operaramblings

John's opera ramblings

Young artists

Posted on January 17, 2014 by operaramblings

The Canadian Opera Company has announced the addition of three singers and a pianist to the Ensemble Studio for next season. The singers, unsurprisingly, are the three prize winners from November’s Centre Stage; Soprano Karine Boucher, tenor Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure and bass-baritone Iain MacNeil, The pianist is Jennifer Szeto. The COC also announced the setting up of an orchestral equivalent of the Ensemble Studio in which a number of young musicians will work with Johannes Debus and the COC Orchestra. Names were announced on Wedneday night but I can’t find them in any of the press releases. Continue reading →

Vive l’amour

Posted on February 14, 2013 by operaramblings

Every year the COC Ensemble Studio engages in an exchange programme with the Atelier Lyrique of L’Opéra de Montréal. Each year that results in a joint lunchtime recital in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. It seems to be a popular gig. The doors were closed today at 11.40 for the noon performance (it’s first come, first served). Thankfully, writing this stuff gets me a reserved seat or I would have missed out. The show is always worth seeing because it’s not at all unusual for the best singers from the Montreal programme to move onto the Ensemble Studio.

Continue reading →