{"id":121096,"date":"2026-01-21T14:17:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T19:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=121096"},"modified":"2026-01-22T07:00:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:00:01","slug":"interview-conductor-daniela-candillari-talks-barber-seville-canadian-opera-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/01\/21\/interview-conductor-daniela-candillari-talks-barber-seville-canadian-opera-company\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Conductor Daniela Candillari Talks About The Barber Of Seville At The Canadian Opera Company"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_121098\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121098\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-121098\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-01-21T140904.016.jpg\" alt=\"Conductor Daniela Candillari (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-01-21T140904.016.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-01-21T140904.016-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-01-21T140904.016-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-01-21T140904.016-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-121098\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Conductor Daniela Candillari (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Daniela Candillari will conduct the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of The Barber of Seville. The opera, a COC co-production with Houston Grand Opera, Op\u00e9ra National de Bordeaux, and Opera Australia, takes the stage on February 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, and 21, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The production will be directed by Joan Font, inspired by Spanish street theatre, circus and commedia dell&#8217;arte, with an outsized set design and eye popping costumes by Joan Guill\u00e9n. It\u2019s an imaginative and whimsical production that breathes new life into a work that is among the best known operas in the world \u2014 even to those well outside the realm of opera aficionados.<\/p>\n<p>LV caught up to Candillari to talk about the show.<\/p>\n<h2>Daniela Candillari<\/h2>\n<p>Daniela Candillari has been the principal Conductor at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis since 2022. However, her career takes her well beyond The Gateway to the West. Her 2025-26 season includes guest appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Liverpool Philharmonic, Cabrillo Festival, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal along with her Canadian Opera Company engagement.<\/p>\n<p>Born in Serbia, and raised in Serbia and Slovenia, Daniela\u2019s grandmother was a professional opera singer. She experienced her first opera production at age five. While the rest of her family were athletes, she followed in her grandmother\u2019s footsteps, and began piano lessons at the age of six. However, the solitary life of a concert pianist didn\u2019t appeal to her, even though would later study piano performance at university in Austria. Her true interest was first sparked by chamber music and its collaborative atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>She began to work as a vocal coach. Fluent in six languages, she was ideal for the role. After graduation, she continued her studies at Indiana University in operatic vocal coaching, first as student, then as a faculty member. She also managed to find the time to earn a Master\u2019s degree in jazz piano.<\/p>\n<p>Daniela returned to Slovenia to work as head coach of the Slovenia National Opera, and that\u2019s where the role of conductor was first suggested to her. She became chorus master, then assistant conductor, and eventually went on to lead her own productions.<\/p>\n<p>On moving to New York City, she again started at the bottom of the operatic ladder, as a vocal coach. Within a few years, however, she had worked her way back into the role of a conductor.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JYPaPpWuR88?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h2>Daniela Candillari: The Interview<\/h2>\n<p>Candillari still calls New York City her home base, although she obviously travels frequently. She\u2019s enjoying the idea of working with the Canadian Opera Company.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve always loved the work that the Canadian Opera Company does,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m really, really thrilled to be coming to Canada and making my debut there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She relates that, as a pianist and student, she applied to audition for the COC years ago. However, she found out that candidates had to be Canadian in order to qualify.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was heartbroken. I came to Toronto, and I loved the city.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>The Barber of Seville<\/h3>\n<p>It will not only be her COC debut. It will be the first time she\u2019s conducted the entire opera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis will be my first time conducting it,\u201d she says. Daniela was already familiar with the work, having coached singers in it, and conducted the arias.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s looking forward to Joan Font\u2019s lively production.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the more boisterous the production is the better the music serves it,\u201d she says. \u201cThe Barber of Seville was one of the first operas I ever heard.\u201d She relates that both her mother and grandmother sang in it. Her grandmother, a mezzo-soprano, sang the role of Rosina.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy sister and my Mom would take me to the opera when I was a kid,\u201d she recalls. Her sister bought a recording of The Barber. \u201cMy sister and I just kept on listening it on repeat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In particular, she was fascinated with Figaro\u2019s role.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I was six or seven at the time. I couldn&#8217;t really verbalize what it was about the music that was intriguing me.\u201d Daniela says it was the spirit of the music that moved her. As she grew up and studied music, she appreciated Rossini\u2019s gradations, and the way he used musical motifs to add new ideas to the opera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s one of my favourite operas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She doesn\u2019t let its vast popularity or the comic way (perhaps largely due to the Bugs Bunny influence) that many people see it influence her impressions. \u201cI don&#8217;t really think about the influence that it had on popular culture,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Candillari points out that Rossini\u2019s Barber of Seville generated an enormous scandal at its premiere.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the 1816 debut at the Teatro Argentina could fairly be described as a complete fiasco. The performance itself wasn\u2019t the issue; composer Giovanni Paisello, a rival of Rossini, had already created an opera of the same name. He took Rossini\u2019s work as an insult.<\/p>\n<p>Rossini actually titled the work Almaviva, or the Useless Precaution, at its debut, in a bid to avoid controversy. But, a chunk of the audience, (likely paid by Paisello), disrupted the audience response. Mishaps on stage, including a singer with a bloody nose from a fall, and a cat who wandered on stage and refused to leave, added to the chaos.<\/p>\n<p>Candillari says she\u2019s fascinated by how certain works of art enter into popular culture in various ways. It\u2019s due to their broad appeal on various levels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think all of these stories deal with human emotions,\u201d she says. Specific moments in the work resonate with audiences, and the public beyond them. \u201cI think it&#8217;s those moments that actually make the piece stand the test of time.