It has been the longest silence in COC history. To opera-starved audience members like yours truly, it felt interminable. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last time the COC put opera on their mainstage was with Barber of Seville and Hansel & Gretel, way back in...
The Opera Canada Awards—‘The Rubies’ makes a return to ‘live’ on November 15, 2021. Click here for more details to secure your ticket to this wonderful celebration of Canadian opera talent. 2021 Rubies honouree, Canadian/American soprano Erin Wall (1975-2020) enjoyed...
In our upcoming Summer 2021 issue, contributor Joseph So reviews Houston Grand Opera's recording of the world premiere production of Tarik O'Reagan and John Caird's The Phoenix, released on PENTATONE Music in late 2020. Among the star cast led by Thomas Hampson and...
2020 Rubies Honouree: Yannick Nézet-Séguin Let’s begin with a bit of perspective. Back in 2003, when I first interviewed 2020 Rubies honouree Yannick Nézet-Séguin for an article in Opera Canada’s ‘Debut’ column, it was clear that at 27, he was already earmarked for a...
For pianist-vocal coach Carrie-Ann Matheson, the biblical saying that ‘a prophet is not honoured in his own land’ has a certain ring of truth, in her case musically. She’s virtually unknown in Canada, even though she’s that rare bird—a Canadian pianist/opera coach...
Opera Mariposa is one of the landmarks of the indie opera scene in Vancouver, and their 2019 mainstage production is Puccini's slapstick one-acter, Gianni Schicchi. Due to the short 50 minute run time, the company paired the comedy with a number of different opera...
The Heart’s Obsession: An Intimate Biography of Newfoundland Songstress Georgina Stirling. By Tonia Evans Cianciulli with Calvin D. Evans; 342 pp. ISBN: sc 978-1-77117-759-7, $24.95. St. John’s, Newfoundland: Flanker Press (2019) www.flankerpress.com When we think...
In a profession known for its impermanence, a near 30-year career in opera is a cause for celebration. Since his professional debut in 1991 at Pacific Opera Victoria, tenor Benjamin Butterfield has enjoyed an enviable career both at home and abroad, in a wide-ranging...
For the first time in its 18-year history, the 2018 Rubies is honouring one of its own. Fittingly it’s Wayne Gooding, the recently retired editor of Opera Canada. Wayne joined OC in 1992 as a volunteer board member. Soon he was drafted to assume the role of Chair of...