The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Robinson Crusoé</em>The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Robinson Crusoé</em> The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Robinson Crusoé</em>The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Robinson Crusoé</em>

“When there’s so much to get right, unsurprisingly a lot can and, as we all know, does go wrong.”

I wanna be the one to walk in the sunI wanna be the one to walk in the sun I wanna be the one to walk in the sunI wanna be the one to walk in the sun

Two recent Paminas feature in concerts at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

The best things I saw in 2025 were Nina Stemme and Les Arts FlorissantsThe best things I saw in 2025 were Nina Stemme and Les Arts Florissants The best things I saw in 2025 were Nina Stemme and Les Arts FlorissantsThe best things I saw in 2025 were Nina Stemme and Les Arts Florissants

I can’t say 2025 was my best operagoing year; apart from a superb Fille du régiment, most of my good nights at the opera were decidedly mixed affairs.

ManonManon

Manon / Wiener Staatsoper

Benjamin Bernheim and Kristina Mkhitaryan lead a live video broadcast from Vienna

Streamed January 17, 2026 at 1:00 PM
CarmenCarmen

Carmen / Metropolitan Opera

A live broadcast from New York starring Aigul Akhmetshina and Michael Fabiano

Streamed January 17, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Swing and missSwing and miss Swing and missSwing and miss

The oddball pairing of Bernie Williams and Jonathan Tetelman doesn’t quite knock it out of the park at Carnegie Hall.

The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>St. John the Baptist</em>The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>St. John the Baptist</em> The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>St. John the Baptist</em>The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>St. John the Baptist</em>

What do you get when you blend innovative 17th century composition, 1970s family drama, and one of the most sordid tales of the New Testament?

Nun the wiserNun the wiser Nun the wiserNun the wiser

Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Hildegard gives the Middle Ages the Bridgerton treatment at the Prototype Festival.

The best thing I saw this year was <em>Das Rheingold</em>The best thing I saw this year was <em>Das Rheingold</em> The best thing I saw this year was <em>Das Rheingold</em>The best thing I saw this year was <em>Das Rheingold</em>

Tobias Kratzer‘s production of Das Rheingold at the Bayerische Staatsoper was a resounding success.

Strangeness in the proportionStrangeness in the proportion Strangeness in the proportionStrangeness in the proportion

A pairing of rarities makes for an inspired evening with the Brooklyn Art Song Society.

The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Stiffelio</em>The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Stiffelio</em> The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Stiffelio</em>The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Stiffelio</em>

Looking back, this Stiffelio in Piacenza is the one I cherish the most.

La bohèmeLa bohème

La bohème / Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

Saimir Pirgu and Carolina López Moreno lead a live broadcast from Rome

Streamed January 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Erste BrautnachtErste Brautnacht Erste BrautnachtErste Brautnacht

Nearly three years after the premiere of François Girard’s Lohengrin at the Met, Parterre Box looks back at the production with a duet from Piotr Beczala and Elena Stikhina.

The best thing I saw in 2025 was Amartuvshin EnkhbatThe best thing I saw in 2025 was Amartuvshin Enkhbat The best thing I saw in 2025 was Amartuvshin EnkhbatThe best thing I saw in 2025 was Amartuvshin Enkhbat

I wasn’t alive during the golden age of Verdi baritones like MacNeil, Warren, or Gobbi, but hearing Amartuvshin Enkhbat live in an opera house must be the next best thing.

Lucky those people who are so anxious to believeLucky those people who are so anxious to believe Lucky those people who are so anxious to believeLucky those people who are so anxious to believe

A high-drama Vanessa by the Boston Symphony Orchestra offers something to believe in.

Dad, I’m seriaDad, I’m seria Dad, I’m seriaDad, I’m seria

Sir Simon Rattle and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra strike (almost) all the right notes in their new recording of Mozart’s Idomeneo.

Music is a womanMusic is a woman Music is a womanMusic is a woman

Dan Johnson on the unique voice of Hildegard composer Sarah Kirkland Snider — and why some music could only ever be written by a woman.

The best things I saw in 2025 were vocal recitalsThe best things I saw in 2025 were vocal recitals The best things I saw in 2025 were vocal recitalsThe best things I saw in 2025 were vocal recitals

I’m going with four outstanding, deeply personal NYC recitals

The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>In a Grove</em>The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>In a Grove</em> The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>In a Grove</em>The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>In a Grove</em>

I had the pleasure of going with some members of the Pittsburgh Opera to the PROTOTYPE Festival in New York at the start of the year- almost unfortunate it was so early on in 2025 because it set my expectations for the year so high!

VanessaVanessa

Vanessa / Boston Symphony Orchestra

Jennifer Holloway, Samantha Hankey, and Anne Sofie von Otter lead a live broadcast of Barber‘s opera from Boston

Streamed January 10, 2026 at 8:00 PM
I puritaniI puritani

I puritani / Metropolitan Opera

A live broadcast from New York

Streamed January 10, 2026 at 1:00 PM
I puritaniI puritani

I puritani / Metropolitan Opera

A live broadcast of the new production of Bellini‘s opera live from New York

Streamed January 10, 2026 at 1:00 PM
The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Festen</em>The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Festen</em> The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Festen</em>The best thing I saw in 2025 was <em>Festen</em>

It’s a dazzling, shocking, and entertaining 100 minutes – one of the best new operas I’ve seen.

Madama ButterflyMadama Butterfly

Madama Butterfly / Metropolitan Opera

Ailyn Pérez sings the title role in a live broadcast from New York

Streamed January 9, 2026 at 7:55 PM