The 'Quiet Luxury' of haute-contre Cyrille Dubois
Retta, the opera fan
HumourHappy New Year! I’m starting 2015 off light, with a fun opera find out in the world of general media. Did you know actress/comedienne Retta, who plays Donna on Parks and Recreation, trained as an opera singer? She’s still got some decent chops, too, which she showed off to Conan O’Brien in 2012.
Talking with Agents: Alia Rosenstock
InterviewAlia Rosenstock is an Artist Manager with Dean Artists Management, Canada’s biggest and most successful agency for classical singers. She studied voice at the New England Conservatory and she holds a law degree from Dalhousie University; these days, she’s melding her musical, administrative, and law skills into one very neat job representing Canada’s exciting talent. I asked her what she loves about it.
Chris Enns: Rags to Reasonable
InterviewCanadian tenor Chris Enns is the creator of the new blog Rags to Reasonable: Personal Finance for Artists & Storytellers. It’s great, I’ve already learned things, and Chris is writing about a really important topic for us artsy types. He was nice enough to sit down with me and tell me why he created Rags to Reasonable, and what it can do for today’s generation of professional artists.
Talking with Singers: Jennifer Holloway
InterviewAmerican singer Jennifer Holloway is currently in Toronto, all set to make her Canadian Opera Company debut as Donna Elvira in Dmitri Tcherniakov's production of Don Giovanni, which opens January 24th. She was kind enough to sit down with me and talk about the character of Donna Elvira, about sympathizing with the Don, and about Mozart's sense of feminism.
Talking with Valkyries: Rihab Chaieb
InterviewTunisian-born mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb is a graduate of the COC Ensemble Studio (Semele, La clemenza di Tito), and she's currently in Toronto to be a Valkyrie. She sings Waltraute in Atom Egoyan's production of Die Walküre, opening January 31st at the Four Seasons Centre. I asked her about being the production, and what she's learned about the art and the business of opera.
Tales from One Soprano's European Audition Tour
HumourWhen they’re not too far from their university years, many young Canadian opera singers start thinking about an audition tour in Europe. Germany, in particular, is appealing to Canadians for its many, many opera houses, and the coveted fest contract in German houses. Canadian soprano Lydia Skourides Péquegnat is one of those singers, having spent three seasons at Theater Dortmund before returning to Germany for a four-month audition tour.
John Cage Would Have Laughed
HumourSince John Cage didn’t write anything easily defined as an opera, this is officially a topical digression. Concerning the above screenshot, possible explanations include a) a hilarious coincidence concerning copyright infringement, b) John Cage is haunting AdamLore and his YouTube channel, or c) AdamLore infringed upon copyright knowing that this would be perfect.
How to Sit Through Opera and Other Wikigems
HumourEvery once in a while I like to pretend I’m an opera newbie and Google things like “why do opera singers sing so loud” and “why is opera so long”. I was rewarded this time with a WikiHow goldmine of entertainment. Now, I know these articles can be written by anyone, so I’m not going on a snob rant. I just think these are hilarious.
In review: Die Walküre at the COC
ReviewLast night I finally got the chance to satisfy my curiosity, by seeing the Canadian Opera Company’s current production of Die Walküre, directed by Atom Egoyan (and running until Feb. 22). Since the 2014/15 season was announced, I had been eager to see Egoyan’s take on Wagner, and to hear Christine Goerke as Brünnhilde.
How Much Money Makes an Artist?
Op-edIn the last few weeks, a recurring topic has come up among my artist friends. The crux of the issue can actually be boiled down to one question: are you still an artist if you can’t survive on your artist income?