Opera watch.(Brief Article)

1. Defying rumors that her 1998 Met run as the Countess in Capriccio marked her U.S. opera farewell, KIRI TE KANAWA will take on Samuel Barber's Vanessa for her company debut next season at THE WASHINGTON OPERA. Vanessa, a co-production with Dallas Opera, is set to begin an eight-performance run on October 19.

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA and the UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT have announced a new academic partnership that will provide UConn's School of Fine Arts students with behind-the-scenes access to the Met. RAYMOND AND BEVERLY SACKLER, longtime supporters of the Met and of a range of UConn programs, were instrumental in creating the partnership, which will encompass multiple activities, including production internships and the auditing of Met rehearsals.

2. RUTH BADER GINSBURG, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and a lifelong opera fan, addressed contestants at Round 2 of the ChevronTexaco Quiz Kids competition on January 9 in Washington, D.C. The Quiz Kids' three finalists, determined during Round 3 of the competition in Houston in February, will be featured on the ChevronTexaco broadcast of Falstaff on April 6.

3. Manhattan's new AUSTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM tower, located on 52nd Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues, will open to the public this month. Commissioned by the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and designed by RAIMUND ABRAHAM, the tower will be a venue for ...