Lebanese-Canadian Soprano Joyce E-Khoury is in Montreal, singing the role of Cio-Cio-San in Opéra de Montréal‘s reimagined production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, a role she debuted last season with Welsh National Opera. In this Artist of the Week, she reflects on her career in opera, shares how it all began, and what’s keeping her inspired.
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Houston Grand Opera Salome Maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson “balanced crisp rhythms and powerhouse sonority with delicacy and lilt”
There is a lot of talk in Richard Strauss’s Salome that something bad may happen. Several unfortunate things happened concerning Houston Grand Opera’s sixth staging of the opera, seen April 30 in Wortham Theater Center’s Brown Theater. But multiple delays and...
Canadian Opera Company Macbeth “COC Chorus and Orchestra are in top form for this musically exciting work”
Verdi’s Macbeth, which opened the Canadian Opera Company’s spring season April 28, is a challenging piece. It premiered in Florence in 1847 but was then revised for Paris in 1865 with significant cuts and additions. It’s mainly the later version we see today, which...
OPERA PLACES American soprano Marjorie Owens takes us to Vancouver
American soprano Marjorie Owens is in Vancouver, BC singing one of her signature roles, Senta in Vancouver Opera‘s new production of Wagner‘s The Flying Dutchman. Join us she she gives us a tour of what makes the city great, from cherry blossoms to magnificent mountain views.
Artist of the Week 22 Qs for Scott Rumble
Canadian tenor Scott Rumble is in Vancouver making his role debut singing Steuermann in Vancouver Opera’s new production of The Flying Dutchman, which opened April 29 and has two performances left on May 4 and 7. In this Artist of the Week, he reflects on what inspired him to sing, favourite operatic inspirations and more.
Manitoba Opera Così fan tutte capping its 50th Anniversary Season with Laughter and Wit
Manitoba Opera (MO) capped its 50th anniversary season with laughter and wit this spring; its latest production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte cheekily billed as a “Canuck Cosi” more Canadian than a bottle of maple syrup or hockey Saturday night. Three performances held...
The Metropolitan Opera Champion “There wasn’t a weak performance onstage”
There’s a fistful of good reasons for seeing Champion. There’s the story, a real and strong one: the life of the sexually conflicted prizefighter Emile Griffith, haunted by his accidental killing of another boxer in the ring. There’s James Robinson’s direction, clear...
The Metropolitan Opera La bohème Nézet-Séguin “was greeted with the evening’s heartiest cheers”
In his not-quite-fourteen years at The Metropolitan Opera, that compact bundle of music-directorial energy known as Yannick Nézet-Séguin has taken his measured time with Puccini: a decade passed before his first Turandot, in October 2019, and another two years elapsed...
Vancouver Opera Announces 2023-24 Season
Vancouver Opera has unveiled its 2023–2024 season, headlined by much-loved and reimagined classics, and casting that features some welcome returns and company debuts.
Artist of the Week 20 Qs for Andrew Haji
Canadian tenor Andrew Haji is in Calgary performing the role of Macduff in Calgary Opera's new Rachel Peake-directed production of Verdi's Macbeth which opened April 22 and has two performances left on April 26 and 28 (tickets here). The production also stars Italian...
OPERA PLACES Soprano Sarah Dufresne takes us to London
Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne, who joined Royal Opera House's prestigious Jette Parker Artists Programme this year after graduating from Opéra de Montréal's Atelier Lyrique program, is in London preparing to sing Tusnelda in ROH's production of Handel's...
Amici Chamber Ensemble From Strauss to the Orient “Joyce El-Khoury’s soaring soprano was even more impressive than usual”
The 2022-23 season of the Amici Chamber Ensemble drew to a glorious close with From Strauss to the Orient, a strikingly beautiful concert of works by Richard Strauss, Maurice Ravel, and a group of Lebanese songs (likely unfamiliar to most in the audience). For the...












