The Bicycle Opera Project’s summer tour is winding down which means they will soon be pedalling into Toronto. There are four shows. Details under the cut.
Bicycle Opera Project heading to Toronto
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Category Archives: Toronto opera news and views
More line up news
UoT Opera has announced a five show line up for 2015/16. Casting, ticket information etc to follow as and when available.
Opera for the young and young at heart
Two listings in in the last 24 hours. COC is staging a couple of “family friendly” events. On Saturday, November 14th, they are presenting Dean Burry’s The Bremen Town Musicians (11am) and interactive opera Operation Superpower (1.30pm). Starring the young artists of the COC Ensemble Studio, both operas are written specifically for young people aged 3 to 12. Each opera is 45 minutes in length, followed by a 15-minute Q&A with the cast and crew. Both performances take place at the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre at 227 Front St. E., Toronto, Ontario. There’s the opportunity to take part in “hands-on activities” related to the operas an hour before each show. Tickets to each opera are $15 for adults, and $10 for children. More info at coc.ca. Continue reading
A new program from the COC
This just in from frequent Operaramblings commenter and COC Adult Education Programs Manager Gianmarco Segato. The COC is launching Opera Insights, a series of free adult education events linked to the productions of the 2015/16 season. It’s a pretty broad range of programming ranging from scholarly discussions on reconstructing the score of Maometto II and the history of the ball gown to Traviata singalongs and Carmen themed dance lessons. Participants include composers Barbara Monk-Feldman and Norbert Palej, conductors Johannes Debus, Harry Bicket and Sandra Horst and singers like Christine Goerke plus, inevitably, lots of academics (we love them really we do). Looks like a lot of fun. The events are all free but are ticketed. Full details can be found here.
Lunchtime concerts
The Canadian Opera Company has just announced the 2015/16 season line up for the free lunchtime concert series in Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. Now under the curatorship of Claire Morley there’s the usual incredible array of chamber music, dance, piano, jazz and world music as as well as, of course, the vocal series.
Heads up
The Bloor Hot Docs showing of the somewhat controversial ROH production of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell appears to have been moved. Originally scheduled for Sunday 28th August, it’s now listed for Saturday 22nd August at noon.
Gaslight
Later this month there is an Ingrid Bergman retrospective at TIFF Cinematheque to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth. There is one (vaguely) opera related film in the offering; Gaslight, a 1944 thriller directed by George Cukor about the niece of a murdered opera singer, Alice Alquist. The girl aspires to an operatic career too and we do see Bergman practicing an aria from Lucia di Lammermoor. However the main plot turns on the Bergman character (Paula) marrying and returning to her aunt’s house in London where she is subjected to attempts by her husband to drive her mad to get possession of the house where he hopes to find the jewels he murdered Paula’s aunt for in the first place. The denouement is precipitated by a young Scotland Yard operative who, as a small boy, was given a glove worn by Alice as Juliette and signed by Gounod. Continue reading
A nice cup of LooseTEA
Loose TEA Music Theatre have just announced their latest project; a transladaptation of Gounod’s Faust called Disassociative Me. It will run for three performances at RED nightclub, 135 Liberty Street on August 18th, 20th and 22nd. No details on casting and stuff yet. There’s also a fundraiser to support the production. It’s called Whose Opera is it Anyways? and it’s on 22nd July from 7pm to 10pm at The Office pub on John Street. Assorted brave, or foolish, singers will be taking the games from “Whose Line is it Anyway” and daring to do them while singing opera! There’s also a comedian and a DJ. Tickets are $25 and incude snacks and a glass of wine.
More summer music
There may not be a lot of opera per se in Hogtown during the summer but there’s a fair amount of music of interest to the likes of us.
Toronto Summer Music Festival has some interesting offerings. The opening night concert, Americans in Paris, features Measha Brueggergosman in works by Gershwin, Bolcom and copland as well as instrumental pieces. And pretty much closing the festival out is a Karita Mattila recital with Bryan Wagorn on piano, on August 7th in a recital that includes works by Strauss, Sibelius and Sallinen. Details at www.torontosummermusic.com.
Toronto Summer Opera
There’s not a lot of opera in Toronto in the summer but Summer Opera Lyric Theatre has announced it’s 29th season of performances by young and emerging artists in Toronto. This season there are three offerings:
- First up is Marschner’s Der Vampyr. There are four performances on July 31st (8pm), August 2nd (2pm), 5th (2pm) and 8th (8pm).
- Ambitiously enough, this is followed by Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos on August 1st (2pm), 4th (8pm), 6th (8pm) and 8th (2pm).
- And finally, another rarity, von Flotow’s Martha. Again four performances on August 1st (8pm), 5th (8pm), 7th (8pm) and 9th (2pm).
All three shows are directed by Bill Silva-Marin and will be performed in the Robert Gill Theatre at the University of Toronto. Single tickets are $28 ($22 students/seniors) or $60 for the lot. Tickets are available by phone at 416-366-7723 or online at www.stlc.com.
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