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Guest blog: a Postcard from Bayreuth

Posted on August 28, 2026 by barczablog

This guest blog is written by Canadian Margarete Von Vaight:
her Postcard from the 150th anniversary Bayreuth Festival.

What happens when you travel to Bayreuth to see The Ring and discover there is no ring?

No gold. No sword. No Tarnhelm. No sleeping Brünnhilde. None of the familiar visual mythology through which Wagner’s vast meditation on power, possession, corruption, and desire has been understood for generations.

And yet people travel considerable distances to sit on wooden seats in the Franconian countryside, often in temperatures exceeding 40°C, and this year devote nearly thirty hours to it.

Why?

Because Bayreuth is more than an opera festival. It is an institution, a pilgrimage and, for a few weeks each summer, a community of Wagnerites or soon-to-be Wagnerites, arrive to hear the music differently, reconsider an interpretation, hear a particular singer, or simply because Wagner has become part of their cultural lives.

So 2026, Bayreuth’s 150th anniversary year, was never going to be ordinary.

Alongside the complete Ring, the Festival presented Rienzi, Wagner’s early opera never previously staged at Bayreuth. Rienzi offered much of what audiences had come looking for: spectacle, dramatic clarity, recognisable human stakes, and a visual language that remained legible alongside the music.

It also gave me one of the particular pleasures of the Festival.

Magnus Vigilius (Rienzi), who appeared in the title role, and I competed together nearly fifteen years ago at the Lauritz Melchior International Singing Competition. I representing Canada, he Denmark. To see him now in the title role at Bayreuth was genuinely moving, and I could not have been more pleased for him.

His voice has been carefully guided and developed over those years into an extraordinary instrument of stamina, power, and increasing refinement, with invaluable musical support from conductor Nathalie Stutzmann. There is a maturity to it now that suggests not simply what he can do today, but the even greater things still ahead.

The Ring, meanwhile, became the great argument of the season.

Wagner Was An Innovator

It is tempting to dismiss the AI production simply as an assault on Wagnerian tradition. That would be too easy. Wagner was himself an innovator. He challenged the conventions of opera, rethought the relationship between music, drama, staging and audience, and created Bayreuth as a place where those ideas could be pursued differently.

For 150 years, the Festival has done precisely that: arguing with Wagner, challenging Wagner and repeatedly reinventing how his work is presented. So why should AI be excluded from that conversation?

The question is not whether Wagner would have approved. Wagner is no longer here to tell us, and none of us are Wagner. Any certainty on that point is speculation.

The better question is whether the experiment understood what innovation is for.

The AI Experiment

According to the Festival “curation” team, Ring 10010110 – From Myth to Code deliberately used AI to generate imagery informed by 150 years of Ring history, archival material, Wagner’s work and previous Bayreuth productions. The proposition was fascinating: could a machine continually reinterpret the Ring rather than impose a single director’s visual vision?

The production occupied an uneasy space between concert and theatre. Singers stood behind a large gauze screen while constantly shifting projections dominated the stage. There was no conventional staging and, importantly, no visible director. At its worst, the production seemed less interested in Wagner than in demonstrating what the technology could do.

Rheingold became an exhausting stream of images competing with one of the greatest scores ever written. At times, it felt like watching a horrible 1970’s film projector gone rogue mimicking a screensaver while Wagner struggled to hold the spotlight. By cycle three, the audience appeared to have reached its limit. The booing was so sustained that one might have wondered whether we had wandered into an entirely different opera house. Yet there were glimpses of what could have worked.

In Walküre, the imagery occasionally found restraint. In Siegfried, the Woodbird appeared in lush emerald green and produced one of the loudest audible responses of the evening. Essentially the audience was saying: Oh! A reprieve from the torture. Finally, something we can connect with. There, the technology complemented Wagner rather than competing with him. Then it all went downhill again. Brünnhilde did not wake. She simply twirl-walked onto the stage, leaving the audience confused at one of the Ring’s pivotal moments. The resulting booing was even louder.

By Götterdämmerung, the imagery had finally calmed and occasionally offered genuine beauty. But the central problem remained. The technology could certainly generate images. The question was whether those images gave us something we could not already hear in Wagner’s music. That is the real challenge of innovation at Bayreuth.

Wagner did not innovate simply for the sake of using something new. He innovated because he believed the old forms were no longer sufficient for what he wanted to express. Innovation at Bayreuth should therefore not be measured by how technologically impressive it is, but by whether it deepens our encounter with Wagner. The point is not to preserve Wagner in amber. Nor is it to replace him with technology. It is to keep asking the questions that made his work matter in the first place.

And that brings me to the question I kept returning to throughout the Festival: Is the approach helping or hindering Bayreuth’s future?

The Invisible Director

I disliked the theatrical experience. Immensely. There wasn’t one. To this day, my seatmates “continue to hate it,” and there is clearly no convincing them otherwise. I, however, took the week that followed to think, digest and examine my own expectations. Had I simply remained with my initial reaction, I would have missed the beauty, ingenuity and extraordinary work behind what goes into making this Festival. As I write this, I continue to receive messages of firm protest, in good jest, followed by, “Ha! I don’t know what Ring you went to!?!” And perhaps surprisingly to those who know me, I will always remain fair when examining an experience from every perspective: musical, institutional, business, and ultimately, that of the paying spectator.

I was not, incidentally, entirely on the side of the audience revolt. I was challenged several times for being “too kind”, particularly because I defended the artists who deserved the attention, and at times, gave the broader Festival team what I considered deserved credit in trying to sustain a legacy in these challenging economic times. I was also told that “bovine boos are deserved when the outlay is significant.”

Fair enough.

There were people who left mid-performance and did not return. I try not to be presumptuous; perhaps there was another reason. The peeved murmurings and emphatic crash of the door behind them may, however, have given the game away. As the Festival continued, conversations over breakfast, the cafés, and intermissions where we kept finding ourselves led me to something I thought was more important than whether the production was simply “good” or “bad”, and there being “no place for AI in Opera!”.

AI did not eliminate authorship. It merely concealed it.

If an audience must acclimatize itself to the visual logic generated by an algorithm, have we really escaped the director’s authority? Or have we simply replaced the visible director with an invisible one, in this case rebranded as a curation team? The authorship has not disappeared. It has simply become harder to locate. Someone still decides what material enters the system. Someone decides what is excluded. Someone determines the parameters, the aesthetic vocabulary, the relationship between image and music and, ultimately, what the audience is permitted to see.

AI may generate the image.

It does not generate the artistic proposition independently. The machine is not free of direction. It is directed differently.

There is, however, a more fundamental theatrical problem. Opera has never depended upon the voice alone. The symbols of Der Ring des Nibelungen are not decorative accessories waiting to be discarded once technology becomes sufficiently sophisticated. They are part of the grammar of Wagner’s work.

