Our 2018 Opera Canada Awards: The Rubies honoree Dominique Labelle was recognized in a New York Times article last week for her vocal artistry and depth of character portrayal (with a nice shout-out to Opera Canada!) Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, a classical music...
Back in the days before we expected Handel’s oratorios to be staged as operas, the smart comment was always that they were essentially the same thing; because the Church decreed that operas could not be staged during Lent, Handel instead tackled biblical subjects and...
After a seven-year absence, fully staged opera returned to FirstOntario Concert Hall for one night as BrottOpera mounted Mozart’s The Magic Flute (seen July 19) in an English-language production directed by Patrick Hansen. Founded in 2014, BrottOpera’s two-week...
It’s no secret that Robert Carsen’s production of Falstaff (seen July 13), which premiered at London’s Royal Opera House in 2012, has become an absolute must for zealots of Verdi’s ultimate opera, not to mention for unconditional Carsen fans. After some highly...
Opera Canada is proud to announce the three distinguished honourees who will receive the 2018 Opera Canada Awards for their exemplary contributions to the industry: Wayne Gooding, opera educator and Editor, Opera Canada (1994-2017) Dominique Labelle, soprano and vocal...
This summer, as part of its Opera in the 21st Century program, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity will once again present an interactive exploration of art song, chamber music and opera in its multidisciplinary series, Chamber Werx. The whimsically named...
On 27th June 1918, the Canadian hospital ship, HMHS Llandovery Castle, laden with doctors, nurses and medical supplies, was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of Ireland by German submarine U86. 234 people, including 14 Canadian nursing sisters died. There were only 24...
June 26th, 2018: The recipients of the 39th annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards were announced last night in Toronto at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, with the collaborative production of Orphée dominating the opera division with an impressive five-award win....
Opera 5’s new production of Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (seen Jun. 13) proves that a small, intimate space is all that’s really needed to stage the romantic comedy. Directed by Jessica Derventzis, its few set pieces and simple costuming allow the performances...
The Little Opera Company wrapped up its 2017/18 season with British theatre director Peter Brook’s radical adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen. His distilled version, La Tragédie de Carmen, pierces the heart of Prosper Mérimée’s original novella with the rapier acuity of a...
Fourteen years after its first run at the Palais Garnier in 2004, French director Laurent Pelly's double bill: L'heure espagnole and Gianni Schicchi, has been unpacked, moved across town to the immense Bastille venue, and re-staged without a crease (seen May 30). It...
Last night at Montreal’s Maison symphonique, the six finalists in the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montréal’s (CMIM) Aria competition presented their final programs. As in the previous two semi-final rounds, they were accompanied by British conductor Graeme...