Upcoming Opera Performance: Lakme

Opera by Request will be presenting Delibes opera LAKME this August...check it out!


Delibes' Lakme, Friday, August 10, 2012, 7:30 pm, College St. United Church, 452 College St.  All tickets $20.  Phone 416 455-2365 for reservations and information.


Lakme.......Allison Arends
Gerald.......Christopher Mayell
Mallika.......Catherine Carew
Nilakantha..Michael York
Frederic.....Matt Cassils
Miss Benson...Leigh-Anne Martin
Ellen.........Julie Ludwig
Rose.........Danielle MacMillan

Pre-performance chat hosted by Iain Scott

New Canadian opera...Fit for a Barn!

I just returned from a fabulous preview of Canadian composer John Burge's first opera entitled "The Auction" being premier this weekend at the WESTBEN Arts Festival Theatre in Campbellford, ON.

Based on a children's story of the same title by Jan Andrews, the libretto for the score was written by Eugene Benson.  A fabulous singing cast included familiar Canadian singers mezzo Kimberly Barber, baritones Bruce Kelly and Matthew Zadow, tenor Keith Klassen and Westben founder and soprano Donna Bennett.

The story takes place over a single day as the widowed Granddad (Bruce Kelly) deals with the prospect of auctioning his possessions and his farm the next day.  His grandson Todd (well sung by 11 year old local soprano Olivia Rapos) is upset that his granddad is selling the farm and they sing about how much they love farming, how his granddad met his beloved grandmother (Kimberly Barber) and about their hopes and fears.  Past scenarios are played out through flashbacks behind and around a burlap scrim cleverly staged by director Allison Grant.  Dealing with the grief of loss and the passage of time,  Burge creates some stunning moments of musical drama, particularly the flashback scene of Grandmother's funeral where the 6 piece orchestra tightly led by Philip Headlam transition from the lilting rhythms of the folksy score to an intense, sustained almost organ-like dirge. This touching moment, so very personal for anyone who has lived in a farming community, was truly the highlight of the 2 hour opera.  The opera ends, just as it began, with the powerful and commanding voice of The Auctioneer (Keith Klassen) inviting everyone to gather around and get a deal..his final sale is the tractor, the centre of the set and the centre of all 20th Century farms.

The magic of a sunny summer afternoon as it was today, my own memories of growing up in a farming community and spending many Saturdays at auction sales and John Burge's very singable score left me looking forward to the next time this opera is produced.  As reviewer John Terauds crowed yesterday in his popular blog, Musical Toronto, The Auction truly "fits into its Westben Festival setting like a rooster on a fencepost"!

PS - for singers looking for new and interesting arias, there are many excerpt-able solos from this opera including the fabulous, tongue-twisting opening Auctioneer scene for solo tenor; a lovely aria for a light soprano where the boy Todd sings to a scarecrow accompanied by solo guitar; a poignant aria for Grandmother (sung by the fabulous Kimberly Barber) where she teaches Todd how to make a scarecrow;  the hilarious scene by Granddad's friend Mike Fedak (sung by tenor Tim Stiff) where he sings about why he didn't marry and of course, the funniest solo is for Granddad's daughter Alberta (sung by soprano Donna Bennett) where she sings about her dreams to become an opera singer but ends up a farmer's wife!

Highlands Opera Studio - new program for the community!

Soprano Colleen Skull sent me this exciting information about the upcoming season for the Highlands Opera Studio Community School:

Set in the beautiful surroundings of the Haliburton Highlands in central Ontario, Canada, Highlands
Opera Studio provides advanced operatic experience to talented young professionals. Provide yourself with the necessary skills to embark on a career in opera!

Featuring sessions with nationally recognized performer and voice instructor, Colleen Skull
• Special opportunity for participants to work with experts in vocal performance
• Featuring private lessons and masterclasses focusing on technical and stylistic aspects of voice performance of all genres
• Opportunities for participants to perform and benefit from unlimited access to masterclasses, performances and rehearsals of the Highlands Opera Studio.
• The advanced studies provided at the HOS Community School will provide the skills necessary for participants to earn a place in the chorus and perform in a opera production as part of the Highland's Opera Studio.

