{"id":52202,"date":"2018-04-12T21:44:34","date_gmt":"2018-04-13T01:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=52202"},"modified":"2018-04-12T21:44:34","modified_gmt":"2018-04-13T01:44:34","slug":"hangouts-spending-the-day-with-jane-archibald","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2018\/04\/12\/hangouts-spending-the-day-with-jane-archibald\/","title":{"rendered":"HANGOUTS | Spending The Day With Jane Archibald"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jane
Jane Archibald (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A<\/span>nyone who thinks opera singers\u2019 lives are all glamour, champagne and limousines should spend a day in Toronto with world-famous Canadian soprano, Jane Archibald<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This Nova Scotia native, who this season has spent half the year living in Toronto on account of her artist-in-residence position with the Canadian Opera Company, lists spots ranging from the more upscale Cluny Restaurant in the Distillery to the omnipresent Dollarama as favourite places to recharge.<\/p>\n

Her favourite Toronto hangouts also offer insight into the physical, emotional and practical demands that come with being a globetrotting opera singer.<\/p>\n

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First stop: David Crombie Park<\/h3>\n
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Jane Archibald – David Crombie Park Playground<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One major feature in an opera singer\u2019s life is balancing the realities of childcare with a very on-the-go, travelling lifestyle.<\/p>\n

When Archibald is singing in Toronto, she will often take her four-year-old daughter to David Crombie Park on the Esplanade. Located right by the COC\u2019s Front Street offices and rehearsal studios, this park is a favourite for Archibald\u2019s daughter, Audrey, who usually travels with Archibald when the soprano is on a contract. Part of the appeal of the park is its proximity to a free Resource Centre run by the Toronto District School Board and aimed at preschoolers.<\/p>\n

Archibald described the appeal of the centre, \u201cbecause we don\u2019t live here and have an easy network of friends to play with during the day. Our nanny would often take her there, and they have crafts, circle time, and she had friends and a routine.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Second stop: Shopping Spree at Dollarama<\/h3>\n

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Archibald\u2019s eyes light up when we discuss Dollarama. \u201cI love Dollarama – it\u2019s like my favourite store,\u201d she gushes. A lover of the Parisian sales when she\u2019s in Paris for work, Archibald similarly finds joy in shopping at Dollarama, where you can shop to your heart\u2019s content without breaking the bank. She describes how handy having a place to stock up on everyday items can be for a travelling singer.<\/p>\n

\u201cDollar stores are singers\u2019 best friends on the road,\u201d she relates. \u201cYou can equip your apartment without investing in it. I can\u2019t tell you how many times I\u2019ve gotten to an apartment and they don\u2019t have a waste paper basket, or places to hang your coat, so you can buy some of those damage free stick-on hooks. You want to feel comfortable when you\u2019re moving in somewhere for two months.\u201d<\/p>\n

Archibald also loves the creative potential that can come out of Dollarama.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sort of a MacGyver,\u201d she tells me. \u201cI like to do little projects. I\u2019m always thinking, I wish this product existed, so I\u2019ll try to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Third stop: Manicures at Nailing Inc.<\/h3>\n
\"Jane
Jane Archibald – Nailing (nail salon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a diva, you do sometimes have to play the part. Archibald loves getting a manicure – a chance to both recharge and to glam up.
\n\u201cEspecially with Shellac, which stands up to the horrible way I treat my hands,\u201d she explains, \u201cit\u2019s an easy way – with a good pair of sunglasses and all black [clothing] – that you can pretend you\u2019re a very glamorous diva even if you haven\u2019t spent much time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Fourth stop: Delicious Eats in the Distillery – Soma and Cluny<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Jane Archibald – Cluny Bistro – Distillery District<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A lover of good food (what singer isn\u2019t?), Archibald enjoys visiting Cluny in the Distillery when she wants a nice meal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the ambience at Cluny,\u201d she tells me. \u201cI love going into that space. I find it the perfect mix of classiness and comfort – you don\u2019t have to be dressed up to go there. Their fries are to die for. Sometimes they have little birds up [in the restaurant\u2019s atrium]… I\u2019ve just always had good service and good food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another favourite Distillery location is the upscale chocolate shop, Soma.
\n\u201cI\u2019m a chocoholic,\u201d she confesses. \u201cI adore Soma. It\u2019s tempting to go more than I should\u2026 their sea salt caramels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Archibald finds herself drawn to the Distillery for its uniquely North American flare (as well as its proximity to the COC\u2019s Front Street offices!).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really interesting and North American to take this older space and reinvent it,\u201d she explains. \u201cI love popping in and out of all the shops. You find really unique things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Fifth stop: Massage at Trilogy Physiotherapy<\/h3>\n
\"Stock
(Photo: Toa Heftiba\/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The demands of an opera career are intensely physical, and Archibald turns to massage to help cope with her rehearsal\/performance lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially with each passing year, I\u2019ve become aware and notice any little injury or aches and pains from the demands of staging,\u201d she relates. \u201cI think the audience would be surprised. A good example is in Abduction from the Seraglio<\/em>, which we just did at the COC. We were brought in and flung down on the floor in front of Pasha Selim and had to do the whole scene there. You\u2019re on your knees, which starts to hurt very quickly, or you\u2019re on your feet trying to find a comfortable position, but you also want to look decent because maybe the costume is clingy and you don\u2019t want to be in an unflattering position. Then there\u2019s this added thing of tension and readiness in the body. Doing that in rehearsal and then night after night in performance, you start to get weird knots in your shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Archibald recommends Jordan at Trilogy Physiotherapy, who she turns to regularly when she\u2019s on contract in Toronto.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sixth stop: Quiet Time at Tundra at Hilton Toronto<\/h3>\n
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Tundra bar at the Hilton Toronto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A self-proclaimed introvert, Archibald recommends an unexpected source of calm when travelling in busy cities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI often seek out a hotel bar or restaurant when I\u2019m in a city,\u201d she relates. \u201cI find them quiet. Unlike other restaurants, they cater specifically to a slightly different clientele. You might be tired or in a rush\u2026 there\u2019s somehow extra care taken when you walk into a space. The Tundra [at the Hilton] is right by the COC, and they have discounts if you show your card. They have awesome sliders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those looking for another taste of Archibald\u2019s mellifluous, virtuosic singing won\u2019t have to wait long, as she opens in the title role of Stravinsky\u2019s The Nightingale <\/em>at the Canadian Opera Company this Friday. Who knows, you might even catch her grabbing a slider after the show if you\u2019re lucky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone who thinks opera singers\u2019 lives are all glamour, champagne and limousines should spend a day in Toronto with world-famous Canadian soprano, Jane Archibald.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":52206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[14761,4967,14747,29,63],"tags":[1689],"yst_prominent_words":[18455,18458,6885,6871,18462,18453,18451,18461,18457,18454,18463,18452,18466,7888,18460,6886,6884,18456,6741,18459],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/Jane-Archibald-Distillery-District.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-dzY","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52202"}],"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\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52202"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52222,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52202\/revisions\/52222"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52202"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=52202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}