Fall 2023

Opera Canada

Canada's only Magazine Dedicated Exclusively to Opera

Opera Canada1 min read
Opera
Ruby Mercer Eva Innes, Chair Robert Morassutti, Vice Chair Stephanie Applin Davida Aronovitch Dorian Block Curtis Fichtner Jason Howard Margaret Genovese James Warrillow Elizabeth Bowman elizabeth@operacanada.ca Angela Bell outreach@operacanada.ca St
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Notebook
November will mark the final issue of Opera News, a publication that began in 1936; its parent company The Met Opera Guild will wind down its operations, with The Metropolitan Opera taking over its outreach programs. Furthermore, Chautauqua Opera wil
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Take Note
The Paris Opera opened its 2023/24 season with a new production of Don Giovanni directed by German Claus Guth. The title role is shared by Swede Peter Mattei and American Kyle Ketelsen, while Canadian John Relyea takes on the role of Il Commendatore.
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Review Highlights
Mozart Così fan tutte July 6-21, 2023 “Russell Braun is a consummate actor and an artist who continues to astound with his range of roles, from Don Giovanni and Eugene Onegin to extremely taxing roles by contemporary composers like Peter Eötvös and K
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Thierry Tidrow
I have known about Tidrow for a long-time; we met while singing in the choirs of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in Ottawa, the same place that introduced baritone Gerald Finley and countertenor Daniel Taylor to the classical repertoire. He credits Mat
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Mervon Mehta — Artists leading Artists
LC: You exemplify my quest for artists leading arts and other artists. You’re an actor, host and storyteller, having studied under Sanford Meisner. In addition to being a founding member of the Neighborhood Group Theatre in New York City and performi
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Essential Perspectives: Business Experts Interpret Opera …
… Could you briefly sketch your journey from opera and music to Managing Director at BMO Capital Markets? I studied voice at the University of Toronto then performed small gigs and recitals, chorus work and did some touring with Opera Atelier. I need
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Letter From Banff
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE IT. EVERY TIME I travel to Banff Centre, I remind myself that I cannot take anything for granted. The drive from Calgary to Banff, at first, is fairly flat and straight and then…you see them: The Canadian Rocky Mountains come int
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Baritone Of A Generation
Gino Quilico grew up in an itinerant household, listening to his mother Lina, an accomplished pianist and coach, and his famous dad, Louis—known as “Mr. Rigoletto” for his signature Verdi role—prepare his roles. The opera singer’s life took the famil
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Grace And Radiance
SL: Born in Lebanon, where you spent the first 14 years of your life before moving to Canada with your family. You graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor in Biomedical Engineering in the Spring of 1997, a few months later, you won F
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Unsung Hero
For the past 30 years, Wayne Vogan was the COC Orchestra’s Performance Librarian. His job description? “To make sure that the right music is in the right place at the right time,” says Vogan. It sounds simple, but in reality it’s a highly complex and
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Change Makers
Why do some opera companies stay relevant while others die slowly and noisily like mammoths in a tar pit? Consider Toronto’s Tapestry founded in 1979 by Wayne Strongman as Tapestry Singers. The company was renamed Tapestry Music Theatre in 1985 and T
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Top40 Canadian Opera Companies
Our 2022 Top40 ranking sees total revenues rising to $66.6 million, up from the pandemic low of $55.4 million in 2021 but still far short of the pre-pandemic $85 million racked up in 2019. The most recent increase, of course, reflects a quickening of
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The New Normal
It’s the bustle of it that’s so invigorating, the thrill of heading directly into the lights and crowds and of a downtown theatre in order to have a shared experience with strangers. It’s the giddy novelty of taking public transit, the voyeuristic vo
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Partnerships + Mentorships
‘The writing is on the wall.’ Kimberly Barber’s lucid words echo in my mind. For years, there have been rumblings of the need for renewal and reinvention in the world of classical music. After all, opera and art song are seated on historical monument
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For Love Of The Opera
PRICE EXPERIENCED HIS FIRST OPERA at the age of six when an aunt took him to a classic production of Aïda at the Paris Opera. With a large smile, he recalls his childhood memory: “It was wonderful! During the triumphal march, the elephant did somethi

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