For more information please visit our website or email: colleen@colleenskull.com


Our vision is to enrich the music and fine arts programs in the community, build on existing music programs, and to provide opportunities that expand the development of music skills and talent in prospective students.

Our two main objectives are as follows:

1. To offer special opportunities for participants to work with experts in vocal performance in the form of private voice lessons to teach voice skills including technical and stylistic aspects of voice performance of all genres, provide opportunities for participants to perform, and to inspire participants through access to performances and rehearsals of advanced performers in the Highland's Opera Studio.

2. To provide advanced vocal and language training for the purpose of establishing an accomplished regional opera chorus. The advanced studies provided at the Highland's Opera Studio Community School will serve to cultivate the skills necessary for participants to earn a place in the Highland's Opera Studio Opera Chorus and perform in professional opera production as part of the Highland's Opera Studio.

Alcina is ESSENTIAL Opera!

I am tardy in getting up information on Opera Essential's information that they sent to me last week on their upcoming production of Handel's Alcina (tomorrow, in fact!)

Not an opera I am overly familiar with Alcina (despite it being essential) however I have heard my fair share of the coloratura aria "Tornami a vagheggiar" sung by the sorceress Morgana and of course the knight Ruggiero's "Verdi prati, selve amene" at various undergrad recitals!

Here is their press release:

Essential Opera mounts long-absent favourite, Alcina

TORONTO, Ontario - May 16, 2012- Thriving new Toronto opera company, Essential Opera, wraps up its second season this May with the elegant and evocative Alcina by Handel. The Toronto performance will take place on one night only: May 25, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre. Tickets are available in advance at www.essentialopera.com and at the door.

"In just one year, we've gone from a couple of singers with an idea for one show, to selling out and performing with a chamber orchestra," said Erin Bardua and Maureen Batt, Co-Artistic Directors and Co-Founders, Essential Opera. "Our cast for Alcina is made up of passionate singers, many of whom are favourites of Toronto audiences."

Essential Opera keeps all its high-quality productions accessible to a wider audience by providing an on-screen English translation and offering affordable ticket prices. A focus on storytelling and character relationships brings the “concert” formula to life.

Essential Opera was founded in Toronto in the fall of 2010 by sopranos Erin Bardua and Maureen Batt. Debuting in February 2011 with one of the most essential operas, Le nozze di Figaro, their goal is to provide audiences and singers with the chance to experience opera at its most essential.

Opera on the Avalon: Last minute roles to fill

Opera on the Avalon in St. John's Newfoundland has experienced some singer emergencies leaving the following roles vacant:

Female Roles in Suor Angelica
Osmina
Mistress of the Novices

Male Roles in Gianni Schicchi 
Spinelloccio
Marco and the Notary

For more information, contact Katherine Tuck, Festival Coordinator at (709) 722-8124 or info@operaontheavalon.com ASAP!

UPDATE MAY 10:  Just received a message that that roles of Marco and the notary have been filled :)

Three Operas, Two Companies, One Amazing Trend!

It would seem that despite the efforts of Toronto's mayor to continue to cut funding to the arts, Opera in many forms in alive and well!  I have blogged about a number of new, small companies and here are two more!

Opera Five believes that opera is an art form that has unlimited potential, that has inspired artists for centuries, an art form we love and most importantly one that can move any audience, period.
When opera was developed it was meant to combine all art forms and we intend to push that to the limit by combining opera with any and every distinct art form such as dance, photography, visual art, performance art, creative writing, and even culinary arts by showcasing new talent in each medium.


Check out their upcoming double production of La voix humaine & Bluebeard's Castle
Arts and Lettters Club
May 15, 16 & 18
Click here for ticket information

Against the Grain Theatre (AtG) is a hip newcomer to the scene who says they are a band of rogue arts makers.  We're a director, a pianist, a few opera singers, actors, dancers, writers, some arts professionals and a couple of visual artists...oh, and a photographer.  We perform, we make stuff, and we drink beer.  A lot of beer.

