Fred Plotkin

There is a certain kind of “how did she do that?!” wow that voice cultists discuss when they hear sopranos hit a high F. Here are some other examples.

At a time in which there are so many stories of challenge for small opera companies, Palm Beach Opera appears to have successfully reinvented itself, writes Fred Plotkin.

Fred Plotkin reviews the 2015-16 season announcement from the Metropolitan Opera and finds a lot to like.

Mozart's "Orientalist" opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio" recently opened in Paris. As Fred Plotkin writes, it avoided an agit-prop juxtaposition of cultural clash.

As opera capitals, Paris and London had their ups and downs in the 1970s, but at their best they offered cheap tickets and top talent, writes Fred Plotkin.

For a person with physical disabilities, getting to the opera can pose particular challenges. Blogger Fred Plotkin offers some tips for those who are less mobile.

Russian speakers from the former USSR are a very important part of New York’s audience for opera and classical music. Fred Plotkin considers the roots of their passion.

Reduced price tickets to live Met performances come in various forms. Blogger Fred Plotkin examines where the best deals are.

The Merry Widow is about money and whether it can bring happiness and salvation, a theme that is all too relevant today, writes Fred Plotkin.

Sometimes we hear a singer and immediately think of future roles for which they'd be suited. Then memory of past singers comes into play. Blogger Fred Plotkin explains.

It is likely that Verdi was not religious and had a healthy skepticism for many institutions, including church and state, writes Fred Plotkin. But his Requiem makes a powerful impact.

Read a synopsis before attending an opera, arrive early and don't wear noisy bracelets on your arms. These are a few of Fred Plotkin's New Year's suggestions for operagoers.

As a new exhibition of documents tied to St. Francis of Assisi comes to Brooklyn, blogger Fred Plotkin considers the ways in which he influenced classical music and opera.

In 2014, blogger Fred Plotkin heard 76 opera performances by 28 companies. "I am happy to report that there is a lot of wonderful, innovative work being done everywhere," he reports.  

A surprising number of opera singers take an interest in the music of 1960s Motown, Fred Plotkin writes. Which Motown song do you think could work in a recital repertoire?

New Yorkers is home to various annual Messiah performances but Dublin is where it all got started. Blogger Fred Plotkin visits the site of the premiere.

Surveying Ireland's opera scene, Fred Plotkin writes, "I have found many reasons to hope for an operatic revival and a couple of causes for concern."

Hotels must meet a few requirements for blogger Fred Plotkin, including a clean room and a comfortable bed. He recently discovered one hotel with dozens of classical radio stations.

On November 21, soprano Jessye Norman was honored at the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s 80th luncheon in the grand ballroom of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

Flyers often take refuge in inflight entertainment to pass the time when sleeping proves impossible. But blogger Fred Plotkin finds the classical music offerings variable.