This week the Young Artists Studio at the Canadian Children’s Opera Company gave two performances of Purcell’s classic Dido and Aeneas.  The YAS is a new initiative designed to give young singers (16-19) additional opportunities to the CCOC’s usual fare and maybe provide a pathway to serious professional study.

I caught the second performance in the new theatre at 877 Yonge Street and I was impressed.  The production (directed by Chelsea Woolley) was inventive and there was a. small instrumental ensemble; Larry Beckwith’s Arts Unionville Strings, directed from the harpsichord by Stéphane Mayer.

The acting and choral work was uniformly excellent.  The singing was a bit variable. unsurprisingly with some very young voices on show.  That said it was always enjoyable and the more mature performers were very good indeed.  Daniel Park portrayed the Trojan hero about as well as a teenager could and sang with accuracy and some style.  Zoë Earle was an effervescent and charming Belinda and this, after all, is a role where too mature a voice is not an asset.

The “find” for me though was Daisy Cardich Soria who sang Dido.  She sang and acted with real gravitas and quite a rich sound.  The famous (and famously difficult) Lament was handled really well and had the hoped for emotional punch.  The chemistry between Dido and Aeneas was good too.  They managed some real emotional depth in their interactions.

There was lots more to like too.  The “departing sailors” scene was played with exuberance and some lively choreography; as was the hunting scene.  There was some pretty fair dancing.  The witches acted with appropriately extravagant malice.  The main thing I missed was the ability to create an “otherwordly” sound; whether an ethereal Spirit/Mercury or properly cackling witches.  I suspect that takes more mature voices and “art” that can only be gained from experience.  It’s easier to sing well than “badly” deliberately!  But that’s an observation not a criticism.

All in all, it was a sensible choice of repertoire for a first production for the group and it was done really rather well.

Photo credits: Karen E, Reeves