Their upcoming production of The Turn of the Screw (my favourite, creepy opera ever!) promises to have some serious young artist star power!

Check them out on May 24, 25, 26 & 27 2012 @ 7:30 PM

Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse

90 St. George St. TO 
For tickets, go here and scroll to the bottom of the page. 

NATS Ontario Hosts Soprano Wendy Nielsen and CCOC Conductor Ann Cooper Gay

NATS Ontario Meeting and Professional Training

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Edward Johnson Building @ the Faculty of Music
University of Toronto

9:30 -10:30 (NATS Members Only) Meeting & Elections
10:30-12:00 Ann Cooper Gay & the Canadian Children’s Opera Company
12:00-12:30 RCM Voice Syllabus “Resonance” Overview
12:30 -2:00 Lunch Break; Music Vendors including Plangere & Red Leaf
2:00 – 4:00 Wendy Nielsen Masterclass

Admission
NATS Members: Free
Non Members & Students: $10

 Ann Cooper Gay – “To Blend Or Not To Blend – That Is The Question”
Discussion and Demonstration
Ann Cooper Gay, Artistic Director of the Canadian Children’s Opera Company will discuss the needs of the young singer.
Singers from the CCOC will perform excerpts from their upcoming opera Laura’s Cow with librettist Michael Patrick Albano and Composer Errol Gay on hand to answer questions.

 

Wendy Nielsen – “Training the Young Opera Singer”
Discussion and Masterclass
Soprano Wendy Nielsen has sung in many of the major opera houses across North America including the Metropolitan Opera.
Recognized as a mentor for young Canadian opera singers, she recently accepted a joint teaching position at the University of Toronto and the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble.

Opera V Mana: Training Program in Montreal

I received this notice in my inbox this week from Montreal company Opera V Mana.  I had never heard of them but see that my University of Toronto colleagues Lorna MacDonald and Daniel Taylor are doing master classes this summer! 

Opera V Mana's mandate is an old story: provide a more training for singers....but they are upping the acting quota AND they have a cool name (V=Voice and MANA = supernatural force).  Check out their posting below:

AUDITIONS NOTICE(french below)

Due to a student strike in Québec, Opera VMana auditions in Montreal have been postponed to April 11th 2012 (April 12th if needed). You have until April 6th to send your application form and until April 12th to send your free Audio or Video recording application if you cannot attend the live auditions.

OPERA VMANA-Summer Program

The summer program offers a unique training on essential skills for opera singers that are not always taught in universities programs.

-    Acting (theatre, monologue, improvisation, stage combat and staged opera scenes)
-    Body awareness (dance, yoga, Feldenkreis, Alexander Technique)
-    Voice (coaching, french and Italian diction, masterclasses)
-    Career management (lectures on promotional material with a publicist, audition techniques, The Singer and the Conductor, The Business of Singing)

We will offer masterclasses with reknowned Canadian singers such as Daniel Taylor, Mark Pedrotti, Lorna MacDonald, Lyne Fortin (among others). We also offer optional voice lesson packages with our affiliated teachers, Lyne Fortin and Julie Daoust.

For further information and to apply to the program, please visit www.operavmana.com

Maude Brunet et Nadine Guertin
Founders and directors, Opéra VMana

Scratching the Surface: Opera From Scratch

This just came into my inbox:

Vocalypse Productions

presents

Opera From Scratch
August 20th through 26th, 2012
Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS

For information and applications, go to www.vocalypse.ca

Opera From Scratch is a one week long summer workshop that will help composers and singers develop short operas for solo voice and piano.  Five composers will be paired with five singers as of April 15th, 2012.  Each composer will be expected to complete a new ten minute composition six weeks prior to the August workshop, and each singer will be required to learn it before attending.  Composers will be asked to base their mini-opera on a well known Nova Scotian figure.

