Spotlight on: Diego Silva

Interview

"I make a living from doing what I love to do, and my schedule is always changing and includes lots of travel. I never get bored because I have to study a lot of different music in different languages and there is always room for improvement."

Anne Kostalas: a year with opera singers

Interview

Filmmaker Anne Kostalas has wrapped a three-part documentary, following the lives of three young singers at Opera McGill, Schulich School of Music, Montréal. The documentary was commissioned by Patrick Hansen, head of Opera McGill, who is "thrilled at how this documentary seems like a love letter, not just to Opera McGill but to the McGill campus and all the people who study and work there."

Spotlight on: Claire Kuttler

Interview

"Get right with failure (again, a constant work in progress). Keep working hard, there is value in working hard no matter the outcome. You don't know half of what you think you know. Get right with being humble. Read books. Study foreign languages more. Watch more comedies than tragedies (I still don't follow this one)."

Michael Rose on A Tale of Two Cities

Interview

This summer, Summer Opera Lyric Theatre enters its 30th season; to celebrate, the line-up includes the world premiere of A Tale of Two Cities, a new operatic adaptation of Dickens' novel by Victor Davies and Eugene Benson. We spoke with Music Director and pianist Michael Rose about this new opera, some upcoming projects of his own, and about SOLT's mission to train young artists for the professional stage.

Paul Curran: a director's tips for singers

Interview

As a follow-up to our chat with stage director Paul Curran, we asked him about working with young singers. He offers up tips for singers at the beginning of their career, on how to impress in the rehearsal room, and to get the most out of their time with a director.

Talking with directors: Paul Curran

Interview

We had the great luck of meeting Curran during his work on The Rape of Lucretia at The Banff Centre. He spoke with us about the role of the director, the beauty of working with singers, and how he finds Britten's operas to be continuously fascinating.

New works: The Imaginings

Interview

"I've been wanting to write an opera ever since I watched Amadeus. There has always been lingering ideas in my mind for a libretto. Using the paintings as characters came initially from Stu & Jess productions commissioning me to adapt several poems into a song cycle based on classic paintings (Mona Lisa, Napoleon etc.); the initial poems had a humorous tone and sparked an idea."

Spotlight on: Shelley Jackson

Interview

"Trust your instincts, combined with these few people you trust. At the end, it is you getting up onstage, and you alone are responsible for working out your issues. Feed your person, love your life and live it fully, and that will be all come out onstage."

Elevated opera: the Crested Butte Opera Studio

Interview

"The Crested Butte Music Festival was particularly attractive to me because there aren't many paid summer young artist programs where you have the opportunity to sing a leading role. This summer, I'm eager to learn the role in a safe environment with amazing music staff and peers."

Spotlight on: Vanessa Oude-Reimerink

Interview

"Normally, the voice in my head would say things like 'you're running out of air' but instead I try to hear 'you have all the air in the world and you WILL make it through this phrase!' I really believe that sending out positive energy and thoughts will not only make your life more enjoyable, but you will notice a difference in the people who surround you. "