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Check it out: an online hub for new opera

Check it out: an online hub for new opera

MyNewOpera is searchable by composer, theme, artist, and synopsis, making it a valuable resource for those curious what's happening among opera's small companies and even works-in-progress.

Jenna Simeonov
Don't miss: Verbotenlieder

Don't miss: Verbotenlieder

Launched in 2018 by baritones Michael Nyby and Aaron Durand, TICP is about unpacking and re-thinking the "often stiff nature" of classical music. With Verbotenlieder, they're upending two of opera's most ubiquitous traditions: gender and voice type.

Jenna Simeonov
Recording Dame Smyth: "Pretty good - for a woman."

Recording Dame Smyth: "Pretty good - for a woman."

Predictably, Smyth's music has not received the same recognition and appreciation as that of her male contemporaries like Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Grieg. "Pretty good - for a woman," was among the tiring sentiments by critics of Smyth's day.

Jenna Simeonov
Old meets new: Modularias & podcast operas

Old meets new: Modularias & podcast operas

A modular synth opera is about a hipster as you can get: "Modular synthesizers have been around since the early 1960s but they fell out of favor in the 1980s," say Cady and EiO founders Matthew Welch and Aaron Siegel. "In the last 10 years, there has been a resurgence of interest in modular synthesizers as they have gotten cheaper, smaller and generally more accessible for enthusiasts and musicians."

Jenna Simeonov
New season offerings from Esprit Orchestra

New season offerings from Esprit Orchestra

The four mainstage concerts of Esprit Orchestra's 2018/19 season happen at Toronto's Koerner Hall at 8pm. Pre-concert chats happen at 7:15pm, moderated by Alexina Louie. and New Wave Reprise goes up at Trinity St. Paul's Centre, with John Rea as keynote speaker.

Jenna Simeonov
Don't miss: Countertenor Madness!

Don't miss: Countertenor Madness!

The concert - aptly titled Countertenor Madness! - is likely to be a crash course in what makes the countertenor one of opera's most exciting voice types.

Jenna Simeonov
Don't miss: The Other Side of the Sea

Don't miss: The Other Side of the Sea

Werner is a Paris-born soprano with an extraordinary predisposition for creativity. Aided by a short gig as an au pair in the UK, and studying music at Cambridge University, the native French-speaker now also speaks fluent English. It's her bilingualism that inspired The Other Side of the Sea, a piece which uses the metaphor of the sea "to explore the tension of an identity split linguistically".

Jenna Simeonov
"I wrote Toward Tomorrow to bring attention to this crisis."

"I wrote Toward Tomorrow to bring attention to this crisis."

Since starting Opera Mariposa, Ko's performances have raised over $50,000 in support of treatment, education, and research of chronic neuroimmune disease.

Jenna Simeonov
Jeremy Dutcher: "deep in dialogue" with his roots

Jeremy Dutcher: "deep in dialogue" with his roots

"It's crucial for us to make sure that we're using our language and passing it on to the next generation. If you lose the language, you're not just losing words; you're losing an entire way of seeing and experiencing the world from a distinctly indigenous perspective."

Jenna Simeonov
The 2018 CMIM begins!

The 2018 CMIM begins!

Competitions are a funny thing. They demand a different set of skills than a performance in an opera or recital, and with the CMIM's expanded, online audience, the pressure for perfection is at its peak. A competition doesn't always give a good indication of what a singer does well - they may be an entirely different beast in performance-mode - but it's a fascinating snapshot into what a singer is doing at a specific point in their career.

Jenna Simeonov

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