Cornetti’s Candid Concert and LIVE Afterparty

From Verdi to Broadway, Marianne Cornetti performs the music she loves. Join the internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano and Pittsburgh Festival Opera artistic director, accompanied by pianist Walter Morales, for this once-in-a-lifetime concert followed by a LIVE candid conversation with WQED-FM’s Anna Singer and the Pittsburgh Festival Opera team.

Marianne Unstaged

If you enjoyed Cornetti’s Candid Corona Conversations on social media and our website, you’ll love these extended videos of Marianne’s lively chats with the movers and shakers from Unstaged, Pittsburgh Festival Opera’s pandemic edition season (in a socially distant safe space, of course) or via Zoom. Hear previously untold stories from both the opera stars of today and our world renown Young Artists Program faculty who are teaching the opera stars of tomorrow as they reminisce with our own opera star, Marianne Cornetti.

July 11: Carl Tanner and Danielle Pastin

July 18: Rob Frankenberry, Rob Chafin, Nancy Maultsby, and Maria Spacagna

July 25: Christine Goerke and Alexandra Loutsion

Pit Crew: Singer-Free Sundays

As we give the singers a day off, we’re showcasing the fabulous members of our amazing Pittsburgh Festival Opera Orchestra. You don’t often get to see them, but you certainly hear their extraordinary talents from the orchestra pit. Now, get up-close and personal in three gorgeous chamber music concerts with the musicians who make opera magical.

July 12: BEO String Quartet

July 19: PianOpera featuring Young Artist Sky Lee, Young Artists Program Director Rob Frankenberry, Conductor Walter Morales, and Young Artists Program Alum Ruiran Xun

July 26: Flautist Lindsey Goodman and Young Artists Program Director Rob Frankenberry

Leitmotif: Walking through Wagner

In advance of Pittsburgh Festival Opera’s upcoming concert production of Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, Marianne Cornetti walks through the wonders of Wagner with the talents who bring his works to life. Join us as Marianne interviews famed Wagnerian Soprano Jane Eaglen, along with Soprano Elisabeth Rosenberg and Tenor Kevin Ray, who will perform this fall as Brünnhilde and Siegfried respectively in concert when we can safely return to the stage.

I, Too, Sing

I, Too, Sing: A Celebration of the Lives and Works of Classical Vocal Composers of the African Diaspora is a panel discussion aimed at initiating a series of discussions and recitals about the gap of representation in classical vocal literature by African-descended composers. The innovative event features an internationally recognized panel of performers, scholars and authors including Scholar-in-Residence of the Seattle Opera Naomi André, author of Black Opera: History Power Engagement, Pittsburgh’s own award-winning poet, educator and blogger Cameron Barnett, author of The Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water, Conductor and Artistic Director of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh and Director of Opera Studies at Carnegie Mellon University Thomas W. Douglas, Director of Programs at Pittsburgh’s Arts Education Collaborative and Performing Artist, Anqwenique Kinsel, and International Opera Singer, Kevin Short. Hosted, created, and moderated by Teaching Artist Candace Burgess, this community discussion kicks off a seven-performance recital series being produced by Pittsburgh Festival Opera between August 2020 and February 2021.

Composer Spotlight: Mark Adamo

As part of Unstaged, PFO’s pandemic season, Mark Adamo’s comedic opera gem Lysistrata (2005), has been rescheduled for the 2021 Festival. In anticipation, Marianne Cornetti interviews the prolific composer Mark Adamo whose acclaimed operas include Little Women (1998), The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (2013) and Becoming Santa Claus (2015). Stage Director of Lysistrata Derrick R. Brown and Conductor Robert Frankenberry will join the conversation for an exciting preview about what to expect from our imaginative 2021 production.

Putting It Together: PFO’s Online Young Artists Program

What does it take to reimagine an entire opera festival? What happens behind the scenes when a full cast of singers and directors are suddenly working hand-in-hand with … an iPhone? In a preview for the August centerpiece of UNSTAGED, our reimagined pandemic season, come behind the scenes with us into online voice lessons and coaching and experience how the PFO team worked together to create the Online Young Artists Program.

Rusalka: A Mermaid’s Tale

Our famed children’s opera moves from stage to (smaller) screen. The in-school opera was performed for hundreds of enthusiastic Pittsburgh Public Schools children this past winter, introducing kids and families to Dvorak’s Rusalka in a 45-minute setting in English with our fantastic cast of Teaching Artists. Now, the mini-opera is making its way to your home for everyone to enjoy. Recommended for children from K-5.

Festival Finale

Concert, cocktails and conversation as we stage the final event of UNSTAGED, our pandemic season. Join hosts Anna Singer and Robert Frankenberry for our fun festival finale, as they send off Pittsburgh Festival Opera’s virtual season in style! There will be performances, interviews, and few cocktails along the way as we raise money to support the artists and the art of the opera.