Category Archives: Toronto opera news and views

Into the second half of of November

Posted on by
Reply

Here’s what’s coming up…

On the 14th at 1.30pm in Walter Hall Jane Archibald and Liz Upchurch are giving a recital under the auspices of the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto (so this isn’t a free concert).  The 15th sees the opening of a run of a “play with music” from Theatre Gargantua called The Wager which will run at Theatre Passe Muraille from the 14th (preview) to the 30th.  It promises to be a “bold and irreverent investigation into the strange things that people believe”.  It’s written by Michael Spence and directed by Jacquie PA Thomas and the cast includes Teiya Kasahara.

The Wager

The cast of The Wager. Photo:Michael Cooper

Continue reading →

Remembering Terezin

Posted on by
Reply

Rather short notice I’m afraid but McGill’s Schulich Singers and others have a Holocaust remembrance concert on Monday night (November 4th) at Trinity St. Paul’s at 7.30pm featuring Ittai Shapira’s The Ethics in the original choral version. The same programme will be presented in Ottawa on the 10th and Montreal on the 12th.

TORONTO TEREZIN_Poster

Continue reading →

More courses from Iain Scott

Posted on by
Reply

Iain Scott has three opera appreciation courses starting in November

  • Opera and the Supernatural at the University of Toronto (School of Continuing Studies)…for information and to register call 416 978 2400
    It’s on Tuesday afternoons 2-4 pm 12, 19, 26 November 12th, 19th and 26th and December 3rd and 10th
  • Opera 101 – The Fundamentals at the Royal Conservatory of Music… for information and to register call 416 408 2424 x 623
    It’s on Thursday afyernoons 2-4pm (November 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th)
    4 Thursday afternoons 2.00 – 4.00 pm
  • Mozart at the Opera at the Miles Nada JCC… for information and to register call 416 924 6211
    It’s on Monday afternoons 1.30-3.30pm (November 18th and 25th and December 2nd, 9th and 16th)

There’s also the 17th annual “Rosedale Weekend seminar on January 25th and 26th 2020 on the subject of Wagner’s Parsifal.  More details at www.opera-is.com.

 

First half of November

Posted on by
Reply

I think it’s time to get back to doing two listing posts per month as the schedule is getting pretty busy.

On November 1st at 8pm Karina Gauvin is appearing at Koerner Hall with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in a programme of opera arias from 18th century St. Petersburg.  The following night at 7.30pm, in Mazzoleni Hall, the Glenn Gould School has its fall production.  This time it’s Jonathan Dove’s Siren Song.  Curiously UoT Opera is also doing a work by Dove this season.

Karina_Gauvin

Continue reading →

News, news, news

Posted on by
Reply

Various new production and season announcements…

LooseTEA Theatre have announced their season.  November 2nd to 4th, at Heliconian Hall, there’s a double bill of Anne Frank operas.  Singing Only Softly music by Cecilia Livingston, libretto by Monica Pearce and Alaina Viau will be presented with The Diary of Anne Frank by Grigory Frid.  The singers are Sara Schabas and Gillian Grossman and Cheryl Duvall will be at the piano.  Alaina Viau directs.  December 3rd to 5th , also at Heliconian, they will present the production version of Carmen #YesAllWomen.  (My thoughts on a 2016 WIP version).  This version will combine voices (Erica Iris and Keith Klassen), chamber orchestra and turntables (SlowPitchSound).  The libretto is by Alaina VIau and Monica Pearce, the music by Samuel Bisson.  Alaina Viau directs and Scott Christian conducts.  Tickets for both shows are available at www.looseteamusictheatre.com.

loosetea

Continue reading →

Centre Stage line up

Posted on by
Reply

The Canadian Opera Company’s ninth annual Ensemble Studio Competition is being held on October 30, 2019 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The 2019  finalists are: sopranos Kirsten LeBlanc (Moncton, NB), Midori Marsh (Cleveland, Ohio), and Charlotte Siegel (Toronto, ON); mezzo-soprano Sarah Bissonnette (Boucherville, QC); tenor Marcel d’Entremont (Merigomish, NS); bass-baritone Alex Halliday (St. John’s, NL); and bass Brenden Friesen (Langham, SK).