The gold is not merely material. The sword is not simply something for a character to carry. The spear, fire, Tarnhelm and other objects function as visual and dramatic shorthand. They allow an audience to understand power, inheritance, possession, transformation, violence and desire before a character has explained any of it. Remove the sword and one does not merely remove a prop.

One removes a piece of the audience’s vocabulary.

That matters enormously in a work as architecturally complex as Wagner’s Ring. An audience does not arrive possessing an encyclopaedic knowledge of its mythology. It learns the relationships between characters, objects and ideas as the drama unfolds. The physical world of the stage helps teach us how to read the world of the opera. That is why the absence of objects in Bayreuth’s experiment is more consequential than a disagreement about visual taste.

If the gold is no longer recognisably gold, if the sword has no physical presence, if the objects upon which the mythology turns are translated into continuously distracting, shifting digital imagery, the audience is being asked to learn an entirely new semiotic system while simultaneously following Wagner’s exceptionally demanding music and drama.

That is a considerable cognitive burden.

The production sought to liberate Ring interpretation from a single human perspective. Yet in doing so, it may have required the audience to submit to something even less familiar: the logic of the machine. The question, therefore, is not whether AI belongs in opera. Of course it does.

The question is what AI is being asked to replace.

If it replaces an unimaginative backdrop, it may enlarge the theatrical imagination. If it replaces the accumulated visual language through which an audience understands the drama, it may instead make the drama less accessible. Technology should not receive artistic authority simply because it is technologically sophisticated.

The radical act may not have been putting AI on the stage. The radical act was asking whether an audience would surrender the familiar visual language of Wagner in exchange for one it had never learned to read. That is not the disappearance of the director.

It is the arrival of the invisible director.

Unlike the human director, the invisible one cannot be challenged in the rehearsal room, cannot explain its choices and cannot be held accountable for what the audience ultimately understands. For an art form built upon the relationship between human beings in a room, that distinction is not a technological footnote.

That is the warranted booing and this is where Bayreuth got it wrong.

It’s not an audience rejecting Wagner. Not even an audience rejecting innovation. It’s an audience making a distinction. The music was applauded. The performers were applauded. The experiment was not. That is the entire argument.

What Does the Audience Owe Bayreuth and What Does Bayreuth
Owe its Audience?

I have never experienced the quality of musical performance the way I experienced it at Bayreuth. Bar none.

However, this is where the business question becomes unavoidable.

Bayreuth is in the unusual and fortunate position of knowing that people will queue for its performances years in advance. Its audience travels considerable distances, competes for tickets and returns year after year because the Festival represents something rare: an encounter with Wagner performed at the highest level. That does not mean an institution should become captive to its customers.

Art cannot be governed by customer satisfaction surveys. If it were, very little genuinely new art would ever be produced. However, customer experience and artistic ambition need not be enemies.

There ought to be room for an institution to say: We are going to experiment with how opera can be made.

There ought also to be room for an audience to say: We came to experience Wagner, and found ourselves spending too much of the evening trying to understand the technology through which you chose to present him.

That conversation is not disdain. It is part of the contract between an arts organization and the people who sustain it. The more troubling question is whether, in pursuing a new method of theatrical creation, we have inadvertently given the director, or, in this case, the invisible director, too much power. There is a fine line, and not one cycle, but all cycles encountered the same reaction, revealing that line was being erased.

However, I reflect and ask, at what point does interpretation cease to illuminate the work and begin to compete with it? Well, there was a rather beautiful irony in the Bayreuth experience.

The more audiences recoiled from the AI, the more intensely they were sometimes forced back towards the one thing the technology could not replace: the human voice.

The musicians. The physical act of people making music together. When the visual field became distracting, some of us simply listened harder. What we heard deserved the extraordinary applause it received.

Klaus Florian Vogt was remarkable as Siegfried, particularly given the extraordinary demands placed upon him across the Ring, while also singing Loge in Rheingold and Siegmund in Die Walküre. Vogt has maintained a vocal instrument of extraordinary beauty and health in one of the most demanding works in the operatic repertoire. Bright, focused and remarkably youthful in sound, there is an effortless clarity to the voice that carries beautifully through Wagner’s orchestration while retaining a sense of vulnerability and innocence. A Siegfried who was vocally assured and deeply human.

Camilla Nylund brought a distinctly lyrical approach to Brünnhilde, favouring delicacy and sustained musical line over orchestral waves. There were, however, significant intonation issues throughout, with the voice frequently sounding unsettled. Perhaps the demands of singing so many Brünnhildes this year in constant succession contributed. Her phrasing has real intelligence, and when the voice settled, she brought a touching vulnerability and lyricism to the character.

Michael Volle was superb as both Wotan and the Wanderer. His voice had the authority, depth and dramatic intelligence to carry Wotan’s immense presence, while as the Wanderer he brought a fascinatingly weathered and reflective quality. Vocally commanding and dramatically captivating throughout, Volle gave the role a weight and humanity that was difficult to look away from.

The Chorus, who also appeared in Rienzi, were superb. The supporting cast members were
equally deserving of credit for their artistic contributions.

And then there was Christian Thielemann.

He demonstrated once again why Wagner seems to live so naturally under his baton. The Bayreuth Festival Orchestra was stupendous, with the solo musicians impeccable throughout. One must acknowledge the fanfare musicians as well, whose contribution added another dimension to the performance. Every detail, every colour and every instrumental voice was beautifully judged. What made the performance extraordinary was how Thielemann gathered all of it together. The orchestra became a ribbon woven from golden thread, continuously unfolding, shimmering and carrying the drama forward with extraordinary precision and beauty. Revealing, in the process, where the real gold of
Wagner’s Ring lies.

Every night offered something different.

People who did not share a common language somehow found one. Sometimes to agree. Sometimes, considerably more enthusiastically, to disagree. At one point, my seatmates were conducting an argument in two different languages, each perfectly happy to express their dissatisfaction with the occasional understanding of a word the other was saying. That, too, is Bayreuth. Wagner gives everyone something to talk about. Even when they disagree about what they have just seen.

But what of the moments one cannot capture in a review?

There is a particular kinship among those who survive Bayreuth’s extraordinary heat in a non-air-conditioned theatre, where outdoor temperatures climbed beyond 40°C. On one occasion, past 45°C. Bratwurst and champagne appeared at the kiosks. Inside, impeccably pressed gowns gradually surrendered to the heat while hand fans appeared, causing the Bayreuth hiss to emerge. There were multiple 60 minute intermissions. The penguin suits rushed for the parking lot, stripping off jackets, shirts, and bowties draping them over bonnets to dry, before settling into an impromptu one-hour tailgate session of sandwiches and drinks. It was less opera-house etiquette and more summer survival camp. Somehow we are all the better for it. Earning our Bayreuth badge of honour.

Having attended more opera in the past three years than in the rest of my professional life combined, I have discovered just how demanding and wonderfully human an opera audience can be. My own survival strategy was a pocketful of the only proudly Canadian brand I thought worthy enough to bring to Bayreuth: Dollarama.

