Spotlight on: Hyesang Park

Interview

"I have such a big responsibility about my singing. This is not about filling my pocket with money, not about having a big reputation, not even about my own joy and happiness. I feel I have to try to open another door."

Spotlight on: Jennifer Taverner

Interview

"Sure, you need to possess the chops, but it won't get you very far if you're not an engaging performer, skilled musician, and all-around good colleague. Be professional, be prepared, be respectful and pleasant to work with. Remember, there are eyes and ears on you at every rehearsal and performance, so treat it like an audition and be the best you can be in that moment."

Summer of love: Bampton Opera presents The School of Jealousy

Interview

"It's often blithely assumed that Mozart's great works sprang solely from his personal genius, fired by his collaboration with the quirky librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. But like many great artists, Mozart was something of a thieving magpie, and Da Ponte was more used to adapting and rewriting libretti than creating new works of his own."

Nasty women, great operas: Opera 5's Suffragette

Interview

"Seeing women at the forefront of so many of the indie opera companies here in Toronto is thrilling. Everyone is doing work that is pushing boundaries, poking at that glass ceiling, and making art that is interesting, exciting, and creative. To see the women responsible for that art, starting their own companies and beginning from nothing, it's truly inspiring."

Talking with singers: Maria Mudryak

Interview

"Since I was ten I have been regularly checked by a phoniatrist; I was aware of the characteristics and features of my voice, and so, after graduating from the Conservatory at 18, I convinced my teacher Carlo Gaifa to let me try Violetta's aria; he did not agree at first but after hearing me he decided to teach me the aria and at twenty-two I was able to sing the whole role of Violetta Valéry."

Spotlight on: Lyndsay Promane

Interview

"Much like Oprah Winfrey, I'm not a fan of surprises. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong career and the wrong planet since my favourite performances came my way when I was not expecting them at all. Saying "yes" is powerful, and it's something I'm learning to do more often."

The one must-pack item for any summer program

Editorial

Spontaneity counts for a lot, especially in an environment that seems like it's all about first impressions. So singers, as you pack your bags and board your flights for your summer program(s) of choice, don't forget to add to your repertoire binder some Gerswhin or some Sondheim or even some inappropriate Puccini.

Spotlight on: Rihab Chaieb

Interview

"I have so much love for music, opera, and singing, but I am also open to many other things. I will sing until I think it's either time to stop, or because I feel I have been fulfilled by it and had enough of it, and that my brain naturally craves something else. But right now, I am insatiable!"

Ron Howard to direct new Pavarotti documentary

News

The documentary will include interview footage, clips of him singing, and Howard and his team will have full access to the Pavarotti family archives. "He has been vastly documented and recorded," says Howard, "enough that even though he's not with us, we’re going to be able to allow Pavarotti to tell his own story."

Spotlight on: Hannah De Priest

Interview

"I think what does all of us — especially those of us just breaking onto the scene — a disservice is making jealousy into this mystical, insurmountable monster. Hey, it's not because you're a soprano, it's because you're human. Everyone experiences that self-defeating twinge and everyone has to sort out how to deal with it so it doesn't morph into something all-consuming."