Category Archives: Toronto opera news and views

A quick look at the COC’s 2014/15 financials

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jane_1415accountsI haven’t really done a full analysis of the COC’s recently released financials but what I have done suggests cause for cautious optimism.  As anyone who reads this blog knows I have, for the last three years or so, pointed up the rather stark reality underlying the company’s relentlessly optimistic propaganda.  To whit, a steady decline in seats sold, revenue and realisation (actual revenue dollars per seat sold).  This year doesn’t look so bad.

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Coming up week of October 26th

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NextWaveKelseylg812The first part of the week isn’t too crazy.  Quinn Kelsey, currently singing Germont at the COC, has a noon recital in the RBA on Tuesday.  Rachel Andrist will be at the piano and the program includes Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel and Finzi’s Let Us Garlands Bring.  Enticing I think.

Wednesday sees a premiere and fundraiser for Syrian refugees; David Warrack’s Abraham at Metropolitan United Church.  Then on Thursday there’s Toronto Darknet Market, a fundraiser with an edge, this time for an upcoming production of Charpentier’s Medée.  Both causes worth supporting.

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Upcoming events – mostly November

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AbrahamsOratorio_Poster_v1.4As ever there’s no shortage of announcements of new and interesting stuff in the Toronto area.  Here are a few from the inbox.  Next week, there’s a premiere of David Warrack’s oratorio Abraham.  It’s a multi-faith event in aid of the Syrian Refugee Program at Metropolitan United Church.  It’s on Wednesday, October 28th at 8 p.m. at Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen Street East, Toronto.  Richard Margison stars as Abraham and joining him are five principal vocalists; Ramona Carmelly, Meredith Hall, Hussein Janmohamed, George Krissa and Theresa Tova, three choirs: the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Jarrahi Sufi Choir with Whirling Dervishes,and the Bach Children’s Chorus  David Warrack will be at the piano.  Whirling Dervishes?  Get in!  It’s a good cause.  General admission tickets are $54; $36 for students.  $75 VIP tickets offer reserved seating and an invitation to the post-concert reception.  Tickets and more information at www.abrahamoratorio.ca. Continue reading →

A worthy cause

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p1130277-001_scaleThis just in.  Apparently Dean Burry doesn’t drink enough beer to generate a sufficient supply of bottle caps to make himself an Ugly Stick.  I find this hard to believe and probably puts his Newfoundland citizenship at risk but there you go.  So, he wants your bottle caps and he wants them by November 15th.  Send your bottle caps via post (apparently this still exists) to Toronto Masque Theatre, 383 Huron Street, Toronto  M5S 2G5. For larger donations (Robert Pomakov are you reading this?) and alternative delivery methods, please call TMT on 416 410 4561.

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Coming up

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pandtThere are a couple of opera openings next week.  Pyramus and Thisbe; the Barbara Monk Feldman, Monteverdi, Chris Alden creation, opens at the COC on Tuesday 20th for a run of seven shows and Opera Atelier are opening a run of six shows of Lully’s Armide at the Elgin starting on Thursday evening.  Both shows are very much a case of Canadian talent on display with no big international names.  La Traviata continues at the COC in tandem with Pyramus and Thisbe.

darknetThere’s one interesting new announcement for the following week.  Amanda Smith and Alaina Viau are collaborating on a show called Toronto Darknet Market.  It’s inspired by those parts of the internet that even I don’t know about and will run as a sequence of three performances on the 29th starting at 8pm.  It’s at 8-11 which is at 233 Spadina (south of Dundas).  It’s a PWYC fundraiser for a chamber production of Médée by Marc-Antoine Charpentier next year.  Toronto needs more staged baroque opera that’s not Opera Atelier so this initiative deserves support.  There will be good young singers on display with music by Purcell, Berg and Cage among others.

Line up for Centre Stage announced

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centrestageSo we now know who will be singing at Centre Stage, the COC’s gala competition for aspiring young singers with both cash prizes and places in the Ensemble Studio up for grabs.  There are, I think, only two that I’m at all familiar with; soprano Eliza Johnson who was a finalist last year and baritone Zachary Read who was a rather good Sid in UoT Opera’s Albert Herring a couple of years ago.  The other six are mezzo-sopranos Emily D’Angelo, Lauren Eberwein, Marjorie Maltais and Pascale Spinney, soprano Samantha Pickett and baritone Bruno Roy.  Wow! Four mezzos so the mezzo mafia will likely be ecstatic.  No tenors but with four already in the Ensemble Studio that’s probably a good thing.  Centre Stage is on November 3rd at 5.30pm at the Four Seasons Centre with a cocktails (well wine mostly) and rather good snacks before the competition itself.  Tickets are $100 from the COC box office or coc.ca.

A quiet week ahead

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Well, after a rather hectic start to the fall season, this coming week is remarkably quiet.  La Traviata continues at the COC with performances on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.  Friday is the first chance to see the second cast (El-Khoury, Haji, Westman) but I’m passing on that until later in the run.  Otherwise there’s one lunchtime concert in the RBA on my schedule.  It’s the UoT Opera Division previewing The Art of the Prima Donna and it’s on Thursday.  It’s often a good opportunity to do some talent spotting ahead of Centre Stage.

From rape to crucifixion

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image001The season announcements keep on coming.  There will be Koerner Hall recitals for both Sondra Radvanovsky and the, hopefully fully recovered, Dmitri Hvorostovsky.  Sondra appears on December 4th with pianist Anthony Manoli in a program of operatic arias and art songs.  Dmitri is scheduled for Sunday 21st February next year with Ivari Ilya at the piano. Tickets in the usual Koerner Hall places.

The dates have been now been announced for MY Opera’s production of Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia.  It’s scheduled for April 29th to May 1st next year in the Aki Studio at the Daniels Spectrum in Regent’s Park.

atgmAnd, finally, Against the Grain Theatre are remounting their choreographed Messiah.  It was a blast the first time round, especially Geoff Sirett’s sheep impersonation.  This time it’s being staged at Harbourfront Centre Theatre on Dec. 16th, 17th and 18th at 8pm and Dec. 19th at 2pm. The solists will be Miriam Khalil, Andrea Ludwig, Owen McCausland and Stephen Hegedus.  Joel Ivany directs with choreography by Jenn Nicholls.  This time there will be an 18 piece orchestra and 16 member choir with Topher Mokrzewski conducting.  Tickets here.  This will probably sell out fairly quickly.

Next week

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DSC_6619-704x1024There are a couple of biggies coming up next week.  On October 7th and 8th the amazingly talented and apparently fearless Barbara Hannigan is singing with and conducting the TSO.  For all I know she’ll be tap dancing and doing hand stands as well.  It’s her conducting debut with this orchestra. The programme features works by Nono, Haydn, Mozart, Ligeti and Stravinsky.  8pm Roy Thomson Hall.

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