Wallis Giunta & Songbook VI

Interview

Canadian mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta is getting ready to join the Tapestry Opera team for Songbook VI, the sixth annual concert of new operatic works presented by the emerging artists of Tapestry's New Opera 101 program. Giunta chats about working with Tapestry Opera, and the crucial role new music plays in the careers of opera singers today.

Don't miss: the songs of Leonard Cohen

News

For something different this winter, head over to Theatre Passe Muraille to hear Theatre 20's production of Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen. Tracey Power directs this "eclectic cabaret" of Cohen's music, along with music director and arranger Steven Charles. The show had its premiere in Vancouver in 2012, and has since traveled to Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Victoria, Vernon, Banff, and Fort McMurray.

Michael Shannon: the opera pianist

Interview

One would be hard-pressed to find someone who loves singers as much as Michael Shannon, pianist, coach, and répétiteur at the Canadian Opera Company. Michael is based in Toronto, and he's currently a member of music staff for the COC's upcoming production of Le nozze di Figaro. He chats about the "beautiful pairing" of pianists and singers, and how he feels when he's around singing.

Talking with singers: Christine Goerke

Interview

Her bread-and-butter roles these days are large and daunting, like Elektra, Elsa, Ariadne, and Turandot. Still, Wagner's operas ask for unique standards of its singers. "I guess it's like a marathon," says Goerke, "but if you're a marathon-runner who's used to running marathons, it's just a total adrenaline rush, and it feels amazing."

Veronika Roux: opera in photographs

Interview

Veronika Roux is a photographer and opera enthusiast, and she's currently combining her passions in the form of her exhibit at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, home to the Canadian Opera Company. The photography project is called Opera Faces & Words, and Roux pairs portraits of opera singers with the texts of arias that are particularly important to each artist.

Schmopera's British invasion

Editorial

Schmopera is relocating, and starting in February, we'll be based out of London, England. We're beyond excited to get our feet wet in the City's opera scene, and to expand as often as possible to Berlin, Paris, Zürich, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and every other opera house with an airport or train station nearby. From our London base, we'll maintain our status quo of artist interviews, show reviews, and writings on the hot opera topics across the pond.

She's leaving home

Op-ed

A question often lingers: would I love all of this stuff as much if you didn't already know half of the creative team? In an interesting experiment in journalistic bias, London is a place where there's no shortage of excellent music and theatre, yet in comparison to writing about Toronto, I'll have little personal connection to the artists onstage. Basically, the art that London has to offer will speak for itself, at least to me.

Talking with singers: Alan Held

Interview

Currently, bass-baritone Alan Held is in Toronto, a common stop for him in recent seasons, to sing the Wanderer in the Canadian Opera Company's production of Siegfried, opening January 23rd. He chats about being patient with big roles, building stamina, and Wagner as bel canto.

Watch & learn: maestros at work

Editorial

Just like all the different ways a human voice can sound to our ears, each conductor brings their unique presence to an orchestra. A different posture, a different flow of gesture can bring out a huge variance of sound from the players as they react to what they see. Conducting is much, much more than a clear beat pattern, and we wanted to show our readers just how differently rhythmic information can look.

5 books that should be operas

Editorial

Of course, not every work of fiction lends itself well to the addition of music; an operatic Finnegan's Wake might not be boring, but it may miss the point. Authors like John Irving write compelling characters (I could read The World According to Garp a hundred times), but they're developed over the long-haul, over a scope that's not conducive to the way opera tells stories. The same goes for delicious epics, like Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, and even Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.