by Joe Shriner

Looking for music, a melding of culture, and a lot of family drama? No, this is not an article about French Quarter Fest. On Friday night and Sunday afternoon, the New Orleans Opera Association will perform one of Puccini’s most beloved operas, Madame Butterfly, with a New Orleans-raised tenor appearing in one of the principal roles.

by Joe Shriner

Here’s a question for you: What do Shchedrin, Schnittke, and Shostakovich share in common besides having names beginning in “s” that are hard to pronounce? All three are prolific 20th century Russian composers who lived under Soviet rule. All three orchestrated passionate music incorporating elements of irony and dissonance. And all of them had the ability to create moods that could best be described as deeply emotional and, well, funereal.

It’s a fine day for theatre, with opera at Mahalia Jackson and Fringe Fest all over the city. Head to Saturn bar for some music and dancing tonight, and catch Papa Mali on Oak. On this day in 1972, Baton Rouge police killed Southern University students Denver A. Smith and Leonard Douglas Brown during a nonviolent protest.

by Mary-Devon Dupuy

Some write off opera as stuffy or boring, but they've probably never been to an opera. Once in the theatre witnessing giant voices belting out in ways that test the limits of the diaphragm, and contemplating a plot that is rife with incestuous desire, suicide, and decapitation, it's hard to remember those reservations from the edge of your seat. If you’re generally not much an opera person or have never seen a live operatic performance, this weekend's presentation of Richard Strauss' Salome by the New Orleans Opera Association is a great place to start. 

Today, the New Orleans Opera belts out Richard Strauss’ Salome at Mahalia Jackson, the Stephen Petronio Company dances at NOCCA and Grimes plays a free show at Tulane. Earlier in time, Louisiana became "organized" territory, with Congress declearing the District of Louisiana (1805), and both Wynton Marsalis and Professor Longhair received Grammys (1988). Help yourself get organized tonight with this:

Met-imported cast leads Association at Mahalia Jackson Theatre.

On Friday evening, the Queen of the Night (Emily Hindrichs) ascended above the  Mahalia Jackson Theater stage

NoDef Reviews: New Orleans Opera - The Flying Dutchman

At the start of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, we learn that the title character, a classic antihero, has blasphemed the heavens. Consequently, he must spend eternity as a refugee wandering stormy seas, save one visit ashore every seven years to search for true love. The opera’s plotline might serve as a metaphor for the work itself. On Saturday, this ghostship crashed ashore in all of it’s symbolic and symphonic glory at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre as the New Orleans Opera closed out their season.

We interview Lise Lindstrom. 

Lise has become the stuff of opera legend in quick time. In October, she debuted in the Metropolitan Opera Company’s Lincoln Center production (legendary Zeffirelli) of Turandot on last minute notice, without so much a dress rehearsal. The quantity of ovations were exceeded only by the number of outstanding reviews.