I wrote “2015” on a cheque today. Scary. Anyway, what’s on in Toronto as the new year dawns? Quite a lot as it happens. Here are my picks.
December 9th sees Anne-Sofie von Otter in recital at Koerner hall. She’s not doing opera anymore and who knows how many more chances there will be to see her in Toronto?
Toronto Operetta Theatre have announced casting for their production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado which runs December 27, 28 (mat), 31 (New Year’s Eve Gala), 2014 and January 2, 3, 4, (mat), 2015 t the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. Evening performances start at 8 pm and matinees at 2pm. The cast is headed up by Lucia Cesaroni as Yum Yum; which is kind of the effect she has on a lot of people, including Adrian Kramer who will sing Nanky Poo. Joseph Angelo takes the role of KoKo, the beleaguered Lord High Executioner and David Ludwig takes on Poo Bah, the Lord High Everything Else. Mia Lennox will be Katisha, the Daughter in Law Elect of the Mikado of Japan who will be sung by Giles Tomkins. Also featured are Greg Finney and Domenico Sanfilippo as Pish Tush, Brittany King as Pitti Sing and Daria Bukhman and Kaili Kinnon as Peep Bo. Derek Bates conducts and Guillermo Silva-Martin directs. For tickets and information call the Box Office at 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754 or online at http://www.stlc.com.
Good news: There’s a Black Friday sale on a wide range of upcoming concerts. Discount code BLFR14 gets you 20% off. It doesn’t cover everything but it’s pretty long list. Valid Friday only for both telephone bookings (416.408.0208) or buy tickets online at www.performance.rcmusic.ca
Bad news: Marcello Giordano’s recital on December 13th is off due to a family medical emergency.
There’s a performance of Dean Burry’s children’s opera The Scorpion’s Sting on Saturday 29th November at 11am at the ROM. It’s free with museum entrance and forms part of an Ancient Egypt themed day of special presentations. It’s being performed by the COC Ensemble Studio and is suitable for kids aged 8-14 or thereabouts. More details here.
Next week the University of Toronto Opera Division will be staging HMS Pinafore; the first Gilbert and Sullivan at the MacMillan for 25 years. There are four performances; at 7.30pm on the 27th, 28th and 29th and a 2.30pm matinée on the 30th. Following UoT practice it is double cast. The cast for the 27th and 29th includes Charles Sy, a finalist in the COC’s Centre Stage next week as well, and Karine White. They are probably the two singers from UoT who have most impressed me this year and are definitely worth hearing. Michael Albano directs and Sandra Horst conducts. Tickets are $40 adult, $25 senior, $10 student.
The Canadian Stage season brochure for 2015/16 landed in my mailbox yesterday. I was intrigued to see that, among the ten productions on offer, there was an opera and a contemporary one at that. Julie is a 2005 adaptation of Strindberg’s 1888 play Miss Julie with a libretto by Luc Bondy and music by Belgian Philippe Boesmans. Matthew Jocelyn directs. There will be eight performances at the 867 seat Bluma Appel Theatre from November 17th to November 29th 2015. More details here.
It seems like the Toronto contemporary opera scene is coming to life. As well as Tapestry’s ongoing efforts we had Airline Icarus, Shelter and When the Sun Comes Out this summer and who knows what’s to come. It almost makes up for the COC commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1 by programming nothing written since then.
If you aren’t already committed to the opening night of Tapestry Briefs or Adrian Kramer and Lucia Cesaroni’s show at the Extension Room, there’s now another option for Thursday night. Aprile Millo is presenting a concert of operatic excerpts performed by members of Mary-Lou Vetere’s studio including Teiya Kasahara. It’s being billed as a “gala”; whatever that means. It’s at Trinity St. Paul’s at 7pm. Ms. Millo is also performing at Trinity St. Paul’s on Saturday at 7.30pm.
More details have been announced on Tapestry Opera’s season. This week sees Tapestry Briefs: Booster Shots; previously previewed here. January 24th, 2015 sees Tapestry Songbook V with baritone Peter McGillivray and young Canadian singers in concert performing the beautiful and absurd repertoire from Tapestry’s 35 year old Canadian collection.
The line up for Centre Stage; the final auditions for the COC Ensemble Studio has been announced. The seven singers are:
This Sunday sees the first of the season for Recitals at Rosedale. Entitled A Walk on the Dark Side: Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales, it will feature soprano Leslie Ann Bradley, mezzo soprano Allyson McHardy and baritone Geoff Sirett with pianists Robert Kortgaard and Rachel Andrist. The programme features works by Mahler, Debussy, Symanowski, Weil, Gershwin and more. It’s on November 9th at 2.30 pm at Rosedale Presbyterian Church and tickets are available here.
operaramblings 