Toronto-based Anishinaabe baritone, Evan Korbut, is currently starring as Louis Riel/Robideau in Manitoba Opera’s ground-breaking production of Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North on Nov 18, 22, 24. (tickets and details here). Evan is sought after in both canonic and contemporary roles, most recently performing Leporello in Don Giovanni at Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, Angus/Native Student in Missing with Anchorage Opera, Owl in Flight of the Hummingbird with Vancouver and Pacific Opera, and Michonnet in Adriana Lecouvreur with VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert.
This week, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Evan to chat about dream roles, Dungeons and Dragons, finding joy in the imperfect, and the importance of performing roles that reflect and celebrate his Anishinaabe heritage. Scroll down to discover more about this versatile performer!
When was your first singing lesson (and with whom)?
My first singing lesson was with Agnes McCarthy in Sault Ste. Marie, back in 2006. I was looking to refine my technique to sing a production of Into the Woods at my high school.
What/who inspired you to sing?
I played violin in the pit for my high school production of Guys and Dolls, and saw how fun singing looked. The music director Denine Williams (now an old friend of mine) inspired me to audition and the next year I got up on stage!
Drink of choice?
Gotta be Whiskey and Coke. Sweetness with a little bit of fire.
If you weren’t a singer/instrumentalist/conductor, you’d be …
A pro wrestler. I would find a way to be in front of an electric crowd no matter what.
Which actor would be cast as you in a film about your life?
Seth McFarlane! I’m told there is a resemblance. And the guy can sing!
Are you a cat person or dog person?
I’m a cat person. Dogs love you no matter what, but you gotta earn it with cats.
Which opera role do you want to be singing right now?
I would love to sing a Figaro from Barber of Seville, I love Rossini and this role is on my bucket list for sure.
Which opera role do you want to be singing in 10 years?
The answer I know for sure at this time is Wozzeck. But also I’d like to sing a work that likely hasn’t yet been written, about my Anishinaabe people.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I love Dungeons and Dragons and have been running a game in a world of my own creation for over seven years!
What’s the strangest/funniest thing that has happened to you on stage?
During a dress rehearsal for La Cenerentola, I made my entrance as Dandini, and the costume was just barely pinned in place, and was slated for further alterations. Well, I started my aria and my pants fell straight down! I still finished my aria. The show must go on!
Do you think singers and performers have a more powerful inner life?
No; but I do think we have the tools to express it more easily.
Does performing in different locations impact your performance?
Yes! Singing the role of Louis Riel in Winnipeg is so much more significant here when you’re surrounded by the Metis community, many of whom are related to him directly.
Are you a perfectionist?
Sadly, yes. I try to find joy in the process without being overburdened with expectations of flawlessness so my artistry can truly shine. As they say, perfection is the enemy of good.
What is the first thing you would do if you won the lottery?
I’ve read that there is a place in England where you can play Dungeons and Dragons in a real castle. I would fly my group out there and run a game!
Which TV show did you binge-watch last?
Death Note! I’m a huge nerd and re-watched it with my good friend Scott.
What’s your favourite non-classical band?
Stratovarius, a Finnish power metal band. It’s very high energy and great to listen to when I’m going to the gym or on a run.
What’s your ancestry?
My father’s side of the family are Anishinaabe from Garden River, just outside of my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie. I’m from the Wolf Clan. My mother’s side is Ukrainian, Finnish and miscellaneous British Isles. It’s so vitally important to me to be able to sing works that reflect and celebrate my heritage.
Do you believe in ghosts?
The better question: do ghosts believe in us? I’m joking. The only phantom I believe in is the Phantom of the Opera. Though, I won’t be whistling through a graveyard anytime soon.
Which colour best symbolises your personality?
All black. I’m a recovering emo kid.
When did you know you wanted to be an opera singer/conductor/instrumentalist?
I knew I wanted to be a musician since I was four years old. I saw an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where the character Data plays a violin and thought it was the coolest thing ever. I knew I wanted to be an opera singer once I saw my first opera production of Così fan tutte (featuring Sault Ste. Marie export Joni Henson!) as a teen. I wanted to do what she did, and now I do!
LEARN MORE ABOUT EVAN KORBUT
VISIT HIS AGENCY WEBSITE
© Richard Gray
Vancouver Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria’s production of Flight of the Hummingbird by Maxime Goulet
Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North
Manitoba Opera
Nov 18, 20, 24 2023
BOOK/LIBRETTO Dr. Suzanne M. Steele
CO-COMPOSERS Alex Kusturok, Neil Weisensel
CONDUCTOR Neil Weisensel
DIRECTOR Simon Miron
JOSETTE La GRANDE Rebecca Cuddy
MÉMÈRE Paulette Duguay
La ROCHE Nolan Kehler
LOUIS RIEL/BAPTISTE ROBIDEAU Evan Korbut
BLACK GOOSE #1 Michelle Lafferty
ROSE/MARGUERITE Julie Lumsden
JACQUES La CROSSE/THE ENGLISHMAN James McLennan
MARIE SERPENTE Keely McPeek
BLACK GOOSE #2 Scott Rumble
JOSEPHINE-MARIE/NARRATOR Charlene Van Buekenhout
PIERRE La GRANDE David Watson
In this historical, mystic opera, 21st century Joséphine-Marie, through a grandmother’s story, is transported to 1870s Montana where she encounters an ancestor, the sharpshooter Josette, a runaway travelling with Riel and the last buffalo brigades. Josette falls in love with the young, passionate, Louis Riel, in disguise, on the run from assassins.
The pair confront jealousy, destiny, deprivation, and torment wrought by four shape-shifting Black Geese of Fate, but are comforted by ghost choruses of ancestors, the bison brigades, and the women of their peoples, as they try to salvage a nation and save themselves from total destruction in the burning heart of the continent of the 1870s.
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