Category: people

“[Her] debut with the New York City Opera on May 15, 1946, was thought to make her the first African American woman to appear with a major U.S. opera company.” In 1954, Williams “became the first black artist to sing a major role with the Vienna State Opera.”

The country’s most prominent author says that only decriminalization can end drug smuggling and the violence it has spawned in Mexico, leaving more than 50,000 people dead over the past five years.

The 52-year-old crossover opera star has now taken on the role of creative consultant to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and her opera career keeps on morphing. What will she do next, and why?

She won an Oscar for her design of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula” in 1992, but the designer didn’t stop with movies. “Ishioka spread her talent across a variety of genres. She tried her hand at opera, designing the set and costumes for Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle at the Netherlands National Opera, and she directed Bjork’s controversial music video for the 2002 single Cocoon.”

What does one of the most famous living science fiction writers listen to? “It’s called ‘The Original Sound of Cumbia: The History of Colombian Cumbia & Porro as Told by the Phonograph 1948-79’ and it was compiled by someone who calls himself Quantic. I’d call it dance music but what do I know? Do I dance to it? Not that I’d readily admit to.”

“On Broadway, Arliss starred opposite Stacy Keach in ‘Indians’ and with Kevin Kline and John Malkovich in ‘Arms and the Man.'” And she moved from “The Sting” to “Xanadu” and Clint Eastwood’s “Firefox.”

One of the most admired interpreters of Jan Sibelius, Berglund held chief conductor posts with the orchestras of Bournemouth, Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen and conducted most of Europe’s top orchestras during his career.

“Handsome, with a sculpted chin and wavy black hair, Mr. Farentino was best known for recurring roles on television series and TV movies.”

“From Lucian Freud to Roald Dahl, creative talents have long been rejecting honours from the Queen. But why? Maybe they just don’t want to be part of an elite gang of Fred Goodwins.”

“[He] was considered ‘the greatest since Marlon Brando’ by John Osborne and reckoned by Samuel Beckett to be ‘touched by genius’; but his prickly temperament helped derail what might have been one of the great theatrical careers.”