My $1.50 fan earned me a tap on the arm from a lovely French gentleman who informed me that, in Paris, fanning was not permitted. I had to chuckle and remind him we weren’t in Paris. It broke the ice.

I respectfully stopped and planned a new approach. The following evening, I returned with another Dollarama trinket: a tiny misting bottle discreetly tucked into my décolletage. Far less intrusive. Considerably more effective. As I watched fellow opera-goers become seat lizards, peeling themselves from the wooden benches, I could not help wondering whether some former world leaders, also in attendance, had found themselves contemplating the very same survival strategy.

Yet as the week unfolded, something else emerged that I had not expected: the extraordinary hospitality of the Franconian people. What began with overheated seats, awkward encounters and the peculiar rituals of surviving a Wagner performance gradually gave way to an incredible warmth and welcome. Conversations became easier. Strangers became familiar faces and post-show discussions at the incredible Maisel & Friends were among the most memorable. What could have felt intimidating became remarkably generous.

These are the experiences that made the Festival worth attending. They are also the experiences no algorithm can manufacture. They brought together strangers, languages, arguments, heat, music, exhaustion, laughter, and Wagner’s extraordinary musical force resulting in: Presence.

AI can generate an image in an instant. It cannot breathe. It cannot sustain a Wagnerian phrase. It cannot manage a body inside an unforgiving costume while singing in extreme heat. It cannot feel the orchestra beneath the voice. It cannot decide, in the infinitesimal space between two musical phrases, how much humanity to reveal. That, in the end, may have been the unexpected gift of the experiment.

By making the technology so conspicuous, Bayreuth inadvertently clarified the thing it could never replace. The audience may have argued about the screensaver. It may have questioned the absence of the objects. It may have resisted the visual language. But when those voices began to sing, there was nothing artificial about the achievement. The applause belonged to the artists.

Resoundingly.

Perhaps that is where the balance should lie. Innovation should expand the possibilities of art, not require the art to justify the innovation. The director may change. The technology may change. The visual language may change. However, the reason we continue to gather in darkened theatres has not changed very much at all. We come to hear human beings make something together that a machine, however sophisticated, cannot experience for us.

That was the most important lesson of Bayreuth 2026. It is not that AI has arrived in opera.

