Against the Grain Theatre’s Bound v.2 (seen Nov. 19th) is opera for our times. Handel arias and ensembles have been adapted into a production that appears to border on dystopian but is, in many ways, startlingly relevant despite its source music: four “wanted persons”...
BOUND is Against the Grain Theatre at its best, blending old and new in an immersive operatic experience. With BOUND, Founder & Artistic Director Joel Ivany and Founding Member & Music Director Topher Mokrzewski have created a troubling exposition of an...
A Handel mash-up and an international co-production comprise AtG’s most expansive season to date TORONTO – Against the Grain Theatre (AtG) returns in its eighth season with BOUND, a pastiche workshop of new interpretations of Handel’s music, and a groundbreaking new...
Against the Grain Theatre (AtG), one of Canada’s leading innovators in opera and vocal works, is excited to announce that Canadian librettist Royce Vavrek has been appointed as the company’s new Artistic Director.
The Artist of the Week is Indigenous Stage Director Yvette Nolan. She is the director of Against the Grain Theatre’s Stories Don’t Die: The Artists of Indians on Vacation, which will be presented on May 9th. This week, Yvette chats about how she was “lured” into the world of opera, who is inspiring her and her favourite composers. Read on to find out more.
The Artist of the Week is Canadian (mixed settler with Mi’kmaw roots) soprano Emma Pennell. They are a librettist and performer in Against the Grain Theatre’s Canuck Cantatas from April 10th to 12th. This week, Emma chats with us about their educational journey, love of trees and the importance of community. Read on to find out more.
The Artist of the Week is Toronto-based composer Njo Kong Kie. His new 14-part opera series, The Futures Market, is currently available on YouTube. This week, Kong Kie chats with us about his favourite operatic moments, his current projects and how he went from music director of a dance troupe to an opera composer. Read on to find out more.
The Artist of the Week is Parsi-Canadian soprano Meher Pavri. She is playing the Voice of Krishna in Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata: Part 2. The show is a 2-part adaption of the classical Hindu text and features a 15-minute long operatic adaptation of the Bhagavad Gita performed by Meher. Mahabharata: Part 1 & 2 recently finished runs at the Perth Festival in Australia and Canadian Stage in Toronto. It will be playing at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa from May 13th to 24th. This week, Meher shares what’s she’s reading, how her colleagues inspire her and her favourite mind-calming practices. Read on to find out more.
Canadian soprano Anne-Marie MacIntosh takes us to Lüneburg, where she is singing Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata at Theater Lüneburg from November 9th to March 9th. While in Lüneburg, Anne-Marie shares her favourite place to grab a coffee between rehearsals and the best concert venues in the city. Read on to find out more.
The Artist of the Week is Canadian mezzo-soprano Catherine Daniel. She will be featured in City Opera Vancouver’s Voices from the African Diaspora alongside pianist Gordon Gerrard on November 28th. This recital shines a spotlight on the profound, and often overlooked, contributions of Black composers to the world of classical music. This week, Catherine shares her favourite composers, her TV guilty pleasure and how one goes from subbing for a junior high gym class to singing Carmen in the span of four hours. Read on to find out more.
![Edmonton Opera Ayre “[McKenzie Warriner’s] soaring, penetrating, unhurried, clarion invocation…left the room in attentive silence, and then exuberant ovation”](https://operacanada.ca/wp-content/smush-webp/2024/04/EO-Ayre-2024-0897-400x250.jpg.webp)
Edmonton Opera’s Artistic Director Joel Ivany continues his eclectic approach to opera company programming. After a traditional production of Carmen in the fall and a semi-staged Don Giovanni at the beginning of February, both at their mainstay 2,400-seat Jubilee...
The Artist of the Week is Canadian-Italian mezzo soprano Danielle MacMillan. She is currently in Toronto in rehearsals for Opera Atelier’s upcoming production All is Love, running at Koerner Hall from April 11-14 .We sat down with Danielle to chat about what she is currently reading, directors that she has worked with that have inspired her artistic journey, and how she defines happiness: “We look to high for things close by. Stop searching, never mind it; for happiness, like something lost, is always where you find it.”. Read on to find out more.