Canadian Opera Company announces the 2012-13 Season

This morning the Canadian Opera Company announced its 2012-13 season.   From their press release:

CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY’S 2012/2013 SEASON FEATURES STELLAR OPERATIC AND ARTISTIC LINE-UP
Toronto – The Canadian Opera Company unveiled a stellar artistic line-up for its 2012/2013 season today at a press conference at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.  The company’s 63rd season is a celebration of opera’s greatest masterpieces and features the return of works both long absent and familiar to the COC stage.  The COC presents Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus in a new COC production, Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Richard Strauss’s Salome and Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites.

A dazzling array of the opera world’s leading artists will appear with the COC in 12/13.  No less than 33 singers, conductors, directors and designers make their company debuts, including singers Anna Christy, Stephen Costello, Melanie Diener, Elza van den Heever, Isabel Leonard, Brian Mulligan, Franz-Josef Selig and Erika Sunnegårdh; conductor Jiří Bělohlávek; director Peter Sellars; and visual artists Jean-Noël Lavesvre and Bill Viola.  Returning artists include singers Isabel Bayrakdarian, Russell Braun, Judith Forst, Alan Held, Ben Heppner, Richard Margison, Adrianne Pieczonka, Michael Schade, Ramón Vargas and Tamara Wilson; conductor Stephen Lord; directors Christopher Alden, David Alden, Robert Carsen and Atom Egoyan; and designer Michael Levine.  All performances take place in the company’s home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, and feature the renowned COC Orchestra and Chorus. 

For more details visit coc.ca 

We ALL want your job....

Photo of Adrianne Pieczonka by Lodoe-Laura Haines Wangda

Yes, we do all want Adrianne Pierczonka's job these days!  Singing the dream role of TOSCA with the COC this month, Torontoist talks to Ms. Pierczonka about what a day in the life of an opera singer is like...discipline and hard work to stay at the top of your game!

Excitement in Canadian Opera Land...

One of the most exciting events in the lives of young Canadian opera singers occurred last night as the COC kicked off its first public competition (a la MET Finals).  Ten young artists were chosen to compete for a coveted spot in the COC Ensemble for 2012-12 as well as cash prizes.  After much searching (google was NO HELP), the @CanadianOperaCompany twitter account had the details:

First place: soprano Sasha Djihanian
Second Place: soprano Claire de Sevigne

Third Place: tenor Owen McCausland

Audience Choice: soprano Lindsay Barrett

Congratulations to all singers for what Twitter and Facebook users are hailing as "fantastic", "blown away", and "enormously talented"!

Check out the COC Blog Parlando for more details and their Flickr account for pictures!

(thanks to Rosanna Murphy's FB page for the pic!)

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.

Vancouver Opera wants to nurture YOU!

Vancouver Opera has recently announced their new Young Artist Program!

Vancouver Opera is excited to announce the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program which will commence during the 2012-13 season. This program will engage, enrich, mentor and train rising young Canadian opera artists and will offer a bridge between formal academic educational programs and the professional world in a supportive and encouraging environment.

VO's Young Artists Program will provide up to seven artists - singers, pianists and stage directors - with the opportunity to train with industry leaders through master classes, one-on-one coachings and performance opportunities as part of a residency program.
Deadline: Applications must be sent no later than November 1, 2011.

Audition Dates:
Vancouver: December 5 & 6, 2011 • Toronto: December 8 & 9, 2011

Application Requirements:
Singers must have solid vocal training in opera and give evidence of a high level of artistic aptitude. Knowledge of an operatic language is an advantage.

Pianists must have strong knowledge of various operatic styles and languages, as well as operatic coaching experience.

Stage Directors should have some knowledge of opera and stage directing or assistant stage directing experience. Formal training at a university, college or drama school is an asset. Ability to read music, and proficiency in several operatic languages, is required.

Most applicants are between the ages of 24 and 34 and have recently finished their academic training.

More details are available in the downloadable Application Package.

Bass Baritone Mark S. Doss has Toronto Connections

Currently "at home" in the Canadian Opera Company's production of Iphegenie en Tauride, bass baritone Mark S. Doss has called Toronto home for the past 13 years.  With an enviable career singing the best houses around the world, winning Grammy's and being a media savvy kind of guy, we should know who he is!  SO young singers...if you haven't heard (of) him, get a recording, check out his website, find him on Youtube, read about him or better yet, get your tickets to Iphegenie en Tauride which opens this Thursday night!  I know I can't wait!

