The TFCO: a young people's opera blitz

News

"For me, the most exciting thing about the Toronto Festival of Children’s Opera is that it shines a bright light on both the incredible work that is being done in Toronto and the incredible people who are doing it," says Burry. "A lot of people think that works for children aren’t as valid or important as 'adult' opera. This couldn’t be further from the truth, and great children’s opera really has something to offer everyone."

Great nights: The Dream of Gerontius

Review

Coote and Clayton shared perfect moments of acknowledgement from their places on opposite sides of the conductor's podium. She was stunning to watch; she had such specificity on her face, from her almost-shy greeting of Gerontius, to her wise, tour-guide qualities as she takes him through his first moments in the afterlife.

Opera lovers & their unpopular opinions

Humour

There's something to be said about voicing unpopular opinions; it's an important thing, to criticize, and it's even more important when that criticism seems to come up against opinions so widely held that they're instead deemed as facts. Just like French Baroque music is delightful and violas are less interesting than violins, Mozart is perfect, and the Earth is round, right?*

Don't miss: Against Nature

News

Next month sees the world premiere of Against Nature (À Rebours), presented by Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie. It's the second in a series of salon pieces by James Kudelka, director and choreographer, following up on From the House of Mirth in 2012 and 2013. Against Nature features music by Canadian composer James Rolfe (Beatrice Chancy, Elijah's Kite, Crush) and a libretto by award-winning playwright Alex Poch-Goldin (Cringeworthy, From the House of Mirth, The Shadow).

Talking with singers: Corinne Winters

Interview

We had the chance to speak with Winters about the "intense and subtle" Mélisande, her offstage creative outlets, and how she stays happy and healthy on the road. Frankly, we'll take wellness tips from any soprano who can run a half-marathon.

Party arias: the traits of lesser operas?

Editorial

When it's harder to pull a section away from an entire scene, to find the real beginnings and ends of an aria, does that mean the opera is a purer melding of theatre and music? When a singer fights the urge to sing a bit from Bluebeard's Castle, and opts instead for "Quando m'en vo", are her urges founded in some quantifiable difference in quality?

Dean Burry on "The Highwayman"

Interview

On May 3 and 4 at Toronto's Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, the Talisker Players present Cross'd by the Stars, a concert filled with music about "soulmates who are fated to be torn apart." Mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, baritone Aaron Durand, and reader Stewart Arnott join the Talisker Players for works by Purcell, Gluck, Bernstein, Mahler, and the premiere of Dean Burry's The Highwayman, based on the poem by Alfred Noyes.

3 TV opera references with great meaning (maybe)

Humour

Is McGill reflected in those poor ladies, tricked by Albuquerque Alfonso into what seemed like a lucrative case? Or is it a more general reminder that Jimmy McGill is about as trustworthy as Alfonso himself? Like Puccini, Mozart places deception in a package that's pretty on the outside; sweet-talking, truth-bending McGill certainly makes a career doing the same thing.

Talking with Renaissance men: Matthew Sharp, part 2

Interview

In the second of our series of chats with cellist, baritone, and actor Matthew Sharp, we get into the nitty-gritty of what it means to be an interdisciplinary artist. Sharp chats about learning to sing and play simultaneously, and how he has developed the skills to create something greater than the sum of its parts, like his "one-man, interactive musical epic for 7-year-olds and their adults", Tommy Foggo - Superhero.

Paris Reflected at Southwark Cathedral

Review

The whole evening was one that urged us to simply close our eyes and listen. It's always refreshing to hear a well-honed orchestra with so much attention paid to the experience, rather than relying simply on the deep roots of traditional classical concert tropes.