ARIA SERIOUS?

We apologize for the delay, there were technical difficulties beyond our control, but here now in all of its glory is the Madama Butterfly Artist Roundtable from last week. This was one of our best yet witth a lively group of singers. Funny too.

Tonight, at 5:30 PM, the cast of Madama Butterfly will get together for a panel discussion on our current production which opens next week. Patricia Racette , Carlo Ventre and stage director Garnett Bruce (plus others) will be on hand to answer questions from the audience. The discussion is free, and will be held in the Beverly Sills Salon of the Civic Theatre (1100 3rd Ave. Downtown, San Diego). So why not watch less TV and take a trip downtown, get some insight into Madama Butterlfy and treat yourself to a nice meal at Currant or our favorite, Cafe Chloe . We hope to see you there! - Edward

Sure, it is only in 2-D , but below is the entire Peter Grimes roundtable for your viewing enjoyment. Some insights, some bad jokes -- ok, plenty of bad jokes -- and a debate on whether or not Peter Grimes is guilty or not is covered in the clip below. Take a look, come see Peter Grimes and then join the debate yourself.

This Thursday night, at 5 :30 PM, the cast of Peter Grimes will get together in the Beverly Sills Salon to talk about our upcoming production. The panel discussion will run for an hour and it is an impressive list of artists who will be present. I mean, if I didn't have to work it already I'd attend on my own; it's going to be that good. For those of you who would rather sit at home and watch must-see-Thursday-TV, or live outside of San Diego, we'll have it online in about a week. -- Edward

Last Thursday, the cast of Rigoletto got together for a very enjoyable panel discussion about the opera. In case you missed it, we've placed the entire thing on YouTube that you can watch below. Enjoy! -- Edward

Reviews. Sweet glorious reviews. We have a few in from Saturday night and they all have a theme in common. Don Quixote is a special night out. I'd been saying that all along but it is finally nice to have that verified by people who are smarter than I am. I tend to like reviews, good and bad, because I have a bunch of very smart critics who manage to teach me a thing or two each opera. I have my opinions watching each opera and sometimes it is nice to see that I'm noticing things that people who are paid to notice things are noticing. But really, let's be honest; I really only like the good ones. And boy these are good: "What do you get when you acquire the services of Italian basso Ferruccio Furlanetto to perform [the] opera’s title role here in San Diego?", asks David Gregson of SanDiego.com ."Eyes full of tears and a heart that feels a little floppy until you work off your vapors in a standing, cheering ovation." Marcus Overton of the San Diego Union...

The cast of Don Quixote will be getting together tomorrow night, Thursday, February 5 at 5:30 PM in the Beverly Sills Salon of the Civic Theatre to have a talk about the opera during our Artist Roundtable Event. Now's your chance to congratulate Ferruccio on his Olivier Award nomination in person . And oh, if you do come, be sure to ask Eduardo Chama if he's ever performed in a version of Don Quixote that used live animals. His response will be worth the price of admission alone. That price of admission? Free. For those that can't make it, we'll have the whole thing up on YouTube next week. How's that for service? -- Edward

The cast of Tosca including Sylvie Valayre (Tosca), Marcus Haddock (Cavaradossi), Geer "Opera God" Grimsley (Scarpia) as well as conductor Edoardo Muller and director Andrew Sinclair got together to discuss Tosca last Thursday night in San Diego in front of a packed house. Through the wonders of the internets (which we still think is just a fad) we bring this conversation to you... Enjoy. -- Edward

I've been so busy preparing for our Artist Roundtable tonight it just dawned on me local Aria Serious readers can come and meet the cast of Tosca . The Roundtable begins at 5:30 PM and features just about everyone involved with this one -- from the singers to the conductor to the director. The Artist Roundtable is held in the Beverly Sills Salon of the Civic Theatre (1100 3rd. Ave, Downtown San Diego) and is free. For those with plans already or are simply too far away, we'll have it up online sometime next week in its entirety. Hope to see you there! -- Edward