Greg & Jenna's 2014/15 Opera Season Roundup

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Greg Finney and I caught plenty of shows together over the 2014/15 opera season in Toronto, and we like to join forces with our reviews to see where we agree, disagree, come to fisticuffs, etc. I figured a recap of our most memorable of the year was in order, so, over some wine, Greg & I chat about what shows, and which artists, we both loved.

What to wear to an audition, via the red carpet

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Auditions are fun, right? Completely fun. I know it gets old sometimes, but I always did find the ritual of dressing for an audition quite calming. Something to do other than be nervous, I figure. I do like the mini fashion-show with which I'm presented at any audition venue; I like noticing which mezzos stubbornly wear their best dress to sing Siebel (why not?), and whether or not the baritones are the type to match their shoes to their whatever.

I just wanna do my nails

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Pianists, am I right? I'm speaking for the pianists who have a #justgirlythings side, the ones who like to look like a half-decent person on top of showing off their skills at the keys. There's no shame in that, ladies (mostly, probably). I too have to make the decision between wearing Weitzman pumps and a) tripping on the way to the piano, and b) being able to use the damper pedal.

The rainy-day opera pick

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It's a rainy day in Toronto, making me crave one of those good opera storms. I'm a bit overloaded on The Barber of Seville, so turn back now if you hoped for Rossini cleverness. but Italian storms are the good ones.

The Opera Party Monologue

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Young artists aren't known for being well-off, and although they're always welcome guests, they're rarely in the same tax bracket as the philanthropists and higher-ups in the opera industry. Feeling out of one's league is common at parties with opera bosses, donors, and human opera encyclopedias. So, why go, you ask?

A Peeved Soprano

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On her awesome YouTube channel, American soprano Tamara Wilson made me laugh once again. "Pet Peeves on Performance Days" talks about folks singing in the stage wings, untimely visitors in the dressing room, and people just staring at sopranos.

Opera spin-offs, round two

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Good operas and good productions often make me think about the characters after the curtain closes. When that happens, I end up imagining the operatic spin-offs, sequels, and prequels that could be. Since our last instalment was such fun, I'll share a few of my imaginings once again; readers, leave your ideas in the comments below!

And you thought your singer face was weird...

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Readers, we can't stop watching Jerry Lewis lip-sync to Mario Lanza singing "Be My Love."

Singing Jaden Smith's Tweets

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Happy long weekend, guys. Here's baritone Zeffin Quinn Hollis singing tweets by Twitter's beloved Jaden Smith (who apparently deleted his Twitter account after he became fodder for people like Zeffin Quinn Hollis).

Opera on Letterman

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In case you haven't heard, David Letterman is retiring from his late-night hosting duties tonight. So, I went to work finding some opera on the Late Show, as my small but mighty nod to Letterman and his 33-year career (22 years on CBS, 11 on NBC).