The Artist of the Week is Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. She will be conducting Puccini‘s Madama Butterfly at the Canadian Opera Company from January 24th to February 16th (tickets and info here).
Keri-Lynn has conducted at many of the world’s leading opera houses and symphonies. This season she is debuting at Staatsoper Berlin and the New York Philharmonic as well as returning to the Canadian Opera Company, Deutsche Oper Berlin and The Metropolitan Opera. She is founder and music director of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra and was recently appointed the music director of the Kyiv Camerata. On August 24th, Ukrainian Independence Day, she was awarded the Order of Princess Olga by President Zelensky for her contributions to Ukrainian culture.
This week, Keri-Lynn shares her favourite Ukrainian meal, the opera that made the biggest impact on her and how she knew she was destined to be a musician. Read on to find out more.
Favourite place?
On the podium.
If you weren’t a conductor, you’d be…?
An international spy. It helps knowing multiple languages.
What’s something most people don’t know about opera life?
That no two performances are ever the same.
What are you afraid of?
Artificial intelligence, facism and global warming.
What is one surprising thing that you have learned in becoming a conductor?
That conducting also requires extensive psychiatric skills.
What’s your ancestry?
Ukrainian and Icelandic.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
Borscht at my favorite cafe in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, home of my Ukrainian ancestors.
Which album did you listen to last?
The Execution of Stepan Razin, a cantata by Shostakovich, which I’ll be performing soon.
Which colour best symbolises your personality?
Yellow and blue— the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
When did you know you wanted to be a performing artist?
When I was three and making my own toy instruments.
What is the first thing you would do if you won the lottery?
Contribute to the rebuilding of Ukraine.
Do you approach conducting and/or upcoming projects differently today than you did at the beginning of your career?
My performances of today are informed by my performances of the past.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken for a production?
Making my debut at the Vienna State Opera with no orchestral rehearsal time.
Do you believe in fate?
I believe it was my fate to be a conductor.
What does it mean to be brave with music?
Standing together with the members of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, the soldiers of music in the fight for Ukraine’s liberty.
Which opera has had the greatest impact on your perspective?
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk for its dramatic intensity, heightened by its searing portrayal of repressive life under Soviet rule.
Do your on stage experiences also feed into your personal life?
They’re inseparable.
What’s the most important lesson you learned from childhood?
To never give up in pursuit of your dreams.
What does success look like to you?
Never accepting the compromises of mediocrity.
Favourite social media platform?
All platforms messaging with my brave colleagues in Ukraine.
LEARN MORE ABOUT KERI-LYNN WILSON
VISIT HER WEBSITE
© Daniel Zarewicz
Madama Butterfly
Canadian Opera Company
CIO-CIO SAN: Eri Nakamura
PINKERTON: Kang Wang
SUZUKI: Hyona Kim
SHARPLESS: Michael Sumuel
GORO: Julius Ahn
YAMADORI: Samuel Chen
BONZE: Gene Wu
KATE PINKERTON
(JANUARY 24 TO FEBRUARY 6):
Emily Rocha
KATE PINKERTON (FEBRUARY 8-16): Karoline Podolak
CONDUCTOR: Keri-Lynn Wilson
ORIGINAL DIRECTOR: Michael Grandage
REVIVAL DIRECTOR: Jordan Lee Braun
SET & COSTUME DESIGNER: Christopher Oram
WITH THE COC ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS
A young Japanese woman faithfully awaits the return of her husband, an American naval officer. When he finally reappears years later, he brings with him the seeds of a heartbreaking tragedy.
Soprano Eri Nakamura stars as Butterfly, while tenor Kang Wang portrays the feckless U.S. officer Pinkerton. Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts one of Puccini’s greatest scores, which remains unmatched for its beauty and dramatic intensity.
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Máiri Demings is Opera Canada’s digital content specialist. She’s also a mezzo-soprano who has sung with Tapestry Opera, performs regularly with VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert and Toronto Operetta Theatre, and is one half of duo mezzopiano with pianist Zain Solinski.
