Michael Fabiano: the "profound effect" of ArtSmart

Interview

When it comes to young people with little to no extra-curricular activities in their daily schedules, it's a major discovery to see that students are eager to stay after school for their private sessions. "Lots of the kids are genuinely excited to be able to stay after school and wait for a lesson," says Fabiano. "To be able to focus on something every day, and to wait an hour to do their lesson, is good for them because it keeps them in the incubator environment."

4 shows to perk up the post-holiday blues

Editorial

The holidays are great - but after roughly a month of wavering between buzzed and hungover, and eating like a complete idiot, it's nice to get back to some semblance of a schedule where businesses are open and you can trust their hours of operation.

4 New Year's resolutions for opera fans

Humour

If you're going to an opera for the first time, and you don't know the plot ahead of time, fantastic! You may be tempted to get a head start on the action to come, by reading the synopsis included in most programmes; try to resist the urge. It's a chance to experience an opera in a fresh way, to be surprised and shocked and saddened at all the right moments.

Canadian singers & their great reputations

Editorial

Perhaps it's because we border the behemoth that is the United States, and perhaps it's because we're far-removed from the operatic centre that is Europe. In any case, it drives Canadian singers to meet the perceived standards of the "biggest and best". Maybe we underestimate the quality of training available at home, and thus we head out into the world in over-prepared hordes.

Aria guides: [insert Christmas carol here]

Humour

Readers, you've taken a liking to our series of Aria Guides, which offer tips to complement the work you do on repertoire with your teachers and coaches. Our latest guide is less about operatic arias, and more about that other powerful genre, the Christmas Carol. Our short and sweet list of caroling tips is for all holiday singers, professional and otherwise. So pick your favourite Christmas tune, and don't forget the joy!

Bronx Opera: 50 years & counting

Interview

"It took our company a number of seasons, since its inception in 1967, to even realize that there was a possibility for its longevity. When this rather startling thought took hold, we had already formulated our basic missions: to give talented operatic artists an opportunity for meaningful experience and exposure (57 to date have gone to the Met), to nurture new audiences for opera...to expose outstanding and rarely performed works to audiences each winter and to proudly represent the quality of life in our home borough."

Real talk: the unspoken realities of a professional artistic life

Op-ed

Is it okay for us to talk about this openly? Can we be honest for a minute about how difficult this is? After a while I started to notice that I wasn’t the only one feeling the strain, and I definitely am not the only one wondering if it's alright to talk about it. So I'm here to talk about it. Openly, honestly, and publicly. And to invite others to be part of the real talk surrounding our endlessly difficult and confusing line of work.

Talking with singers: Karolina Pilou

Interview

"The idea that one person doing the casting can assess what the thousands of people from different cultures and walks of life in a diverse audience will find attractive or not, is still a puzzle to me. We tell the most fascinating and outrageous stories to audiences, but don't give them enough credit that they can believe a short and overweight tenor or a plus size soprano can be the object of desire in many given opera productions."

He said/She said: a tale of two Messiahs

Review

Herr Handel was welcomed to the stage with all the flair and fervour of the biggest glam-rock superstar. It was heartening to see that kind of reaction. After a few housekeeping announcements disguised as a sketch with Handel, The Earl of Sandwich (apparently it's important to know that it's pronounced ['samɪtʃ]), and a silver tray of what I later found out to be actual turkey sandwiches, we had a quick warm-up and were off to the races.

A must-watch: The Creation on film

News

Happily, the London premiere of Rambert's The Creation was captured on film, directed by award-winning dance filmmaker Ross MacGibbon; starting today, the film is available to stream online. The filmed performance, conducted by Rambert Music Director Paul Hoskins, features over 40 dancers, along with the Rambert Orchestra, the BBC Singers, and soloists Sarah Tynan, James Gilchrist, and Neal Davies.