Albina Shagimuratova

Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova has been winning accolades around the world for singing that combines seemingly effortless virtuosity with dramatic and emotional heft. Robert Levine discovers that behind the soprano’s dazzling success on the international stage lies a story of family upheaval and personal tragedy

Clarie Middleton, chief executive of Hackney Empire, introduces an exciting new era for opera in one of London’s most artistically vibrant and culturally diverse boroughs

We asked our team of opera correspondents from around the world to give their choice of productions they would not want to miss in the 2016/17 opera season. Here’s what they decided upon, from classic favourites to bold novelties, from the comfortably familiar to the unexpected and the unexplored, encompassing the grandest international houses to modest local initiatives

As the man in charge of the Metropolitan Peter Gelb has one of the toughest jobs in the business, providing object lessons in crisis management on an almost daily basis. Sarah Murray meets the most powerful man in opera, who still finds his job fun, even while he’s busy averting the latest disaster

For Russian-born Ilona Domnich, singing encompasses everything it means to be human, providing a channel for her emotional, visceral and spiritual needs. She tells Opera Now how her international upbringing and sometimes painful life experiences have shaped her profound artistry

Seeing is believing

German director David Bösch has a tendency to overload his productions with ‘meaning’, though you end up leaving the theatre wondering if the barrage of visual prompts have added up to anything in particular. That was certainly the impression left by his new Trovatore, the last production in the ROH’s 2015/16 season

It’s good to be able to report that, moving on from its ill-advised Tosca several months ago, the latest installment of New York City Opera’s hoped-for renaissance proved victorious, thanks to some superb music-making and a production that captured much of the score’s magic

The Long March, whose 1 July premiere marked the anniversary of the founding of China’s Communist Party, was without question the hottest ticket in Beijing. It was also the biggest – and most political – of the NCPA’s 50 operatic productions to date

Festival focus

Festival focus

Festival focus

Festival focus

Festival focus