In review: Jane Archibald and Liz Upchurch

Review

Out of this season’s Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Jane Archibald‘s recital with Liz Upchurch was one I was really looking forward to. I was by no means disappointed. Jane’s is a voice I’ve admired since I heard her as Zerbinetta in her COC debut in 2011.

Toronto City Opera: Don Giovanni

Review

Wednesday night, I went to see Don Giovanni at Toronto City Opera; I don’t know much about the company, and I was most surprised to learn that they’re in their 48th season. Forty eighth! TCO’s mission is to “grow the art of opera. It will facilitate this by training young and/or inexperienced singers through an intense regimen of coaching in musicianship, stagecraft and performance.” I’m a big fan of companies who create performance opportunities for young singers.

In review: The Whisper Opera

Review

On Saturday I had the chance to see David Lang‘s The Whisper Opera, presented by Soundstreams at The Theatre Centre; with a sold-out run, I was lucky to catch this in Toronto. It was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time, made better by the few expectations I had beforehand. The Pulitzer Prize winning composer (the little matchgirl passion) asks, “what if a piece were so quiet, and intimate, and so personal to the performers, that you needed to be right next to them or you would hear almost nothing?” The Whisper Opera is aptly named; it’s certainly a piece that achieves Lang’s aim to write “pieces that try to highlight things that can only happen live.”

In review: Harper Regan

Review

For a while, I’ve been itching for a change: I wanted to see more non-musical theatre. Maybe it’s because opera lets me hear fantastic singers regularly, but there’s rarely a person onstage who started their training in drama, rather than music. I was really thrilled to be able to catch Simon Stephens‘ play Harper Regan at Canadian Stage, which premiered in 2008 at the Royal National Theatre. I figured it would quell my straight theatre bug, and I was clearly curious to see Molly Parker (House of Cards, Deadwood) in the title role. Harper Regan is inspired by the Greek plays surrounding the House of Atreus, and the stories of a cursed family

In review: Dido and Aeneas with Capella Intima

Review

Capella Intima showed off some incredible solo and ensemble singing, supported by the exciting chamber ensemble of the Gallery Players of Niagara (Rona Goldensher and Julie Baumgartel, violins, Brandon Chui, viola, Margaret Gay, cello, Borys Medicky, harpsichord).

In Review: Written On Skin

Review

I didn’t now much about Written on Skin, except that it had its premiere in 2012 at Aix-en-Provence, and the next year it ran at the Royal Opera House. As I sat in Roy Thomson Hall, I was surprised at how immediately I thought, “Oh, I have to see this staged.” It’s a rare thing for an in-concert opera to jump out at me with its visual potential, but something about Written on Skin really stuck in my head.

Toronto Masque Theatre, or Clowning Around

Review

Last night I went for the first time to see Toronto Masque Theatre, who are in the middle of their 11th season. I don't know much bout the masque tradition, but I've learned that it was most popular in the 16th and early 17th centuries, and combined music, acting, dancing, and even architecture into a piece of theatre meant to flatter the man paying for all of it. So You Want To Write A Masque? was a fun look at how this art form comes together.

In review: La belle Hélène

Review

Last night I went to see opening night of the Glenn Gould School's production of Offenbach's La belle Hélène.

In review: Tap:Ex Tables Turned, or Go See This Show

Review

Last night was the first of two performances of Tapestry's 2nd annual Tap:Ex (Tapestry Explorations/Experimentations), this time the program is Tables Turned, featuring the music of Montréal-based composer and turn table artist Nicole Lizée, with percussionist Ben Reimer and the spectacular soprano Carla Huhtanen.

Lieder for Lunch: the COC Ensemble Studio in Recital

Review

Review of COC Ensemble Studio members Gordon Bintner, Andrew Haji, and Jennifer Szeto, with Head of the Ensemble Studio, Liz Upchuch, in recital at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, April 9, 2015.