One of the toughest tickets to get in New York is amongst our Best Bets: March 9th – March 15th. But there’s more than one way to see that one! Plus I’ve got a tour, world premieres, a project based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetry and the return of a beloved stage actor to small theater.
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE – Metropolitan Opera – New York, NY – March 9th – April 4th
Director Yuval Sharon makes his Metropolitan Opera debut with this new production of Wagner’s opera. Lise Davidsen sings the role of Isolde and Michael Spryes, in his Met debut, sings the role of Tristan.
Also in the cast are Ryan Speedo Green as King Marke, Ekaterina Gubanova as Brangäne and Tomasz Konieczny as Kurwenal.
The seven performances of Tristan und Isolde have sold out. An additional matinee on April 4th has bene added. For that one performance Stuart Skelton will sing the role of Tristan and Stephen Milling will sing King Marke.
Yannick Nézet-Seguin conducts all performances.
The March 21st performance will be shown in theaters around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD series. Since I can’t get to New York to see my favorite opera, this is going to be how I experience it.
For in person tickets (and some hoped for cancellations), please go HERE. For Live in HD locations and tickets, please go HERE.
RAY – THE RILKE PROJECT – 2220 Arts + Archives – Los Angeles, CA – March 10th
Pianist Vicky Ray combines the poetry of Rainer Marie Rilke with music having its world premiere alongside works by Katherine Balch, Peter Eötvös, Charles Ives and others.
The new music was composed by Steuart Liebig, Joseph Pereira and David Rhodes. Ray will recite the poetry and is joined by special guests Elissa Johnston and Pereira.
The works will be performed in various configurations including piano and electronics, piano and percussion, piano and voice and solo piano.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
SILKROAD: SANCTUARY: THE POWER OF RESONANCE AND RITUAL TOUR – Multiple Venues – March 10th – March 28th
Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens and Silkroad Ensemble embark on a tour this month across the United States. The show, in the words of the press release, explores “how much can help us better understand our world, find comfort, process loss and a changing environment, and rebuild community based on our own humanity.” Boy, do we need that now!
In addition to Giddens, the members of Silkroad Ensemble are Layale Chaker, Shawn Conley, Sandeep Das, Haruka Fujii, Maeve Gilchrist, Karen Ouzounian, Mazz Swift, Niwel Tsumbu, Francesco Turrisi and Kaoura Watanabe. Maura Durante and Mehdi Nassouli are guest artists.
The tour begins on March 10th at Bowling Green University in Ohio. March 12th they will be at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN and continue to Chicago’s Harris Theater on March 15th. On March 19th and 20th they will perform at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley followed by a March 22nd performance at the Center for the Arts at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. On March 26th they will be at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre in Rochester, NY. They close out the tour with stops on March 27th at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville, NY and the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ on March 28th.
For tickets and more information, click on the dates for each venue above.
HELLO, AMERICA: LETTERS TO US, FROM US – American Composers Orchestra – Carnegie Hall – New York, NY – March 11th
Four world premieres and a New York premiere make this concert by the American Composers Orchestra compelling. Carolyn Kuan leads the orchestra for this concert that is part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival.
The concert opens with the world premiere of Haymaker by Shelley Washington. Amanda Gookin is the feature soloist on cello and kick drum.
That is followed by Joseph C. Phillips Jr.’s We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident. This four-movement work is accompanied by a film by Malik Isasis for this world premiere.
Brittany J. Green’s Letters to America follows. This world premiere was written for soprano Karen Slack. Kite and Cosmologyscape Ensemble collaborated on the last world premiere entitled Cosmologyscape.
The concert closes with the New York premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Procession which was first performed in 2024 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Montgomery reworked the piece in 2026 and that version is being performed in this concert.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
ULSTER AMERICAN – Irish Repertory Theatre – New York, NY – March 6 – May 10th OPENING NIGHT: March 15th
David Ireland’s play was awarded two prizes at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival: The Scotsman Fringe First and the Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland for Best New Play.
This is the American premiere of the play which centers around a playwright (Geraldine Hughes) and an actor (Matthew Broderick) who visit their director (Max Baker) to discuss their upcoming world premiere. What starts out as a routine conversation quickly descends into chaos as the three individual clash about, well, just about everything.
Anyone who has experienced Broderick on stage knows that he is truly a man of the theater and quite entertaining on stage. His presence, combined with the play itself, will likely make this a tough ticket.
Ciarán O’Reilly directs.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
That’s all for Best Bets: March 9th – March 15th.
Enjoy your week! Go see a show!
Main Photo: Lise Davidsen and Michael Spryes in Tristan und Isolde (Photo by Karen Almond/Courtesy Met Opera)