During Opera from Scratch, the five mini-operas will be intensively workshopped in private daily sessions with senior composer James Rolfe and singing teacher Lucy Hayes Davis.  A resident pianist will be available for private rehearsals, and master classes will be given by a dramaturge, a theatre director, and a specialist in new music singing.  Composers and singers will be expected to attend each others’ lessons in order to gain insight into their respective creative processes, and all master classes will be available to all participants.

The opening event of Opera from Scratch will be lecture on the history and themes of opera by well known CBC radio host and music educator Adrian Hoffman, and the week will culminate in a free gala public performance of the five newly created works.

Opera from Scratch will emphasize an organic/collaborative process wherein composers and singers are exposed to each others’ working methods.  All will benefit from a better understanding of the depth of thought, creativity, and effort that go into the development of even a short ten minute work.

Opera From Scratch is generously sponsored by the Cultural Activities Program of the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, and Heritage.

Susan Graham....back in Toronto

American mezzo Susan Graham (Globe and Mail photo)

The super mezzo Susan Graham was back in Toronto this past weekend doing a recital at Koener Hall with collaborative partner Malcolm Martineau to great acclaim.  A stellar performer, Graham has also worked with a number of young singers in the past (why did she not do a class at the Glenn Gould OR UofToronto??) including her well received masterclass at Northwestern University.  The video is under copyright so you will need to visit the NU Bienen School of Music website to view the 40minute class....well worth it for you young mezzos looking to polish your arias!!!

T.O.S.C.A. at UofT Opera School

Caught you!  You thought the UofT Opera School was performing Puccini's Tosca this week...in fact, they are doing a night of Poulenc: La Voix Humaine & Les Mamelles de Tirésias.  


Check out the details below:


From the melodic pen of Francis Poulenc come two one-act works of stunning theatrical contrast. La Voix Humaine [The Human Voice] portrays the heart wrenching grief of a woman’s final farewell to her lover while Les Mamelles de Tirésias [The Breasts of Tirésias] brilliantly satirizes feminism, fertility drugs and “family values”.
Sandra Horst conductor
Michael Patrick Albano & Erik Thor directors

Thursday, Friday, Saturday | December 1, 2 & 3, 2011 | 7:30 pm
Sunday | December 4, 2011 | 2:30 pmMacMillan Theatre | $30 ($20*) | FlexiMIX: $24

The TOSCA I mentioned are the ARIA awards that will be presented on Monday, December 5, 2011.

ARIAS: Canadian Opera Student Development Fund

invites you to join us at our annual fundraising event,

The Opera Scholarship Celebration Awards  -  T.O.S.C.A. 2011

Monday, December 5, 2011

Walter Hall at the Edward Johnson Building

Faculty of Music, University of Toronto

80 Queens Park Crescent

Gala Cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m. - Library Atrium, Ground Floor

Concert at 7:30 p.m. - Walter Hall

Join us as ARIAS recognizes and celebrates the excellence of the vocalists of

the Opera Division of the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto.

This festive evening will begin with a fundraising cocktail reception, followed by

a concert of vocal performances from scholarship recipients past and present.

T.O.S.C.A. 2011 will conclude with the presentation of this year's

ARIAS Scholarships to the 2011 Opera Division recipients.

Gala Cocktail Reception and Concert: $125.00

 

For tickets, please contact ARIAS at 416.863.0364

 

Concert Only:  Adults - $35.00, Students - $15.00

OPERA/MOVIE: CASTING CALL FOR JERICHO-BAGDAD

Not your usual auditions call:

CASTING CALL FOR JERICHO-BAGDAD - deadline is this Friday!

PROJECT: shooting dramatic scenes for two feature-length ‘documentary-operas’, Jericho and Baghdad, (working titles) that explore diverse operatic idioms (from Schoenberg and Britten to the Eurovision Song Contest), to investigate issues of anti-war activism, queer identity and middle-east conflicts. Real-life characters from history and the present-day (Jean Genet, Salam Pax, Abu Nawas, James Loney)

interact with fictional characters. The films use humour and new music to investigate the complexities of recent struggles.