It is that, after 150 years, the human being and our love for the extraordinary experience captured on the Green Hill remain the most difficult things to replace. And that is something we will fight to keep.

~~~~~

Margarete von Vaight is a lecturer, project professional, and classically trained musician whose career spans project management, business, education, and the performing arts. She joined the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering as a lecturer in Business & Entrepreneurship in Engineering in 2024, bringing longstanding experience in Canada’s nuclear industry and complex project environments.

Her interests centre on leadership, innovation, and the relationship between institutions and the people they serve. She is a longstanding advocate for the development of emerging professionals across sectors and for the enduring role of the arts in professional and public life.

Margarete Von Vaight at a Bayreuth Festival event at the Margravial Opera House

Posted in guest blog, Opera | Tagged A.I., AI, Angela Merkel, Artificial Intelligence, Bayreuth, Camilla Nylund, Canada, Christian Thielemann, Das Rheingold, Denmark, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Die Walküre, experiment, Götterdämmerung, innovation, Klaus Florian Vogt, Magnus Vigilius, Margarete von Vaight, Michael Volle, music, Richard Wagner, Rienzi, Ring 10010110 - From Myth to Code, Siegfried, technology, University of Toronto | 4 Comments

Elissa Lee talks about the upcoming BIGLAKE Festival

Posted on August 18, 2026 by barczablog

Founders and Directors Elissa Lee and Johannes Debus present BIGLAKE, an annual festival in Prince Edward County (PEC).

Founded in 2018 by classical musicians Elissa Lee and Johannes Debus in Toronto, the BIGLAKE Festival has become a cornerstone of quality classical music in Prince Edward County. This premier scenic arts festival unites world-class concert musicians, showcasing a diverse range of musical experiences across multiple genres and enriching audiences through thoughtful curation. With Debus, an esteemed Music Director for the Canadian Opera Company, and Lee, a Juno Award-winning violinist, co-directing the festival, it seamlessly merges tradition and innovation throughout the year. BIGLAKE intertwines various musical genres and cultural influences, creating unique, intimate musical experiences that make Prince Edward County a top destination for art lovers.

BIGLAKE presents CLASSICS with 10 exciting concerts and events during its annual week-long festival in August in Prince Edward County. You can experience masterpieces of the classical music repertoire that have lived the test of time, performed by some of the world’s top musicians.

I was glad to have the chance to interview Elissa about the upcoming Festival.

*****

Barczablog – Are you more like your father or your mother?

Elissa Lee: Visually, I look a lot like my mother. I have even done a double take when looking at pictures of mom when she was younger, I thought it was me in the photo!

In terms of strength and drive, I get that from both. I lived the typical child of immigrant parents story, and I was brought up to be resilient and hard-working, with a clear determination to succeed.

BB – What is the best or worst thing about what you do?

Elissa Lee: The best thing is meeting so many amazing people all the time! It is never boring and there is always something new that inspires me happening. The worst is the jetlag, but you get used to it.

BB – What ability or skill do you wish you had, that you don’t have?

Elissa Lee: I wish I could improvise! I have tried improvising, and as a classically trained musician through and through, it was not a part of our training. In the past, improvising unheard of for any musician, but as the technical demands became more and difficult, that element has unfortunately disappeared in classical music.

BB –When you’re just relaxing and not working, what is your favourite thing to do?

Elissa Lee: Eating junk food. Particularly dill pickle flavoured popcorn and sour gummy bears.

BB: What was your first performance that you remember?

Elissa Lee: I remember snippets of my very first competition, I was 8 years old. I can remember thinking that the lights were super bright and I had to squint my eyes. In my mind, I don’t remember anything about the performance, the only that I was thinking about was that after I played, I would be rewarded with a Happy Meal from McDonalds. I also won $50, but that was not as important.

BB: Dogs or cats?

Elissa Lee: Cats!!!

BB: I have been enjoying the Toronto Summer Music Festival this past month. How is a summer festival different and why does that make a festival special?

Elissa Lee: Summers are usually when many musicians can take a break from the orchestral season. When thinking of a summer festival, one of the main draws for musicians is location. Many summer festivals are in pristine idyllic holiday places, like Prince Edward County. It is a huge draw for musicians to work but in a gorgeous setting away from the city.

BB: Who are you programming in August at the 6th annual BIGLAKE Festival in Prince Edward County from August 21–29, 2026.

Elissa Lee: This year, BIGLAKE is proud to present two feature artists of international renown: violinist Kerson Leong and Philharmonisches Streichquartett Berlin.

Violinist Kerson Leong
(photo: Jag Gundu / TSO.ca)

Philharmonisches Streichquartett Berlin (Photo: Peter Adamik)

We welcome back pianists Ilya Poletaev and Philip Chiu, as well as Ensemble Made In Canada.

Ensemble Made In Canada (Photo: Geneviève Caron):
Sheila Jaffé viola, Trey Lee cello, Philip Chiu piano, Elissa Lee violin

All the artists will have their featured performances, and will also collaborate with each other to present playful and dynamic musical experiences in various venues.

BB: I suspect you’ve had some funny experiences in previous BIGLAKE Festivals.

Elissa Lee: Trying to figure out how to transport a double bass in a hard flight case through the County and to Toronto… that was a serious challenge!

Or cellist Bryan Cheng having serious travel woes… after being stuck on a plane/train/automobile for more than 2 days, he performed to a patiently waiting sold out audience as soon as he arrived

BB: Have you ever felt a challenge reconciling the business side with the art of music?

Elissa Lee: Always! A lot of the masterpieces that we recognize and genius today were rejected by audiences when they were first performed. Artists push boundaries and create amazing art when they stay true to their voice and vision and not worry about being popular, but without an audience it is all pointless. So it is a fine balance of staying true to oneself, but also listening and adapting. Just like when playing chamber music, or in a relationship for that matter!

BB: If you could tell the institutions how to train future artists, what would you change?

Elissa Lee: I would add:

1– a course to maintain and take care of your muscles and body

2- add a basic business course

3- add a public speaking course

BB: Is there a teacher or an influence you’d care to name that you especially admire or wish to thank?

All of my teachers have left a strong mark on me, but the one teacher that made the largest impact on me as player and as a human being is Lorand Fenyves.

Violinist **Lorand Fenyves** (1918-2004)

The things I learned from him remain with me as a basis in everything I do and play. I am extremely grateful and privileged to have been his student.

*****

BIGLAKE presents CLASSICS with 10 exciting concerts and events during its annual week-long festival in August in Prince Edward County. Experience masterpieces of the classical music repertoire that have lived the test of time, performed by some of the world’s top musicians.

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology | Tagged BIGLAKE Festival, Canadian Opera Company, classical-music, Elissa Lee, Ensemble Made In Canada, Ilya Poletaev, Johannes Debus, Kerson Leong, Lorand Fenyves, Philharmonisches Streichquartett Berlin, Philip Chiu, Prince Edward County, Sheila Jaffé, Trey Lee | Leave a comment

Tyler Seguin’s adaptation of Northanger Abbey premieres at Guild Festival Theatre

Posted on August 10, 2026 by barczablog

There’s a special magic with a new play. When it’s an adaptation of a beloved novel the excitement is greater.

Kiana Woo, Andrew Prashad, Georgia Findlay and Isaiah Kolundzic (photo: Raph Nogal)

Tyler Seguin has adapted Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey in a production that premiered this weekend at Guild Festival Theatre in Scarborough, directed by its adaptor.

Northanger Abbey takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl too eager to believe the fantastic elements of the books she reads. Putting her world onstage is a fascinating process, a series of choices made by Tyler that in various ways parallel the choices made by young Catherine Morland, the credulous young heroine of Jane Austen’s novel.

What is real, what is imaginary?

Look at this photo I can almost believe it’s showing us Tyler’s process, deciding whom to include among the large roster of characters in the book, how to present their story and how to squeeze those bodies & incidents into a script flying by in a mere 100 minutes last night.

