Opera in Spring

Editorial

Jenna Simeonov Apr 10, 2015

With the official end of winter less than a week away, it's time to mark your calendars with some spring opera-going. Here are a few of the events I'm catching over the next couple of months.

Sunday, March 29: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert presents Charpentier's Louise, starring Leslie Ann Bradley in the title roles. Michèle Bogdanowicz, Keith Klassen, and Dion Mazerolle complete the cast, and Peter Tiefenbach leads as Music Director and pianist.Louise isn't done that often, but I know the music is gorgeous, and Leslie Ann is certainly a singer to watch. It's a single performance only, on March 29th at 2:30pm, at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. Get details and ticket information right here.

April 9-18: Opera Atelier continues its 2014/15 season with Gluck's Orpheus et Eurydice. Canadian mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel sings Orpheus, her first major role with Opera Atelier; joining her are Peggy Kriha Dye as Eurydice and Meghan Lindsay as Amour. Orpheus et Eurydice runs for 6 performances, opening April 9th at the Elgin Theatre. Details and ticket information are available here.

April 24-26: Metro Youth Opera is putting up another fairly rare opera, Mozart's Béatrice et Bénédict. Rob Herriot adapts the original production by Alison Wong, which stars mezzo-soprano Simone McIntosh and tenor Asitha Tennekoon in the title roles. Béatrice runs for three performances starting April 24th, at the Aki Studio Theatre, 585 Dundas St. E. Full casting details and ticket information can be fond here.

John Relyea, bass. Photo: Shirley Suarez.

April 17-May 22: The Canadian Opera Company is bringing an operatic staple to Toronto this spring, in the form of Rossini's The Barber of Seville. Spanish theatre troupe Els Comediants are the masterminds behind this production, which stars Joshua Hopkins as Figaro, Serena Malfi as Rosina, and Alek Shrader as Count Almaviva. Two casts share 12 performances, so click here to find out the details. Bonus: the COC Ensemble Studio performance of The Barber of Seville happens on May 15th, with baritone Clarence Frazer in the title role. It's a performance not to be missed, so click here to find out more. For general information on Barber, click here.

May 6-23: Also at the COC this spring is the iconic double-bill by Robert Lepage, which pairs together two fantastically creepy pieces, Béla Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle and Arnold Schoenberg's Erwartung. Canadian bass John Relyea sings Bluebeard opposite Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova as Judith, and the fantastic Krisztina Szabó stars as Woman in Schoenberg's heady melodrama. I can't wait for this one.Bluebeard/Erwartung runs for 7 shows, starting May 6th. Click here for full casting details and ticket info.

May 26-29: Tapestry Opera closes its 35th anniversary season with the world premiere of M'dea Undone, composed by John Harris with a libretto by Marjorie Chan. M'dea is a adaptation of the Greek myth of Jason and Medea, starring Canadian mezzo Lauren Segal as M'dea, opposite baritone Peter Barrett as Jason. Tenor James McLean sings The President, with soprano Jacqueline Woodley as Dahlia. Tim Albery directs, and Jordan de Souza conducts. The piece has my curiosity piqued, no doubt. M'dea Undone plays for 4 shows, starting May 26th, at Evergreen Brickworks, 550 Bayview Ave. Click here for ticket information.

June 2-5: Against the Grain Theatre presents Death and Desire, a double-bill of Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin and Messaien's Harawi. With Artistic Director Joel Ivany and Music Director and pianist Topher Mokrzewski, Colin Ainsworth sings the Schubert, and Krisztina Szabó takes on Messaien. The performance dates and location aren't yet announced, but there's a preview performance on May 21st as part of the Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre. Click here for more details, and stay tuned with Against the Grain Theatre by following them on Twitter.