As it turns out, readers, the month of March is a big one for Giuseppe Verdi. Packed into a six-day span are the anniversaries of the premieres of some of his most extraordinary works. So, it's time to celebrate, alla canadese, with a few glimpses of Canadian opera...
University of Toronto's music program is adding internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and composer Ana Sokolović to their March 2021 events line-up. Serving on a three-day program as the Stratton Visitor for UofT's Faculty of Music, DiDonato will be...
In a special instalment of our composer-singer advice series, we're diving deep into notating music for singers. Drawing on her own experiences in commissioning and performing new music, Canadian soprano and Opera 5 General Director Rachel Krehm offers up a critique...
What do we do with so-called "traditional" operas that contain racial stereotypes? How do we call ourselves opera lovers in the 21st century, when works like Madama Butterfly, The Magic Flute, and La fanciulla del West offer both extraordinary musical storytelling as...
This is the continuation of a new series of Q&As with the artists of Canada's opera scene. After our "Quarantine Questions" from the spring/summer of 2020, we're checking in once again with these artists as they share new perspectives on mid-pandemic opera. Next...
Edmonton Opera is set to create four short works focused on issues in mental health in an Albertan inspired collection called The Wild Rose Opera Project. Made possible by EPCOR's Heart + Soul Fund, four composers will be working alongside Pulitzer Prize winning...
When you really think about it, the communication between an opera composer and an opera singer is a bit odd: each artist has spent years honing their very specialized craft, and they come together when it's time to do something extra-specialized - create a new opera....
Maestro Steuart Bedford, OBE - (July 31, 1939 – February 15, 2021) The passing of British conductor, pianist and composer Steuart Bedford on February 15th represents an immense loss to the musical world. To a significant degree his name will forever be linked to that...
The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is set to receive $644,372 in grant funding provided through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, meant for use in the Digital Infrastructure Enhancements Project at Toronto's Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The plan,...
This is the continuation of a new series of Q&As with the artists of Canada's opera scene. After our "Quarantine Questions" from the spring/summer of 2020, we're checking in once again with these artists as they share new perspectives on mid-pandemic opera. Next...
UofT Opera has taken adapting to online streaming to a whole new level with their ground-breaking production Escape Room, the first opera fully composed for the internet. Teaming up with award-winning production company Riddle Films, the UofT Opera Student Composers...
When you really think about it, the communication between an opera composer and an opera singer is a bit odd: each artist has spent years honing their very specialized craft, and they come together when it's time to do something extra-specialized - create a new opera....