Opera da Camera: Xerxes is the new Elvis

Interview

Opera da Camera is hard at work, getting ready for their upcoming production of Handel’s Xerxes, running February 19, 21, 28 and March 1st. What’s with the Elvis get-up, you ask? I asked co-Artistic Directors Meagan Zantingh and Kathrin Welte about all that gender fluidity in Handel’s operas, and how Opera da Camera is answering the big question of audience accessibility. #viveleroi indeed!

The Art of Defining a Singer and Squashing Anomalies

Editorial

​I spotted a strange review in the Washington Post by Anne Midgette, on Ian Bostridge's performance of Winterreise at the Library of Congress. I was misled by a clickbait-esque headline (not Anne's): "'Ian Bostridge Is Not A Classical Singer' Says Anne Midgette".

Turning Pages, Turning Heads

Humour

Pianists, can we talk about page-turning for a minute? Nothing ignites panic in a pianist quite like that horrible feeling of two pages, disguised as one, inexplicably stuck together. The subsequent scuffle between index finger and thumb can escalate into the unthinkable: having to turn the page with both hands. I’ve never been a fan of having a designated page-turner seated beside me at the piano, because I like my bubble of personal space when I play; my stubbornness on this issue has only grown stronger since I’ve been playing opera scores.

Relevant Art Via the Number 2 Train

Editorial

"Between 3 and 30 instruments are playing during each segment of this song. Some instruments play softly (i.e. piano/pianissimo) and some play loudly (i.e. forte/fortissimo.) The number and type of instruments are selected based on that station's surrounding median income taken from the 2011 US Census Data Release. In general, the higher the income, the greater the dynamics and quantity of instruments."

Talking with Singers: Lucia Cesaroni

Interview

Canadian soprano Lucia Cesaroni is one of my favourite singers to hear, and she happens to be equally delightful offstage as well as on. She was even nice enough to give me a heartfelt and honest interview about her life as a singer. She talks about connecting with different types of artists, learning to be her own producer, and about how she found out that singing was just the thing for her.

Talking with singers: Adrian Kramer

Interview

​Like many others in the Canadian opera scene, I first met Adrian Kramer as a baritone in the COC Ensemble Studio. Recently, Adrian made a dramatic and successful shift into tenor singing, and I'm not the only person who heard a truly exciting leap forward.

5 Tips for University Auditionees

How-to

Young singers, as you sing your hearts out for the faculties at the University of Toronto, GGS, Western University, McGill, Juilliard, Eastman, NEC, Peabody, Oberlin, Rice, and Curtis, I offer you tips from your audition pianist.

Music School Auditions: 4 Tips for Parents

How-to

As a follow-up to my recent 5 Tips for University Auditionees, I wanted to extend advice to the parents of young singers. You’re supportive, you travel long distances with your kids, and you wait around all day as they do their audition thing. Here are a few etiquette tips for parents, from the mouths of professional pianists who play auditions all day long.

What comes first, the union or the gig?

Op-ed

Don’t get me wrong, Like I said, unions have their upsides for sure. They protect the artists (anyone doing a community theatre/amateur company production who’s lived through at 16-hour tech day understands) so they don’t become slaves. That’s great. The problem is, once you reach a certain echelon of companies (Canadian Opera Company, Opera Atelier, Pacific Opera Victoria, Toronto Operetta Theatre, et al…) you won’t even be considered for anything if you’re not a card-carrying member.

Chris Mayell: The Opera Career

Interview

Canadian tenor Christopher Mayell is no stranger to Schmopera. This time I asked him if he would chat about the realities of a career as an opera singer. Financial struggles and lost inspiration are part of the opera singer’s trip, and Chris talks about his own experiences in a frank, important interview.