Or maybe I’m as gullible as Catherine..? But it’s fun imagining his process, showing us her process…

How, you may wonder, could Tyler squeeze a big book into such a short duration of performance time?

A theatrical approach is key, asking the audience to use our imaginations, asking us to be like Catherine.

Crowding the stage with a huge number of players wasn’t feasible nor desirable, so alongside Georgia Findlay playing his Catherine Morland, Tyler asked the three Ensemble players onstage (Kiana Woo, Andrew Prashad, Isaiah Kolundzic) to each play at least nine different parts. Kiana & Isaiah each play ten parts, Andrew plays nine. And that doesn’t include the additional portrayals of machinery, such as the times they are pressed into service impersonating a carriage, as we see in the photo above (where tables do double duty as wheels, although the program didn’t give the tables any credit for their extra role portrayals).

It’s a lot like what Catherine was doing in her fanciful reading of Gothic romances. I was eager & ready to believe Georgia as Catherine surveying her strange surroundings, drawing us into her story-telling, the book she carried like the horizon of her wacky world.

Georgia Findlay (Catherine) and Kiana Woo (photo: Raph Nogal)

It’s a good thing that the Ensemble players were so capable of creating distinctions between their many different characters, their endless variety populating Catherine’s frantic microcosm.

Voices did a lot of the heavy lifting, each actor changing their delivery several times over, sometimes high sometimes low, over the top and often ridiculous. Isaiah’s General Tilney was especially commanding of the stage and the viscera of the audience, booming and bellowing belligerently at us, his fake moutache bouncing around on his face, as he often trailed off into foul unintelligible gibberish.

Georgia Findlay, Isaiah Kolundzic and Kiana Woo (photo: Raph Nogal)

The costuming, and fake facial hair (even for Kiana) helped clue us in as to which one we were watching, gender being no obstacle. Each of the three Ensemble players were at times male or female, sometimes going back and forth quickly from one role to another. Several of the changes inspired spontaneous applause from a captivated audience, caught up in the spirit of preposterous yarn spinning.

Sometimes it was movement, Andrew a reincarnation of the Minister of silly walks sketch from Monty Python among his several roles.

Andrew Prashad & Kiana Woo (photo: Raph Nogal)

The stunning architecture of the performance space seemed especially well suited to a show relying so heavily upon theatrical effects, playfully aided by music, puppets & smoke.

I was laughing loudly throughout.

The spirit of Jane Austen lurks in this funny work, that still offers many of Austen’s usual caustic critiques of women’s vulnerability in her time and beyond, but seen through a more playful & satirical lens.

Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is the second part of GFT’s “Gothic Girl Summer,” that began with Brontë: The World Without, a recent play by Jordi Mand last month. I’m thrilled to see the support for Canadian authors particularly in the development of this new work from Tyler Seguin.

I see a future for Tyler’s show especially among theatre students, as I think Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is ideal material for young actors learning their craft. I am reminded of the production of Martin Chuzzlewit we did at TMU (formerly known as “Ryerson”) more than a decade ago, the many personages offering unique opportunities for the young actor.

Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey will continue at the Greek Theatre at the Scarborough Guild until August 23rd, especially recommended for fans of make believe & the fantastical. Click for tickets & information.

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged Andrew Prashad, books, Georgia Findlay, Gothic Girl Summer, Guild Festival Theatre, Isaiah Kolundzic, Jane Austen, Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, Kiana Woo, literature, Northanger Abbey, novel, Story-telling, Tyler Seguin, writing | Leave a comment

Nebula Performances’ Artistic Director and co-founder, pianist Wenwen Du: an interview

Posted on August 8, 2026 by barczablog

It’s been fascinating to discover pianist Wenwen Du, who seems to be making a splash around the world as a collaborative pianist and as the artistic director of Nebula Performances. I found an amazing solo performance that she gave, playing the finale to Beethoven’s Appassionata that I have to share, as good as any version I’ve ever heard of this difficult virtuoso piece.

But she is both a pianist and a collaborative artist. Her May appearances with tenor Ian Bostridge in Ottawa & Vancouver were rapturously received.

Pianist Wenwen Du and tenor Ian Bostridge, CBE

Now she and the Nebula Performances team are preparing a production of Leoncavallo’s opera I Pagliacci, to open later in August. I wanted to find out more.

*******

Barczablog – Are you more like your father or your mother?

Wenwen Du: Definitely my father.

I think I’ve also grown into someone quite different from both of my parents. I left my hometown at a young age to study in another city, so I didn’t actually spend much of my formative years at home with family.

BB – What is the best or worst thing about what you do?

Wenwen Du: For me, the best and the hardest parts of what I do are inseparable.

The best part, without question, is being on stage. The hardest part is everything that leads up to it. The preparation can be long, demanding, and often far less glamorous than the performance itself. In the moment, it isn’t always the most enjoyable part. But once the concert or project is over, I almost always find myself looking back on that journey with a different perspective. The rehearsals, the last-minute problems, the endless details, they’re not always enjoyable in the moment, but afterwards I realize they’re all part of the story behind the performance.

Another part of my work that I treasure is bringing people together. I love creating opportunities for artists to meet, collaborate, exchange ideas, and grow alongside one another. Seeing those artistic connections take root is every bit as rewarding as being on stage myself.

BB – What ability or skill do you wish you had that you don’t have?

Wenwen Du: There are so many things I’d still love to learn.

One area is technology. I sometimes wish I had learned more about computers, media, and the technical side of producing performances earlier in my career, especially as technology becomes more ingrained in the music business.

Fortunately, I have an incredible team at Nebula Performances and wonderful friends who are incredibly patient and always willing to help me.

BB – When you’re relaxing and not working, what do you enjoy doing?

Wenwen Du: I actually have a long list!

I love watching movies, visiting art galleries, reading, and gardening. I enjoy long walks, discovering little cafés and local markets, and even sometimes just doing something completely spontaneous. Some of my favourite memories have come from plans I never made. I think there’s something wonderful about wandering and letting curiosity lead the way.

BB – What was the first melody you remember?

Wenwen Du: Probably Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Like many children, I first knew it as the melody of the English alphabet song, long before I learned that it was Mozart’s Ah vous dirai-je, Maman.

BB – Tell us about starting Nebula Performances.

Wenwen Du: I co-founded Nebula Performances in Vancouver with industrial entrepreneur Alice Cheetogether with our Director, Lynol Amero, who also designed our performance hall.

We wanted to create a community (Haus Der Kunst) that many of us wished we’d had at the beginning of our careers; a place where artists could grow together, learn from one another, and feel genuinely supported. I’ve been incredibly fortunate throughout my own journey to learn from extraordinary mentors and collaborate with inspiring artists. One of my greatest hopes for Nebula is to bring those inspiring artists together with the young artists, and create opportunities for young artists to learn directly from established musicians and help that tradition of mentorship to continue.

My hope is that Nebula will always be a home for artists. Whether someone is taking their very first steps onto the stage or already has an international career, we want them to know they have a place here.

Our mission is to create opportunities for performance, collaboration, mentorship, and artistic growth while connecting artists with the wider community.

We will always continue to support and present opera, art song, chamber music, and many other art forms because I believe they all matter. They are traditions worth carrying forward and sharing with new generations. At the same time, we’re always excited to explore new ideas, new formats, and welcome new artists.  Ultimately, Nebula isn’t just about presenting concerts. It’s about bringing people together through music and creating a community where artists and audiences can inspire one another.

