News
Dear composer…Rachel Krehm asks: To beam, or not to beam?
In a special instalment of our composer-singer advice series, we're diving deep into notating music for singers. Drawing on her own experiences in commissioning and performing new music, Canadian soprano and Opera 5 General Director Rachel Krehm offers up a critique...
Racial stereotypes in traditional opera: Opera Canada talks with Amplified Opera
What do we do with so-called "traditional" operas that contain racial stereotypes? How do we call ourselves opera lovers in the 21st century, when works like Madama Butterfly, The Magic Flute, and La fanciulla del West offer both extraordinary musical storytelling as...
Jonelle Sills: “I am choosing not to be lazy but to engage in conversations and ask questions.”
This is the continuation of 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. Next...
The Wild Rose Opera Project: Exploring Mental Health through Opera
Edmonton Opera is set to create four short works focused on issues in mental health in an Albertan inspired collection called The Wild Rose Opera Project. Made possible by EPCOR's Heart + Soul Fund, four composers will be working alongside Pulitzer Prize winning...
Dear composer…Dear singer part II: Dean Burry & Mireille Asselin
When you really think about it, the communication between an opera composer and an opera singer is a bit odd: each artist has spent years honing their very specialized craft, and they come together when it's time to do something extra-specialized - create a new opera....
Steuart Bedford (1939-2021): A Canadian Perspective
Maestro Steuart Bedford, OBE - (July 31, 1939 – February 15, 2021) The passing of British conductor, pianist and composer Steuart Bedford on February 15th represents an immense loss to the musical world. To a significant degree his name will forever be linked to that...
COC announces new funding for Digital Infrastructure Enhancements Project
The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is set to receive $644,372 in grant funding provided through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, meant for use in the Digital Infrastructure Enhancements Project at Toronto's Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The plan,...
Colin Ainsworth: “We musicians are a resilient bunch, but we need each other!”
This is the continuation of 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. Next...
Escape Room: UofT’s absurdist leap into internet opera
UofT Opera has taken adapting to online streaming to a whole new level with their ground-breaking production Escape Room, the first opera fully composed for the internet. Teaming up with award-winning production company Riddle Films, the UofT Opera Student Composers...
Dear composer…Dear singer: an advice series
When you really think about it, the communication between an opera composer and an opera singer is a bit odd: each artist has spent years honing their very specialized craft, and they come together when it's time to do something extra-specialized - create a new opera....
Rebecca Cuddy: “It is OK if singing feels like you’ve lost something right now.”
This is the continuation of 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. Next...
Opera InReach: “What is an artform without its muse?”
Founded in 2020 by some of Canada's most exciting emerging artists, Opera InReach is out to revolutionize the concept of opera outreach. From specially curated curriculum to ongoing relationships with schools, Opera InReach has a mission to make opera and the...