Opera Canada

To describe Catherine Daniel as a talented multi-tasker would be an understatement. She is a critically acclaimed mezzo-soprano with parallel careers as a supply teacher for the Toronto District School Board, a tutor and curriculum developer for a re

In Lucia Cervoni’s own words—and she apologises if it sounds corny—life sent her a message in 2017: ‘Why don’t you go freelance?’ She had enjoyed nearly a decade as a Fest (resident) singer at Theater Magdeburg in Germany, whose director, Karen Stone

The George Enescu Festival in Bucharest, Romania is one of the largest and most ambitious festivals of its kind. Enescu, born in 1881 in what was then Moldava (now Botoşani County, Romania), was a noted violinist, pianist, and composer, who for decad

For the last 40 years, Lebanese-born Pierre Audi has been a prolific force in the opera world, both as an administrator and as a stage director. Freshly graduated from Oxford in 1979, he founded the Almeida Theatre in Islington, northern London. From

It is not only what happens on Munich’s stages that makes the Bavarian capital a must-visit stop for opera lovers, but also the rich offerings found beyond the city’s operatic walls. During my visit to Munich for the 2019 Bavarian State Opera (BSO) s

In Oct. 2015, I was trying to reach conductor and musicologist Alberto Zedda, one of the architects of the ‘Rossini Renaissance,’ for an interview. To my surprise, I found him in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Maestro Zedda had come to Canada at the invitat

For too long, composers like Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, Lili and Nadia Boulanger, Florence Price, Cecile Chaminade, and Pauline Viardot were more likely to be encountered in textbooks rather than on concert playbills. As perceptions in the cl

When Opéra de Québec staged Bizet’s Carmen in May 2018, most of the cast was French-Canadian, except for the three leads, who hailed from Brazil, Mexico and the country Georgia. Critics reviewing the premiere took the non-Francophones to task for wha

Calgary Opera’s 40th season opened in much the same way as its very first: with a fine performance of Puccini’s beloved hit La bohème (seen Nov. 9th). Everything about this choice, including its down-to-earth production and straightforward characteri

15 AGAINST THE GRAIN THEATRE, Toronto. AtG’s ‘transladaptation’ of Mozart’s classic, re-named Figaro’s Wedding, continues its run in which audience members are the wedding guests! 28 TORONTO OPERETTA THEATRE. Ring in the New Year with waltz king Joha