4 weird rehearsal moments from the piano bench

Humour

Rehearsals are a lot of things; they're stressful, fun, boring, inspiring, and weird. The last one is probably the most true, and opera folk tend to get de-sensitized to the weird stuff pretty quickly. Obvious examples are hilariously pouffy rehearsal skirts, sopranos who mark with bass-like chest voices, and the generally weird shorthand between the artists ("are we going from vrum-da-DUM or from tinklytinkly?"). I thought I'd share some of these odd moments that I've experienced from my seat at the piano.

5 Questions for Mireille Asselin & the Amici Chamber Ensemble

Interview

An interview with soprano Mireille Asselin and the Amici Chamber Ensemble, as they prepare to collaborate in concert on April 12th.

R/Opera and Elephant's Ears

Humour

I was perusing the opera corner of Reddit and came across a fantastic post by a user who needed help in naming that opera tune that he/she had just heard.

Building Suspense with The Regietheater Panel

Editorial

A quick preview of our upcoming panel discussion on Regietheater. We brought together heads of opera companies, singers, and arts journalists to discuss the flaws and merits of "director's theatre," and its role in the ongoing evolution of opera.

Jennifer Carter on La traviata: "Violetta is an everywoman."

Interview

An interview with soprano Jennifer Carter, who sings Violetta in Oshawa Opera's production of La traviata, April 19th.

Darryl Edwards, on Teaching Voice

Interview

An interview with Darryl Edwards, Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Toronto, and Artistic Director of the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy (COSI).

Lieder for Lunch: the COC Ensemble Studio in Recital

Review

Review of COC Ensemble Studio members Gordon Bintner, Andrew Haji, and Jennifer Szeto, with Head of the Ensemble Studio, Liz Upchuch, in recital at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, April 9, 2015.

In review: Orpheus & Eurydice at Opera Atelier

Review

A collaborative review with contributor Greg Finney of Opera Atelier production of Orpheus & Eurydice at Opera Atelier.

The COC's Youth Opera Lab: Die Walküre

Interview

The Canadian Opera Company offers plenty of education programs for young people and adults, including their Youth Opera Lab. The YOL is designed to give young opera fans a chance to dive deeply into the shows in the COC's season, and this month, the focus was on Atom Egoyan's upcoming production of Die Walküre.

Talking with singers, Heidi Melton

Interview

American dramatic soprano Heidi Melton is currently in Toronto to sing Sieglinde in Atom Egoyan’s upcoming production of Die Walküre at the Canadian Opera Company.