In our newest, exclusive Q&A series #BehindtheCurtain, we’re going ‘backstage’ to ask Canadian opera artists to share their journey and what inspires them. In this installment, Canadian baritone Iain MacNeil shares his idea of a perfect day off, and reflects on the restorative power of self-care, music and nature.
Baritone Iain MacNeil in the Canadian Opera Company’s Canadian Opera Company: Centre Stage Competition. Photo: Michael Cooper
Iain MacNeil is a member of the Frankfurt Opera Ensemble and a semi-finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. From 2014 to 2016, he was a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio and in his last year performed the title role in The Marriage of Figaro. In 2016, he made his debut in the role of Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia with the Banff Centre and the following year debuted the title role in Don Giovanni with Saskatoon Opera. In 2020, MacNeil made his debut as Johann in Oper Frankfurt‘s Werther and in 2021/22 can be heard as the Minstrel in Oper Frankfurt’s Königskinder, and Odysseus in their new production of Dallapiccola’s Ulisse.
MacNeil has been recognized with numerous scholarship and prizes, including the Sylva Gelber Foundation Award, the Emmerich Smola Förderpreis in Landau, Germany, and he is a winner of the Canadian Opera Company Centre Stage Competition.
Watch & listen to his full answer below!
Readers, which Canadian artists do you want to see featured in our #BehindtheCurtain series? Let us know in the comments below, or get in touch at outreach@operacanada.ca.
Angela Bell is Opera Canada’s Digital Media Specialist. She has held digital and PR roles with various businesses including the Walt Disney Company, Sullivan Entertainment and Toronto International Film Festival.