TEAM: Writer/Director John Greyson is a Toronto filmmaker/video artist whose Genie-winning features include Lilies, Zero Patience, The Law of Enclosures and Fig Trees. Composer David Wall has created Gemini-nominated scores for over 100 features, documentaries and TV shows. Editor Jared Raab is an award-winning director and editor whose work includes features, docs and music videos. Production

Manager Graydon Sheppard is the writer/director of several acclaimed shorts.

SHOOT: early March, 2012 in Toronto.

RATES: Non-union (equivalent to Actra TIP rates).

AUDITIONS: December 6 & 7, 2011, for both singing and acting. All roles except Hamza are singing roles, and require classically trained voices (with strong sight reading a plus). For audition, bring sheet music of prepared audition song (note: though character’s nationality is designated, singers/actors can be of any race and voice)

DEADLINE: Friday, December 2, 2011

CONTACT: send headshots and acting/singing resumes to: greyzonecasting@gmail.com

ROLES

JEAN GENET: 60, male, French writer, weathered, his experience of fleeting fame and notoriety behind him. Now a bit of a lost soul,

hiding his profound, yearning romanticism behind a wry melancholy.

GENERAL: 60, male, American military leader, in charge of various reconstruction projects in Baghdad. Charismatic, gently masculine, a

natural, confident leader, a dad to his soldiers

DANA: 35, female, ‘European’ executive, ruthless CEO of Sanguine Books, a multinational publishing house that is hosting the 2012

Eurovision Song Contest in Jericho. Charming and flamboyant, with razor-sharp tongue and heels to match.

WALID: 25, male, Iraqi translator (should be fluent in Arabic and English, with Arabic being first language) and inventor of peculiar clocks

and time devices. Handsome, ironic, reserved.

JAMES LONEY: 35, male, Canadian peace activist and member of Christian Peacemakers Team, held hostage in Iraq for 3 months.

SALAM PAX: 35, male, Iraqi architect, gained fame as the Baghdad Blogger during the 2003 war. Wry, ironic, both a pessimist and a

romantic, campy sense of humour.

ABU NAWAS: 40, male, Iraqi poet, renowned 8th century Arab/Persian poet and folkloric figure, famous for his saucy tributes to boys,

wine and pleasure.

HAMZA: 22, male, Palestinian tightrope walker (non-singing role). A worldly optimist, he is amused by Genet’s pessimism, and entranced

by the ironies of his own predicament, having survived burial in the desert for 8800 years.

Atelier S: Auditions for Werther

Last week I blogged about Opera Lyra in Ottawa shutting down productions for the remainder of this season and while it was unfortunate, so many other programs have popped up during this time of cutbacks. One such program that has been slowly building momentum is Atelier S.  


Check out their upcoming program to present Massenet's Werther straight from their website:

Opera Workshop 2012: Massenet's WERTHER

MARCH 12 - MAY 13, 2012

Toronto, Canada

FACULTY:

MUSIC & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR:

           STUART GRAHAM

MASTERCLASSES/SEMINARS:

            JEANNETTE ASTER (OPERALOGUE)

         CLAUDE WEBSTER (Head Coach Atelier Lyrique de L'Opéra de Montréal)

Commemorating the centennial of the passing of Jules Massenet, Atelier S is pleased to announce WERTHER as its next opera workshop production.  Massenet's rich and colourful score is some of the richest romantic music of the French vocal repertoire offering an incredible lyric vehicle for all the singers involved.

I am very pleased to announce, joining me on faculty, the involvement of internationally renowned operalogue and Stage Director, JEANNETTE ASTER and, internationally sought resource on the French repertoire and Head Coach of Atelier Lyrique de L'Opéra de Montréal, pianist CLAUDE WEBSTER.  These two wonderful artists will be offering masterclasses and seminars to the participants.

AUDITIONS:

Dec. 1-16, 2011

Live auditions will be heard in Toronto, Canada

For out of town and international applicants wishing to audition via demo recording (CD or DVD), all materials must be received by Dec. 15, 2011.

