Mr. Calleja believes that modern opera productions also have to be believable, and said that he can recognize certain danger signals while rehearsing a new production.

WSJ: Joseph Calleja | Faust | Here to Deal With the Devil | Cultural Conversation by Barrymore Laurence Scherer

Among his recent roles are Emile de Becque in the Lincoln Center revival of "South Pacific" that recently toured Australia (a role that has been played by opera singers), and Stanley Kowalski in the coming modern-opera production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" at Chicago's Lyric Opera and New York's Carnegie Hall in March.

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Founded in 1973, Cloud Gate (it gets its name from China's oldest dance, dating back 5, 000 years) is on a nonstop voyage through world cultures, fusing tai chi, meditation, Chinese opera, modern dance and ballet into an art form that has captivated international audiences.

CNN: ASIANOW - Asiaweek

Over a period of seventeen days and nights, Spoleto presents opera, classical and modern music, theater, and dance.

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The English conductor Harry Bicket is well known for his skill at making modern-instrument orchestras like the Metropolitan Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago sound like period-instrument ensembles.

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They staged their more modern version in Sydney in 1990 for the Australian Opera when Luhrmann was just 28.

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It was a clever way to inject some vigor into the opera's second half and supply a modern twist to this old Romantic cautionary tale.

WSJ: Ghost Stories Sung | Spoleto Festival USA | By Heidi Waleson