Peter Sellars: all my subtitles were understatements

Interview

Hercules opens on April 5th, at the Canadian Opera Company, and it features a spectacular cast: Eric Owens (Hercules), Alice Coote (Dejanira) and David Daniels (Lichas) headline this special production. Go and see it.

Two tenors > YouTube comments

Humour

Eager for topical conversation, I showed Canadian tenors Christopher Mayell and Isaiah Bell some comments made about one of those videos with one of those "child opera singers" singing Puccini. Specifically, whether or not 9-year old Amira Willighagen was better than 11-year old Jackie Evancho. It got pretty real.

Talking with singers: Andrew Love

Interview

Baritone Andrew Love is singer who recently succeeded in an official crossing-over between opera and musical theatre. He's sung at Calgary Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Saskatoon Opera and l'Opéra de Québec. On top of that, he just finished singing The Bishop and understudying the role of Javert in a run of Cameron Mackintosh's Les Misérables here in Toronto.

More AtG in Banff, 2015

Editorial

Yesterday Against the Grain Theatre announced the cast of A Little Too Cozy, who will spend 5 weeks at The Banff Centre, as part of Open Space: Opera in the 21st Century. This collaboration between AtG, the Banff Centre, and the Canadian Opera Company also includes a workshop and performance of Crush, a new opera by composer James Rolfe and librettist Anna Chatterton.

Mayell's Mid-Atlantic

Humour

Toronto Operetta Theatre opens Cousin From Nowhere on Thursday night, and you can catch tenor Christopher Mayell onstage. He sheds some light on the question we all ask at the oper(ett)a: "Why Mid-Atlantic?"

Talking with singers: Quinn Kelsey

Interview

Baritone Quinn Kelsey was born in Hawai'i, sings roles like Rigoletto and Germont all over the world, and lately he's been riding a donkey. He's getting ready to sing the role of Sancho, alongside the incomparable Italian bass, Ferruccio Furlanetto, in the Canadian Opera Company's upcoming production of Don Quichotte.

Talking with singers: Alice Coote

Interview

British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote was in Toronto until very recently, singing Dejanira in Peter Sellars' production of Hercules at the Canadian Opera Company. Alice is in demand all over the world, known for trouser roles (Octavian, Sesto, Ruggiero, le Prince Charmant), and utterly versatile across the stylistic board.

Elvira

Interview

Everyone, meet Miriam Khalil. She's a Lebanese-Canadian soprano currently based in Toronto, and she'll be singing in Uncle John, as everyone's favourite clingy chick, Elvira.

Leporello

Interview

Meet Jeremy Bowes. He's a Canadian bass, and he'll be heading west in July to sing in #UncleJohn, as opera's most famous wingman, Leporello_. He spoke about what makes Open Space unique, and why everyone loves the story of Don Juan.

Anna

Interview

Canadian soprano Betty Allison is getting ready to sing the role of Anna in Uncle John at the Banff Centre's Open Space program. She answered a few of my questions about who Anna is, setting no expectations, and taking advantage of her time in Banff.