Articles tagged as Opera | Smithsonian Magazine

Cool Finds

He Designed the Sydney Opera House…But Wasn’t Even Invited to its Opening

Somehow, an inexperienced architect and a mismanaged project still produced one of the world’s most iconic buildings

August 6, 2015

Marian Anderson as Ulrica in the Verdi opera Un ballo in maschera

Marian Anderson performed as the fortuneteller Ulrica in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera

January 8, 2015

Marian Anderson performing at the DAR Constitution Hall.

Four Years After Marian Anderson Sang at the Lincoln Memorial, D.A.R. Finally Invited Her to Perform at Constitution Hall

A benefit concert presaged the opera singer’s eventual rapprochement with the Daughters of the American Revolution

April 9, 2014

This bronze portrait bust of German composer Richard Wagner, sculptured by artist Arno Breker, resides in Bayreuth, Germany, home of the annual festival honoring his work.

The Brilliant, Troubled Legacy of Richard Wagner

As the faithful flock to the Bayreuth Festival in his bicentennial year, the spellbinding German composer continues to fascinate, inspire and infuriate

July 23, 2013

Tenor Darren Abraham plays Albert White, the previously unsung steelworker and bicycling champ.

An Opera for an English Olympic Hero

Lal White was forgotten by many, even residents of his small English factory town, but the whimsical Cycle Song hopes to change that

July 2012

George Frideric Handel (at age 64 in 1749) produced works, including Messiah that dazzled even the musical titans who would succeed him.

The Glorious History of Handel’s Messiah

A musical rite of the holiday season, the Baroque-era oratorio still awes listeners more than 250 years after the composer’s death

December 2009

In 1907, recordings were interred in metal urns at the Palais Garnier, to be reopened in 100 years

A Record Find

How The Phantom of the Opera led me to a long-lost musical treasure in Paris

March 2008

Strathmore’s production about the first African American opera company will feature the Morgan State University Choir and director Eric Conway.

Lifting their Voices

Paying tribute to America’s first black opera

January 30, 2008

35 Who Made a Difference: Renée Fleming

The soprano is renowned for her beguiling voice and presence

November 1, 2005