(Production picture from the Canadian Opera Company) The winners of the 2019 Dora Awards were announced earlier this week. Among the opera categories, the Canadian Opera Company won a number of major accolades, including Outstanding Production for its staging of “Eugene Onegin.” In sum, the company managed seven wins for three different operas. “Eugene Onegin” was the big winner, taking {…}
It seems like this is the weekend of the year. While the entire planet is engaged with the cinematic event of the decade (Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame”), opera companies from around the continent are lining up some of their most exciting productions. As a result, this was one of the most challenging lists to create in quite some time. But we {…}
There is a lot more standard repertory this weekend on offer around the United States. So here is a look at the performances to check out (in alphabetical order by company). Così Fan Tutte – Canadian Opera Company Mozart and Da Ponte’s opera will get a performance on Feb. 9 and will feature a cast that includes Kirsten McKinnon, Emily {…}
Wilhelm Schwinghammer is one of today’s leading German basses. Throughout the past few years, he has performed at the Bayreuth Festival, Teatro Real de Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Wiener Staatsoper and the Hamburg Staatsoper as a studio member. He is a great exponent of the operas of Wagner, Strauss, Mozart, and Verdi, as well as the works of Puccini {…}
The Canadian Opera Company has announced that Montreal-based composer Ana Sokolović and seasoned British librettist Paul Bentley will present a new opera “The Old Fools,” commissioned by the company. The opera, which is set to premiere in 2021, will be a two-act work inspired by “The Old Fools,” a work by renowned English poet Philip Larkin; its themes revolve around Larkin’s {…}
The Opéra de Montréal has announced that it will be presenting a new opera “La Reine-Garcon” in 2023 in co-production with the Canadian Opera Company. The work will be by composer Julien Bilodeau and librettist Michel Marc Bouchard and will be based on Boucard’s “Christine, La Reine-Garcon, which was presented in Montréal in 2012 and has appeared around the work. {…}
The Canadian Opera Company Academy, a pioneering development program to foster young opera artists, creators, and administrators, has announced its new Composer-in-Residence program. This year Canadian composer Ian Cusson was selected as the inaugural artist and will begin his residency with the COC on August 19, 2019. Cusson is a Métis and French-Canadian composer of art song, opera, and orchestral {…}
It’s National Opera Week, so as you can imagine, there are a ton of operas being offered this weekend. So we looked through and picked out the five we feel you have to see no matter what (in alphabetical order by company). You’ll notice that many are slowly but surely drawing to a close and this might just be your {…}
The deeper into October that we get, the more exciting the offerings around the US and Canada. And this week, we get not two but three world premieres taking place (among others) on our list, mixed in with works by two of opera’s greatest composers (listed in alphabetical order by company). Place – Beth Morrison Projects One of the most {…}
The opera season is up and running. Don’t believe me? Well just take a look at the over one-dozen companies that are putting on productions this weekend. Here are our major picks for this busy weekend, which marries new works with classic repertoire (in alphabetical order by company). Maria de Buenos Aires – Arizona Opera Piazzolla’s opera has arguably never {…}
It’s a wild weekend around North America with many major companies winding down and others getting started. The New York Opera Fest is in full swing this weekend and you can be sure that there are some major recommendations to be had there. So here is our list of operas to see this weekend. Anna Bolena – Canadian Opera Company {…}