Opera 5 opened the first Toronto Opera Festival last night at Factory Theatre with a gala featuring Greg Dahl and the singers from their intern programme; most of whom have McGill connections..  It was basically a concert of opera arias and scenes and musical theatre numbers in about equal shares.  It was quite varied ad theire was some excellent singing supported with versatility and flair by Nate Ben-Horin on a slightly battered looking piano (it sounded fine though!).

Nate Ben-Horin, piano; Gregory Dahl, baritone

Greg Dahl MC’d and provided a couple of numbers opening the show, appropriately, with the prologue from Pagliacci.  More clowning followed with “Hm! hm! hm!” from Die Zauberflôte nicely done by Kyle Briscoe, Jayden Burrows and but two ladies; Brenna McFarland and MacKenzie Sechi the third alas being indisposed.

Jayden Burrows, baritone; MacKenzie Sechi, mezzo-soprano; Kyle Briscoe, tenor; Brenna McFarland, soprano

As always with this kind of gig there are too many numbers to “review” each one so I’ll just hit a few highlights.  There was Emma Yee’s spirited and funny version of Andrew Lippa’s “Old fashioned Love story”; an impassioned account of a search for a proper lesbian girlfriend, which is kind of the opposite of Bernstein’s “Glitter and Be Gay” which was sung with power, expressivity and killer coloratura by Kate Fogg.

Kate Fogg, soprano

The most esoteric piece on the programme was probably “Eschuchame” from Daniel Catan’s  Florencia en al Amazonas nicely sung by Len Crino.  I’m not a big musical theatre fan but a couple of pieces by Jason Robert Brown piqued my interest; the drily witty “A Summer in Ohio” sung dramatically by MacKenzie Sechi and the slightly soupier but still quite funny “Stars and the Moon” very nicely done by Brenna McFarland.

Emma Yee, mezzo-soprano, Nate Ben-Horin, piano

And if one is to have musical theatre why not an oldy but goody like Greg Dahl singing “Some Enchanted Evening” which led into the ensemble roducing a lively Champagne Chorus from Die Fledermaus with not a Steamwhistle in sight.

Brenna McFarland, soprano; Nate Ben-Horin, piano; Gregory Dahl, baritone; Emma Yee, mezzo-soprano; Jayden Burrows, baritone; MacKenzie Sechi, mezzo-soprano; Len Crino, soprano (he/him); Kyle Briscoe, tenor; Kate Fogg, soprano

All in all a bit of light hearted fun to kick the festival off.

Photo credits: Emily Ding Photography