 To apply, please send (either by email or regular post): resumé, bio, photo (publicity headshot) along with two letters of reference/recommendation from noted professionals in the field (teachers, coaches, conductors, directors) to:

Atelier S 

40 Alexander St., Suite 1510, Toronto, ON M4Y 1B5

CANADA

OR  email to:

 atelier.s@sympatico.ca

 Audition Requirements:

• 3 contrasting arias (at least one from Massenet's Werther)
• dramatic monologue (spoken) from the libretto
• PIANISTS auditioning for the program will be asked to accompany a singer's audition, as well as play "La Nuit de Noël" from Act IV (Heugel Edition)

Please contact us at:

416.927.9105 or email us atatelier.s@sympatico.ca for full program details.

More good news for Canadian Opera

This came out last week but in light of the BAD news this week about Opera Lyra in Ottawa, this might show us a light at the end of the tunnel...I have heard a number of these singers at the UofT Faculty of Music and can guarantee this will be a night of fabulous talent and potential!

FINALISTS FROM ACROSS CANADA COME TO TORONTO FOR INAUGURAL COC ENSEMBLE STUDIO COMPETITION

Toronto – Following auditions in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and New York City attended by Canadian Opera Company administrators, 10 out of a pool of over 160 young, aspiring opera singers have been selected to compete in the final auditions at the inaugural COC Ensemble Studio Competition.  For the first time in the history of the COC, the final auditions for singers seeking to join the Ensemble Studio training program will be made public as a vocal competition.  In addition to an offer of a coveted position in the 2012/2013 Ensemble Studio, the singers will be competing for one of four cash prizes.  A limited number of tickets priced at $30 are now on sale for the COC Ensemble Studio Competition, which takes place on Nov. 28, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Ten finalists will perform in front of an audience and a panel of judges, comprised of COC General Director Alexander Neef, Music Administrator Sandra Gavinchuk, Head of the Ensemble Studio Liz Upchurch,
Opera Canada editor Wayne Gooding, and Canadian soprano, opera coach, and Ensemble Studio alumna Wendy Nielsen.  Over the course of the two-hour competition, each finalist will perform two arias showcasing their vocal technique and range.  The judging panel will deliberate on location and announce the competition winners at the conclusion of the evening’s event.

Select finalists will be invited to join the 12/13 Ensemble Studio, with the number of offers to be determined by the judging panel.  First, second and third prizes, worth $5,000, $3,000, and $1,500, respectively, will be awarded, in addition to a People’s Choice Award, selected by audience vote, worth $1,500.

The Ensemble Studio Competition highlights the finest young talent from across the country.  Winning a place in what is Canada’s premier training program for opera professionals can be these singers’ first step towards an international opera career. The audience at the vocal competition will be hearing the singers selected to follow in the footsteps of such renowned Ensemble Studio graduates as Ben Heppner, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Joseph Kaiser, and John Fanning, among many others.

The finalists are:

·         Lindsay Barrett (Sudbury, ON)

·         Claire de Sevigne (Montreal, QC)

·         Sasha Djihanian (Montreal, QC)

·         Rachel Fenlon (Victoria, BC)

·         Aviva Fortunata Wilks (Calgary, AB)

·         David Gibbons (Red Deer, AB)

·         Danielle MacMillan (Toronto, ON)

·         Owen McCausland (Saint John, NB)

·         Laura McLean (New Glasgow, NS)

·         Cameron McPhail (Brandon, MB)

“The quantity and quality of young opera talent in Canada is staggering, and the finalists in this year’s competition are truly some of the best emerging artists from across the country,” says COC General Director Alexander Neef, “The members of the Ensemble Studio are the opera stars of tomorrow and, through the COC Ensemble Studio Competition, the public is given the exciting opportunity to be a part of these singers’ professional journeys from the very beginning.” 

