“I’m Old Fashioned”—that lilting Jerome Kern standard popped unbidden into my head as Florencia en el Amazonas unfolded at the Metropolitan Opera. Its title sang to me with two distinct “I”s: there was, on the one hand, Daniel Catán’s unfashionably old-fashioned...
Canadian tenor Colin Ainsworth is in Toronto, preparing for a string of performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, running Dec 17-23. This week we sat down and talked about the joys of being a father, cravings for the Canadian classic snack: Hawkins Cheezies, and how “the opera community is one big family”.
The Queen of Carthage is a multi-media performance staged as part of the Early Music Vancouver 2023 Summer Festival. It was filmed in performance at Simon Fraser University and is now available on-line until January 5th. It’s a co-production of Early Music Vancouver...
Canadian mezzo-soprano Martina Myskohlid is in Amsterdam performing Second Lady in De Nationale Opera’s production of Die Zauberflöte running Dec 1-28. This week we tag along, as she explores Amsterdam and all of its hidden gems, including boat tours, daily street markets, and the most peaceful place to get a nighttime view of the opera house.
Manitoba Opera marked a significant milestone in Canadian opera history as it launched its 51st season with the first full-scale Indigenous-led opera presented on a national mainstage, Li Keur: Riel's Heart of the North. The 135-minute (including intermission) opera...
Our Artist of the Week is Canadian-Italian stage director, choreographer, and performer Amanda Testini who is currently directing Edmonton Opera's holiday production Home for the Holidays on December 11 (tickets and details here). Most recently, Amanda was the...
Canadian/German soprano Christina Thanisch-Smith is a first year member of the McPhee Artist Development Program at Calgary Opera and currently is singing the title role of Beauty in Giannini’s Beauty & The Beast (tickets and details here). Christina is a recent...
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...
Canadian soprano Emma Fekete, a member of Opéra de Montréal's prestigious Atelier Lyrique program, will perform the title role in their production of Monteverdi's L’incoronazione di Poppea November 18 and 19 (tickets and details here). Emma has performed in Canada and...
Omar ibn Said was a rich Senegalese man and devoted Muslim scholar, learned in the Qur’an and several disciplines. In 1807, he was seized in Futa Toro, transported via the slave trade’s horrible “middle passage” to Charleston, S.C. and sold to a cruel master. In...
On November 6, 2023, we will gather at The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto to celebrate the best in Canadian opera. This year we honour baritone Gino Quilico, soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, music librarian Wayne Vogan, and industry change makers, Jaime Martino and Michael Hidetoshi Mori.
On November 6, 2023, we will gather at The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto to celebrate the best in Canadian opera. This year we honour baritone Gino Quilico, soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, music librarian Wayne Vogan, and industry change makers, Jaime Martino and Michael Hidetoshi Mori.