Talking with singers: Russell Braun

Interview

Star baritone Russell Braun is one of Canada's favoured artists, and next month, he'll sing one of his signature roles at what he calls his home company. He has been singing Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro for twenty years, and he joins bass-baritone Josef Wagner and Canadian sopranos Jane Archibald and Erin Wall in Claus Guth's production, at the Canadian Opera Company from February 4 to 27.

Wallis Giunta & Songbook VI

Interview

Canadian mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta is getting ready to join the Tapestry Opera team for Songbook VI, the sixth annual concert of new operatic works presented by the emerging artists of Tapestry's New Opera 101 program. Giunta chats about working with Tapestry Opera, and the crucial role new music plays in the careers of opera singers today.

Michael Shannon: the opera pianist

Interview

One would be hard-pressed to find someone who loves singers as much as Michael Shannon, pianist, coach, and répétiteur at the Canadian Opera Company. Michael is based in Toronto, and he's currently a member of music staff for the COC's upcoming production of Le nozze di Figaro. He chats about the "beautiful pairing" of pianists and singers, and how he feels when he's around singing.

Talking with singers: Christine Goerke

Interview

Her bread-and-butter roles these days are large and daunting, like Elektra, Elsa, Ariadne, and Turandot. Still, Wagner's operas ask for unique standards of its singers. "I guess it's like a marathon," says Goerke, "but if you're a marathon-runner who's used to running marathons, it's just a total adrenaline rush, and it feels amazing."

Veronika Roux: opera in photographs

Interview

Veronika Roux is a photographer and opera enthusiast, and she's currently combining her passions in the form of her exhibit at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, home to the Canadian Opera Company. The photography project is called Opera Faces & Words, and Roux pairs portraits of opera singers with the texts of arias that are particularly important to each artist.

Talking with singers: Alan Held

Interview

Currently, bass-baritone Alan Held is in Toronto, a common stop for him in recent seasons, to sing the Wanderer in the Canadian Opera Company's production of Siegfried, opening January 23rd. He chats about being patient with big roles, building stamina, and Wagner as bel canto.

Spotlight on: James Westman

Interview

Stratford-based baritone James Westman is one of Canada's leading stars, performing roles like the Conte de Luna (Il trovatore), Macbeth (Macbeth), Germont (La traviata), and Horace Tabor (The Ballad of Baby Doe) on the stages of the Canadian Opera Company, San Francisco Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Houston Grand Opera, English National Opera, Vancouver Opera, and many more. Busy schedule aside, James insists his work as a singer is easier than his growing up on a farm; he chats about advice for young singers, and the great roles still on his to-do list.

Spotlight on: Aidan Ferguson

Interview

"Many people have told me along the way 'If you could see yourself doing something else, then go do it!' I have always felt a bit of frustration at that statement. I know that it comes from a place of wanting to warn young singers about the crazy journey that lies ahead. It is a crazy life, but there are many different things that I could be doing, but I am choosing this career right now. I believe this is what I am suppose to be doing."

Brian Finley's The Pencil Salesman

Interview

This summer, Westben Arts Festival Theatre is presenting the premiere of Brian Finley's new opera, The Pencil Salesman. Finley is a pianist and composer, and he's also the Artistic and Managing Director of the Westben Theatre. The Pencil Salesman will be directed by Michael Mori, Artistic Director of Tapestry Opera, and the cast of singers includes John Fanning, Virginia Hatfield, Alexander Dobson, and Donna Bennett.

Alexander Neef: listening to music

Interview

One of the best sets of ears in Toronto belongs to Alexander Neef, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company. He's an impressive source when it comes to classical music recordings, and until recently he had a wall-to-wall library of CDs collected over his lifetime. "I probably gave between 2500-3000 CDs to the COC, because I thought those recordings...I knew quite well all of them would be great for the [COC Ensemble Studio] to use."