Canadian/German soprano Christina Thanisch-Smith is a first year member of the McPhee Artist Development Program at Calgary Opera and currently is singing the title role of Beauty in Giannini’s Beauty & The Beast (tickets and details here). Christina is a recent graduate of McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, where she performed the titular roles in Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias and Handel’s Partenope. Equally at home on the concert stage, Christina has performed as a soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Handel’s Messiah and with Maison symphonique de Montréal in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. Later this season, Christina will make her main stage debut as Giannetta in Calgary Opera’s production of Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, Feb 3-9 (tickets and details here).
This week, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Christina to talk about the importance of family and friends, the best place to grab a cappuccino, and exploring the wilderness of northern Manitoba. Read on to find out more!
A glass of dry Riesling or a cappuccino (the cappuccinos at Café Olympico in Montreal and Thom Bargen in Winnipeg are my favourite)
Heels or flats?
Heels! Perhaps it is because it’s what I’m used to. I’ve had the same pair of heels (in multiple colours…) that I’ve worn for every audition and concert for years.
Favourite place?
My favourite place in the world is my family’s home in the Wedemark, Germany (the small community of Elze, to be exact). I try as often as I can to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins when I am in Europe, and feel equally at home in the Wedemark as I do in Canada.
What’s your favourite opera house?
It was after taking a tour of Dresden’s Semper Oper at the age of 13 that I decided I wanted to be an opera singer, so this particular opera house holds a special place in my heart. A few years ago I was able to attend a performance of The Merry Widow there, and it did not disappoint!
Semper Opera House in Dresden, Germany © Nico Trinkhaus
If you weren’t a singer/instrumentalist/conductor, you’d be:
I originally wanted to study music therapy in university, specifically researching the relationship between seniors and music, and how music helps trigger parts of their memory.
Top 3 favourite composers?
Mozart, Strauss, and Schubert.
What’s the strangest/funniest thing that has happened to you on stage?
During my debut with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, I was so nervous stepping out from the wings onto the stage that I didn’t realize I completely wedged my heel between two floorboards. I couldn’t move from where I was standing for several seconds as I realized what had happened. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a big deal, but in that moment it felt like I was standing still for an eternity!!! I chuckle about it now.
Tent or hotel?
I grew up going on annual camping trips in school and have grown to enjoy being in nature. During the pandemic I got my prospecting license and accompanied my dad (he’s a geologist) on exploration trips into northern Manitoba. I now truly understand the definition of “wilderness” – it’s quite incredible experiencing parts of the world completely untouched by humans.
What was the first opera you ever saw?
Manitoba Opera’s production of Tosca, with Wendy Nielsen singing the title role.
Manitoba Opera’s Tosca, Wendy Nielsen Photo: Wayne Glowacki
Are there more musicians in your family? If yes, who and what do they play/sing?
My uncle studied jazz drumming in school, and my grandmother on my dad’s side was a talented pianist, but I am the first person in my family to pursue a career in music outside of school.
What’s your favourite movie?
I grew up reading fantasy novels with my mom, and therefore watched a lot of fantasy movies including Harry Potter, Narnia, and Lord of the Rings.
Where did you go to school?
I went to the University of Manitoba for my undergrad and McGill University for my Masters.
Are you a cat person or dog person?
As a kid, I always identified with cats, but when I developed a cat allergy at the age of 19, I quickly grew to LOVE dogs. I would like to own a golden doodle or cockapoo someday.
Who/What is your patronus/mystical creature?
My patronus is a dolphin! I am a Pisces (March 14th, anyone?) who loves to be in or around water. I was actually a competitive synchronised swimmer before pursuing music full time.
Which TV show did you binge-watch last?
When I’m on the road, I tend to watch TV series I know well on repeat: currently, it’s Gilmore Girls. I also love Friends, The Crown and Downton Abbey.
What nickname do your friends call you?
My friends call me “C” and my immediate family calls me “Chrissy”
What is one thing that you cannot live without?
My friends and family. This career requires a lot of time spent on the road and living in cities where you don’t know many people, so having a close relationship with my family and friends and staying in touch with them helps.
The music industry is tough, and filled with rejection. How do you cope? Does it get easier?
I try to remind myself that there are many outside contributors to rejection that I cannot control.
Does singing help keep you young?
I think so! Especially when playing youthful characters in productions. I have been channelling a lot of my inner child into my interpretation of Beauty in Calgary Opera’s production of Beauty & the Beast.
As a performer, have you achieved everything you wanted to achieve?
I’m proud of what I have accomplished thus far in my early career, but I am only getting started!
LEARN MORE ABOUT CHRISTINA THANISCH-SMITH
VISIT HER WEBSITE
© Dominic Gravel
© Tam Lan Photography
Pianist Jennifer Szeto
Giannini’s Beauty and the Beast
Calgary Opera
Nov 24-Dec 3, 2023
STAGE DIRECTOR Aaron Coates
MUSIC DIRECTOR Evan Mounce
BEAUTY Christina Thanisch-Smith
THE BEAST Arieh Max Sacke
NERONE Ilanna Starr
THE STORY TELLER / VOICE 3 Jillian Clow
THE FATHER Connor Hoppenbrouwers
THE FIRST DAUGHTER Nicole Leung
THE SECOND DAUGHTER Justine Ledoux
THE GARDENER / VOICE 1 Elias Theocharidis
VOICE 2 Branden Olsen
Beauty lives a simple life with her father and two sisters. When Father must leave on a business trip, the sisters demand he returns with expensive gifts for them. Beauty asks instead for a single rose. He fulfills this request and it leads to trouble for the family and the betrothal of Beauty to an unattractive and unsophisticated man.
Beauty and the Beast is a timeless story about valuing kindness and character over superficial traits like physical beauty and social refinement. Vittorio Giannini composed this one-act opera in 1938, basing it on the classic fairy tale. It delighted radio audiences then and now provides a charming entry point for children into the world of opera.
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