At the podium: Jordan de Souza

Interview

Conductor and keyboardist Jordan de Souza is currently assisting maestro Johannes Debus on the Canadian Opera Company's production of The Marriage of Figaro, and he'll be taking the podium for two performances, February 23 and 25. He talks with us about high pressure gigs, uncovering Mozart's meaning, and leading the fantastic Canadian Opera Company Orchestra.

Spotlight on: Rolando Sanz

Interview

"I became a singer because it was the way I found best to express myself. Some people express themselves best with a paintbrush, or on the soccer field, or by going into politics. Since I was young, I always found my sense of self-expression was connected to music. What began as a hobby as a child has turned into a career as a professional opera singer."

Spotlight on: Amanda Majeski

Interview

"There is truly something special that happens when all that work comes together for moments on a stage in front of an openhearted audience. For that evening, everyone in the room is held together by and shares that same music; there is something so beautifully uplifting about that. It’s truly infectious!"

Dion Mazerolle: the quick study

Interview

Mazerolle's Falstaff has been a lesson in quick study, having had less than a month to learn the notoriously verbose role; it's a position in which many opera singers find themselves, and it's no small feat to learn and find comfort in a leading role when the countdown is on.

Don't miss: The Cocktail Époque

News

Off Centre Music Salon is all about presenting classical music "in an innovative atmosphere that evokes the spirit of a 19th century European salon." The beautiful Trinity-St. Paul's Centre is a great space to hear these fantastic artists, and tickets for The Cocktail Époque start at just $5.

Don't miss: Viva Verdi!

Interview

On February 28 at 3pm, Oshawa Opera continues its 2015/16 season with Viva Verdi!, an afternoon of arias and ensembles from one of opera's most beloved composers. Kristine Dandavino, mezzo-soprano and Artistic Director of Oshawa Opera, is joined by sopranos Stacie Carmona and Renée Salewski, baritone Michael York, tenor Jason Lamont, and pianist Sabatino Vacca for this opera-sized concert event.

4 traits of a great cadenza

Editorial

If you're an opera singer, cadenzas are your real "listen to ME" moment. The orchestra cuts out, and all ears are focused on your voice. Cadenzas come with lots of tradition, lots of hype, and they can be covert competitions among opera's inner circles. So, what makes a cadenza great? More notes? Extreme ranges? Surprise tricks up a singer's sleeve?

Things I want to see: La Zombiata

Humour

"Our story begins in a Parisian penthouse infested by an undead hoard lead by Xenobia, huntress of humans. As the minions mingle at a bloody soiree, romantically inclined Christolpho meets the ravenous-yet-rapturous Philonia. Suddenly, all-too-human emotions come into play, leading to chaos, comedy, and a splash-zone worthy chainsaw massacre."

Grease Live: a rant

Op-ed

We've been talking a lot lately about opera on the big screen; how stage acting looks weird on camera, and how the acoustic experience from a film or TV broadcast is basically non-existent when compared to actual live opera. My own little nit-picks aside, I'll grant one big thing to opera made for broadcast: it's actually live.

In review: Siegfried

Review

Even since last season's Die Walküre at the Canadian Opera Company, I've been experiencing acute anticipation for Wagner's Ring Cycle to continue. In Canada, we have to be more patient than most about our Wagner consumption, yet last night I was sated by François Girard's production of Siegfried.