Category Archives: Toronto opera news and views

February 2025

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Before looking forward to next month I want to mention a couple of things this weekend that I haven’t previously noticed.  Saturday (Jan 25th) at 12.30pm there is a Met HD broadcast of new production of Aida with a pretty interesting looking cast.  Later, at 6pm there’s a rather special concert at the Arts and letters Club to celebrate the 100th birthday of Morry Kernerman (former assistant concertmaster of both the TSO and OSM).  The concert is presented by Canzona Chamber Players and wiull feature Trio Uchida-Crozman-Chiu. Continue reading →

January 2025

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jan2025So what’s in store for Toronto early in the New Year?

  • December 29th 2024 and January 3rd and 4th 2025, Toronto Operetta Theatre are presenting Kalman’s Countess Maritza at the Jane Mallett Theatre.
  • Bad New Days are presenting Adam Paolozza’s Last Landscape; a meditation on environmental collapse, at Buddies in Bad Times.  Preview is on the 12th with opening on the 14th and running until the 26th.

    • Continue reading →

Canadians win big in Digital Excellence in Opera Awards

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Two Canadian projects scooped first prizes at Opera America’s Digital Excellence in Opera awards earlier this week.  Sweat from Jenn Nichols, Larissa Koniuk and the Bicycle Opera gang won the big one; “Artistic Creation”.  What can I say?  I loved the stage show and I loved the film.  Well deserved.

Sweat - the film

The other winner was the very cute kids’ series Threepenny Submarine from Rachel Krehm and Opera5. This was joint winner in the “Noteworthy Projects” category.

threepennysubmarine

So two out of four of the top prizes went to Canadian projects.  Not bad eh?

Coming up in December

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december2024Here’s what’s coming down for the holiday season, as best I know:

  • December 3rd sees the Ensemble Studio performing a lunchtime concert in the RBA.
  • Soundstreams has a concert called Invocations on December 5th at the Jane Mallet Theatre.
  • Also on the 5th Oraculum opens at Buddies in Bad Times.  Previews are the 1st and 3rd and the run extends to the 15th.
  • On the 8th Opera Revue have BACH Humbug at the Redwood; the antidote to holiday music.
  • Confluence have their annual Young Associate curated gig at Heliconian on the 10th.
  • VOCES8 are appearing at Koerner Hall on the 13th.

Continue reading →

November 2024

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november24November is looking busy and interesting in both the theatre and the concert hall.  Here are some shows you might be interested in…

  • The Glenn Gould School’s fall chamber opera is Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilêges coupled with Debussy’s Prodigal Son.  That’s in Mazzoleni Hall on the 1st and 2nd.
  • Toronto Operetta Theatre is presenting Romberg’s The Student Prince at the Jane mallett Theatre on the 1sr, 2nd and 3rd.
  • John Adams is conducting the TSO in a programme mostly of his own works on the 6th and 9th at Roy Thomson Hall.  It’s also a chance to see Anna Prohaska sing.

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News and stuff

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Royce_Vavrek_at_the_Kennedy_Center,_2018

Roiyce Vavrek. Photo by Ser Amantio di Nicolao

Today’s big news is that Against the Grain Theatre have announced the appointment of a new Artistic Director and it’s Royce Vavrek.  He’s probably best known to opera audiences as a librettist.  He has written the libretti for 23 operas including a bunch with Missy Mazzoli of which perhaps my favourite is Proving Up, done in Calgary recently by Ammolite Opera.  He’s also the writer for Ian Cusson’s Indians on Vacation and Luna Pearl Woolf’s Jacqueline which features in Tapestry’s recently announced season and is just out on CD.   So not dead yet then!

And talking of Tapestry, they announced their season today.  With the new space at 877 Yonge almost ready they have emerged from semi-hibernation.  As implied above the first show is Luna pearl Woolf’s Jacqueline in The Betty Oliphant Theatre in February .  I’m assuming it’s essentially the same show as five years ago (see Opera Canada Summer 2020).  There’s also a venue launch concert for the new home on March 22nd.  The first Tapestry show at the new venue will be Sanctuary Song; music by Abigail Richardson, libretto by Marjorie Chan, which, apparently, is about an elephant.  Which may be an operatic first. Continue reading →

October 2024

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oct24Opera’s back with the start of a new COC season and more.  Here’s a look at what I think looks interesting in October.

First up there are two theatre festivals with multiple shows.  Aluna Theatre’s RUTAS International Performing Arts Festival runs from September 26th to October 9th (various venues).  There’s a distinct Latinx twist to this one.  Then from the 16th to the 27th at Buddies in Bad Times there’s the Next Stage Theatre Festival run by the same folks as the Fringe.  Both are pretty varied with something for pretty much everyone.

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So is that it for Against the Grain?

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question_markEdmonton Opera today announced that Robin Whiffen, Executive Director of Against the Grain (though on mat leave for a while now) is joining as their new Executive Director; teaming up again wiith Joel Ivany, Artistic Director, in Edmonton.

Now all the original forces behind AtG have left and what was supposed to be the stability and continuity team has lost its leader (and pretty much everyone else as best I can tell)..  AtG have only produced one live show since COVID and that wasn’t really their’s, it was Theatre of Sound’s production of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle which played in Toronto in March 2023.  Add to that that they have been without artistic leadership since Ivany left in July 2023 and that’s officially.  He took up his Edmonton post in November 2021. Continue reading →

September 2024

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sept2024Well late August has been a bit thin in terms of live performances but September. sees things back with a bang.

    • Opera Revue has a Verdi and Weill show at the Redwood Theatre.
    • Coal Mine Theatre is opening with Annie Baker’s Infinite Life which played to rave reviews in London and New York.  Previews are on the 6th to 8th with opening on the 10th.  The play runs until the 29th.
    • Crow’s opens their season with Ibsen’s Rosmersholm.  Previews run from the 3rd to the 10th with opening night on the 11th.  The run continues to October 6th.

Continue reading →