\u201d She points to the example of L\u00e9o Delibes\u2019 Flower Duet, which has shown up in a host of films and commercials \u2014 but while the song itself is popular, the whole opera is not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe accept pieces like The Barber of Seville as something that we need to have in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_121099\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121099\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-121099\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/COC-Barber-2020-1.jpg\" alt=\"Emily D\u2019Angelo as Rosina and Renato Girolami as Bartolo in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of The Barber of Seville, 2020 (Photo: Michael Cooper)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1018\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/COC-Barber-2020-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/COC-Barber-2020-1-300x255.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/COC-Barber-2020-1-1024x869.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/COC-Barber-2020-1-768x652.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-121099\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Emily D\u2019Angelo as Rosina and Renato Girolami as Bartolo, costumes by Joan Guill\u00e9n, in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of The Barber of Seville, 2020 (Photo: Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Joan Font\u2019s Production &amp; Rossini\u2019s Opera<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI think the best productions that I&#8217;ve seen and that I\u2019ve done, are where the music enhances the stage, and the stage enhances the music,\u201d Candillari says. \u201cOpera is such a collaborative art form.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As she points out, a successful production needs to be fine tuned at all levels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m really looking forward first to working with everyone.\u201d She mentions baritone Luke Sutliff\u2019s Figaro, and meeting the rest of the cast. \u201cFinding our production and finding our truth. Building an ensemble,\u201d she says. \u201cI&#8217;m really intrigued about seeing the [production].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Candillari enjoys Rossini\u2019s skills as a composer and also as a dramatist. She points out his inclusion of an aria for every major character in Act One, which offers insight into the psychology of each. \u201cIt&#8217;s fascinating to see the various musical gestures that define the characters,\u201d Daniela says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMusically, it&#8217;s so strong, the structure,\u201d she adds. \u201cWe have very little minor chords in the whole opera. [It\u2019s a] bubbly world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Through the rehearsals, the ensemble will build layers to the characters and music that complement each other. Naturally, there\u2019s one major aspect she\u2019s looking forward to.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously also working with the orchestra of the Canadian Opera Company.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cOne of the things that I also think about in terms of comedy, it&#8217;s really that comedies are really a great way of dealing with serious topics,\u201d Daniela notes.<\/p>\n<p>The points out that the plot, despite its comedic elements, is really about notions of freedom and social class.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cComedies are really a great way to get us to think about serious topics in a ways that is going to enlighten [other issues],\u201d she says. \u201cThey put really serious ideas into a world that is a little bit lighter,\u201d Candillari adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the dark comedies are the best type of comedies in many, many ways.\u201d She mentions listening to a Met Opera podcast about The Barber of Seville, where much of the discussion revolved around the idea of arranged marriages, and the lack of choice faced by women in Rossini\u2019s era. \u201cSo again, I think, for me personally, this idea of personal freedom is a really important topic in the piece.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Musically, she mentions Rossini\u2019s use of the crescendo to build and repeat themes. \u201cThere are so many elements of Baroque and classical.\u201d Patterns are repeated, and add an almost minimalist quality to the music. \u201cIt draws you in as an audience member and as a listener.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She mentions Rossini\u2019s output as a composer. \u201cI read this somewhere, he wrote The Barber of Seville in four weeks.\u201d She\u2019s incredulous about his energy, the constant momentum of his output. He approached composition as a true craft, a routine he developed, and simply repeated over and over.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can all learn something from this idea of craft,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_121100\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121100\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-121100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/COC-Barber-2020-2.jpg\" alt=\"Santiago Ballerini as Count Almaviva (right) in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of The Barber of Seville, 2020 (Photo: Michael Cooper)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"769\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/COC-Barber-2020-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/COC-Barber-2020-2-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/COC-Barber-2020-2-1024x656.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/COC-Barber-2020-2-768x492.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-121100\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santiago Ballerini as Count Almaviva (right), costumes by Joan Guill\u00e9n, in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of The Barber of Seville, 2020 (Photo: Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>The Opera<\/h2>\n<p>The cast includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Luke Sutliff: Figaro<\/li>\n<li>Dave Monaco: Count Almaviva (February 5 to 15)<\/li>\n<li>Pietro Adaini: Count Almaviva (February 17 to 21)<\/li>\n<li>Deepa Johnny: Rosina<\/li>\n<li>Renato Girolami: Bartolo<\/li>\n<li>Luca Pisaroni: Basilio<\/li>\n<li>Nathan Keoughan: Fiorello &amp; Officer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Find show details and tickets for the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s The Barber of Seville [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coc.ca\/tickets\/2526-season\/the-barber-of-seville\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:anya@ludwig-van.com?subject=Let's%20chat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><u>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid=S3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid%3DS3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695737525351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0QTqKRwRJQFGK3KoJYigxX\">HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daniela Candillari will conduct the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of The Barber of Seville, opening February 5 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":121098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42533,18,875,29,43,63],"tags":[628,42606,2880],"yst_prominent_words":[26592,6885,6871,8540,6616,10959,6886,6884,8541,8214,36934,10960],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-01-21T140904.016.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vva","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121096"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121096"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121107,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121096\/revisions\/121107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121096"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=121096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}