On the road with JMC's Roméo et Juliette

Interview

Jeunesses Musicales du Canada is about getting more people, young people in particular, listening to classical music, and getting emerging artists to present it. Part of JMC's annual calendar of around 1600 concerts and workshops is a touring operatic production, and this year's pick is Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. A cast of six singers and one pianist bring the production, directed by Oriol Thomas, around Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

Stop letting audition season destroy your bank account

Editorial

Auditioning is so freaking expensive. This is a fact. And it feels like it’s getting worse. After application fees, travel, accommodation, food, accompanist fees, and the 3 beers you need after they decided to only hear one aria even though you were banking on them to ask for the Bellini...you’re probably not sitting on a whole lot of leftover cash. But you have to do it, right? How are you supposed to get work if you don’t show up?

The life of a comprimario, or "Oh, you're that guy!"

Op-ed

So you want to be a comprimario? Great! There's lots of work for you if you're good it, but beware, it's not as glitzy and glamorous as playing Violetta or Don José, but it's just as labour-intensive.

He said/she said: Tap:Ex Metallurgy

Review

Contributor Greg Finney and I went to Tapestry Opera's opening of Tap:Ex Metallurgy last night. It was one of those shows where one review didn't seem to do it justice. So, here's our She said/He said account of one of the coolest operatic events we'd ever seen.

Song Guides: "Die Nacht"

How-to

We've gotten great feedback from our ongoing series of Aria Guides, and so we've decided to branch out, into the world of art song. Soprano Caitleen Kahn, co-founder of the art-song-friendly Lynx Project, kicks off our Song Guides with a staple from the repertoire. "Die Nacht" is a song taken from Richard Strauss's 1885 set, 8 Gedichte aus "Letzte Blätter", in which you'll find other favourites like "Zueignung" and "Allerseelen".

In review: Julie

Review

Last night Soundstreams and Canadian Stage opened their collaborative production of Julie, the fourth opera by Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans. There was a good amount of hype leading up to this opening, and for good reason. Julie is adapted by librettists Luc Bondy and Marie-Louise Bischofberger from the controversial play by August Strindberg, Miss Julie; its three-singer cast is a cross-section of the rising stars of our current generation.

Don't miss: l'homme et le ciel

Interview

Next month, Canadian composer Adam Scime will see the world premiere of his chamber opera, l'homme et le ciel. Amanda Smith, artistic director of FAWN Chamber Creative directs this co-presentation with FAWN and The Music Gallery. Scime's atmospheric story of "inescapable visions" and "sexual impulses" is scored for chamber ensemble, electronics, and three voices; the libretto by Ian Koiter is adapted from The Shepherd of Hermas, a 2nd-century Christian literary work.

Concert etiquette, or put down your phone

Humour

Alright, so I've been thoroughly enjoying the 2015/16 season of opera and concerts so far, but I'm a little dismayed that it's only November and we already need to talk about concert etiquette.

Coaches, voice teachers, and the grey area in between

Op-ed

The system still appeared odd to me. Why weren't these voice teachers, in their lessons full of exercises and tone production, also pointing out wrong rhythms, missed entrances, and poor diction? And why did these pianists feel that they had so much to offer someone who is probably much more advanced at singing than they are?

Powerful stuff: the Elizabeth Krehm Memorial Concert

Review

Last night's Elizabeth Krehm Memorial Concert at Metropolitan United Church was a grand, cathartic experience. Elizabeth Krehm passed away in 2012, after spending a month in St. Michael's Hospital Intensive Care Unit; since 2013, the Krehm family has been holding benefit concerts, donating 100% of the money raised to the ICU in Elizabeth Krehm's name. This year was Mahler's 2nd, his "Resurrection" Symphony, with Evan Mitchell leading the Canzona Chamber Players Orchestra, the Pax Christi Chorale, and soloists Michèle Bogdanowicz and Rachel Krehm.