4 Opera scenes that should have happened

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Above: Suzuki gets real with Cio-Cio San, just like we all wished she would (Not actually.) Ever watch an opera and think, "I wonder if those two characters would be friends"? Seems odd, maybe; I've always done it with TV and film characters, and when I got into opera, the trend continued. Like, I used to think about whether or not the Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow would all be friends if Dorothy weren't in the picture. Or in The Little Mermaid, what it would be like for Eric to hang out with Sebastian.

Opera's nomads

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Ever notice how the guy from out of town, the traveller, the wanderer-sort of character is often a bit shady and untrustworthy? This isn't limited to operatic characters, but you can certainly find examples in the repertoire (more on those below). More so than I expected, it's difficult to find any serious backing to my musings; although you can find the Fortune-Teller or the Pirate among the list of stock characters, neither the Vagabond, the Foreigner, nor the Travelling Salesman aren't really a stock character in the same way as the Senex Iratus or the Femme Fatale.

Gems: Beverly Sills and Danny Kaye

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Because they're both fantastic, the legendary soprano Beverly Sills teamed up with actor/comedian/singer Danny Kaye, for a hilarious parody bit on all things opera. Sills and Kaye trade short clips of some of opera's most famous tunes. I love this kind of stuff, because it shows that a) Kaye knows his stuff (he actually conducted a few orchestras in his lifetime, with varying degrees of seriousness) and b) Sills is all skill, no ego.

Gems: The Anna Moffo Show

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You probably know American-Italian soprano Anna Moffo as Violetta, Susanna, Manon, Cio-Cio San, Périchole, Gilda, Lucia di Lammermoor, really any lead soprano role in Italian or French, it seems. Have you heard of her Italian TV show from the 1960s, Anna Moffo Show? Television and film were always staples in Moffo's operatic career, and I think it's pretty darn impressive for a woman in Italy, 50 years ago, to have her own TV show.

Beating the heat with Weill

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If you're currently in Toronto, you know the heat is pretty awful indeed. So, the train of thought went thus: ugh, it's hot..."Ain't it awful, the heat?"...That show is so great. Why don't people do it more?...Ice Cream Sextet!

What's my line?

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I asked the casts of A Little Too Cozy and Crush to send me their favourite lines from their respective librettos. Read on, and get curious about these shows. Bonus points if you can identify which bits are Ivany, and which are Chatterton.

Opera Karaoke Night, Round 2

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Another Friday night, another Opera Karaoke night at the Royal Canadian Legion in Banff. The singers and pianists of Open Space: Opera in the 21st Century ventured down the mountain for some great music and good beer. This time, we were heavy on the duets (think La bohème and The Phantom of the Opera), and the Legion patrons even got a sneak peek of Against the Grain Theatre's upcoming A Little Too Cozy. Of course, our favourite #operababy, Sammy, joined us too.

My dad > Rigoletto

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Today, readers, is my lovely father's 60th birthday! Over the years, he has become a big fan of live music; he may argue that it was against his will, but he never balked at the chance to hear me play, I know that.

A quick hike in Banff, or testing opera singers' lungs

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Week 1 of Open Space: Opera in the 21st Century at the Banff Centre has finished. The opera team took advantage of a day away from the rehearsal room, taking a morning hike up Tunnel Mountain. Special thanks goes to Bruno Roy, for wearing a camera the whole time!

Opera Karaoke Night, 2015

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The singers of The Banff Centre's Open Space: Opera in the 21st Century ventured down to the Royal Canadian Legion for this summer's first instalment of Opera Karaoke Night. We rolled an upright piano into the spotlight, and spent a happy evening singing hits like "Largo al factotum" and "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß," mixed in with songs from Carousel, The Last Five Years, and even some Freddie Mercury.