Tickets are $30 and are available for purchase online at coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or in person at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Good and bad news in the land of Canadian Opera

I just read today about the situation at Ottawa's Opera Lyra.  Apparently they are so financially squeezed that they have had to cancel the remainder of their 2011-12 season - two full productions (of only four for the season) and thus laying off singers, stage managers, chorus, an orchestra, costumers, make up artists, and the list goes on.  In this world of constant cuts because of a depressed economy, is it any wonder that it would seem like a bleak outlook for young singers.

That all being said, on the opposite side of the coin (or the swing of the pendulum) are a whole new crop of young opera companies run by singers trying to provide opportunity to themselves and others.  I guess the old saying of "those that get the most help, help themselves" is true in this case.

So check out these upstarts for yourself...

Metro Youth Opera (Toronto)

Essential Opera (Toronto)

Wish Opera (Toronto)


Opera Kitchener (Kitchener)

The plethora of small companies in BC (and big, thriving ones too!)

Maritime Concert Opera (Nova Scotia)

I know there are MORE but these are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head....feel free to add to my list here but...the moral of the story: for every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction!

Mary's Wedding PREMIERS tonight at POV

Pacific Opera Victoria (POV) will be premiering Mary's Wedding tonight at the McPherson Playhouse in Victoria.  From the current press, this sounds like it could be THE opera of the year - check it out and the various articles here and here and here.

Jeunesses Musicales auditions in tandem with COSI

NATIONAL AUDITIONS: Opera Deadline for applications postponed to October 21, 2011. Così fan tutte by Mozart Sung in Italian, with sets and costumes. REMUNERATION Remuneration policy based on the importance of the role. ROLES (6 singers) Fiordiligi, Soprano Dorabella, Mezzo-soprano Guglielmo, Baritone Ferrando, Tenor Despina, Light Soprano  Don Alfonso, Bass or Bass-Baritone PIANIST To apply, send us a piano solo recording. If your application is chosen, you will be called in for an audition (see the audition procedures for pianist below). AUDITION'S DATES* Montreal: November 7 & 8, 2011 Toronto: November 18, 2011 London: November 19, 2011 * The JMC reserves the right to modify the audition schedule or to cancel auditions in the event that there are an insufficient number of candidates. Please note that JMC and the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy (COSI) will be holding joint auditions this year. If you would like to audition for COSI in addition to JMC, please click on this link: www.co-si.com/admissions.php.   REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATION Canadian citizen and permanent resident of Canada only Candidates must be at the beginning of their professional career Candidates must be opera artists or piano coach Application papers and all required documents must be sent before the deadline Be aged under 35 years old IMPORTANT All required documents must be postmarked no later than the deadline date No documents will be returned Only candidates chosen to audition will be contacted AUDITION PROCEDURE - SINGER Repertory: - An aria from Così fan tutte: For Despina: In uomini, In soldati OR Una donna a quindici anni For Dorabella: Ah, Scostati ! / Smanie Implacabili For Fiordiligi: Temerari/come scoglio For Ferrando: Un aura amorosa For Guglielmo: Non siate ritrosi OR Donne mie, la fate a tanti For Don Alfonso: Vorrei dir, e cor non ho - An operatic aria of choice sung in Italian (Please note that special attention will be given to candidates’ acting abilities) Accompanists: Candidates must provide their own accompanist. AUDITION PROCEDURE - PIANIST - A piano solo piece of your choice, approximately 5 minutes long - The finale of Act 2 is to be played while singing the vocal parts at the same time (those parts which the pianist considers important to highlight). IMPORTANT DATES The candidates chosen for the workshop and the tour have to be available at all the following dates: > Casts 1 and 2: - From August 24 to September 9, 2012 included: opera workshop, production of Così fan tutte > Cast 1 - From October 20 to December 9, 2012: Fall tour 2012 in Eastern Quebec and in Maritimes > Cast 2 - From March 19 to May 6, 2013: Spring tour 2013 in Western Quebec and in Ontario. Singers will be chosen for both casts when all candidates will have confirmed their participation. *Please note that these dates are planned in advance and may be changed without notice. Successful candidates will take part in the following: • A two-week opera workshop under the musical and stage direction of professionals working in the field. • A tour under the aegis of Jeunesses Musicales of Canada. Note that a tour means 13 to 20 concerts. A minimum of nine hours of pre-tour rehearsals and performances paid. On tour, transportation costs and a per diem will be borne by JMC.   Contact: Delphine Tremblay Martel, Evening Concerts Coordinator Jeunesses Musicales of Canada 514 845-4108, ext. 231 Toll free: 1-877-377-7951, ext. 231 dtmartel@jmcanada.ca

COC freebies!

