4 awesome rage arias that aren't the Queen of the Night

Humour

The best thing about opera is that it takes any human emotion, and blows it up to huge proportions. There's really no such thing as "mildly happy" or "somewhat down" in opera; even an explosive emotion like anger is amplified. With so many anger-inducing headlines on our news feeds lately, some catharsis seemed appropriate.

The 2017 Various Stages Festival presents: Mu'a

Interview

"I have always been fascinated by the magic of water puppetry, its deep roots in Vietnamese culture but at the same time from a different era. I am keen to see what will come out of this encounter between an ancient artform and a group of artists anchored in our XXIst century. This process will be the chance to connect those dots and hopefully shake our conception of what is considered as 'traditional' versus 'contemporary'."

Stephen Bell: singer by night, Coffeeshop Creative by day

Interview

"Today more than ever, it is crucial to have as many skills as possible. How can you finance that call-back tour of auditions in NYC if you aren't working? Want to go and take a 2-week intensive program abroad? Yep, you need cash. That "day job" or second career can allow you have the opportunity of pursuing a career in the arts. In web design, I have found another passion to present my skills as an artist, and I love it!"

Bel canto indeed: "Dare Voce"

Interview

"We wanted to make a Songbook, a series of songs within the tradition of the Italian 'bel canto', but using a range of contemporary sounds at our disposal, for example, the electric and electronic. If you think about it, opera was once a part of popular culture... in Italy you can still go to the markets and find someone calling out with a Puccini tune!"

How Donald Trump gave me writer's block

Editorial

At these very, very low points in the history of humans, the idea of "inspiring" people with art and music feels silly, as though we artists are children being told to go play in the corner while the grown-ups (the doctors and lawyers, et al.) sort out the problem. I suppose it's hard to write about opera with scary nonsense in one's head.

Safe words & Masquerades: Nashville Opera presents Three Way

Interview

"I'd love audiences to have the realization that new opera can be as witty and memorable as a good Broadway musical. I also hope they see the light and dark sides of what we're after — beyond the humor there's sadness, strangeness. And the idea that sexuality and gender may be evolving through changing social attitudes and technology — that's real, it's here, and I think it should be celebrated."

Don't miss: Accelerando with Esprit Orchestra

News

Accelerando is complemented by three world premieres, performed by the Esprit Orchestra, under Music Director and conductor Alex Pauk: Surfacing, part of a triptych commission by Toronto-based composer Adam Scime, El canto del viento, by Argentine-Canadian composer Analia Lludgar hears the premiere of her El canto del viento, and John Rea's Survivance, commissioned in Canada's 150th year and celebrating the indigenous and Francophone communities across the country.

Everyday Arias presents 14 new opera film shorts

News

The films' stories are diverse: an intoxicated Elvis in a kebab shop, a young ghazal singer pursuing her dreams, a fish who sings its own requiem, and one tenor's take on Carmina Burana that promises to be "the biggest, boldest, and sexiest operatic flash mob the internet has ever witnessed."

In review: Written On Skin at ROH

Review

What's most thrilling about this Written on Skin was how the piece itself shone through Mitchell's production. Phrases from the libretto - like "blame her for everything" - leapt out as though shouted; Benjamin's use of the glass armonica - the instrument of "hysteria" - is well-timed and significant. Though it didn't overshadow the human stories of Agnès and The Protector, there was clear commentary on free will, and the cruelty inherent in God's creation of man.

Works & Process: Rusalka at the Guggenheim

Interview

"I hope that when audience members come to Works & Process, they are stimulated by the conversation on the artist panel, gain a greater understanding and appreciation, feel a closer or more personal connection to the work because they meet and hear the artists’ creative visions, and that seeing our performance inspires them to attend the full work."