Talking with singers: Russell Braun

Interview

Star baritone Russell Braun is one of Canada's favoured artists, and next month, he'll sing one of his signature roles at what he calls his home company. He has been singing Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro for twenty years, and he joins bass-baritone Josef Wagner and Canadian sopranos Jane Archibald and Erin Wall in Claus Guth's production, at the Canadian Opera Company from February 4 to 27.

Coming up: Norma by request

News

Next month, Opera by Request is bringing some winter warmth in the form of Bellini's bel canto stunner, Norma. Soprano Naomi Eberhard will sing the title role, alongside fellow soprano Jessica Lane as Adalgisa; and tenor Jason Lamont sings Pollione, the man caught in one of opera's most beautiful love triangles. Norma is one night only, February 6, 7:30pm,

Gems: the GoPro orchestra

Humour

Is it just us, or should GoPro footage become a staple of any opera or concert broadcast? Here at Schmopera, we're big fans of strapping a camera onto conductor, singers, really anyone willing to wear one. GoPro planted 24 cameras among the Czech Philharmonic, including on the ends of trombones, the bottoms of cellos, and on the owner of the best seat in the house, the timpanist.

He said/she said: Mozart's Requiem at TSO

Review

Greg Finney and I went to see one of Toronto's most anticipated concert events, presented by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Bernard Labadie returns to the TSO to conduct Mozart's Requiem, in an unique presentation led by director Joel Ivany, of Against the Grain Theatre.

Don't miss: La voix humaine

News

Campsall is an emerging singer to watch, and we were lucky to catch her and pianist Brahm Goldhamer in their dress rehearsal performance. She worked with "phenomenal director" Oliver Klöter to create a dense, claustrophobic telling of the one-sided phone conversation between a suicidal woman and her silent, invisible lover. "He was very patient with me," says Campsall, who admits that Poulenc's music is challenging, and achieving her level of comfort with it is a long process.

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.