Elza van den Heever and the MET Orchestra: A stunning all-Strauss program
Native speakers & their operatic advantage
EditorialI can't vouch for native speakers of German, Italian, French, Russian, etc., but for singers whose first language is English, the idea of "singing in one's native tongue" is a frightful one. English can be a tricky language to sing, especially if you're born in North America.
3 things to learn from Joni
EditorialWith the scary news that Joni Mitchell is currently recovering from a brain aneurysm, I went on a mini rediscovery of her music. No one doubts that Joni is one of the best songwriters of the 20th century, and I think the way she delivers her songs is a universal lesson in storytelling. Here are a few things that singers, operatic or otherwise, can learn from Joni.
How to make the most of your summer program
How-toIt's summer program season, everyone. I'm so excited for you all! These are good months, spent in intensive training programs with teachers and coaches that are hard to pin down throughout the year. Lightbulb moments will be had, and new arias will be learned.
Waiting with Lyndsay Promane & Daevyd Pepper
InterviewMezzo-soprano Lyndsay Promane and tenor Daevyd Pepper are getting ready to present Waiting: a recital, on June 13th at 7:30, Islington United Church, with pianist Natasha Fransblow.
The Opera Party Monologue
HumourYoung artists aren't known for being well-off, and although they're always welcome guests, they're rarely in the same tax bracket as the philanthropists and higher-ups in the opera industry. Feeling out of one's league is common at parties with opera bosses, donors, and human opera encyclopedias. So, why go, you ask?
In review: M'dea Undone
ReviewI went with Greg last night to see M'dea Undone, Tapestry Opera's much-anticipated world premiere by composer John Harris and librettist Marjorie Chan. The short version of this review is that I loved, loved it, and it was one of the most integrated nights out at the opera I'd experienced.
Singers branching out
NewsWithin the last few weeks, a few of today's most admired opera singers have announced how they keep making waves in the industry, this time from off-stage.
I just met a girl named Cecilia
NewsI don't know how I feel about the recent announcement that Italian mezzo Cecilia Bartoli will star as Maria in Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story at the 2016 Salzburg Whitsun Festival.
A Peeved Soprano
HumourOn her awesome YouTube channel, American soprano Tamara Wilson made me laugh once again. "Pet Peeves on Performance Days" talks about folks singing in the stage wings, untimely visitors in the dressing room, and people just staring at sopranos.
Can NYC's opera scene take good advice?
Op-edOpera in New York has been pretty perilous the past few years, between NYCO's demise and potential rebirth, and the Metropolitan Opera's frustrating back-and-forth with several of its unions last summer. "The smartest city in the world seems to think that opera is an old-fashioned, expensive toy — or worse, high camp, something so ridiculous you can’t help adding it to your list of guilty pleasures."