Category Archives: Toronto opera news and views

Don’t lose your head

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penguinsJust spotted new discount deals on the COC website. For the three spring productions; David Alden’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Robert Carsen’s Dialogues des Carmélites and Atom Egoyan’s Salome, they are offering 25% off if you buy two of the three and 33% off for all three.  You get to pick your dates and tickets are available in all sections except the cheapest and most expensive.  The 33% deal brings prices down to around season subscription rates.  There are also $22 and $35 tickets available for both the under 30s who attend COC performances.

On a per dead nun basis you won’t find cheaper anywhere!

Upcoming shows

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bridgeThree shows that might be worth a look are coming up in the GTA.  Essential Opera are doing a show called Two Weddings and a Funeral which pairs Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with Donizetti’s Il campanello.  It’s at Heliconian Hall on March 15th at 7.30pm.  It will be semi-staged with piano accompaniment.  Soup Can Theatre are also presenting a double bill of Barber’s A Hand of Bridge and Sartre’s No Exit (in English translation).  The former will be accompanied by a 14 piece band and the latter, no doubt, by wailing and gnashing of teeth.  The show runs March 28th to 30th at the Tapestry Opera Studio in the Distillery district.  Finally, Opera Hamilton are presenting Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles at the Dofasco Theatre in Hamilton.  This is a fully staged show with full orchestra and features Virginia Hatfield and Brett Polegato.  There are four shows from March 9th to 16th.  At time of writing no sopranos had been injured by falling scenery.

The Giacomo Variations

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giacomoMichael Sturminger and John Malkovich are bringing their latest collaboration The Giacomo Variations to Toronto.  I really liked their earlier piece, The Infernal Comedy and this new one seems to be similar in concept; blending Malkovich monologues with Mozart’s music.

The Giacomo Variations plays at the Elgin Theatre June 7th to 9th.  Montrealers can catch it at the Place des Arts on the 4th and 5th.

Opera Atelier announces 2013/14 season

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abductionToronto based Opera Atelier have announced their 2013/14 season.  The Fall production is a revival of the company’s 2008 Abduction from the Seraglio sung in German with English dialogue (groan).  Casting is Lawrence Wiliford as Belmonte, Ambur Braid as Konstanze, Carla Huhtanen as Blondie, and Adam Fischer as Pedrillo and Gustav Andreassen as Osmin.  A no doubt bare chested Curtis Sullivan will play the non-singing role of Pasha Selim.  It’s an interesting cast especially considering the impact Ambur has been making recently and I’ll more than likely take a look.  Continue reading →

Ever wanted to be a nun or an executioner?

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Then read on…

COC FILLING OVER 100 “Super” roles for spring productions

Toronto – On Saturday, February 16, 2013, the Canadian Opera Company will hold an open call to fill the 117 supernumerary roles needed for its three productions presented this spring: Lucia di Lammermoor, Salome and Dialogues des Carmélites.  Supernumeraries, a.k.a. supers, are the extras of the opera world and play a variety of non-singing roles.  They are vital to enhancing the operatic experience presented on stage.  The COC encourages adults between the ages of 18 and 65 to attend this open call, taking place from

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Come and see Clemenza – You might like it

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The opera audience is weird; at least here in Toronto.  While Tristan und Isolde is all but sold out La Clemenza di Tito isn’t doing at all well.  The net result is that there are lots of tickets available, discounting has started and all the usual cheap ticket strategies should be in play plus prices have already been cut for the February 11th performance.  So for anyone reading who thinks COC is just too expensive here’s your chance to check it out on the cheap.

clemenza Continue reading →

In which the futility of speculation is revealed

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A month or so ago I speculated on what might be in the 2013/14 Canadian Opera Company season.  Today I attended the official launch.  I got two out of seven right.  Yes, I officially suck as a seer (a seersucker?).  Oddly, the two I got right were ones I’d worked out for myself and the two I’d based on hot tips turned out to be wrong.  So it goes.

Stuart Skelton as Grimes at Opera Australia - Photo: Branco Gaica

Stuart Skelton as Grimes at Opera Australia – Photo: Branco Gaica

So what’s new and exciting?  The biggest excitement for me is Peter Grimes.  Ben Heppner will sing Grimes which is great though part of me really wants Stuart Skelton.  Alan Held will sing Balstrode, which is also terrific casting, and Ileana Montalbetti will sing Ellen.  I think casting Ileana is a wonderful decision and I really look forward to seeing her in a major role.  The production is by Neil Armfield and has been seen previously in Houston and at Opera Australia.  Continue reading →

Upcoming events

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sellarsThere a couple or three things coming up in Toronto that might be of interest to readers.

On Sunday 27th January at 2pm Russell Braun and Rihab Chaieb are giving a recital of German songs in the Glenn Gould Studio.  Tickets are $60 but only $25 for under 25s.

The following evening Peter Sellars is giving a talk on his production of Tristan und Isolde at the Toronto Reference Library.  This one is free but ticketed.  Tickets are available from the TPL website.

And in free RBA noon concert news, on 24th January Sasha Djihanian and Cameron McPhail with pianists Timothy Cheung and Jenna Douglas are offering up Debussy’s Ariettes oubliées and Schumann’s Dichterliebe.

New additions to the COC Ensemble Studio

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The COC today announced six new singers will join the Ensemble Studio for the 2013/14 season.  If you read my review of the Ensemble Studio competition in November you’ll not be surprised.  The three prize winners; bass-baritone Gordon Bintner, tenor Andrew Haji and mezzo Charlotte Burrage are among the six as is my pick, dramatic soprano Aviva Fortunata.  The remaining two are baritone Clarence Frazer and mezzo Danielle MacMillan who were also quite impressive in the competition.

The Ensemble Studio is losing Mireille Asselin, Neil Craighead, Rihab Chaieb, Chris Enns and Ambur Braid as well as both pianists; Timothy Cheung and Jenna Douglas, at the end of this season though all of them can be seen in some capacity in La Clemenza di Tito next month.  Rihab is also appearing in Dialogues of the Carmelites in the spring.  There’s no word on new non-singing talent for Ensemble.  I’m going to be really interested to see what’s next for these guys.  We’ve had some good times together.

Full COC Press Release