President and CEO of OPERA America, perhaps best summarizes the impact of the work: “The beauty and emotional impact of As One fueled the expansion of American opera into alternative venues and repertoire that resonates with the world around us. It earned its place as the most performed new work of the last decade and changed the opera landscape.”
Selections from As One
Click here to inquire about the 10th Anniversary tour.
Chandos Records is releasing digital singles of their second volume of orchestral music by Kenneth Fuchs. The entire album was released globally on all platforms on June 14. The album, Light Year, includes world-premiere recordings of four new works:
Light Year: Suite for Orchestra after Six Paintings by Helen Frankenthaler
Eventide: Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Percussion, Harp, Celesta, and String Orchestra
Point of Tranquility: Idyll for Winds, Brass, Strings, and Percussion after a Painting by Morris Louis
Listen to Point of Tranquility: III. Maestoso
The scope and flair of the playing in this second volume of Fuchs’s orchestral works, and the range of music presented, make it essential listening.”
— Adrian Edwards, Gramophone, July 2024
The album is available for order here.
The second volume in this Chandos series devoted to the orchestral music of the contemporary American composer Kenneth Fuchs (b.1956) proves to be as enjoyable as the first, and those attuned to Fuchs’ instantly accessible body of work will be entranced once more by the variety on offer here.
— Graham Williams, HRAudio.net
With a host of world-class producers and under the auspices of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment and IHeart Media, Davis Miller dedicated three years to producing, writing and hosting this show, the first genuinely visceral telling of his life-transforming, life-enlarging, genuinely unique and life-affirming friendship with the Great Man. This is not your typical podcast series; it is instead an uncompromisingly tender, artfully detailed, immersive fathers-and-sons sound movie based on his no. 1 international bestselling book, “The Tao of Muhammad Ali.”
Miller worked with co-librettist Mark Campbell and composer D.J. Sparr to create the acclaimed opera Approaching Ali based on the book. For more information, please click here.
To listen to the podcast, please visit your favorite podcast app:
