{"id":122829,"date":"2026-03-25T11:25:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T15:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=122829"},"modified":"2026-03-25T11:25:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T15:25:51","slug":"scrutiny-glenn-gould-schools-rossini-puccini-double-bill-hits-the-comic-jackpot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/03\/25\/scrutiny-glenn-gould-schools-rossini-puccini-double-bill-hits-the-comic-jackpot\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | Glenn Gould School\u2019s Rossini-Puccini Double Bill Hits The Comic Jackpot"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Right
Right to Left: Matthew Black, Alyssa Bartholomew & Gabriel Klassen in the Glenn Gould School Spring Opera 2026 production of Rossini\u2019s La cambiale di matrimonio (Photo: Dahlia Katz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Glenn Gould School: Spring Opera \u2014 Serenata Italiana, featuring Rossini: La cambiale di matrimonio & Puccini: Gianni Schicchi. March 18 & 20, 2026, Koerner Hall.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

As a diehard opera fan, I love attending productions put on by mainstream companies the likes of the COC and Opera de Montreal. But, I also seek out shows produced by universities and conservatories, where one often encounters voices of great promise, young artists with the potential for significant careers.<\/p>\n

The Glenn Gould School\u2019s spring opera presentation this week fit the bill nicely.<\/p>\n

On offer was La cambiale di matrimonio (Marriage Contract), Rossini\u2019s very first opera composed in 1810, when he was only 18. It was paired with the more frequently staged Gianni Schicchi, Puccini\u2019s only comic piece. Both are short, one act works, full of pretty tunes and colourful characters, a perfect choice for some late-winter merriment.<\/p>\n

\"Right
Right to left: Alyssa Bartholomew, Yanik Gosselin (in foreground) & James Coole-Stevenson (in background) in the Glenn Gould School Spring Opera 2026 production of Rossini\u2019s La cambiale di matrimonio (Photo: Dahlia Katz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rossini: La cambiale di matrimonio<\/h3>\n

In this presentation, the two operas share the same unit set (with minor adjustments of furnishings, such as a bed in Schicchi) by designer Adriana Bogaard<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The set is totally traditional and pleasing to the eye. No doubt GGS chose to stage the Rossini opera because its pivotal character, with the silly name of Slook, is a Canuck, poked fun by the other characters, sure to generate plenty of laughs from the Koerner Hall audience.<\/p>\n

Slook travels from Canada to Europe to meet Fanny, the girl whom he intends to marry, arranged through a marriage contract. Lots of comical twists and turns to the story, and we end up with no marriage but plenty of hilarity.<\/p>\n

As Slook, the warm baritone of James Cool-Stevenson<\/strong> was ideal and his acting \u2014 complete with multiple costume changes \u2014 also contributed to the merriment.<\/p>\n

The soubrette soprano Alyssa Bartholomew<\/strong> was endearing as Fanny. Kudos to baritone Gabriel Klassen<\/strong> who sang Tobias Mill, her father. Matthew Black<\/strong> (Norton) and Alannah Beauparlant<\/strong> (Clarina), as the \u201cdownstairs folks\u201d were also deserving of praise.<\/p>\n

\"Right
Right to Left, in background: Daniela Carreon Herrera, Nicholas Kluftinger, Callum Aldworth (partially obstructed), Charlotte Anderson, Jeffrey Liu, Jada Alexiou, Tyler Prince & Kjel Erickson (stand in for Yanik Gosselin). Foreground: Meghan Linnington in the Glenn Gould School Spring Opera 2026 production of Puccini\u2019s Gianni Schicchi (Photo: Dahlia Katz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Puccini: Gianni Schicchi<\/h3>\n

Though Cambiale is the earliest opera by Rossini, his signature style is already much in evidence. A lightweight work, amusing and frothy, its plot is a bit too farcical to be taken seriously.<\/p>\n

Gianni Schicchi is an altogether more mature work both musically and dramatically. Puccini composed it as part 3 of a triptych, together with Il Tabarro and Suor Angelica, called Il Trittico. Nowadays, it is often performed by itself or with other works.<\/p>\n

James Coole-Stevenson<\/strong>, in addition to being a lively Slook, took on Schicchi with distinction. Some of the most beautiful music are assigned to the two young lovers, namely Rinuccio (tenor Jeffrey Liu<\/strong>) and Lauretta (soprano Leandra Dahm<\/strong>). They were both excellent. Lauretta gets to sing \u201cO mio babbino caro,\u201d arguably one of the most recognizable of Puccini tunes, and Dahm sang it very well.<\/p>\n

I also liked mezzo Jada Alexiou<\/strong> as a very animated Zita, certainly the most youthfully glamorous old-lady Zita I have ever seen.<\/p>\n

Schicchi is very much an ensemble show, and the GGS students gave their all, performing with enthusiasm and commitment, no doubt well coached and guided by stage director Stephen Carr<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Royal Conservatory Orchestra under conductor Gordon Gerrard<\/strong> sounded terrific, showing these musicians are ready for prime time. All in all, it was a most enjoyable two plus hours of music on a cold late winter evening.<\/p>\n

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The Glenn Gould School\u2019s spring opera presented La cambiale di matrimonio (Marriage Contract), Rossini\u2019s very first opera, and Gianni Schicchi, Puccini\u2019s only comic piece.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":122833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42533,22,43,52,63],"tags":[41793,37760,42717],"yst_prominent_words":[9057],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-REVIEW-2026-03-25T111802.284.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vX7","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122829"}],"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\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122829"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122829\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122836,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122829\/revisions\/122836"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122829"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=122829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}