Meet the contestants of A Little Too Cozy!

Interview

"Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met?" That's the big question on the minds of the four hopeful, love-seeking contestants on A Little Too Cozy. Felicity and Dora have been getting to know Elmo and Fernando in that classically romantic way, texting. Soon, they'll join host Donald Alfonso and talent relations guru Despina for the finale episode of A Little Too Cozy, where they'll finally be able to go on a face-to-face date with the objects of their text-affections.

4 weird questions for opera singers

Humour

We always wonder, since it's right there and wide open, do singers ever find themselves staring into the mouth of their duet partner? Do they become mesmerized by a waving uvula or trembling tongue? Are they conscious of having someone stare directly into their cavernous oral orifice as they holler away? Is it a bonding experience for both parties?

Liederwölfe stuns in #OperaPeepShow

Review

To say that it was unique would be a broad understatement. Upon arrival, you are greeted at the door and presented a key which gets you into the event, and then you are ushered downstairs where you get to choose, à la carte, which combination of the companies presenting you wished to check out.

In review: Classical Opera's Il Vologeso

Review

Perhaps it's true that Jommelli will not be remembered as one of the great composers of his time, but Il Vologeso is a great opera. It's full of love and lust, neglected and abused women, political differences, pride, and just endings. Under Ian Page, the Orchestra of Classical Opera started with a burst of energy that stayed present throughout the night; no two phrases were alike, and the orchestra were main players in the drama alongside the singers.

In review: Los Gavilanes at Toronto Operetta Theatre

Review

In a word, charming. That is what I experienced tonight with Toronto Operetta Theatre and their Canadian premiere of Jacinto Guerrero’s Los Gavilanes at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. From the simple set to the period costumes, the Spanish orchestration and the simple, well-known tale of love lost (and then found), I was charmed.

Brian Mulligan: singing Jack Torrance

Interview

"What makes Jack Torrance different from other villains is that he’s fun. He has a ball terrorizing his helpless little family... and he is absolutely remorseless! His wife and son are merely failed extensions of himself, and there's a joy in him once he decides to destroy them. He's empowered and in control, with a purpose. It's a lot of fun to be that sadistic."

Talking with Renaissance men: Matthew Sharp, part 3

Interview

We're rounding out our trilogy of chats with cellist, baritone, and actor Matthew Sharp with some musings on the state of classical music concerts. The role of the performer, the wants and needs of the rehearsal process, and the futility of the "definitive recording".

In review: Bryn Terfel at Koerner Hall

Review

For musicians, it was a masterclass not only in great singing and excellent playing, but in audience engagement. Terfel, the loveable scamp, managed his very enthusiastic listeners with a genial nature that's normally reserved for cool uncles, panda bears, and Jimmy Fallon.

What the eff is a Zarzuela, anyway?

Op-ed

A sparrow hawk is known in the wild for stealing the chicks of other birds from their nests. This Zarzuela tells the story of Juan, a man who left his poor fishing village in search of adventure and fortune in Peru. He returns twenty years later a millionaire - and that's when things get sticky. He agrees to marry Rosaura, a young maiden in the village who happens to be in love with Gustavo (the only guy in the village who's paid off his debts), and takes her from the young man's arms. See the metaphor?

In review: Tannhäuser at ROH

Review

The dancers moved in a constant, fluid canon, the men tirelessly chasing the teasing women, hurling themselves across a long spinning banquet table, trading clothes and bending their bodies like elastic rag dolls. Visually, it was the high point of the production, relaxing into what became a static tale. It's not inappropriate, to place the audience in the shoes of Tannhäuser himself, who goes from the heights of pleasure and excitement, and returns to the mortal world; indeed, no human stimulation would quite meet of Venusberg.