A well-traveled guest conductor, Emmanuel Villaume was music director of the Spoleto Festival USA for ten years. He’ll be only the third music director in Dallas Opera history.

Today in the roundup: Dallas Opera has a big announcement, the DMA hands out some awards and Amphibian Stage Productions stages a controversial piece.

Today in the roundup: The DIFF winners, a big weekend for The Dallas Opera and the classical sister act coming to town.

Today in the roundup: ‘The Rite of Spring’ returns, local music bits and composer Dominick Argento on the ghost who helped him write.

Today in the roundup: Reviewing Stage West’s 4000 miles, the Perot packs ‘em in and the mezzo-soprano’s role in opera.

Today in the roundup: A return engagement for The Dallas Opera, how a film accurately captures Renoir at work and Stage West’s busy schedule.

Today in the roundup: The evolution of opera supertitles, new acquisitions on display at the DMA and eulogizing Van Cliburn.

Today in the roundup: More on SMU’s arts research center, props for the Perot and opera’s contribution to pop culture.

… thanks to Dallas Opera, which will project the Bugs Bunny cartoon, ‘What’s Opera, Doc?’ before it simulcasts its live stage production of Turandot. You know. as a curtain raiser. Oh. And it’s also returning to offering four shows next season, including that opera about robots.

But they’re called ‘black box operas’ — for the kind of small venues they get staged in. Enough of a trend that maybe the opera world is splitting in two?