Kidon Choi
Talking with singers: Clare Tunney
Interview"Mozart writes for the voice, so it feels totally open and liberating to sing. As a performer, because all the emotion is already in his music, you just need to a vessel that delivers it, which is amazingly freeing!"
The start of something powerful: The Echo Drift
ReviewThe moth, appealingly mesmerizing, could have a spin-off opera all to itself. Created by individual acrylic paintings set in stop-motion animation, it moves like an insect shadow ricocheting off a porch light on a chilly autumn night in the country.
Don't miss it: SongFest's fast-approaching 2018 deadlines
NewsI'm an alumna of SongFest, and I can vouch for the program's extraordinarily dense and empowering training environment. It's a special chance to work, often one-on-one, with figures who represent the contemporary industry. It can be a career-making encounter, no doubt.
#COC1819
News"Opera transforms how we perceive the world and, in our 18/19 season, we're challenging ourselves and our audience to look at a fundamental human experience — love — through an unexpected array of works that has the capacity to reshape how we understand our hearts and minds," said Canadian Opera Company General Director Alexander Neef via press release.
An opera's evolving relevance: Turandot
ReviewUltimately, the vision of "China" that Puccini articulated with his Turandot is pure fantasy. While his scrupulousness in incorporating elements of Chinese music-making into his score is self-evident, there is little to suggest the other trappings of Turandot are anything other than an over-eagerness on the part of Puccini and his librettists to produce a spectacle that no one had seen before.
A product of great artistry: The Return of Ulysses at the Roundhouse
ReviewThe undeniable star of the show was the spectacular Roderick Williams. His performance was completely committed, both vocally and from an acting perspective. He savoured every word of recitative, brought out every moment of power and beauty in the music he performed. He welcomed his audience into the space with his unique, natural warmth, making the production a joy from beginning to end.
Sunday Funday: a don't-miss-it operatic double-header
News"One of the things I love most about music is the undeniable connections between different genres," says Amanda Smith, FAWN Founding Artistic Director & Resident Stage Director. " I’ve always listened to electronic music with a similar ear as I do with classical and my experience as a listener is often comparable – so many intricate musical layers and visuals to explore."
Moby-Dick: "A story about obsession."
Interview"I think Moby-Dick is ultimately about the redeeming power of friendship - and how an open heart can literally save your life. It's no accident that in both the book and the opera, Greenhorn (Ishmael) is saved from drowning by floating on the coffin on his new dear friend Queequeg, who is a 'foreigner' and a 'savage.'"
Don't miss: Hercules vs Vampires
Interview"There will certainly be places in the work where people will laugh at things onscreen which are unintentionally funny. This is a great thing, and I want audiences to laugh if they feel inclined, I want them to cheer Hercules and to boo the forces of evil."
Strange sensual energy: Salome at ROH
ReviewI didn't love the conceptual presentation of the Dance of the Seven Veils. It felt contrived and obvious, with its Freudian symbolism. I wanted more mystery, more horror and more beauty from it. Like the set, it felt distinctly 21st-century. It lacked the fragrance and uncomfortable beauty of Strauss' score and the original text itself.