The 5 best & worst states for finding an opera house

Editorial

The other day, this Canadian blogger was thinking about the United States. Specifically, I was wondering just how many opera houses there are in a country of over 300 million people. So, I gathered some quick stats on the number of opera houses (or organizations producing professional opera) versus millions of people, in each state.

Browse Suzanne Vinnik's Opera Diva Dress Collection

Interview

I sometimes wonder what the average number of evening gowns in the closets of opera singers. Probably at least 5 - maybe closer to 10? Having a closet that won't stay shut from all the tulle doesn't actually sound like a bad problem, but it's certainly not practical.

3 ways to have a great first rehearsal

How-to

Technically, a singer's deadline for learning and perfecting a role is opening night. In reality, the ubiquitous deadline for opera singers is the first day of music rehearsals with the conductor. In this rehearsal, most singers want to a) sing incredibly well, b) make the conductor happy and c) not embarrass themselves in front of colleagues.

Conductors: what else do they tell us?

Op-ed

When George Martin and The Beatles made Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967, they made history by using the recording studio itself as a sort of "instrument." Songs like "A Day in the Life", or even "With a Little Help from My Friends" aren't easy to reproduce on a live stage, and the album isn't meant to be a preserved concert in the same way that Please Please Me is.

Gems: Carlos Kleiber's Maestro Cam

One of my favourite parts about being backstage during a show is looking at all the monitors. They're mostly showing the maestro, via the now-ubiquitous camera in the orchestra pit. I love watching the small reactions on the maestro's face, noting what he hears, what he wants, if he has any opinions on what's happening on stage.

Ottawa's Barber is brushing up his skills

News

Opera Lyra Ottawa's production of The Barber of Seville opens September 26th, and not only will baritone Joshua Hopkins sing the title role (Torontonians caught him in the COC's Barber last spring), he'll be getting a lesson in the tonsorial arts (#wordoftheday!) from House of Barons Barber Shop.

New Opera: More Singer Input Needed

Op-ed

Historical memory in opera production is very short. It is probably a shorthand that is not intended to insult, but as time passes we forget the directors, designers, singers and producers of an opera. Even the librettists can get left behind. It is a shame and creates the perception that composers are all Wagnerian control freaks whose work arrives perfectly formed.

Check out: FAWN Chamber Creative

Interview

Based in Toronto, FAWN Chamber Creative is focused on getting Canadian music heard by new people. They mash up art forms, like their Synesthesia series combining new Canadian music, design, and film, and they commission new works like Adam Scime's L'homme et le ciel, which you can hear in Toronto this December at the Music Gallery.

In review: shadow box

Review

Last night I went with conductor, pianist, and man of Against the Grain Theatre Topher Mokrzewski to hear The Bicycle Opera Project, at, well, a bike shop. Curbside Cycle on Bloor West was the first Toronto stop along Bike Opera's tour of Nova Scotia and Ontario.

Suor Angelica at Oshawa Opera

Interview

On Sunday, September 27th, Oshawa Opera presents Puccini's one-act, punch-packing tragedy, Suor Angelica. This in-concert production features Oshawa Opera's Artistic Director, Kristine Dandavino, at the piano, with a cast of Canadian talent. I spoke with Kristine, and with Ukrainian-Canadian soprano Natalya Matyusheva, singing the heartbreaking title role.