In review: The Whisper Opera

Review

On Saturday I had the chance to see David Lang‘s The Whisper Opera, presented by Soundstreams at The Theatre Centre; with a sold-out run, I was lucky to catch this in Toronto. It was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time, made better by the few expectations I had beforehand. The Pulitzer Prize winning composer (the little matchgirl passion) asks, “what if a piece were so quiet, and intimate, and so personal to the performers, that you needed to be right next to them or you would hear almost nothing?” The Whisper Opera is aptly named; it’s certainly a piece that achieves Lang’s aim to write “pieces that try to highlight things that can only happen live.”

Aviva Fortunata, finalist, 2015 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition

Interview

The BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition has announced its 20 finalists from around the world; Calgary-born soprano Aviva Fortunata is one of them. She’s a member of the COC Ensemble Studio, and just finished singing the role of Helmwige in Atom Egoyan’s Die Walküre. Aviva is the sole Canadian among the finalists, and in June she’ll head to Cardiff, Wales, to compete in the final competition round, which will be broadcast live online.

Fostering Maestras: The Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera

Interview

The Dallas Opera has announced an exciting new residential program: the Institute for Women Conductors. Running November 28th to December 5th, 2015, the program gives young women the chance to learn and gain conducting experience, with guidance from TDO’s Music Director Emmanuel Villaume, and Principal Guest Conductor, Nicole Paiement (pictured above). Six participants will be selected from the application process, and all six will conduct in a final concert with The Dallas Opera Orchestra.

Bud Roach, on Capella Intima

Interview

Tenor and guitarist Bud Roach is the founder of Capella Intima, an ensemble of singers and instrumentalists that has “carved out a niche for itself in the Toronto early music scene.” Known for their work with 17th century Italian Baroque music, Capella Intima is joining forces with the Gallery Players of Niagara for their next performance on March 6th at the Trinity-St. Paul Centre, which includes Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Bud Roach has a huge passion for what he does, and he was kind enough to answer a few of my questions about his work in Early Music (spoiler: he’s in it for the foul language).

In review: Harper Regan

Review

For a while, I’ve been itching for a change: I wanted to see more non-musical theatre. Maybe it’s because opera lets me hear fantastic singers regularly, but there’s rarely a person onstage who started their training in drama, rather than music. I was really thrilled to be able to catch Simon Stephens‘ play Harper Regan at Canadian Stage, which premiered in 2008 at the Royal National Theatre. I figured it would quell my straight theatre bug, and I was clearly curious to see Molly Parker (House of Cards, Deadwood) in the title role. Harper Regan is inspired by the Greek plays surrounding the House of Atreus, and the stories of a cursed family

In review: Dido and Aeneas with Capella Intima

Review

Capella Intima showed off some incredible solo and ensemble singing, supported by the exciting chamber ensemble of the Gallery Players of Niagara (Rona Goldensher and Julie Baumgartel, violins, Brandon Chui, viola, Margaret Gay, cello, Borys Medicky, harpsichord).

In Review: Written On Skin

Review

I didn’t now much about Written on Skin, except that it had its premiere in 2012 at Aix-en-Provence, and the next year it ran at the Royal Opera House. As I sat in Roy Thomson Hall, I was surprised at how immediately I thought, “Oh, I have to see this staged.” It’s a rare thing for an in-concert opera to jump out at me with its visual potential, but something about Written on Skin really stuck in my head.

Toronto Masque Theatre, or Clowning Around

Review

Last night I went for the first time to see Toronto Masque Theatre, who are in the middle of their 11th season. I don't know much bout the masque tradition, but I've learned that it was most popular in the 16th and early 17th centuries, and combined music, acting, dancing, and even architecture into a piece of theatre meant to flatter the man paying for all of it. So You Want To Write A Masque? was a fun look at how this art form comes together.

Leslie Dala, on Postcard from Morocco, Julie, and His Conducting Bucket List

Interview

Canadian conductor Leslie Dala is currently in Toronto to lead two casts of students at the University of Toronto in their upcoming production of Dominick Argento’s Postcard from Morocco. Dala is a busy guy, as Music Director of the Vancouver Bach Choir, Principal Conductor of the Vancouver Academy of Music, and Associate Conductor and Chorus Master of Vancouver Opera. I hopped on the phone with him this week to ask him about all of the different hats he wears at work.

Is the Cost of a Music Degree Ethical?

Op-ed

I'm not saying that music degrees are a financial black hole, but they cost either as much or near as much as many science degrees. The disparity begs an unpopular question: is it ethical for universities to charge such similar tuition for a music degree as they do for a science degree?