Opinionated opera fans: come write for us!

News

We're looking for opera lovers with writing chops! You'll attend shows, tell us all about them, and have your subsequent reviews published on Schmopera. Specifically (but not exclusively), we're eager to catch what's onstage in Calgary, Montréal, Vancouver, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis.

Songbird: the debut album from Layla Claire

Interview

"Because this was our own love project we were really free to change repertoire as we went. Marie-Eve and I started with a list of songs but during the rehearsal process we let some fall away and added others organically. We were after a cohesive sound garden — songs that we loved and thought worked well together, rather than a collection built around a specific theme."

Hype for a reason: AtG's La bohème

Review

There are a few moments that always kill me in La bohème. There's the sexy "buona sera/good night" that Rodolfo says to Mimì in Act I; there's that that part in Act IV where he tells her she's as pretty as a sunrise, and she corrects his poetry, saying it should be "sunset". There's the look on Schaunard's face when their fun and games pull a sudden 180, and he's faced with the scene of a dying woman and a very sad friend.

Don't miss: Songs of the Soul Beams

Interview

"I want the audience to take away the fact that it is OK to talk about grief. It is OK to talk about loss. Most importantly, it is OK TO NOT BE OK. As the composer, I wanted to normalize the experience of grief through this musical work."

Going out in style: Sy & Kwon in the RBA

Review

It seems appropriate that the Les Adieux concerts show off a side to these singers that's rarely seen on the COC mainstage. For Sy, this was the first undertaking of Schubert's behemoth song cycle, and his performance had a beautiful balance of fresh youthfulness, and careful thought. He took enormous risks in vocal colour, nailing just about all of those choices; the detail work was impressive, and his sound has settled into something unique and warm.

4 English language habits that make a singer's life harder

How-to

There are some words that aren't actually helped by being overly literal with the pronunciation. The T's in words like "better" and "getting" have a natural tendency to sound more like D's; depending on how they're set, the sung versions of these words come out more clearly by keeping these "lazy" D sounds. An airy T sound can actually obscure the sound of the word, since it's unfamiliar to the ear.

Good first impressions: CASP's latest commission by Ana Sokolović

Review

Sokolović's work brims over with imagination of sound. In setting the human voice, she never seems to run out of ideas, and with this new cycle, she brought out audible reactions of delight from the audience.

Arts education teaches better manners, & more preaching to the choir

Editorial

What I'm saying is that confirmation bias is an issue, particularly in a corner of the internet like Schmopera. The people who don't know they're being rude with their phones likely aren't reading this. The people who think arts education is a waste of money certainly aren't seeking out opera-centric blogs. That asshole at the concert today will never read this and feel shame.

Bold recitals & etiquette done right: Fabiano & Drake at Wigmore Hall

Review

Many in the audience knew Fabiano from the 2015 production of Onegin and were thrilled to hear the piece - there was much discussion in the ladies washroom after the show. The ladies also concluded that they couldn't wait to hear him on stage again!

A comprimario amid a "huge, sweeping, romantic love story"

Interview

"I also love seeing how Joel [Ivany] and Toph [Mokrzewski] have evolved with the score and libretto, and with their directing styles. One of my favourite things about this business is watching my friends and colleagues grow and learn and develop and continue to astound me. I never cease to learn from everyone in the room, and you learn the most from people with a bona fide passion for what they do."