BB – What’s your favourite musical composition, both as a performer and as an audience member?

Wenwen Du: As a performer, nothing is closer to my heart than Lieder and chamber music.

As an audience member, I enjoy many different kinds of music, symphonies, opera, chamber music, Lieder, jazz, and more. But honestly, it often comes down to who is performing. The same piece can feel completely different in the hands of different artists.

BB – Electronic scores or paper books?

Wenwen Du: Paper books ! But… my younger artists have definitely opened my mind to electronic scores. So these days, I happily use both.

BB – Is opera dead?

Wenwen Du: Not at all.

Opera tells stories about love, jealousy, ambition, fear, hope, loss, and forgiveness. Human emotions haven’t changed.

 I think many people believe they need to know everything about opera before attending a performance, but that’s simply not true. You don’t need to know music theory to be moved by a beautiful voice, just as you don’t need to be an art historian to be touched by a painting.

 I think every generation finds its own way of connecting with these stories. The world changes, but we can still be moved by Romeo and Juliet’s love.

BB: That’s beautiful. I think when someone answers as you did, there is hope!
(Next question)How do you reconcile wearing multiple hats as a performer, teacher, and producer?

Wenwen Du: Hmm, I don’t really think of them as separate jobs anymore.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have Alice Chee as a mentor. Her passion for the arts, her support for artists, and her perspective have guided me through many important moments.

At Nebula, I’m also very grateful to have a team that truly works together. Everyone is flexible and willing to step in when needed. That sense of collaboration makes it possible for me to continue exploring these different roles.

Working with young artists gives me new ideas and makes me see music from different perspectives. It also challenges me to put my thoughts into words, to explain precisely what I hear and feel, which often leads to new discoveries for myself as well. At the same time, staying active as a performer allows me to share not only musical ideas, but also the practical lessons I’ve learned on stage.

For me, these roles don’t compete with each other, they complement and enrich each other.

BB – You’re both a musician and theatre producer. What skills transfer from one career to the other?

Wenwen Du: I think one of the biggest skills that transfers between the two is listening.
As a musician, I’ve learned that great music comes from listening—to your colleagues, to the space around you, and to the ideas that are being created together. That same skill is essential in producing. You have to listen to artists, understand different personalities, solve problems, and bring many people together around a shared vision.

Being an active performer also helps me understand what artists need. As a producer, I try to create the kind of environment where I would want to work myself – professional, supportive, but also warm and welcoming.

BB – Who is part of the team we’ll hear performing Pagliacci with Nebula Performances?

Wenwen Du: We’re incredibly fortunate to have a wonderful cast and creative team.

Our stage director is David Walsh, whose career has taken him to the most prestigious opera companies around the world for decades.

David directed your brother Peter Barcza as Tonio in Toronto back in 1985!

Technical director Lynol Amero has been working hard on designing and building the settings & props for the opera.

And Our stellar cast includes two wonderful sopranos Nedda – Hannah Ernst and Holly Chaplin, tenor Wanshuai Yu as Canio, bass baritone Liam Robertson as Tonio, baritone Alexander Dobson as Silvio, tenors Ming-xuan Chung & Kevin Liu as Beppe.

Baritone Alexander Dobson (photo: Melissa Tremblay)

We also have a group of young chorus members and amazing creative team!

One of the things I enjoy most is bringing together artists at different stages of their careers. It’s exciting to watch new collaborations develop.

BB – It’s great to see you employ Canadian artists. Do you believe our companies could work harder to hire Canadian artists instead of importing singers from the USA or Europe?

Wenwen Du: I do believe we should continue supporting Canadian artists. Canada has extraordinary talent, and our artists deserve opportunities to build meaningful careers here at home.

At the same time, I really value international collaboration. I’ve always loved what happens when artists from different places come together. We bring different experiences, perspectives, and ways of working, and often something unexpected comes out of that exchange.

For me, it isn’t an either-or question. I think we should absolutely support Canadian artists while also inviting artists from around the world. The two can really complement each other.

BB – Do you have ideas about modernizing classical music for today’s audiences?

Wenwen Du: Absolutely.

One thing we’ve learned at Nebula is that people often connect first with an idea before they connect with a composer. That’s why we present themed concerts, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Remembrance Day, and many others. Those themes give audiences an easy and welcoming way into classical music.

I think sometimes we just need to make that first step easier. If people feel included and have a reason to come, they might discover something they really love.

*******

You can discover more about Nebula Performances at their website.

For tickets to Nebula Performances production of Leoncavallo’s opera I Pagliacci (The Clowns) performances August 26, 28, 30, and September 1, 3, and 5 at Nebula Performance Hall in Vancouver.

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged Alexander Dobson, Alice Chee, David Walsh, Hannah Ernst, Holly Chaplin, I Pagliacci, Liam Robertson, Lynol Amero, Nebula Performances, Peter Barcza, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Wanshuai Yu, Wenwen Du | Leave a comment

Two sides of the same fiddler

Posted on July 22, 2026 by barczablog

Toronto Summer Music showed us a magic trick.

William Fedkenheuer played classical violin in the first half of the concert. William on violin and Orion Weiss on piano played a movement of Brahms, then a sonata of Beethoven and a sonatina of Dvořák.

William Fedkenheuer violin and Orion Weiss piano (photo: Lucky Tang @luckytang_photos)

And then after intermission he made a costume change, from formal to informal. And he transformed his violin into a fiddle.

William Fedkenheuer & Ben Plotnick: fiddles, Eric Wright, cello (photo: Lucky Tang @luckytang_photos)

Full disclosure: the magic is all in the perception. A violin is the same as a fiddle.

The title of the concert was “Two sides of the same fiddle”, as in the magic trick. Maybe I’m being provocative in my headline, but I felt just as there were two sides to the instrument, so too with the instrumentalist, the two sides of the Artistic Director of Toronto Summer Music, William Fedkenheuer. He’s both a violinist and a fiddler, and our concert was a demonstration of those two sides.

I’m intrigued as we get to know the new Artistic Director of Toronto Summer Music, the humble master of ceremonies who has emerged before concerts this year, the violinist, the fiddler: and the personality behind the festival.

We began with Brahms, the Scherzo in C Minor from the F-A-E Sonata, William on violin Orion Weiss at the piano. Then Beethoven’s violin sonata Op 30 no 3, then the Dvořák Sonatina Op. 100, B.183. This was the TSM premiere of Orion whose playing was wonderfully idiomatic, the ensemble playing between the two instrumentalists as effortless as if they were of the same mind.

William was playing a little game with us, as he suggested the violin that had played Brahms Beethoven and Dvorak in the first part of the concert had now changed through magic into a fiddle. He moved it about on the stage, a bit like a magic trick, the violin becoming a fiddle.

Of course it was the same instrument.

The second half of the concert, William was sometimes playing sometimes watching as fiddler Ben Plotnick showed us another way to play the violin (aka “fiddle”) and Eric Wright made comparable explorations of the cello.

While the title plays up the duality there are even more sides to William than these two. At one point, as he alluded to the excellence of the two fiddlers beside him onstage, he suggested that he was to be the equivalent of a fellow for the second half of the concert, a student learning from the master fiddlers. It’s a reminder of another big part of the Toronto Summer Music Festival, namely its pedagogical mission, training instrumentalists & singers at the TSM Academy. William is a mentor, a teacher, and curator at the festival where he also plays his violin.

William helped explain what Ben and Eric were doing, for those of us who might not recognize just how difficult their playing was. Eric’s cello was sometimes singing sometimes making a percussive sound that sets up rhythmic patterns as if he were a drummer, sometimes at the same time that he was also playing individual notes on another string.