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!

A Spring Wedding...Cenerentola at COC

While I am really excited about seeing the upcoming production of COC's Ariadne auf Naxos, I have to admit that La Cenerentola is starting to get the spring juices flowing!  After hearing a lot about tenor Lawrence Brownlee these past weeks, I have to say that here is a tenor that I want to hear live for just his sheer vocal abilities!  Have a listen to his La fille du regiment aria:






Of course it wouldn't be COC without out Canucks on stage - we get to hear one of my favourite baritones Brett Polegato as Dandini - a role he has sung a number of times and a big shift from his recent Wozzeck at the Bolshoi Theatre!

Check out the rest of the cast and crew, production details and ticket information at their website!

La Cenerentola opens at the Four Seasons on Saturday, April 23 @ 7:30 pm.

COC @ the BAM

COC's Production of Stravinsky's Nightingale and Other Short Fables (2011)

Puppets, water, Robert Lepage, COC and the BAM - too many acronyms and how do they connect?  The Canadian Opera Company took Robert Lepage's production of Stravinsky's Nightingale on the road to the Brooklyn Academy of Music this week:

As Mr. Lepage continues to unveil his production of Wagner’s “Ring” at the Met, he is sure to win some new admirers with this Canadian Opera Company production. Whatever one thinks of his “Ring,” and opinion has been mixed, that he is an enormously gifted director cannot be denied.

Read the rest of the review in the New York Times here.

UPDATE: Read about the company's time in NYC on their blog Parlando. Lots of backstage photos and cast info!

COC Magic Flute Images

COC Announces 2011-12 Season

This just in...COC has announced the 2011-12 season...Tosca, Rigoletto, Hoffman...plus the great soprano Catherine Malfatano directing a new opera, super-mezzo Susan Graham as Iphigenie and the debut of Canadian singers John Relyea and Erin Wall!

Check out their website for all the details!

Christmas Gift Ideas - COC's Magic Flute

Oh what a sumptuous idea - a new production of the Magic Flute - check out the teaser below to see the cool costume design sketches by designer Myung Hee Cho:




Can't wait to get mine!

COC Noon Concerts this week!

Sondra Radvanovsky took the stage yesterday at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre for a free noon hour concert.  The Free Concert Series is a 10-month celebration of creativity and diversity that takes place in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. I was sorry to miss it however, Joseph So has raved about it on the La Scena Musical Blog.


For more Vocal Series events, check out the concert tomorrow at noon (Thursday, December 16) where Canadian mezzo Krisztina Szabo will take the stage with the Queen of Puddings Music Theatre in A Tribute to György Kurtág.

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

Canadian Opera Company gets street-cred on Opera Chic blog

Canadian Opera has made it to the pages/screen of opera blogger Opera Chic.

On occasion of Sondra Radvanovsky's Aida debut for the company's first production of Verdi's grand opera in 25 years, The Globe and Mail's Style section gets all fashion-y, proving that Canadians don't throw tuxedo jackets over Toronto Maple Leaf jerseys for opening nights (obligatory Canada/hockey joke).  

Go Canada - a hockey AND an opera nation!

Aida: A complex role steeped in tradition

American (and Canadian resident) soprano Sondra Radvanovsky talks about her role and COC debut as Aida this fall this COC General Director Alexander Neef:



For whatever reason they don't video cast the complete interview but suggest you go over to the podcast section to listen to the rest of the interview.  What a tease!!!

Here is Radvanovsky singing in the Classical 96 studio last year:

Drama on stage at the Canadian Opera Company

According to ROBERT EVERETT-GREEN of the Globe and Mail, there was mega-drama on stage last night at the Four Seasons during the final dress rehearsal for the Canadian Opera Company's production of Fidelio.

Diva versus diva at the COC

I have been part of drama at the COC in the past including being a last minute replacement for a ailing singer so "stuff happens"... we are artists and have egos and we get sick or disagree ... however, to have that back stage privileged information made public, is inexcusable. Thanks to Canadian opera star Richard Margetson and Icelandic tenor Jon Ketilsson for stepping in!