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By Arthur Kaptainis on April 15, 2015
Arthur Kaptainis reviews Opera Atelier's Orpheus and Eurydice: "Dance fans with classical tastes will not be disappointed."
(Continue reading)By Joseph So on April 6, 2015
Musical Toronto's Joseph So catches up with Italian mezzo Serena Malfi, who is in Toronto for COC's spring 2015 production of Barber of Seville...
(Continue reading)By Neil Crory on April 1, 2015
It seems hardly possible that Opera In Concert (now rebranded as Voice Box/Opera in Concert) marks its 41st anniversary this past season. The organization - founded by the irrepressible vocal coach and pianist, Stuart Hamilton, C.M., – made its debut on October 21, 1974 with Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet. Since then they have presented over 150 different operas - most of them true rarities...
(Continue reading)By Jenna Douglas on March 25, 2015
The opera scene in Canada can be divided into two broad groups: those with real estate, and those without. Companies like the Canadian Opera Company own the Four Seasons Centre, which they use for their whole season. Other companies, like Opera 5, move between various venues for their shows. There is indeed a blurry line between a company owning its primary performance space, and a company's having a history of regular use in a specific venue, the way l'Opéra de Montréal uses space at Place des Arts. Generally speaking, though, larger opera companies have a fixed performance venue, and smaller, independent companies are more nomadic...
(Continue reading)By Michael Vincent on March 24, 2015
We just received word that German contralto Maria Radner along with her husband and baby, were among the 150 victims of the plane crash in the French Alps...
(Continue reading)By Joseph So on March 19, 2015
Since its premiere on December 17th 1864, Offenbach’s La belle Helene has remained one of the most popular of French operettas. It’s easy to see why – a piece that takes place in mythical Greece, with larger than life characters caught in improbable situations, set to an inspired score full of memorable tunes. For a work that celebrated its 150th anniversary last December, its hold on the public remains strong...
(Continue reading)By Michael Vincent on March 8, 2015
It’s early March, which means it’s time to step out of the winter boots and into a season where the air no longer hurts your face. This time of year also marks the annual New Creations Festival, which included one of the most-talked-about and hippest operas going: Written on Skin by British composer George Benjamin...
(Continue reading)By Michael Vincent on February 27, 2015
The visual art world has been exploring the role of the Internet in our lives for over a decade but, in music, the concept has been slower to catch on...
(Continue reading)By Tyler Versluis on February 18, 2015
From his irreverent early work with Bang on a Can in the late 1980’s, to his more recent appointment as professor of composition at Yale University, David Lang juggles a dual role as an iconoclast and respected new music figure...
(Continue reading)By Joseph So on February 10, 2015
For diehard voice fans, there’s nothing like a vocal competition. You get to hear (and see) young artists strutting their stuff, striving for fame and glory, not to mention prize money. The Christina and Louis Quilico Awards is a competition with a twist – it’s only open to current Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio members. The 2014-15 COC Ensemble Roster is a particularly strong one with some wonderful singers, so this promised to be good. The event took place last evening at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Sadly, illness prevented tenor Andrew Haji from competing, and fellow tenor Owen McCausland was out in Victoria singing Arturo in Pacific Opera Victoria’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor. But the rest of the Ensemble was out in full force and it proved to be a highly enjoyable evening...
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