And we had a further illustration watching two Fellows who joined for an encore of fiddling at the end of the concert, namely violinist Seeun Baek, and cellist Thomas Li joining William, Ben and Eric.

William Fedkenheuer, Ben Plotnick & Seeun Baek: fiddles, Thomas Li & Eric Wright, cello
(photo: Lucky Tang @luckytang_photos)

It’s early days. I am getting my first look at William and the new Toronto Summer Music Festival culture he is fostering. This was the second consecutive night when I was swept away by music-making crossing boundaries into other styles beyond the usual classical idiom. It was unpretentious, enthusiastic & genuine. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Antonin Dvorak, Ben Plotnick, Eric Wright, fiddle, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven, Toronto Summer Music, Toronto Summer Music Academy, violin, Walter Hall, William Fedkenheuer | Leave a comment

Kleztory at Toronto Summer Music

Posted on July 21, 2026 by barczablog

Kleztory made their third appearance at Toronto Summer Music Festival Monday July 20th at Walter Hall although this was my first chance to hear and see them, as much a visual as aural experience.

Kleztory at Walter Hall (photo: Lucky Tang @luckytang_photos)

Kleztory sometimes play music that we might call “klezmer”. But that’s not all.

They have their own style. Sometimes they veer into something resembling jazz. Sometimes they seem to be improvising. They’re a very tight ensemble of six players.

Airat Ichmouratov plays clarinet, bass clarinet and duclar (when I looked it up, I discovered that the instrument combines features of a duduk and clarinet. Perhaps it’s meant as a simple combination:
du-duk + clar-inet = duclar). Mostly he was on clarinet. For the first tune I thought maybe he was leader, as his clarinet invoked the familiar klezmer flavour to the music. But no I was wrong.

Immediately I saw violinist Elvira Misbakhova seizing the initiative with solos & melodic decoration that had me thinking sometimes perhaps she was leader.

And soon enough David Ryshpan undermined my sense of klezmer with his jazzy piano stylings, a lovely way with melody. I suppose I have to admit they’re playing a sort of fusion, but then again, klezmer is itself a sort of fusion of styles. I didn’t hear enough klezmer in my life to know enough about the style to say whether Kleztory are a typical klezmer band. Suffice it to say that they are a tight energetic ensemble, creative, a delight.

With each tune I felt the centre of gravity shifting, my sense of who might be leader undermined by the new orientation they threw at us, as much in the playing as in their physical array onstage, moving & changing with fluidity.

Okay maybe the whole idea of “leader” is wrong, defunct, irrelevant.

Sometimes they play a klezmer-sounding music, sometimes entirely veering away. And sometimes neither jazz nor klezmer but entirely different sorts of music, embracing the idea of ethnic crossover in all seriousness, even as they are playful in their exuberant performance style. The eye-contact between them is a kind of magic. The pleasure they take in making and sharing their music is infectious.

Double bass Mark Peetsma, violinist Elvira Misbakhova, Guitarist Raphaël D’Amour
(photo: Lucky Tang @luckytang_photos)

Mélanie Bergeron on accordion was mostly working in support yet a few times she was the only one playing, to start a piece or as the ensemble paused to regroup and shift its focus.

Mélanie Bergeron (photo: Lucky Tang @luckytang_photos)

At least once she was as jazzy on her accordion as if she were emulating David’s jazz piano. I suspect being in the same band they must influence one another.

There are two other members who also took a moment to tell us of a piece they had composed. Clearly everyone is welcome to contribute. Double bass player Mark Peetsma announced his piece, and later guitarist Raphaël D’Amour came forward a couple of times, his pieces taking us in an entirely different direction.

Kleztory (photo: Lucky Tang @luckytang_photos)

Although we were told to take pictures & share to social media, I didn’t feel right about it, only pulling out my phone briefly at the beginning and end. While it may have been okay with Kleztory I was aware that the TSM audience, accustomed to classical decorum, might be disturbed by too much picture-taking.

But of course the other thing to consider is that when you’re taking pictures, head down looking through your smartphone, you miss a lot of the fun, so in fact I’m glad I didn’t take more pictures than the few I got.

We were encouraged regularly to clap, being told by Mélanie that our clapping energized their playing, and so we did a lot of that throughout the concert, at least on the quicker klezmerish tunes. A couple of times the players led us in the clapping and sometimes started dancing.

Pianist David Ryshpan leads us in clapping, clarinettist Airat Ichmouratov dancing enthusiastically, while bass Mark Peetsma and violinist Elvira Misbakhova play

It was lots of fun.

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Airat Ichmouratov, David Ryshpan, duclar, Elvira Misbakhova, klezmer, Kleztory, Mark Peetsma, Mélanie Bergeron, Raphaël D'Amour, Toronto Summer Music, Walter Hall | 2 Comments

Brontë: The World Without comes to Guild Festival Theatre in Scarborough

Posted on July 20, 2026 by barczablog

Gothic Girl Summer began this week at Guild Festival Theatre with Brontë: The World Without, a recent play by Jordi Mand.

I laughed loudly for much of the play showing us episodes, a series of scenes from a three-year period in the lives of the three literary siblings Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë. And I cried a bit in the last few minutes.

GFT make excellent use of the Greek Theatre at the Scarborough Guild, exploiting the unforgettable space.

(l-r) Laura del Papa, Lara Lucia, Hilary Scott (Photo: Raph Nogal)

Even a talk-back session feels extra-special when it’s done with those classic columns.

Left to right: the talk-back host, playwright Jordi Mand, director Helen Juvonen, Hilary Scott, Lara Lucia, Laura del Papa

Outdoor performances have been particularly challenging this week, between the smoke from forest fires and the unbearable heat, leading to the cancellation of their preview.

When I came to the show I wondered: would it matter whether I knew the novels? Would it matter if I knew the story of their lives? But no it didn’t matter at all, we were watching their stories unfold in the most organic way, their writing almost incidental. Jordi had done remarkable research into the backgrounds of the three sisters, including an actual visit to their home that she described in the talk-back.

I could imagine Jordi’s identification with the three writers and their beginnings. It’s not that we are watching writers, we’re seeing an impoverished family struggling to cope, three sisters with recognizable family dynamics, the oldest taking charge and being bossy to the point of irritating the other two, while each of the younger ones has issues of being understood and heard. For much of the first hour we watched a dark comedy unfold, notwithstanding the horrors of their strained circumstances.

They discover that they have been writing poetry, and begin with a book of poems by the three of them, seeking a publisher for their work using fake male names (Currer, Ellis & Acton Bell, and with the same initials) as they can’t believe they would be accepted using their real names, disclosing their real gender.

The dialogue is modern without any English accent, organic and urgent as any family would be that is coping with the challenges these women faced, fluid between the three.

In her director’s note Helen Juvonen remarks that the play “strips away the mythology to show us the humanity of these three sisters. The play drops us right in the middle of the Bronte household, where we listen to their intimate conversations, their argument and their confessions.”

Helen and her cast live up to the superb text Jordi created, three women who all lived short lives. Hilary Scott was Emily Brontë (1818-1848) who we would know for Wuthering Heights. Lara Lucia was Anne Brontë (1820-1849), who wrote poetry and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Laura del Papa was Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) who wrote Jane Eyre.

(l-r) Laura del Papa, Hilary Scott, Lara Lucia (Photo: Raph Nogal)

Brontë: The World Without continues with Guild Festival Theatre until August 2nd. Click here for tickets and further information.

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged Anne Brontë, books, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Guild Festival Theatre, Helen Juvonen, Hilary Scott, Jane Eyre, Jordi Mand, Lara Lucia, Laura Del Papa, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Wuthering Heights | 1 Comment

Golden Age: Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee bring their magic to a live performance at Koerner Hall

Posted on July 17, 2026 by barczablog

Last year soprano Erin Morley and tenor Lawrence Brownlee released an album titled “Golden Age” accompanied by Munich Radio Orchestra conducted by Ivan Repušić featuring opera solos & duets from the 19th century.

