The Artist of the Week is Canadian director Glynis Leyshon. She will be directing her new production of Verdi‘s Rigoletto at Vancouver Opera from October 25th to November 2nd (tickets and info here). This is a co-production with Pacific Opera Victoria, where it premiered during their 2024/2025 season.
Glynis is one of Canada’s most respected opera and theatre directors. Recent career highlights include directing productions for Alberta Theatre Projects, Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera on the Avalon and The Shaw Festival. She was formerly head of the Opera as Theatre Programme at the Banff Centre and was the recipient of the Commonwealth Medal for her contributions to the arts
This week, Glynis chats with us about her favourite Canadian singers, her movie recommendations and the first opera she ever saw… and directed! Read on to find out more.
Drink of choice?
Whiskey sour made with Canadian spirits.
Favourite city that you’ve worked in?
Victoria. It’s home, and the audiences are amazing.
Favourite place?
Desolation Sound aboard a sailboat, the Ariel, anchoring offshore.
Top 3 favourite composers?
Mozart, Britten and Estacio.
What’s the strangest/funniest thing that has happened to you on stage?
I trained originally as an actor, and years ago I was acted in the English language premiere of The Orphan Muses by Michel Marc Bouchard. The set was a stylized rake, and I was supposed to bar the door to prevent my brother, played by the gorgeous Todd Waite, from going to town dressed in our Mother’s high heels and an extraordinary lace mantilla.
One night I pushed him away from the door with such vigour that he crashed to the deck and slid to the edge of the stage. The laughter – onstage and off – continued for hours, and I ended up hiding behind a potted palm trying to contain myself… yikes!
Who is a singer you admire that is currently working?
We have so many truly extraordinary singer/ actors here in Canada. Over the years I have had the pleasure of developing ongoing professional relationships with Tracy Dahl, Brett Polegato and Greg Dahl. And while I was never able to work with her, I am also inspired by Judith Forst. A brilliant and fearless interpretive artist, Judy always elevated the work – a director’s dream.
What are you afraid of?
At the beginning of each rehearsal period, even after all these years, I fear being unable to share my vision with singers in ways that both inspires and frees them to create memorable characters onstage. Communication – with your cast, conductor, creative team and (of course) the audience is the key.
Coffee or tea?
Lots and lots of coffee… even bad “rehearsal” coffee.
What was the first opera you ever saw?
The first opera I ever saw was The Barber of Seville conducted by Timothy Vernon for Pacific Opera Victoria starring Richard Margison…. It also happened to be the first opera production I ever directed!
What’s your ancestry?
My father was Welsh and my mother was Scottish – so Celt all the way.
What’s your favourite mind-calming practice?
I love gardening – getting down and digging in the earth calms and centres me like nothing else.
What’s your favourite movie?
I am an extremely eclectic movie lover – from epics like Lawrence of Arabia to Midnight Cowboy to Hugo. The last movies to really inspire me were both set in Asia: Perfect Days and Parasite.
What’s your favourite non-classical band?
Leonard Cohen’s back-up band and singers on his album The Future.
Where did you go to school?
I graduated from the University of Victoria with a degree in art history, and then I trained in acting at the Vancouver Playhouse under the brilliant leadership of Christopher Newton.
© David Cooper Photography
Rigoletto at Pacific Opera Victoria
Directed by Glynis
© Pacific Opera Victoria
Working with the cast of Il trittico
© Pacific Opera Victoria
At the theatre
Rigoletto
Vancouver Opera
October 25 – November 2
CONDUCTOR: Jacques Lacombe
DIRECTOR: Glynis Leyshon
RIGOLETTO: Michael Chioldi
GILDA: Sarah Dufresne
DUKE OF MANTUA:Yongzhou Yu
SPARAFUCILE: Nathan Berg
MADDELENA: Emma Parkinson
CONTE MONTERONE: Neil Craighead
MARULLO: Mihnea Nitu
MATTEO BORSA: Lyndon Ladeur
COUNT CEPRANO: Jason Cook
COUNTESS CEPRANO: Julia Lorusso
GIOVANNA: Marianne Bertrand
USHER: Henry Chen
PAGE/MONTERONE’S DAUGHTER: Heather Molloy
GILDA: Sarah Dufresne
DUKE OF MANTUA:Yongzhou Yu
SPARAFUCILE: Nathan Berg
MADDELENA: Emma Parkinson
CONTE MONTERONE: Neil Craighead
MARULLO: Mihnea Nitu
The tragic tale of a father’s desperate love for his daughter—and the dangerous double-edged sword of vengeance—set against a backdrop of decadence and dark intrigue. The jester Rigoletto had long enjoyed the privilege of mocking the Duke of Mantua’s adversaries, but when his beloved daughter becomes the target of the morally corrupt Duke’s abuse, Rigoletto sets in motion a revenge plot that careens with the propulsive energy of an edge-of-the-seat thriller while bringing themes of opulence and oppression into sharp focus. Under director Glynis Leyshon (Flight of the Hummingbird) and the baton of Vancouver Opera Music Director Jacques Lacombe, unforgettable pieces like “La donna è mobile” and the heartwrenching “Caro nome” will soar to life, sung by extraordinary voices like the sought-after American baritone Michael Chioldi as Rigoletto, and, as Gilda, the award-winning UK-based Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne, who Opera Canada praised for her “tremendous dramatic presence,” and “astonishing vocal dexterity.” In a new production built in partnership with Pacific Opera Victoria, our 2025–2026 season opener will push this tense tragedy’s boundaries while staying true to Verdi’s immortal story of love and revenge.
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