For a singer whose career was cut short in the 1960s by illness, Canadian-American bass-baritone George London’s presence still looms large in the opera world. His magnificent voice can be heard on recordings, including a 1960 Tosca with Renata Tebaldi that for many remains a definitive version of the Puccini opera, but it is the work of The George London Foundation for Singers that is his true legacy. Each year the Foundation awards tens of thousands of dollars to young American and Canadian singers who are in the early stages of their careers.
Rick Perdian
All the colors of the rainbow in Louis Langrée’s debut with the New York Philharmonic
United States Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin: Isabel Leonard (mezzo-soprano), Women’s Chorus from The Juilliard School, New York Philharmonic / Louis Langrée (conductor). David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York, 5.3.2020. (RP)
Vocal perfection from The King’s Singers at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue
United States An Audience with The King’s Singers – Various: The King’s Singers. Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York, 3.3.2020. (RP)
Ann Hallenberg and the Venice Baroque Orchestra pay tribute to Jenny Lind at Carnegie Hall
United States Various composers – The Swedish Nightingale: Ann Hallenberg (mezzo-soprano), Venice Baroque Orchestra / Gianpiero Zanocco (concertmaster and leader). Carnegie Hall, New York, 27.2.2020. (RP)
Glorious, triumphant Ninth Symphony caps the ORR’s Beethoven series at Carnegie Hall
United States ORR Beethoven Cycle [3]: Lucy Crowe (soprano), Jess Dandy (contralto), Ed Lyon (tenor), Matthew Rose (bass), Monteverdi Choir, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique / Sir John Eliot Gardiner (conductor). Carnegie Hall, New York, 23 & 24.2.2020. (RP)
An operatic take on The Halloween Tree delights at InsightALT 2020
United States Theo Popov, The Halloween Tree (concert version): Soloists, American Lyric Theater Chamber Orchestra, MasterVoices / Geoffrey McDonald (conductor). American Lyric Theater, Ailey Citigroup Theater, New York, 23.2.2020. (RP)
The ORR’s Beethoven at Carnegie Hall celebrates nature’s beauty and the triumph of the human spirit
United States ORR Beethoven Cycle [2]: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique / Sir John Eliot Gardiner (conductor). Carnegie Hall, New York, 20 & 21.2.2020. (RP)
Five exciting singers garner top prizes at the 2020 George London Foundation finals
United States Various composers – George London Foundation Awards Competition Finals: Soloists, Lydia Brown (piano), The Morgan Museum & Library, New York, 21.2.2020. (RP)
with 2020 George London Award winners (c) Jennifer Taylor