Talking with singers: Daniela Mack

Interview

"One of the big motivators for me will be setting an example for her so that she will also be able to follow whatever her passion is, and to show her that that's a possibility."

Talking with singers: Keri Alkema

Interview

"I was really hoping my voice was going to drop so I could sing the big Verdi mezzo girls," Alkema remembers. But instead, the natural change in her voice led her to higher rep. "I kind of walked into that in a natural way."

Trousers on TV: 4 animated pants roles

Humour

But who are the cartoon pants roles (and skirt roles) of more recent years? And how does a casting choice affect how we react to a character? We tracked down four of our favourite 21st-century cartoon characters, who all take a cue from opera's tradition.

Fat phobia in opera? It's a thing

Op-ed

What I do know is I have questions that I hope we all can start to ask ourselves: Where does this critical conversation fit in this profession? What happens when superficial beauty standards discriminate gifted singers out of the business? Is there a way to have a body positive mindset and approach in this industry?

The coughing phenomenon

Humour

Does the initial cougher do so because they really were holding it in for the last little bit? Or is it a release of tension, brought on by impressive music and then a sudden, maybe uncomfortable, silence?

Singing at #TSO1617: Fleming, Barton, & Giunta

News

For the patient, on June 14 an 15, the TSO welcomes back director Joel Ivany for a semi-staged production of Kurt Weill's Seven Deadly Sins. Sharing the programme with Barber's Adagio for Strings and Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta, the cast of singers for Weill's "sung ballet" includes Wallis Giunta, Isaiah Bell, Owen McCausland, Stephen Hegedus, and Geoffrey Sirett, working with dancer/choreographer Jennifer Nichols. It would be a...sin...to miss this one.

Cool concerts: Esprit Orchestra's 2016/17 season

News

On October 23, Power On celebrates Canadian great R. Murray Schafer, featuring three of his works, plus the Canadian premiere of Andrew Norman's Switch, for percussion and orchestra. Under Music Director Alex Pauk, the Esprit Orchestra is joined by mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, flautist Robert Aitken, and percussionist Ryan Scott.

Talking with singers: Steven Cole

Interview

"I have a secret: I have taped (yes, old fashioned) every performance out of my mouth for 40 years. So I always listen to the tape before the next performance and make little notes: 'too much consonant on X...sharper rhythms at Y...Steven, enjoy more the double consonants tonight...stay more in head...E flat was flat...support more...keep the legato in that passage...that went well, you reached all your personal goals in getting the text across...'"

Talking with singers: Russell Thomas

Interview

He considers the impetus for professional singing a simple one, through those moments of encouragement as a teenager in school. Yet when asked why he still sings, Thomas nods to the freedom he finds onstage. "I could escape my own life by trying to be somebody else. And that's the reason why I still do it now, because it's the escape from all of my own baggage."

In review: Hannigan & Gražinytė-Tyla at the BBC Proms

Review

Abrahamsen's score is full of novel and surreal sounds, including an extraordinary moment of what feels like a heavenly choir and orchestra, shimmering with texture and treats for the ear. Throughout the score is a vocal motif, stretching words through repeated syllables, almost like a slow-motion version of a Baroque goat-trill.