True stories: the critic who loves opera even more now

Op-ed

Maybe it's the concept of the critic, or maybe it's the notebook itself, that can evoke suspicion. The notebook is open to record all the mistakes, and while the critic is scribbling in the dark, magic is happening onstage and they're missing it. It's not just a myth; these things happen, and critics can be relentlessly harsh, to the point where one wonders why they keep going to the opera, if they dislike everything they see.

Opera's survival: tightened belts & callous questions

Op-ed

All of this is nearing an uncomfortable suggestion. We ask, honestly and without further insinuations: when was the last time that the chorus, or the orchestra, was the most memorable element of an opera?

What #OscarsSoWhite can learn from opera

Op-ed

Perhaps opera is making a mess of this whole thing by keeping racist shows like Madama Butterfly on stages, or even sexist shows like The Marriage of Figaro alive and well. And yes, film is different than opera; a film doesn't go through different productions, doesn't get re-made over and over again with new casts of characters. But I think there's light in our madness, because it means we've paid attention to the stories themselves, rather than the people charged with telling them.

A funny thing happened on the way to the opera

Op-ed

When the average, non-opera-obsessed North American attends an opera, they come away with the tale that they've seen La bohème or Aïda, and that's the end of it. They're not likely to tell their fellow, non-opera-obsessed friends that they saw "Zeffirelli's Bohème" or "Tim Albery's Aïda". There's nothing maliciously ignorant about any of this. It's just not how North Americans generally understand the process of putting an opera onstage.

Newbies at the opera

Op-ed

We entered the theatre and got to our seats minutes before the curtain rose. The stage set was simple and yet magnificent with a full staircase as the main backdrop, and then the orchestra started and the singing began, WOW! The voices. I never thought operas could be so humorous and enjoyable, I always thought operas were serious and tragic with the cliché of a fat lady in a flowing floor length gown and horned helmet - was I wrong!

Music: the musician's therapy, except when it's not

Op-ed

One the one hand, you could argue that the test of a true musician is similar to that saying, "you know who your real friends are when your friendship costs them time and money." A real musician is one who wants to make and listen to music when there's no deadline, and no paycheque on the horizon. Right? I don't actually think that's right, but it's a nagging idea.

Grease Live: a rant

Op-ed

We've been talking a lot lately about opera on the big screen; how stage acting looks weird on camera, and how the acoustic experience from a film or TV broadcast is basically non-existent when compared to actual live opera. My own little nit-picks aside, I'll grant one big thing to opera made for broadcast: it's actually live.

She's leaving home

Op-ed

A question often lingers: would I love all of this stuff as much if you didn't already know half of the creative team? In an interesting experiment in journalistic bias, London is a place where there's no shortage of excellent music and theatre, yet in comparison to writing about Toronto, I'll have little personal connection to the artists onstage. Basically, the art that London has to offer will speak for itself, at least to me.

Why This Opera Singer Took a Non-Singing Job at an Opera Company

Op-ed

While directors and conductors often hold directorships and administrative positions within opera companies, singers themselves rarely have the opportunity to continue to perform while contributing to the other side of the footlights. There is definitely a stigma attached -- that if you have time for any kind of other job, your singing career must not be going well.

Schmopera is two!

Op-ed

It seems as though the odd thoughts knocking around my brain about this wacky world of opera weren't unique. Readers, you too were curious about how artists learn their craft, how they earn a living wage by doing it, and what those opera directors are up to. You too wanted to stop defending our beloved art form, and start making more of it without apologies.