A quick hike in Banff, or testing opera singers' lungs

Humour

Week 1 of Open Space: Opera in the 21st Century at the Banff Centre has finished. The opera team took advantage of a day away from the rehearsal room, taking a morning hike up Tunnel Mountain. Special thanks goes to Bruno Roy, for wearing a camera the whole time!

Spotlight on: Kelsey Vicary

Interview

I first met soprano Kelsey Vicary when we were both studying at Western University, and I had the chance to work with her most recently as Helena in Opera on the Avalon's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. You may have heard her as the Mother in Metro Youth Opera's Hänsel und Gretel, or as a past finalist in the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio Competition.

Opera Karaoke Night, 2015

Humour

The singers of The Banff Centre's Open Space: Opera in the 21st Century ventured down to the Royal Canadian Legion for this summer's first instalment of Opera Karaoke Night. We rolled an upright piano into the spotlight, and spent a happy evening singing hits like "Largo al factotum" and "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß," mixed in with songs from Carousel, The Last Five Years, and even some Freddie Mercury.

How to be a star répétiteur (yes, there is such a thing)

How-to

Répétiteurs, rehearsal pianists, the ones who repeat sections of music over and over; they're a special breed of pianist, with an insanely focused set of skills. Being a répétiteur is one of those jobs that can feel thankless, where people only notice your playing when you mess up. It's about checking your pianist ego at the door, and facilitating a rehearsal for others: singers, conductors, and directors.

Musician Marketing Masterclass

Editorial

The 6 skills/topics listed above are core to an effective marketing package. Yup, it takes time and work to acquire any of these items. But it will not cost you thousands of dollars, nor is it impossible…if you have the determination to use your search bar, put in a few hours a week, and chip away at the tasks over time.

Spotlight on: Maika'i Nash

Interview

Maika'i Nash is one of Canada's busiest pianists and vocal coaches. He is the Resident Music Director of Opera 5, and he has worked with singers in Toronto, Montréal, and New York City, making his debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall this past season with soprano Andrey Luna.

Spotlight on: Christopher James Ray

Interview

Christopher James Ray is a rising conductor based out of Houston, TX. In recent seasons, Christopher has been busy at Florida State Opera and Sarasota Opera, and he'll make his debut at Opera on the James in 2015/16. Christopher is a student and protégé of American composer Carlisle Floyd, having assisted him on Of Mice and Men in 2012, and recording an album of Floyd's songs with mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer.

James Rolfe & Anna Chatterton, on creating Crush

Interview

Here at The Banff Centre, we're working on Crush, a new opera by composer James Rolfe and librettist Anna Chatterton. It's a fascinating piece, based on Mozart's Don Giovanni, this time featuring a female protagonist named Donna. I was thrilled when Anna and James offered to talks about the process of creating Crush.

Lost in translation?

Op-ed

A translated libretto is one of the more exasperating things in the life of an opera singer. Not always, of course; English to German and vice versa work pretty well, similarly with Italian to French. For reasons that sound trite, singing an English Il barbiere di Siviglia or a German Carmen can feel uncomfortable and weird.

Catty commentary, or what's not useful for opera

Op-ed

The Cardiff broadcast looks a bit like a mix between mainstream talent shows (So-and-So-Country's Got Talent, etc.) and TSN; I'm not opposed to the preamble, introducing the singers with an interview and building hype with all the backstage footage. What I didn't like was the commentary. I was appalled to hear what was being said about these young singers; perhaps the idea was to provide context and insider information for listeners, but I think it was just mean.