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Francis Ford Coppola may have created the "Godfather" films, but these days, the real godfather of the Coppola clan is his uncle Anton Coppola.   "I don't know if I like the Mafioso connotations of that," said Mr. Coppola, who is 99 and still composing, conducting and devoting his life to opera. He is also uncle to the actress Talia Shire, a...

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When it comes to playing a hunch-backed dwarf, Michael Corvino is head and shoulders above the competition.   The Bronx-born baritone is in Phoenix to star as the title character of Arizona Opera's "Rigoletto." It's a role he's sung in more than 100 performances at New York City Opera and companies around the globe.   Read more  ...

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The 39th Season of the Long Prairie Chamber Orchestra is set to begin with a resounding Viva L'italia! Conductor Adam Tervola Hultberg from New York Mills, has selected the best of Italy as the theme for the October 26 Concert, including pieces by Mendelssohn, Von Suppe, and Cerulli. The concert will be held at the LPGE High School auditorium in L...

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You know those Italian standards such as "O Sole Mio," "Come Back to Sorrento" and "Funiculì, Funiculà" — those tunes you hear everywhere, from TV commercials to movies to Italian restaurants to Looney Tunes cartoons? They all come from the heartfelt, seaside region of Naples, aka, Napoli (pictured above).   If you have a soft spot for these...

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by Tonya Russo Hamilton "Se avete due pani, vendetene uno e comprate un fiore, perché anche l'anima ha fame." If one has two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a flower, for the soul also has hunger. This Italian proverb spoken by Cindy Felice's mother throughout her life signifies her journey from childhood arts appreciation to becoming...

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by Warren Boroson    New Jersey has had its share of famous singers. Frank Sinatra, Jon Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Sarah Vaughn.   Opera singers, too. Frederica von Stade, Barbara Bonney, Richard Crooks, Dorothy Kirstin, Paul Robeson (he did occasionally sing opera). And now...James Valenti, born in...

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By Roy Proctor Richmond will launch its 2013-14 opera season with two salutes in honor of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's 200th birthday. Virginia Beach-based Lyric Opera Virginia will commence its four-event season this month with "Viva Verdi!" a program of Verdi scenes, in the Oates Theater at the Collegiate School.   Read more  ...

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The Wagnerian Ring Cycle is dark and moody and takes patience and study to understand. Contrast it with the typical Italian operas that are light and bright like the Italian cities and countryside where they take place. The characters in a Rossini opera are all recognizable, albeit a tad exaggerated, and we understand well their parts in the play....

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By Mauro Battocchi The San Francisco Opera company has announced an ambitious calendar of ten operas this season, up from eight last year.   Included from the Italian opus will be Vincenzo Bellini's Norma (Sep 5 - 30, 2014), Giuseppe Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera (Oct 4 - 22, 2014), Gioachino Rossini's La Cenerentola (Nov 9 -26, 2014), Marco...

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By Nancy Gilson On a sultry Saturday afternoon, Alessandro Siciliani stood at the front of an old church in the University District, directing the principal singers in a rehearsal of the 125-year-old opera Cavalleria rusticana. Despite the heat, he waved his baton, jumped, stomped a foot and hummed along during some of the most dramatic momen...

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