Category Archives: Toronto opera news and views

Yet another Big COC podcast

Posted on by
1

The latest episode of the Big COC Podcast is up on iTunes. This one features Gianmarco Segato of the COC plus three bloggers; myself, Lydia Perovic of Definitely the Opera and Leslie Barcza of barczablog.  We talked about Henze and European modernism segging into the differences between modern opera in Europe and America.  And that led to a discussion of Adès’ The Tempest, American conservatism, the Met and it’s audience, parties at Christopher Alden’s place and much more.  Then it was on to Lydia’s new novel, Incidental Music(go buy it).  There was also an interview with Nina Draganić about the free concerts in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre.  When we came back it was for a discussion about the difference about men and women, action and feeling in opera and, ultimately, why the soprano always gets a raw deal!  I really enjoyed recording this one.  It really felt like a conversation between good friends (which it was) and it’s not been edited down too much.  I think there may have been a segment on the Opera Atelier Der Freischütz that got chopped.

Against the Grain Theatre’s season announcement

Posted on by
Reply

The following just in from arguably Toronto’s most exciting opera company; Against the Grain Theatre.  So a party, György Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments and Leoš Janáček’s The Diary of One Who Disappeared (with the brilliant Jacquie Woodley) and Figaro’s Wedding; a Toronto centred reworking of the Mozart classic with an orchestra for the first time.  Following on from successes like their Tranzac based La Bohème and a brillian The Turn of the Screw, this looks very exciting.

Full details, links for tickets etc, below the fold.

Continue reading →

Waking up the senses

Posted on by
3

Furthering my quest to see more live opera I’m grateful to fellow COC podcaster Leslie of barczablog for drawing my attention to the following production that had hitherto escaped my notice.

Canadian directors, Aria Umezawa and Erik Thor combine their skills to help create Opera Five’s Winter production at the popular Gallery 345 venue. Alongside the senses of hearing and sight, the company is presenting a 3-course tasting menu thematically tied to each opera with food being prepared by local restaurants. The show features a cast of ten Toronto-based singers and the operas, Hin und Zurück (Hindemith), Aleko (Rachmaninov) and Talk Opera (Granger) a new American opera making its premiere in Canada. Milton Granger, the opera’s composer will be in attendance throughout the run. Musical direction is provided by Maika’i Nash and Kimberly Bartczak.

The show is at Gallery 345 (345 Sorauren Ave) on December 4th-6th at 7:30PM.

Tickets are $25/$30 and can be purchased online at operafive.brownpapertickets.com or at the door.

Food and opera!  Sounds just my kind of thing.

COC Ensemble Studio competition

Posted on by
1

The Canadian Opera Company has announced the ten finalists for the annual Ensemble Studio competition which this year takes place in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at 6.30pm on November 29th. The event is both a singing competition and the final audition for candidates to join the Ensemble Studio next season. Since the Ensemble Studio is probably the best gig in Canada for a young opera singer it’s very competitive and the competition is a great opportunity to take a look at Canada’s best young singers. It’s a ticketed event and it’s almost sold out so if you plan on going get a ticket now.

The finalists are bass-baritone Gordon Bintner (Regina, Sask.); mezzo-soprano Charlotte Burrage (Woodstock, Ont.); soprano Aviva Fortunata (Calgary, Alta.); baritone Clarence Frazer (Toronto, Ont.); tenor Andrew Haji (London, Ont.); mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan (Toronto, Ont.); bass Nathan Keoughan (Charlottetown, P.E.I.); tenor Michael Marino (London, Ont.); soprano Lara Secord-Haid (Winnipeg, Man.) and soprano Kelsey Vicary (Niagara Falls, Ont.).

I’ve seen MacMillan a couple of times singing in student productions at the Royal Conservatory and I think I’ve seen Haji perform but the others are unknown to me. It should be an interesting night.

Upcoming Toronto gigs

Posted on by
Reply

 

(l – r) Laura Albino and Adam Luther in the Canadian Opera Company’s Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour production of The Brothers Grimm, 2009.
Photo Credit: Photo: Anand Maharaj © 2009

Since my last post on upcoming Toronto opera and opera related events a few extra things have come up.  November 16th is turning into a pretty crowded evening.  I’m going to Toronto Masque Theatre’s Purcell fest, Fairest Isle, which is also on on the 17th.  Also on that night is the Glenn Gould School’s fall performance; a double bill of Ned Rorem’s Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters and François-Joseph Vézina’s Le Lauréat.  Finally, you can also catch Opera by Request performing Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (also on the 25th) or catch them on the 17th when they are doing Bizet’s Les Pecheurs de Perles.

