A queer-friendly Figaro out of Manitoba Underground Opera

Review

As a singer transitioning out of a performing role and into the role of an audience member, board member, and now reviewer, it is surreal to watch this company grow as a spectator on the outside.

High expectations and opera + rock climbing in Gould's Wall

Review

Our artist, Louise, invokes Canadian classical music icon Glenn Gould to guide her as she climbs to the apex. Interspersed with her journey we are offered a glimpse inside Gould's mind through a series of memories.

Michael Spyres the BariTenor, difficult to compartmentalize — but a spectacular 85-minute listen

Review

The recording, a luxurious and record-setting 85 minutes of burnished virtuosity, is spread over 18 arias spanning three centuries and 15 composers. Spyres straddles the tenor and baritone repertoires so stylishly as to approach a state of operatic titillation, if there was was such a thing.

The Accommodating "Cool" of Spielberg’s West Side Story

Review

It would be unreasonable to expect these star-crossed lovers to create a more charmingly romantic balcony scene and "Tonight." They are literally heaven-sent when singing their vows in "One Hand, One Heart" amidst sunlight streaming through stained glass at the MET Museum’s Cloisters.

Need a new bio? We do that.

Meta

Does your biography start with the words "hailed", "praised", or "lauded"? Is it old and out-of-date? Do you want a bio that reads as interesting as you are?

Fresh avant-garde: The Happenstancers film Pierrot Lunaire

Review

Pierrot Lunaire translates eerily well to film, especially in the hands of this team. Shot in black and white and with moments of harsh chiarioscuro in Adam Harris' lighting design, we're brought into the delicate world of a chamber group set-up.

Listening to pop music: an opera critics's running playlist

Editorial

The cool thing about being an over-educated musician listening to pop music while on a runner's high is that you can do what I call varsity-level listening. It just means that compared to how the average person who didn't do two degrees in Western classical music, you're listening to music with more tools in your ears.

A thoroughly divided opera world, great.

Op-Ed

Today, the opera world seems firmly divided in two: those who are with Angel Blue, and those who are with Anna Netrebko. These two sopranos have become the current faces of the current issue in the opera industry, and I've already started making gross generalizations about people who choose one side or the other.

Essay: Tuning In to Developing Your Craft

How-To

From "The Things They Didn't Teach You At Conservatoire"

Essay: Tuning In to Getting Ahead

How-To

From "The Things They Didn't Teach You At Conservatoire"