I received an exciting press release last week from the Canadian Opera Company announcing their free concert series:

The Free Concert Series lineup for the 2011/2012 season has been announced!

Some of the highlights:

·         The Vocal Series features mainstage COC artists Erin Wall (Love from Afar, The Tales of Hoffmann), Julie Makerov (Tosca), Ekaterina Sadovnikova (Rigoletto), Krisztina Szabó (Love from Afar), Russell Braun (Iphigenia in Tauris), and Robert Pomakov (Rigoletto).

·         For the first time ever, the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra is presented in a mini-festival of four concerts featuring its members in various combinations, curated by COC music director Johannes Debus.

·         Kaija Saariaho, composer of Love from Afar, will host a concert featuring the artists of the Ensemble Studio in a program of her vocal works.

Check out the full details on their website and see you there!

COC Ensemble goes NORTH!

One of the things I didn't get to do while a member of the COC Ensemble was perform in a school tour (I was 9 months pregnant with my first baby that year and we all thought a pregnant Hansel wouldn't work very well!!!) so I was intrigued (and just a little bit jealous) when I got this press release from the COC:

Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour Travels a Combined 9,068 km

The Canadian Opera Company’s Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour completed its most ambitious tour of elementary schools to date on December 5, 2010, with the casts and crews of two productions travelling a combined 9,068 km in Ontario and Québec, and giving a collective 47 performances since November 8, 2010. This fall, the COC presented its acclaimed operas, Isis and the Seven Scorpions, by Canadian composer Dean Burry, and Cinderella, a combination of Jules Massenet’s and Rossini’s musical scores, as part of the school tour.    

At the behest of Xstrata Nickel, the School Tour Title Sponsor, the Inuit communities of Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq in the Nunavik region of northern Québec, near Xstrata Nickel's Raglan Mine, were added to the list of destinations, taking the school tour farther north than it had ever been before. The trip to Raglan Mine was documented in a series of blog posts on Parlando, the COC blog.

School Tour Facts:

• The casts and crews of both shows travelled a combined total of 9,068 km and gave a collective 47 performances 
• The Raglan mine is 600 km north of the tree line, at the 62nd parallel.
• The region surrounding the Raglan mine is is sub-arctic permafrost.
• Nunavik's population is about 10,500 people. Cinderella was performed for approximately 400 children and community members, or almost 4% of the population.
• 150 employees of Raglan mine attended the Ensemble Studio's recital program of operatic arias.
• Only 11 passengers could be accommodated by the plane that flew the Cinderella cast and crew to Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq

Robert LePage in Conversation at MacLeans

I had the unbelievable good-luck to understudy director Robert LePage's staging of Schoenberg's one act opera Erwartung when I was an Ensemble member at the Canadian Opera Company back in 2002.  This was a remount of a show that has been seen all over the world and won huge critical and audience success.  Recently LePage unveiled the first part of his ambitious production of Wagner's Ring Cycle for the MET. Check him out in conversation with Brian Johnson in MacLean's magazine this week.

Here is an excerpt that highlights the patience and time needed to really "cook" a great opera project!

Q: How many projects have you got going?

A: There are a lot of things cooking, but they’re long-term projects. People think I have something opening every month, but it’s not true. I work for two weeks on a project, then let it cook for six months while I work on something else. I try to spread [them] over many, many years. The reality of opera forces you to do that. Singers are booked five or six years in advance. I have some projects booked up to 2016 because of that. Then there are big international gatherings and they want you to do an opening ceremony. That’s another five or 10 years. In the meantime, I try to do more humble theatre productions.