Opera 101 with Kristine Dandavino

Interview

On Sunday, April 10, Oshawa Opera will be taking us back to school with their upcoming Opera 101: What the Fach? Sixteen local singers and emcee Alexis Ward will take the stage, with Artistic Director Kristine Dandavino at the piano to bring us the highlights of the "standard canon". We had a quick Q&A with Kristine to find out more about this show.

Lost history: opera's most famous premieres

Humour

When a few late-night serenades ended in street brawls between amateur guitarists and the husbands of the ladies at these windows, the police gave up their bribes and banned strummed instruments played by young men after sunset.

Organizing your scores: a serious business

Humour

So, what's your method of choice? Maybe you're a strict Dewey Decimal supporter, or a die-hard Library of Congress fan. Maybe your system is simpler: "the pile on the piano over here" and "the ones not on the piano". And hey, if it works for you, let's not ruin a good thing.

Power plays and crossing lines

Op-ed

So, it comes down to an imbalance of power, and a blurry line between standing up for oneself and pissing off someone who can give an artist a serious leg up in their career. People who take advantage of their power within a competitive industry aren't good people - that's simple. And it's only fair to point out that the majority of people with whom I've worked have passed The Dad Test with flying colours.

In review: Juan Diego Flórez's Rosenblatt Recital

Review

It's always been an amazing thing to hear Flórez sing coloratura; there's efficiency in the sound, yet it's not necessarily light. His machine-gun approach is full of precision and control, and he always seems malleable and flexible despite all the work involved. Flórez treated us to "Cessa di più resistere" from Il barbiere di Siviglia, where we heard the expertise and ease that gave the tenor his star status.

Nathan Shubert makes the most of Official Piano Day

News

Nathan Shubert, Vancouver-based pianist, session artist, and composer, is one of these artists. He has released his debut solo album, which includes "Saga Norén, Länskrim, Malmö", named after the protagonist of the Swedish/Danish television show, Bron (The Bridge). It's mesmerizing and more than a little bit beautiful - have a listen, and be sure to check out more from Shubert on Soundcloud.

36 high C's to perk up your day

Editorial

Tonight, we're pretty excited to hear Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez in recital at Royal Albert Hall, as part of the Rosenblatt Recital series. The tenor is famous for his stratospheric singing, and although one of his signature arias, "Ah, mes amis" from Donizetti's La fille du régiment isn't listed on his programme, there's always the promise of an encore...

Helpful singers: opera does house calls

Editorial

To singers and others immersed in opera, this may seem like a surprising way for people to seek therapy; our first reaction was to go through a mental list of arias, and imagine what operatic excerpts would serve to help people with their modern-day problems. It's an amazing test of time for the repertoire, and for the singers, who choose arias for people going through romantic troubles, problems with children or parents, bereavement, symptoms of depression, or the good old "sick of being single".

Don't miss: Conversations with Isabel Leonard

News

OPERA America continues its Conversations series on April 7th, with an intimate chat with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard. At the National Opera Center, OPERA America President/CEO Marc A. Scorca will sit down with the star singer, fresh from her run as Cherubino in The Metropolitan Opera's Le nozze di Figaro.

3 life lessons that practice rooms can teach you

Humour

Music students and graduates, how many hours do you think you've spend sitting in practice room hallways, thumbing through your scores, eagerly looking up as a door opens, hoping to God that it's someone leaving, and not just going for a pee/water break. Remember that poster/meme that was popping up for a while, something about "everything I need to know in life, I learned in kindergarten"? The game of finding a practice room is sort of like that.