centrestage2019

Continue reading →

And on other media…

Posted on by
Reply

220px-Podcasting_icon.svgCanadian Art Song Project has just brought out a podcast on the important issue of how Ingigenous stories and music are represented in Western art music.  Besides regulars Lance Wiliford and Steven Philcox, the podcast features mezzo-soprano Marion Newman and composer Ian Cusson.  You can listen to or download the podcast here

Then on October 13th at 7:30 pm the CBC will livestream Against the Grain’s La Bohème from the Tranzac Club directly to your personal devices via CBC Gem.

Also… Turandot at the COC. My review will be up on Bachtrack once it’s through the editorial process.  I’ll post links.

A couple more things to do

Posted on by
Reply

Confluence_Concets_Toronto_Music_Larry_Beckwith_Masque_Unique_ConcertImages-09September 28th is shaping up as a bit daft from a scheduling point of view.  I’ll be at the opening of Turandot at the COC but there are at least two other options.  Confluence have a celebration of Clara Schumann at St. Thomas’ Church on Huron Street at 8pm.  It features pianists Angela Park and Christopher Bagan, soprano Patricia O’Callaghan, actor Alison Beckwith, and violinist Ellie Sievers.  The same day at 4pm Toronto Operetta Theatre have their season opener; Viva la Zarzuela.  It’s at the St. Lawrence Centre and features tenor Rómulo Delgado.  I guess one could just about do that and one of the evening shows.

What’s on in October

Posted on by
Reply

rusalka-1-1I can’t believe an October preview post already.  But here it is.  So what’s on?  Against the Grain’s Opera Pub kicks off again on the 5th at the Amsterdam Bicycle Club.  It’s the usual 9pm start but come really early if you want a table.  The 10th to the 12th sees Amplified Opera’s series of three shows at the Ernest Balmer Studio.  The 11th is the first Toronto date for Against the Grain’s La Bohème tour.  That’s 7.30pm at the Tranzac.  Other dates and other city information here.  The 12th is opening night for Dvořák’s Rusalka at the COC.  Full details on dates, cast, tickets etc here.  On the 19th UoT’s Early Music programme are doing Handel’s Acis and Galatea at the Heliconian Club at 2pm.

Continue reading →

News round up

Posted on by
1

Various bits and pieces from the in basket:

The dynamic duo of Teija Kasahara and Aria Umezawa have a new project; Amplified Opera.  They are kicking off with a series of three concerts called Amplify! and it takes place Ocober 10th to 12th at the Ernest Balmer Studio.  The theme is diversity and equity.

  •  October 10th, 2019: The Way I See It – American mezzo-soprano and author Laurie Rubin (Do You Dream in Color: Insights from a Girl Without Sight), and pianist Liz Upchurch will speak to their unique experiences as individuals with blindness and vision loss navigating the world of opera, and how this element of their identity has informed their creative process. The concert will be directed by Aria Umezawa. As you can imagine this particularly resonates with me.
  • October 11th, 2019: The Queen in Me – An exploration of the ways in which the classical music world tries to control and limit queerness, gender expressions, and identities. This one-person show features soprano Teiya Kasahara as the Queen of the Night who, after 228 years, has finally decided to reclaim their narrative and challenge the patriarchy. The show is accompanied by Trevor Chartrand, and directed by Andrea Donaldson.
  • October 12th, 2019: What’s Known to Me is Endless – A look at the African diaspora, and how experiences of Black identity differ in Canada and the United States. African American baritone Kenneth Overton is joined by Canadian pianist Rich Coburn to speak to how their understanding of Black identity was challenged while working on both sides of the Canadian-US border. Canadian American, Michael Mohammed, will direct the show.

Tickets are $25 for each show at the door or from the website.

amplified

Continue reading →