Rose Bruford College: "We are absolutely unique."

Interview

"I began studying for the opera degree soon after I retired. I discovered I finally had time to pursue a passion for opera that began in my teenage years. For someone like me, online learning is a real treat. I couldn't see myself returning to a university campus and I can organise my studying around a busy social life. I love being able to work my way through the excellent course papers at my own pace."

Talking with singers: Zachary Nelson

Interview

"When I was in Chicago doing Das Rheingold, it was the first Wagner I'd ever done," Nelson recalls. "I was sitting onstage on opening night, and Eric Owens is just wailing away [as Wotan]. I'm standing there on the stage with him, and I just started welling up." It was a moment in his career that will stick with him, and which offered a clear picture of the rewards that remain in store for the young baritone.

Talking with singers: Anna Caterina Antonacci

Interview

"La voix humaine is unique because it's not really a monologue. The protagonist is speaking to her lover and hears his answers on the telephone. The challenge is to make the audience imagine the unheard part of the conversation, and have them participate in the drama."

Talking with singers: Sir John Tomlinson

Interview

"They're the most important years of my working life," he says, proud of the legacy of live performances and recordings, particularly from his time at the Bayreuth Festival. There, in the late 1980s, Sir John sang his first Wotans, along with fellow first-timer Daniel Barenboim at the podium. In his 18 years at Bayreuth, he recalls, "I've never answered so much fan mail in my whole life." The cast would sign autographs in the mornings following performances, "and it would be a two-hour long session with endless people."

Flipside Opera throws a "Greeriad"

Interview

"I am more grateful than I can say for opportunities such as the Flipside Greeriad, to see my songs performed by artists who understand them from the inside out and who can pass their full message on to an empathetic audience. I am on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Art Song Project, a nation-wide organization dedicated to the promotion of new Canadian vocal music. I realize from this central standpoint how regionalized artistic expression is or can be."

Schoenberg/Bach & other unlikely pairs: AtG Theatre heads to TIFF

Interview

"This past week, we were able to have an open, pop-up rehearsal in the atrium of TIFF Bell Lightbox. To see a new and engaged audience stop by and listen to both pianist Topher Mokrzewski and soprano Adanya Dunn rehearse is what makes this collaboration so special. It's been really great to work with a partner that is open to creating intersectional performances like this, who wants to activate their building into a site for film, art, and music."

Talking with singers: Alessandro Fisher

Interview

"This is my first project with them, however I've been wanting to work with them for ages because I've not only loved their productions and recordings, but have also only ever heard positive things about the rehearsal and production process. It’s all very well putting on a beautiful piece of music, but the atmosphere that is created in the rehearsal room is absolutely crucial in developing a positive, friendly working environment."

Riders of the Purple Sage: meet Lassiter

Interview

"It's a rare thing to get to see a world premiere opera inspired by our local culture and history, and featuring a gorgeous set by Ed Mell that celebrates the Southwest landscape. I think audiences will find the story accessible, the scenes familiar, and the music incredibly expressive and moving."

Riders of the Purple Sage: meet Jane

Interview

"Lassiter enters Jane's life and turns everything upside down. She is intrigued by and attracted to him, but also knows that he is outside her faith and his anger and hatred for the church is unsettling for her. However, he is the only man in the opera who affirms and admires her strength, while lovingly pushing back against her long-held beliefs."

Tomer Zvulun: The Atlanta Opera's intriguing 2017/18

Interview

"There are countless books about Wagner, his work, philosophy and creative process. It is an incredibly rich and profound world and one can be immersed in it for a lifetime and still be a newbie. It is especially meaningful to me as an Israeli who did not have access to his music as there have been a ban on his music in Israel for decades. Perhaps that element of the forbidden made his music even more attractive to me."