More AtG in Banff, 2015

Editorial

Yesterday Against the Grain Theatre announced the cast of A Little Too Cozy, who will spend 5 weeks at The Banff Centre, as part of Open Space: Opera in the 21st Century. This collaboration between AtG, the Banff Centre, and the Canadian Opera Company also includes a workshop and performance of Crush, a new opera by composer James Rolfe and librettist Anna Chatterton.

Mayell's Mid-Atlantic

Humour

Toronto Operetta Theatre opens Cousin From Nowhere on Thursday night, and you can catch tenor Christopher Mayell onstage. He sheds some light on the question we all ask at the oper(ett)a: "Why Mid-Atlantic?"

Talking with singers: Quinn Kelsey

Interview

Baritone Quinn Kelsey was born in Hawai'i, sings roles like Rigoletto and Germont all over the world, and lately he's been riding a donkey. He's getting ready to sing the role of Sancho, alongside the incomparable Italian bass, Ferruccio Furlanetto, in the Canadian Opera Company's upcoming production of Don Quichotte.

Talking with singers: Alice Coote

Interview

British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote was in Toronto until very recently, singing Dejanira in Peter Sellars' production of Hercules at the Canadian Opera Company. Alice is in demand all over the world, known for trouser roles (Octavian, Sesto, Ruggiero, le Prince Charmant), and utterly versatile across the stylistic board.

Elvira

Interview

Everyone, meet Miriam Khalil. She's a Lebanese-Canadian soprano currently based in Toronto, and she'll be singing in Uncle John, as everyone's favourite clingy chick, Elvira.

Leporello

Interview

Meet Jeremy Bowes. He's a Canadian bass, and he'll be heading west in July to sing in #UncleJohn, as opera's most famous wingman, Leporello_. He spoke about what makes Open Space unique, and why everyone loves the story of Don Juan.

Anna

Interview

Canadian soprano Betty Allison is getting ready to sing the role of Anna in Uncle John at the Banff Centre's Open Space program. She answered a few of my questions about who Anna is, setting no expectations, and taking advantage of her time in Banff.

The Commander

Interview

Baritone John Avey is joining the #UncleJohn crew this summer, to sing the role of Michael Bridge. Who's that, you say? He's the father of Anna Bridge, the lady you met last week (the one with the really patient boyfriend).

Talking singing with Gerald Martin Moore

Interview

Pianist, coach and voice teacher Gerald Martin Moore works with, well, everybody. He's in demand as a coach, teacher and pianist for the likes of Renée Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, and Sarah Connolly, and he interviewed the spectacular Beverly Sills.

Cree Carrico: The Ophelia Project

Interview

Soprano Cree Carrico thinks outside the box. Case in point: The Ophelia Project. With director Christopher Mirto, she has created The Ophelia Project, a one-woman opera/theatre hybrid exploring the fractured psyche of Shakespeare's Ophelia.