On Tuesday morning, The International Opera Awards announced their 2019 finalists, and several Canadian artists and productions were on the list!
The gala event will be held at London’s Sadler’s Wells on April 29, 2019, celebrating achievement in opera around the globe over the 2018 calendar year—recognizing excellence in a wide range of categories that cover performance, design and direction as well as education and outreach.
Here are the Canadian finalists and their categories:
READER’S AWARD – Barbara Hannigan
World renowned singer and conductor, Barbara Hannigan has been a part of 85 world premiere creations in her career. It was in 2018 that Hannigan released her album Crazy Girl Crazy, which won a Grammy for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
RECORDING (COMPLETE OPERA) – Fromental Halévy, La Reine de Chypre (Palazzetto Bru Zane) featuring Étienne Dupuis
Baritone Étienne Dupuis recently made his Met debut as Marcello La Bohème. Other recent highlights include: Lescaut, Manon (Opéra de Marseille); Zurga, Les pêcheurs de perles(Opernhaus Zürich) and Germont, La traviata (Opéra National du Rhin).
REDISCOVERED WORK – Donizetti: L’Ange de Nisida (Opera Rara) featuring Joyce El-Khoury
Nominated last year for an International Opera Award, Joyce El-Khoury is back on the list for 2019. Her recent highlights saw her return to the Canadian Opera Company as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin and performances and a recording Franz Liszt’s unfinished opera Sardanapalo. Most recently, El-Khoury sang Mimì in Opera Australia’s La Bohème.
WORLD PREMIERE – Rufus Wainwright: Hadrian (Canadian Opera Company)
Wainwright’s opera on the life of the Roman Emperor Hadrian was premiered by the Canadian Opera Company in October of 2018. You can read more about Hadrian in our writer, Lydia Perović’s review.
WORLD PREMIERE – George Benjamin: Lessons in Love and Violence (Royal Opera House) featuring Barbara Hannigan and Krisztina Szabó
Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó made her Royal Opera debut with this production after her exceptional performance as Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas for Toronto Masque Theatre. Szabó isn’t slowing down any time soon, with many performances lined up for 2019.
Opera lovers from around the world are invited to vote in the Readers’ Award. Voting is open on the International Opera Awards’ website and runs until Friday March 8.
Angela Bell is Opera Canada’s Digital Media Specialist. She has held digital and PR roles with various businesses including the Walt Disney Company, Sullivan Entertainment and Toronto International Film Festival.
