The Canadian Opera Company has announced today that General Director Alexander Neef is to become the new Artistic Director of Santa Fe Opera. Neef will continue as COC General Director along with his new seasonal role in Santa Fe. SFO is also welcoming Robert K. Meya...
Wajdi Mouawad’s much anticipated production of Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio made its Toronto debut last night, having first premiered at Opéra de Lyon in 2016. In his program notes, the Lebanese-Canadian writer and director makes it clear his vision would...
Tapestry Opera’s Tap:Ex series will take the stage with their latest piece, Forbidden, from Feb. 8th until Feb. 11th at the Ernest Balmer Studio in Toronto’s Distillery District. Iranian-born composer, Afarin Mansouri has created a blend of Persian, opera, rap, and...
There’s a faction of Edmonton Opera supporters who would love to see an operetta every time they come to the Jubilee Auditorium—if not something by Gilbert and Sullivan, at least a production of The Merry Widow or Die Fledermaus. And those folks got their wish on Feb....
Toronto-based company The Electric Bond Opera Ensemble present two one-act operas, Another Sunrise and Farewell, Auschwitz, both by American composer Jake Heggie, on Feb. 10th and 11th. The program centres around Krystyna Zywulska, the Polish dissident, writer and...
This morning, the International Opera Awards revealed their 2018 finalists, five of them renowned Canadian artists. Opera Canada correspondent, Victoria Stappels, is also a jury member. The Awards will be presented at the London Coliseum by BBC Radio 3 on April 9th...
In composer Jake Heggie’s operatic treatment of Moby-Dick, there are significant obstacles when taking on the role of Captain Ahab. The entire part has to be sung on one leg, the other resting uncomfortably on a peg replacing the limb that the irascible captain lost...
It has been nearly twenty years since L’elisir d’amore graced the Vancouver Opera stage, so the return of Donizetti’s ever-popular 1832 Tristan-und-Isolde-meets-Much-Ado-About-Nothing confection in this colourfully kinetic staging was eagerly anticipated. This...
When it comes to the live presentation of both orchestral as well as operatic works, the Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall seems to exist in a league of its own. The service, which can be accessed on a one-time basis or via subscription, allows access to the...
Christopher Alden’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto originated in 2000 at Lyric Opera of Chicago where it was instantly retired after just one outing, not having found favour with that city’s conservative opera audience. Brought back to life by the Canadian Opera...
This morning at 10 a.m. E.S.T. the Canadian Opera Company released its plans for the 18/19 season. The highlight has to be the much-talked about premiere of Canadian singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright's new opera Hadrian. When the COC first announced this commission...
What does an opera lover do on a raw December night in Vancouver, with no opera on the visible horizon until the new year? You grab at a ‘four note’ opera, as four are better than none! On Dec. 9 at the Orpheum Annex, Erato Ensemble presented Tom Johnson’s hilarious...