Classical

Amici Forever – Five classically trained opera singers from the around the world joined forces form an opera band. They uniquely blend contemporary pop and traditional opera in a style known as cross-over operatic pop. The group originally comprised Soprano – Jo Appleby (England), Soprano –  Tsakane Valentine (South Africa), Tenor –  Geoff Sewell (New […]

Herbert: Art Is Calling For Me… Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924), was a composer, cellist and conductor. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, raised in Germany and then moved to American in 1886 where he took up the position of cellist in a New York orchestra. In 1898, he became principal […]

Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann wanted to pursue a career as a pianist, but a hand injury end his dream: leaving him to focused his energies on composing. […]

Bizet: Agnus Dei… Flower Song… Habanera… Je Dis Que Rien Ne M’Epouvante… Seguidilla… Toreador Song… Votre Toste… Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875) was born on 25 October 1838 in Paris.  His father, Adolphe, was a hairdresser and wigmaker and his mother, Aimée, was an accomplished pianist. He was an only child.  He received his first […]

Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) was born in Lucca, Italy and has composed some of the most popular and frequently performed operas. His operas are famed for their wonderful melodies and many of his arias have introduced thousands of people to the joys of opera, an example being ‘Nessun Dorma’ from ‘Turandot’ which was used for the […]

Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni (7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria Rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music. While it was often held that Mascagni, like Leoncavallo, was a “one-opera man” who could never repeat his first […]

Beverly Sills (born Belle Miriam Silverman, May 25, 1929 – July 2, 2007) was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. Although she sang a repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Puccini, Massenet and Verdi, she was known for her performances in coloratura soprano roles in live opera and recordings. Sills was largely associated with the operas of Donizetti, of which she performed and recorded many […]

Vincenzo Salvatore Bellini was an Italian composer born in 1801. It is reported that he was a musically gifted child who composed his first pieces of music at aged 6. He studied music at the Conservatory of Naples. After finishing his studies he went to La Scala in Milan where he met the librettist (lyric […]