Later in the month there is the final audition for the COC’s Ensemble Studio.  This is always a great opportunity to see the best of the next generation of Canadian singers as they compete for a place in Canada’s premier young artists program.  There are still a few $15 standing room tickets available from the COC box office or website.

Into December when the COC Studio Ensemble are presenting three performances of Dean Burry’s The Brothers Grimm on December 7th and 8th.  The performance on the 7th will be the 500th for this work making it much the most performed classical work by a Canadian composer.  Finally, on December 15th there’s a holiday party/fundraiser for the awesome Against the Grain Theatre Company.  Folks who can stage an opera at the Tranzac ought to know how to party.

The COC Annual Report 2011/12

Posted on by
2

The Canadian Opera Company’s Annual report is out. You can find it here.  It not unreasonably lauds the COC’s considerable artistic achievements over the last year as well as its extensive and commendable outreach activities.  It also contains, albeit in no great detail, the financials.  Now, as a former management consultant, I know that’s the one bit of an Annual Report that’s hard to spin though most CFOs will try.  Being the analyst that I am I ran a few numbers and the results were a bit disturbing.  It was obvious that the financial position had deteriorated though the extent only revealed itself when I looked back to 2009/10 as a comparator.  Here are a few statistics comparing 2011/12 with 2009/10.

  • Capacity (i.e. seats to be sold): up 7% (this is approximate and calculated from ticket sales and reported capacity figures)
  • Seats sold: down 8%
  • Average price per seat sold: down 10%  (From $97.97 to $87.86; which seems quite low really)
  • Leading to a drop in ticket revenue of 18%

Continue reading →

Heading into winter

Posted on by
4

The leaves have turned and the Canadian Opera Company Season is underway so winter can’t be far away.  I’ve now seen both the COC fall productions so I need to find alternative fare between now and February when things kick off again.  So far I’ve found two live shows of interest in town.  At the end of October Opera Atelier is putting on Weber’s Der Freischütz.  This is a departure for OA who have previously (bar once) not put on anything later than Mozart and that in a rather idiosyncratic style.  I think it’s an interesting move and I hope it stimulates the creative juices at OA and sparks some of the innovation that made OA such an exciting company ten or twenty years ago.  If it turns into an exercise in persuading us that 19th century Romanticism is really just an extension of the Baroque I shall probably be feeling like the guy in the picture.  The other live show is Essential Opera’s The Threepenny Opera being presented in concert at Heliconian Hall on November 7th.  Essential Opera I suppose is a semi-pro outfit operating on very small budgets and The Threepenny Opera seems like a good fit.  I felt that last year’s attempt at something grander was rather a case of biting off more than they could chew.  Continue reading →

In the news

Posted on by
Reply

The good news this week is that Canadian Opera Company have extended the contract of Music Director Johannes Debus through 2017. This follows the announcement of a contract extension for General Director Alexander Neef. So, not only does COC get to keep a very good conductor who is well liked by the orchestra but it keeps the Neef/Debus team together for at least another five years. Neef and Debus seem to work together extremely well so this bodes well for a continuation of the combination of varied repertoire, interesting productions and starry casts that we have seen recently at the Four Seasons Centre.  Continue reading →

Sneak preview of Die Fledermaus

Posted on by
3

Female chorus member – Sketch: Constance Hoffman

There’s an event on in Toronto this weekend called “CultureDays”.  The COC’s contribution last night was an open orchestra dress rehearsal of Christopher Alden’s new production of Die Fledermaus preceded by a talk in the Richard Bradshaw Auditorium by set designer Allen Moyer and costume designer Constance Hoffman moderated by the CBC’s Brent Bambury.  The event was “first come, first served” and restricted to 500 tickets so we decided to be early.  Doors opened at 1815 for a 1830 talk so the plan was to meet the lemur at the opera house at 1700, grab a bite to eat and then join the line-up.  I got there early as I was through at work and preferred to sit in the sunshine at the Four Seasons Centre rather than at my desk so I got there around 1615.  There was already a line up!  By the time the lemur showed up just before 1700 there was quite a line up so we changed plan and the lemur went off to fetch burritos to eat in the line.  Just as well as they ended up turning people away.  Continue reading →

Free Concert Series 2012/13

Posted on by
1

The COC has announced the line up for the 2012/13 series of free concerts in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre. There’s the usual mix of vocal, instrumental, jazz, world music and dance. There are plenty of opportunities to see the Ensemble Studio members as well as solo gigs by Franz-Josef Selig and Anna Christy. For fans of Indian classical music there’s also a sarangi recital by Aruna Narayan. Also of interest is a concert by Queen of Puddings Music Theatre “Inspired by Lorca”.

Full details