Juno award-winning Canadian-Armenian composer and pianist Serouj Kradjian is in Toronto, preparing to present the world premiere of his opera and the latest commission from the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, The Nightingale of a Thousand Songs, created with Dora award-winning librettist Marjorie Chan. We sat down with him to chat sources of inspiration, lessons learned and what it means to be brave in music.
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OPERA PLACES Samuel Chan takes us to Kiel, Germany
Canadian baritone Samuel Chan gives us a tour of beautiful NordDeutschland, showing us his favourite spots in Kiel. Chan has been a member of the Oper Kiel ensemble since 2020, and is currently debuting the role of Lescaut in the company’s production of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, runs to July 2.
Artist of the Week 15 Qs for Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野
Nikkei Canadian settler Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野 is in Toronto, preparing to sing the roles of Priestess and Jules in the Canadian Opera Company‘s production of Kye Marshall and Amanda Hale’s Pomegranate. We caught up with them to chat all things opera—sources of inspiration, early career beginnings, and more.
OPERA PLACES Wallis Giunta takes us to Paris, France
Join us, as Irish-Canadian mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta brings us on a tour of beautiful, romantic Paris. She’s in Paris, preparing to reprise the role of Dodo in Opéra Comique’s production of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Breaking the Waves. The show opens May 28, and runs to May 31.
Artist of the Week 34 Qs for Keri Alkema
American soprano Keri Alkema delighted Canadian audiences this month when she reprised the title role in the Canadian Opera Company‘s production of Puccini’s beloved Tosca. She sits down with us to reflect on her first singing lesson, her favourite opera house, opera roles she’d like to be singing in 10 years & more.
FREE TICKETS North American staged premiere of Haydn’s Orpheus Opera
The Orpheus myth has played a prominent role in opera history, from Monteverdi’s Orfeo of 1607, the oldest opera still in the repertoire, right up to American composer Matthew Aucoin’s reworking of the myth in Eurydice, first staged in Los Angeles in 2020, then seen...
Opéra National de Paris Ariodante Robert Carsen is “a master of the surprise ending”
With more than three decades in the field, Robert Carsen is celebrated in Europe and America alike for his intelligently conceived and stunning productions, and— as his new Ariodante shows—he is also a master of the surprise ending. Is it purely serendipitous that the...
OPERA PLACES Tenor Matthew Cairns takes us to Toronto
Canadian tenor Matthew Cairns has been in Toronto, Canada, singing the role of Macduff in the Canadian Opera Company’s new production of Verdi’s Macbeth from acclaimed Scottish director Sir David McVicar, which opened April 28 and has its final show on May 20. He shares his favourite spots in TO with us — from the stage of the Four Seasons Centre to a restaurant with breathtaking sunset views of the city.
Southern Ontario Lyric Opera La traviata “an evening of superb vocalism by the principals”
Since its inception in 2015, the Southern Ontario Lyric Opera (SOLO), under the leadership of Artistic Director Sabatino Vacca, has been a welcome addition to the musical life of Burlington and beyond. This performance of La Traviata, staged in the acoustically...
Artist of the Week 28 Qs for Quinn Kelsey
American Baritone Quinn Kelsey is in Toronto debuting the title role in the Canadian Opera Company‘s brand new production of Verdi’s Macbeth. We caught up with Kelsey, one of the world’s most celebrated baritones, to chat all things opera – from silly stage mishaps to “bromances”, and everything in between.
Theater an der Wien Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo “not just a landmark in opera history but also genuinely enjoyable”
Emilio de’ Cavalieri’s Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo of 1600 is the first opera to come down to us and has some claim to being the earliest work in the genre. In 2021 it was given a fully staged production, directed by Robert Carsen, at the Theater an der...
Opéra Comique Carmen “the top-notch children’s chorus from the Maîtrise Populaire de l’Opéra Comique is an absolute highlight”
German director Andreas Homoki's new staging of Carmen brings the world's most-performed opera back to its roots at the Opéra Comique, where it was premiered in 1897, using the actual backstage with Gustave Eiffel's seven iron doors and brick wall as the main backdrop...












