Mariusz Kwiecień

The versatile Thai baritone Saran Suebsantiwongse is one of a growing band of talented singers in Southeast Asia who are forging ahead on the international stage. His multifaceted operatic career has already encompassed works from Monteverdi to Britten and includes appearances at the Wexford Festival, in contemporary Thai opera in Tasmania, and resuscitating an all-but-forgotten operatic sketch by Schubert based on a Hindu myth

The highly personable Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien´ brings a combination of dashing elegance and brooding seduction to the roles he performs, from the dangerous charms of Don Giovanni to the mystical eroticism of Szymanowski’s King Roger. He tells Warwick Thompson why he hates people trying to define him, either professionally or personally

Sydney may have the ‘wow’ factor’ with its architectural marvel of an opera house, but Australia is full of operatic riches which deserve more international recognition, both as hotbeds for new talent and for their distinctive productions of opera, rooted in vibrant cultural communities across the country. Phillip Sommerich reports

The soloists have jetted back home, the orchestra have packed away their instruments and the conductor has laid his baton to rest. Meanwhile, the hard work has only just begun for Phil Rowlands, the studio producer of Naxos’s new Ring cycle with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Francis Muzzu reports on progress so far

Annechien Koerselman has countless opera productions to her name, both with cutting-edge chamber ensembles and in some of Europe’s largest opera houses, such as the Deutsche Oper Berlin. The 41-year old director is about to take on the biggest challenge of her career so far: Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in a new production in the Danish city of Odense.

As the great Austrian dramatic soprano Hilde Zadek celebrates her 100th birthday, Opera Now pays tribute to a singer who showed an extraordinary resilience and determination throughout her operatic career, and who continues to champion young voices through the international competition that bears her name

Few musicians have a deeper love and more intimate knowledge of Berlioz’s Les Troyens than the American conductor John Nelson. After almost half a century of conducting the work around the world, Nelson has finally committed this monumental opera to disc with near ideal forces. It was, he tells Francis Muzzu, worth the wait.