{"id":53879,"date":"2018-05-08T15:31:13","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T19:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=53879"},"modified":"2018-05-09T10:22:42","modified_gmt":"2018-05-09T14:22:42","slug":"hangouts-carla-huhtanens-guide-to-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2018\/05\/08\/hangouts-carla-huhtanens-guide-to-toronto\/","title":{"rendered":"HANGOUTS | Carla Huhtanen’s Guide To Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Carla
Vocal maven Carla Huhtanen shows us her favourite local hangouts, including bookstores, bars, restaurants, parks, clothing stores and more. (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I<\/span>f anyone knows insider spots around Toronto, it\u2019s Carla Huhtanen. Originally from Sudbury, Huhtanen lived in Toronto for many years (with a few stopovers in Marseille and Venice along the way), making her home most recently along Queen West in the trendy Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

The polyglot soprano who now lives in London finished a run as Fortuna\/Melanto in Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria<\/em> with Opera Atelier in April, and will be singing at the Luminato Festival with Tapestry Opera in June. She let Ludwig Van in on a few of her favourite Toronto spots and believe me, these are insider recommendations to which you\u2019ll want to pay attention.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

1: Type Books \u2014 Queen West<\/h3>\n
\"Type
Carla Huhtanen looks for inspiration at Type Books \u2014 Queen West<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anyone who\u2019s seen Carla Huhtanen perform can tell of her sharp intellect and curious nature. She speaks six languages, travels the world with her Catalan-Guatemalan husband and holds a passion for the grotesque, particularly when expressed in the extravagance of the Baroque era, the post-war Viennese music of the 20th century and in the contemporary music of today.<\/p>\n

When Huhtanen is looking to learn more about an era, art form or artist, she turns to Type Books on Queen West.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so well-curated,\u201d the soprano divulges. \u201cI feel wholesome when I shop there because I\u2019ve usually supported a local writer. I find out about readings there, like the ones they have at Tequila Bookworm. If I have an hour, I literally go and pick up every second book and usually buy two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huhtanen admits her literary interests lie mostly in modern American and British classics, such as works by Fitzgerald, Nabokov, Waugh and Faulkner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still working my way through Ulysses,\u201d she admits, laughing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

2: Canon Blanc \u2014 Queen West<\/h3>\n
\"Carla
Carla Huhtanen with Canon Blanc’s owner, Caroline Phely<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Huhtanen, who often performs with Opera Atelier at the Elgin Theatre at Yonge and Queen, loves to peruse Queen West\u2019s abundance of clothing shops while walking to work. One favourite shop is Canon Blanc, where she\u2019s even struck up a friendship with the owners – a couple from Paris who Huhtanen speaks to in French she perfected while living in Marseille. The store\u2019s unique and thoughtfully chosen pieces never fail to spark the soprano\u2019s sartorial eye.<\/p>\n

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3: Pinky\u2019s Ca Phe \u2014 Little Italy<\/h3>\n
\"Pinky\u2019s
Pinky\u2019s Ca Phe – Little Italy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An off-the-radar restaurant from the masterminds behind Hanmoto and OddSeoul, Huhtanen enjoys this place for its Cantonese-Vietnamese street food and upbeat ambiance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s this fun sort of tiki bar atmosphere,\u201d she describes. \u201cThere\u2019s fun music playing and all kinds of nick-nacks all over the place. It\u2019s like a carnival. A lot of food industry people go there late.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tucked unassumingly behind Cafe Diplomatico, this is an insider spot worth checking out.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

4: Tennis Courts in Trinity Bellwoods Park<\/h3>\n
\"Carla
Carla Huhtanen enjoys a coffee near Trinity Bellwoods Park tennis courts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A self-professed non-athlete, Huhtanen finds calm, purpose and release in the tennis lessons she has taken for years (in Italian, no less) at Trinity Bellwoods Park.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Tennis] is very Augustinian,\u201d she explains, alluding to the fourth-century monk for whom the religious order takes its name. \u201c[Augustine] talks about the eternal present\u2026. There is only that moment in which you see the ball coming at you. It\u2019s a perpetual loop. You\u2019ve hit the ball, and already you can see your opponent responding. It\u2019s only you on your side of the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s often what singing feels like,\u201d she relates of the sport\u2019s similarities to her craft. \u201cIt\u2019s only you [on stage] and maybe a pianist or chamber ensemble. It\u2019s often very lonely. Nobody else can have that experience but you. I\u2019ve learned to discover and trust and find myself and the more I do that, the more I can anticipate. If you don\u2019t open up your racket in time, that ball\u2019s going to be whizzing past you. It\u2019s like hitting a note with your onset. I\u2019ve learned to breathe into my shots – a lot like in singing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

5: Inter Steer Tavern \u2014 Roncesvalles<\/h3>\n
\"Inter
Inter Steer Tavern \u2014 Roncesvalles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once known for its authentic jukebox, Huhtanen claims this popular Roncie spot has, \u201cthe best interior of any bar I\u2019ve seen in Toronto.\u201d The soprano loves to come here and strike up a conversation with writers at the bar, claiming the bar is a popular spot for the literary-minded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always nice to go and not have to talk about music at all. Introverts really bloom and blossom in places like that, especially after a few beers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huhtanen recommends the pierogies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

6: Essence of Life Organics \u2014 Kensington Market<\/h3>\n
\"Essence
Essence of Life Organics \u2014 Kensington Market<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Huhtanen needs to stock up on performance fuel, she turns to the Essence of Life Organics shop in Kensington Market. She finds she can\u2019t eat heavily before a performance and appreciates the wealth of gluten-free options with which the store stocks its aisles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to eat lighter,\u201d she explains. \u201cNot a lot of gluten before a show. I like my rice crackers, seaweed snacks\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Huhtanen also recommends Essence of Life for its abundance of natural skin care products, referring to the shop as a \u201cmecca.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

7: La Bettola di Terroni \u2014 Victoria St.<\/h3>\n
\"La
La Bettola di Terroni \u2014 Victoria St. (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of Huhtanen and her colleagues\u2019 favourite pre- and post-show hangouts when singing with Opera Atelier is La Bettola di Terroni. Huhtanen holds a particularly close relationship with this popular Italian restaurant.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had our wedding reception there,\u201d she explains. \u201cNow we\u2019re going to Sicily, inspired by [La Bettola\u2019s] chef.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey always have wonderful Sicilian food, close to the theatre.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those who missed Opera Atelier\u2019s latest show can catch Huhtanen in Tapestry Opera\u2019s Tap:Ex – Tables Turned<\/a> at the Luminato Festival June 16 to 19. Or, check the Trinity Bellwoods tennis courts on a sunny day. Maybe you\u2019ll catch a glimpse of this globetrotting artist breathing into her backhand.<\/p>\n

For more in our\u00a0hangout series, see HERE<\/span><\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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