The 'Quiet Luxury' of haute-contre Cyrille Dubois
"Remember me, but ah, forget my fate"
EditorialOn February 5th, 1981, Toronto police raided four bathhouses, rounded up its LGBTQ+ patrons, and arrested them in a mass arrest that hadn't been paralleled until the G20 Summit a few years ago. So, everyone's favourite A-list mezzo, the incomparable Joyce DiDonato (#FullOnToner #PitchPerfectReference) shared a lovely gift with my people.
Greg's First Thursday at the AGO
EditorialAGO First Thursdays is a great party series thrown by the gallery on the first Thursday of every month. After the AGO closes for regular business, the place is transformed into an events venue with DJs, Drinks, Dancing, Dashing Dudes, Dreamy Dames and some Damn Fine Art. Last night was no exception.
Advice for Young Musicians, from Young Agents
InterviewBy some fortuitous chance, I had the opportunity to talk with two young agents about getting work in the opera and classical music industry. Alia Rosenstock is with Dean Artists Management, and you may have seen her earlier interview with me about her work representing opera singers. Percussionist Allison Bent was an artist representative with Andrew Kwan Artists, and is now the Orchestra Personnel Administrator for the TSO.
Allison Bent: Advice for Young Musicians
InterviewAllison Bent is Orchestra Personnel Administrator for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and was an Artist Representative for Andrew Kwan Artists. I asked her about advice she could offer young musicians entering or new to the professional world.
Michael Mori: On Contemporary Opera
InterviewAmong the Artistic Directors of North America’s opera companies, it’s fair to say that Michael Mori has a unique vantage point on the industry of opera and its future. I ask him about what Tapestry does, and why historical works don’t always mean cultural relevance.
The 2015 Quilico Awards
ReviewLast night the members of the COC Ensemble Studio competed in the Christine and Louis Quilico Awards, in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre. From my own experience with the 2013 Quilico Awards, I know that this intra-Ensemble competition can be tough on the singers.
In review: Jane Archibald and Liz Upchurch
ReviewOut of this season’s Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Jane Archibald‘s recital with Liz Upchurch was one I was really looking forward to. I was by no means disappointed. Jane’s is a voice I’ve admired since I heard her as Zerbinetta in her COC debut in 2011.
Opera da Camera: Xerxes is the new Elvis
InterviewOpera da Camera is hard at work, getting ready for their upcoming production of Handel’s Xerxes, running February 19, 21, 28 and March 1st. What’s with the Elvis get-up, you ask? I asked co-Artistic Directors Meagan Zantingh and Kathrin Welte about all that gender fluidity in Handel’s operas, and how Opera da Camera is answering the big question of audience accessibility. #viveleroi indeed!
The Art of Defining a Singer and Squashing Anomalies
EditorialI spotted a strange review in the Washington Post by Anne Midgette, on Ian Bostridge's performance of Winterreise at the Library of Congress. I was misled by a clickbait-esque headline (not Anne's): "'Ian Bostridge Is Not A Classical Singer' Says Anne Midgette".
Turning Pages, Turning Heads
HumourPianists, can we talk about page-turning for a minute? Nothing ignites panic in a pianist quite like that horrible feeling of two pages, disguised as one, inexplicably stuck together. The subsequent scuffle between index finger and thumb can escalate into the unthinkable: having to turn the page with both hands. I’ve never been a fan of having a designated page-turner seated beside me at the piano, because I like my bubble of personal space when I play; my stubbornness on this issue has only grown stronger since I’ve been playing opera scores.