Hamilton-born countertenor and activist Cameron Shahbazi is quickly gaining acclaim. If you’re in Frankfurt this week, don’t miss him in Oper Frankfurt’s charity concert for Iran, “Woman. Life. Freedom.”, singing alongside Ambur Braid, Lilian Farahani, Kristine Opolais, Giulia Semenzato and Anna Bonitatibus.
Featured
Messiah & Other Festive Holiday Events You Won’t Want to Miss This December
Snow is starting to fall, the nights are getting longer, and holiday trees are starting to go up. To help get you into the spirit, we’ve rounded up some of the most festive events from across Canada including of course, Handel’s beloved masterpiece.
Metropolitan OperaThe Hours A fine opera deserving of a smaller stage
Is Kevin Puts’s The Hours the best brand-new opera the Metropolitan Opera has presented in years? Probably. It’s meticulously crafted, eminently singable, and makes for an eclectically influenced but almost consistently alluring listen. “Based on the book by Michael...
International Opera Awards Canadian Michael Levine Wins Designer of the Year
On November 28, 2022, the 2022 International Opera Awards were presented at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain. Known as the "Oscars of Opera", the awards aim to recognize and reward success, create scholarships for emerging talent and raise the profile of opera as an...
Opéra Comique Armide “All critics seem to agree upon one thing at least: Véronique Gens is unsurpassable as Armide.”
Purists apparently have some bones to pick with this new production of Armide, judging from the various and contradictory criticism in the French press, but for me, the essential elements were united to make for a very satisfactory performance, to say the least. First...
Artist of the Week 31 Qs for Layla Claire
For Canadian soprano Layla Claire, the 2022/23 season is one of role creations. Having just closed the world premiere run of Bilodeau/Bouchard’s La Beauté du Monde yesterday as Jeanne Boitel at Opéra de Montréal, Layla will get to create another major role in Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino’s Venere e Adone singing the title role of Venere at Hamburg Staatsoper in the spring.
re:Naissance Opera, Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre, Turning Point Ensemble, Arraymusic + Loose Tea Music Theatre Present Canadian Premiere of Angel’s Bone
Canada’s innovative music and opera organizations — re:Naissance Opera, Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre, Turning Point Ensemble, Arraymusic, and Loose Tea Music Theatre — have announced the premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Angel’s Bone. The premiere will take place in Vancouver from November 25–27, 2022 at The Annex Theatre as part of IndieFest.
Artist of the Week 20 Qs for Allyson McHardy
Canadian mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy is a well-recognized voice on many of the world’s leading stages. Be sure to see her performance in Opéra de Montreal’s La beauté du monde, a production that chronicles the epic rescue of artwork from the Louvre during World War II. The show runs until November 27!
Calgary Opera Carmen A very fine production dedicated to the late Bramwell Tovey
To open its 50th anniversary season, Calgary Opera is presenting Bizet’s Carmen. The idea to do this opera for the anniversary came from former Artistic Director Bramwell Tovey, a much-appreciated figure on the Calgary musical scene who recently died from cancer. The...
Manitoba Opera La Cenerentola “Haute couture frocks…brilliant set…well lit…crisply led…worth the wait”
Manitoba Opera trumpeted goodness as it opened its auspicious 50th anniversary season with Rossini’s La Cenerentola, an ideal choice for pandemic-weary audiences stage directed by Winnipeg’s Robert Herriot, and notably its first full-scale production since its...
Orchestre classique de Montréal presents the world premiere of Unruly Sun
Orchestre classique de Montréal (OCM) has announced the world premiere of a new theatrical song cycle this December, inspired by the work of filmmaker and queer activist Derek Jarman. The piece, Unruly Sun, will play for one night only in Montreal on Thursday, December 1, 2022 in commemoration of World AIDS Day.
Grammy Awards Canadian Maestro Yannick Nézét-Séguin Garners FIVE Nominations
On November 15, 2022, the 2023 GRAMMY nominations were announced. Most notably, Canadian maestro Yannick Nézét-Séguin has FIVE nominations. We have compiled clips from all of the CLASSICAL MUSIC nominated projects. Congratulations to all the nominees! To read the...












