• Opera performance lights up bamboo theater

    Philippe Lopez / AFP - Getty Images

    A man walks by the Bamboo Theater, a 800-seat temporary theater made of bamboo to house a special series of Cantonese opera shows, in Hong Kong on Feb. 12, 2013.  Cantonese opera -- where actors wear elaborate costumes and make-up, and must be adept at elaborately choreographed martial arts as well as singing -- was recognized as "intangible cultural heritage" by UN cultural agency UNESCO in 2009.

    Philippe Lopez / AFP - Getty Images

    An actress looks on in the backstage of the Bamboo Theater.

    Philippe Lopez / AFP - Getty Images

    An actor performs at the Bamboo Theater.

    Philippe Lopez / AFP - Getty Images

    Actors perform at the Bamboo Theater.

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  • Beijing imparts traditional Chinese opera to youth

    Andy Wong / AP

    A girl is applied with makeup before training at a summer camp organized by the Peking Opera House in Beijing, China on Aug. 14, 2012. The two-day course is held to attract public interest in the traditional Chinese performance.

    Andy Wong / AP

    A girl is applied with makeup before training at a summer camp organized by the Peking Opera House in Beijing on Aug. 14.

    Andy Wong / AP

    A kid wears a monkey mask during a summer camp organized by the Peking Opera House in Beijing on Aug. 14.

    Andy Wong / AP

    School children learn traditional Chinese Peking Opera during a summer camp organized by the Peking Opera House in Beijing on Aug. 14.

    Andy Wong / AP

    Participants watch a performer during a Peking Opera summer camp organized by the Peking Opera House in Beijing on Aug. 14.

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  • Dead Sea fortress in Israel to be the set for 'Carmen'

    Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images

    Actresses walk towards a special stage set up against the backdrop of the ancient hilltop fortress of Masada, in southern Israel, for a full dress rehearsal of George Bizet's opera "Carmen" on June 6. Israeli maestro Daniel Oron will conduct the Israeli opera orchestra and chorus with lead roles being sung by international opera singers.

    Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images

    Actresses put on makeup before the start of a full dress rehearsal of George Bizet's opera "Carmen" to be performed on a special stage set up against the backdrop of the ancient hilltop fortress of Masada, southern Israel, on June 6, 2012.

    This is the third major opera to be staged at the site of the Judean fortress, but possibly the first to feature Flamenco dancers from Spain, donkeys, horses and sheep.

    Masada is a UNESCO world heritage site and natural fortress overlooking the Dead Sea. Constructed by Herod the Great, a was the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman army in 73 A.D. The Roman siege works surrounding the plateau are the most complete in the world.

    More about the festival on their website (warning: music starts when page loads) 

    

  • Matthias Hiekel / EPA

    Romanian-norn soloist Roxana Incontrera, center, and members of the company of the State Opera rehearse Kurt Weill's 'Street Scene' on the stage of the Semper Opera in Dresden on Wednesday, June 15. The production by Bettina Bruinier premiers on June 19.

    'Street Scene' opera rehearsal in Dresden

    By Elena Grothe

    This reminds me of an SNL skit.

  • An opera in the desert

    Oded Balilty / AP

    Opera singers walk to the stage for a rehearsal of Verdi's opera, Aida, which is being performed at the foot of the historic mountain of Masada, Israel, on May 31.

    Oded Balilty / AP

    Performers prepare for a rehearsal of Verdi's opera, Aida, near Masada on May 31.

    Darren Whiteside / Reuters

    A member of Israel's opera performs during a dress rehearsal of Verdi's Aida near Masada on May 31.

    Verdi's Aida will be performed at the foot of the ancient mountain fortress of Masada, in the Judean desert close to the Dead Sea.

    UNESCO inscribed Masada as a World Heritage Site in 2001, describing it thus:

    Masada is a rugged natural fortress, of majestic beauty, in the Judaean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. It is a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel, its violent destruction and the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman army, in 73 A.D. It was built as a palace complex, in the classic style of the early Roman Empire, by Herod the Great, King of Judaea, (reigned 37 – 4 B.C.). The camps, fortifications and attack ramp that encircle the monument constitute the most complete Roman siege works surviving to the present day.

  • Marcelo del Pozo / Reuters

    Cast members perform during a rehearsal of "El Oro del Rin" opera by Richard Wagner at the Maestranza theatre in the Andalusian capital of Seville on Nov. 2. The show will run November 4, 6, 8 and 10.

    Hanging out for high-tech opera

    While obviously a staged moment, this image from a modern interpretation of a Wagner opera in Spain certainly jumped out in a night filled with election photos.

    This article from Reuters profiles how another Wagner Opera is going high-tech to appeal to a broader, and younger audience.