In the spirit of Mary Schmich's famous "Sunscreen" speech, Olivia Giovetti offers up a commencement address for the class of 2012 with advice gleaned entirely from the operatic canon.

“I love opera!” Fred Plotkin is so frequently told. “I have seen The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables ten times each and have every record by Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo and the Three Tenors!”

In honor of Strauss's birthday, blogger Olivia Giovetti looks at how Strauss "created one of the world’s most perfect operas" with Salome, and considers the impulses he gives his characters.

There are many operas that people simply don’t need to hear re-recorded. Confess your favorites.

With many opera houses soon shutting their doors for the summer, if they have not done so already, those of us who love the art form must look elsewhere. Here are about a dozen opportunities.

Opera companies have presented Puccini’s Il Tabarro on an oil tanker, a setting of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass in a Brooklyn park and Fidelio in a prison. Blogger Olivia Giovetti considers the power of site-specific works.

Olivia Giovetti takes a look at a new release by Robert Hollingworth's ensemble I Fagiolini, which reconstructs a Gabrieli work and places Viadana in the context of Monteverdi.

Although no new music has been composed for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, taking place this week, an opera by Benjamin Britten deserves to be revived for the occasion, writes blogger Fred Plotkin.

A cadre of soloists and vocal artists make this weekend's New York Philharmonic performances of Falla and Orff enticing. Read on for Olivia Giovetti's review.

Sooner or later, we all must say farewell. To blogger Fred Plotkin, the best operatic leave-taking is Wotan’s farewell in Die Walküre. What would your exit music be?

Before singing Carmina Burana this weekend with the New York Philharmonic, tenor Nicholas Phan will indulge in yoga, Bach and writing. Read on for more in the newest installment of our Warm Up series.

Verdi's operas — with their themes of anti-authoritarianism and democracy — spelled danger for the various governments that controlled the occupied Italy in the mid 19th century.

Summer in classical music usually involves a lot of travel. But as blogger Olivia Giovetti reveals, choice vocal offerings can be found this summer at Lincoln Center, Caramoor and the Bard Festival.

Nine Stemme and Eric Owens offered standout performances in Thursday's concert performance of Strauss's Salome by the Cleveland Orchestra. Blogger Olivia Giovetti reviews the rainy-night performance.

Misery loves company, which leaves it in good, well, company in the world of opera. Read on for Olivia Giovetti's ten most miserable characters in the canon, and leave your own nominations.

A new production of Verdi's Falstaff at London's Royal Opera House updates the setting to 1950s England in a way that is "fresh, vibrant and relevant" writes Fred Plotkin.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's death last week reminded blogger Fred Plotkin of "an indelible day in 1976, when my path crossed with the baritone in the most amusing way." Here's what happened.

With Wes Anderson's newest film, Moonrise Kingdom, set to open this Friday, Operavore blogger Olivia Giovetti looks at the operatic overtones set by the film director.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, hailed as one of the great interpreters of lieder of the last century, died early Friday in the Bavarian Alps.