How does an opera written in 1735 hold up today? Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of George Frideric Handel’s Ariodante presents a contemporary perspective on the nearly 300-year-old Baroque opera, with updated gender and sexual politics to boot.

This article was originally published on February 23, 2016.

Have you ever wondered how opera singers are able to sing so many notes so easily? Mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux shares her secrets to singing coloratura.

Maestro Harry Bicket shared what’s in his “little box of tricks” to help musicians in modern orchestras sound period perfect.

“Ariane et Bachus” was first performed by the Académie Royale de Musique in 1696, and Haymarket Opera Company’s production marks the first revival of work in 321 years.

When exploring the jungles of South America, perhaps one of the last things you would expect to find are centuries old scores by European composers like Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Bassani, and Hasse. But that’s exactly what Father Piotr Nawrot encountered in Jesuit Missions located in modern-day Bolivia, along with the score to an opera, San Ignacio, which receives its Midwestern premiere …

“Telemann has written… some truly funny arias about Don Q.’s dreams of chivalry and Sancho’s donkey and mishaps”

Pieces of music that turned the art form into something it hadn’t seen.