Feisty, frivolous Don Pasquale not quite in the patter pocket
News
Don't miss: Conversations with Isabel Leonard
NewsOPERA America continues its Conversations series on April 7th, with an intimate chat with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard. At the National Opera Center, OPERA America President/CEO Marc A. Scorca will sit down with the star singer, fresh from her run as Cherubino in The Metropolitan Opera's Le nozze di Figaro.
So, about that Stephen Hawking opera...
NewsIn 2010, it was announced that the Metropolitan Opera would commission an operatic adaptation of Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. Sounds cool, right? Osvaldo Golijov was set to write music for black holes and Big Bangs, and Argentine-Canadian author Alberto Manguel would write the libretto. The premiere production would be directed by Robert Lepage.
Worthy campaigns: A Silent Night
NewsBrancy and Dugan premiered A Silent Night at the Kennedy Center, and their subsequent recital tour has included their debut with Carnegie Hall Presents. The duo now wish to record A Silent Night, and they have launched an Indiegogo campaign to help the project. Tax-deductible donations will fund album production and post-production, artwork design, marketing, and other costs.
This weekend: Chelsea Moor Castle
NewsToronto-area fans of Gilbert and/or Sullivan are in luck this weekend. The North Toronto Players present Chelsea Moor Castle (or the Contract to Marry), a mash-up of music from HMS Pinafore, Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, The Mikado, The Gondoliers, Ruddigore and more, by Michael Harms and Barb Scheffler.
Creators in Concert: Jake Heggie
NewsHeggie will take the piano, along with soprano Talise Trevigne, mezzo Elise Quagliata, tenor Stephen Costello and baritone Joseph Lattanzi. The four singers have been involved in the workshopping and performance history of Heggie's works, and with the in-demand American composer, they'll perform selections from Moby-Dick, Dead Man Walking, Three Decembers and more.
Opera, faster: the COC's cheeky new app
NewsThe app is somewhat startlingly named "MyCOC". Now, if you go to the COC's website, you'll see a graphic promoting the app, and it looks slightly less unsettling with the "My" next to their palindromic logo. We at Schmopera are the first to profess our love for Canada's largest opera company, and the fantastic shows they put up. But this seems like the straw that breaks the camel's back (or some other body part) when it comes to marketing with a tricky acronym.
Don't miss: In Conversation with MYOpera
NewsI'm really excited to be chatting with MYOpera's Artistic Director Kate Applin, Music Director Natasha Fransblow, Stage Director Anna Theodosakis and tenor Daevyd Pepper, all of whom are involved with their exciting upcoming production of Britten's The Rape of Lucretia.
A call for new music: FAWN Chamber Creative
NewsComposers interested in submitting must do so by March 18, 2016, and FAWN is accepting a 1-5 minute recording of their work, plus the corresponding score, a bio, résumé, and a short summary of their compositional interests. The instrumentation is specific, and works must be include some or all of: tenor (voice), cello, electronics, percussion, and acoustic guitar.
Yes, please: Jonas Kaufmann on the big screen
NewsFor two hours, Kaufmann and the Filarmonica take us through Puccini's whole body of work; the programme includes arias from his lesser-known work (like his first opera, Le ville), as well as the hits we're all dying to hear again and again. This includes gorgeous orchestral works, like the famous interlude form Madama Butterfly.
Free live stream: Sondra Radvanovsky at the National Opera Center
NewsRadvanovsky will chat with Scorca about her "Three Queens" project with the Metropolitan Opera this season (she sings the title roles in Donizetti's Anna Bolena, Roberto Devereux, and Maria Stuarda); plus, she'll talk about her career and success in what will likely be an engaging and honest discussion.