Stuart Skelton

He may look like a particularly burly member of the Aussie rugby team’s front row, but Stuart Skelton’s voice can do anything from packing a gut-wrenching emotional punch to capturing the subtlest shifts in a character’s psychology. Amanda Holloway meets a singer who is primed to become one of the great Heldentenors of our time as he tackles his first Tristan this spring

The Far East is opening up to new opportunities for emerging artists, and there is a wealth of talent hoping to reach top of the profession as opera singers. Our Bangkok-based correspondent Robert Turnbull meets four young Asian singers who are already well along the way

What makes South Korea such fertile ground for young singers? As a generation of extraordinary Korean talent makes its presence felt in the international opera scene, Robert Turnbull discovers why South Koreans are playing such a prominent role in the globalisation of culture

What you’re looking at isn’t a still from the Hollywood’s latest sci-fi blockbuster. This is the opera house of the future, a sensual, organic confection of aluminium, glass, timber and polished stone that has just opened its doors in the Chinese city of Harbin.

There has been a proliferation of opera festivals in Europe over the past few decades, with a score of newcomers joining the grand old masters that celebrate the evolving traditions of opera across the continent. In our Summer Festivals preview, we contrast some of the biggest players in this crowded field with lesser-known but equally rewarding events that link Europe’s cultural heritage from the Scandinavian north to the Mediterranean south

One of the most exciting Italian tenors of his generation, Riccardo Massi’s passionate lyrico-spinto voice and his dark matinee-idol looks make him an ideal interpreter of opera’s romantic heroes. Be careful what you say about him, though: he’s also an expert swordsman and likes to live dangerously – qualities that can come in useful on the operatic stage.

On a visit to some of Italy’s most renowned cultural destinations, Professor Anthony Ogus warns the expectant traveller that long-standing reputations can be deceptive

Wrong directions

Rafael Todes is impressed by a stereo microphone that offers high-quality recording in a mini device