As the ballet and opera world continue to react to Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet's now infamous remarks about not wanting to work in ballet or opera because no one cares about them anymore, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra gives more than enough reason to care with its upcoming opera themed concert happening on March 13, 2026, 7:30 PM at the Metropolitan Theater.
Billed as Opera, the seventh installment of the PPO's 41st season sees British soprano Katerina Mina headlining the concert performing opera arias by Giuseppe Verdi (Pace, pace mio dio from La forza del destino), Umberto Giordano (La mamma morta from Andrea Chénier), and Giacomo Puccini (Vissi d'arte from Tosca). She will also perform Angel of Fire, which is her poetry set to music by composer Stephan Hodel.
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| Katerina Mina |
Angel of Fire is also the title of Katerina Mina's 2018 album with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, who is currently the PPO's music director and principal conductor. The title track and all the arias in the concert program are part of the album that has been presented to King Charles of Britain.
Born in Cyprus and based in London, Mina is a prizewinning artist renowned for her powerful stage presence and wide-ranging repertoire, from Verdi and Puccini to Wagner and contemporary works. She recently starred in the world premiere of Three Women and has performed leading roles in classic operas, including Turandot, Tosca, Brünnhilde, and Isolde.
Mina’s vocal performances through the years drew raves from various critics, citing her “deeply passionate vocal sound,” having “added layers of depth and visualisation to the work that any singer coming after her will be hard put to replicate…”, with a “mature voice that has a given place in any Music Hall. Critics praise her as “one of those clear-as-a-bell soprano voices, displayed with great charm to the top of the register, and with generous volume.”
A versatile concert performer, Mina has performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cyprus Symphony, and other orchestras across Europe, Japan, and Mexico. Mentored by British dramatic soprano Susan Bullock, Mina has received the Stockholm Culture Award in recognition of her contributions to opera.
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| Grzegorz Nowak |
The concert will also feature Verdi's Overture to La forza del destino as well as Jeffrey Ching's Ring Symphony, a large-scale orchestral work based on Richard Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung cycle.
The previously announced world premiere performance of Jerry Dadap's Symphony No. 5 The Wrath of Prakṛti (nature) & Ragatmika-Bhakti (devotion) will be programmed for next season.
The PPO will also have an Opera Cosplay Challenge inviting audience goers to dress up inspired by any opera and/or ballet or as an orchestra musician for a chance to win merchandise and tickets to the PPO's season finale concert. Or just to let Timothée Chalamet know that people still care about ballets, operas, and orchestras. Complete mechanics can be seen at the PPO's social media pages.
