This is the first in a new series of Q&As with the artists of Canada's opera scene. After our "Quarantine Questions" from the spring/summer of 2020, we're checking in once again with these artists as they share new perspectives on mid-pandemic opera. First up:...
Note: this article was originally published in 2017 on Schmopera.com, and is being reprinted here with permission by the author. When we go to the opera, what we see onstage is the result of a complicated system of task delegation; some folks do the singing, others...
“Collaboration” might be the most important word in Perryn Leech’s vocabulary. The new General Director of the Canadian Opera Company comes from the behind-the-scenes world of opera production, having spent his formative years learning the literal and figurative...
In November 2020, Opera Canada magazine spoke with Rebecca Hass, mezzo-soprano and creative wellness coach, about her work with opera artists. 1. Opera artists face specific challenges that require specific solutions Nearly 13 years into her life-coaching career,...
2020 Rubies Honouree: Yannick Nézet-Séguin Let’s begin with a bit of perspective. Back in 2003, when I first interviewed 2020 Rubies honouree Yannick Nézet-Séguin for an article in Opera Canada’s ‘Debut’ column, it was clear that at 27, he was already earmarked for a...
In this Q&A series, we’ve asked performing arts writers across the country to weigh in on how the Canadian opera industry is handling the prolonged pandemic environment. Next up…Holly Harris. What are your feelings on the types of programming being offered, mostly...
Maven, visionary, trailblazer – what else can one say about Canadian-born, Europe-based soprano/conductor Barbara Hannigan? One might well add ‘committed supporter of young talent’ to the list since the launch of Momentum in August. Born out of the coronavirus...
On Oct. 24th, Canadian mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel starred in Vancouver Opera's digital premiere of Francis Poulenc's one-woman-opera, La voix humaine. It is the season opener for one of the only all-digital, paid opera season subscriptions in Canada. Lebel, singing...
In an exclusive interview on Nov. 2nd, leader of Canadian Opera Company (COC) and Opéra national de Paris Alexander Neef answered the questions we've been dying to ask since his move to France. Q: How do you perceive the Canadian opera world versus that in France,...
In this Q&A series, we’ve asked performing arts writers across the country to weigh in on how the Canadian opera industry is handling the prolonged pandemic environment. Next up…Michael Zarathus-Cook. What are your feelings on the types of programming being...
Canadian tenor Michael Schade has been waiting patiently for the latest formal nod to his life’s work—and this one comes with a personal connection. “The Rubies mean a lot to me, because I knew Ruby,” says Schade, who next month will be named an Honouree of the Opera...
In Opera Canada‘s latest Q&A series, our arts writers across the country weigh in on how the Canadian opera industry is handling the prolonged pandemic environment. Next up: John Gilks. What are your feelings on the types of programming being offered, mostly in...