Thursday July 16th, the Toronto Summer Music festival heard Erin & Lawrence perform most of that playlist live embellished with a few extra pieces, but this time with pianist Malcolm Martineau rather than the orchestra at Koerner Hall:

Duet from Le comte Ory (Rossini) “Ah quel respect.. Ce temeraire qui croi nous plaire”
Erin: Caro nome from Rigoletto (Verdi)
Lawrence: Je crois entendre encore from Pearl Fishers (Bizet)
Malcolm: Clair de lune (Debussy)
Duet from Lakme (Delibes) “D’ou viens tu?..C’est le dieu de la jeunesse”
–intermission–
Duet from La Jolie Fille de Perth (Bizet) “ils verront si je mens”
Malcolm & Erin: 4 handed piano version of Act II song Carmen (Bizet)

Malcolm Martineau & Erin Morley (photo: Lucky Tang @luckytang_photos)

After the piano duet each singer took their turn impressing us with their breath-taking solo arias, Lawrence singing Verdi, Erin singing Delibes.

First it was Lawrence with the two-part aria Parmi veder le lagrime & Possente amor from Rigoletto (Verdi), then Erin with a stunning reading of the Bell Song from Lakme (Delibes).

And then more comic cuteness in the romantic duet from fille du regiment (Donizetti) “Quoi? Vous m’aimez”..De cet aveu si tendre”.

They seem to really enjoy playing off one another.

Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee (photo: Lucky Tang @luckytang_photos)

The audience went wild afterwards, so of course we were offered a lovely encore, a duet from Don Pasquale “Tornami a dir che m’ami”.

Their comic opera duets were the best for me, as both the Rossini to open and the fille du regiment to close had an extra electricity between soprano & tenor. It’s funny, you’d never guess their comic spark from listening to the album, that comes to vivid life before you onstage. The photos are charming but don’t capture their playful chemistry. The fun they were having is infectious.

Erin & Malcolm were making their Toronto debuts on this occasion, Lawrence his TSM debut, having sung here long ago. I confess that while I enjoyed all three artists, I was really there to hear one person.

When I first read the TSM offerings for 2026, this is the one that caught my eye: because I had heard Lawrence in Rossini’s La Cenerentola over 15 years ago in April 2011, when I said the following:
Lawrence Brownlee as Ramiro (the Prince) has an amazingvoice, one of the best voices I have ever heard in person. I experienced Leontyne Price, Luciano Pavarotti, Birgit Nilsson, and Jon Vickers, each a visceral experience for different reasons. I feel I have to put Brownlee in a similar category. Given the ability to edit recordings, or to choose from the best take, it’s important to recognize the drama of a live performance. Brownlee nailed a whole series of high Cs (one for at least 5 seconds), never going off pitch, never sounding uncomfortable, always musical, and a complete thrill. No, it’s not the biggest voice I’ve ever heard (nor was Pavarotti come to think of it); but it’s perfect for this material.

And from time to time I jumped at the chance to hear Lawrence sing in recordings or on video. A few days ago I shared a brief sample of the most famous passage of high Cs, from Daughter of the Regiment, the aria that made Pavarotti famous, that would later propel Juan Diego Flores to fame, that in my opinion is sung best of all by Lawrence Brownlee. Yes Flores reached the notes but the tone had an unpleasant nasal quality. Not only does Brownlee have a pretty tone, he is having enormous fun onstage playing up the comedy.

I may have grown up discovering opera on recordings, but my greatest love is live performance, for a variety of reasons. If we remember that recording engineers sometimes can adjust missed high notes: that makes the whole exercise problematic. Live is magical precisely because the performer is as vulnerable as a trapeze artist, their performance authentic and true. This will get even stranger in years to come if artificial intelligence leads us to question what we see. That’s another reason to treat the concert hall as a sacred treasury, where you see and hear the authenticity of the art and the artists.

Hearing Lawrence in 2026 singing as perfectly as in 2011 confirms something else. People throw around the word “technique”, even as it invokes mysterious abilities. What I refer to is Lawrence’s self-knowledge, understood in two related directions. He knows 1-what to sing and 2-how to sing those roles. Notice I am not proposing to tell anyone how that’s done.

We speak of a “fach” which is like a vocal pigeon-hole, understood as a series of roles making similar demands upon the singer & their voice. If you know from experience that you can sing a part, a careful prudent career move would be to avoid venturing too far outside that imaginary classification. Some of that is the range, how high or low they sing, some of that is the type of opera, given that the style will call for a different sort of singer. And the whole time this is being contemplated, the singer is alive and aging. What they can do for example in 2011, may no longer be feasible in 2026. The fact that Lawrence sounded as precisely in tune, as effortless, and as fluid now as before, suggests an astonishing mastery of his instrument.

Lawrence joked at the concert that no he won’t sing Siegmund (the heroic tenor in Die Walkure), even as he spoke of cautiously venturing outside his usual fach, to undertake Verdi. And we had a demonstration with a two part aria from Rigoletto, namely “Parmi veder le lagrime” followed by “Possente amor”. The contrasting arias are usually easier in the context of a performance of the opera, given that there’s 11 pages of chorus between the two, likely worth a couple of minutes of recovery time for our tenor. But in last night’s concert pianist Malcolm Martineau had to execute the abrupt transition, Lawrence barely given time to inhale let alone rest.

The aria concludes with a high “D”, a note that Lawrence managed competently but not as brilliant as the other notes we had heard. Yes Lawrence sang the note, and maybe with the usual breathing room afforded by the chorus in between the two, maybe he could do more. I wonder if Lawrence will be singing more roles outside his usual fach, given that there surely is a demand. Even if the roles will only be on record, that’s something to anticipate.

The great thing about recordings is that when all else fails I can listen to Erin and Lawrence again, on their album.

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Claude Debussy, Erin Morley, Gaetano Donizetti, Georges Bizet, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Koerner Hall, Lawrence Brownlee, Leo Delibes, Malcolm Martineau, Toronto Summer Music | Leave a comment

Gothic Girl Summer: Tyler Seguin talks about Brontë & Northanger Abbey at Guild Festival Theatre

Posted on July 14, 2026 by barczablog

I heard Guild Festival Theatre’s announcement of their 15th summer in Guild Park.

Inspired by Gothic literature and the great women writers of the 19th century, GFT’s 2026 programming features a theatrical imagining of the lives of the beloved Brontë sisters and an irreverent new adaptation of a Jane Austen classic.

In other words Gothic Girl Summer!

“We’re both big fans of Gothic fiction.
We love the romantic settings, the great characters, and the epic narratives. “

The Greek Theatre in Guild Park & Gardens, in Scarborough

“The grand architecture of the Greek Theatre makes it the perfect venue for bringing these stories to the stage and we’re excited to explore both the real-world drama of the Brontës and the imaginary landscapes of Jane Austen” ~
Co-Artistic Directors Helen Juvonen and Tyler J. Seguin

Tyler Seguin (Hayley Andoff Photography)

I was pleased to interview Tyler, who shared a few questions with his Co-Artistic Director Helen Juvonen.

*******

Barczablog – Are you more like your father or your mother?

TYLER: I look so much like my father. And every year it just gets more pronounced – especially the hairline… I also like to think I inherited his work ethic, sense of responsibility, and his love of nature.

BB – What is the best or worst thing about what you do?

TYLER: There are so many great things about this job – I love the opportunity to dream up plays and productions that connect with so many patrons. I love being able to give opportunities to so many artists. I love spending my summer in the most beautiful park surrounded by incredible art while experiencing the natural world – we even had a fox come and visit our first rehearsal this year! The parts I like least are the constant worry about budget and resources and always trying to make do with less. I;m also worried about the way the weather has become more extreme and less predictable – there’s nothing worse than seeing a big storm pop up on the radar just before a show is about to start.

BB – What ability or skill do you wish you had, that you don’t have?

TYLER: I wish I could control the weather. No show would ever get rained out, there would never be a heat wave during rehearsals, and the sun would always set dramatically behind the theatre at just the right moment.

BB –When you’re just relaxing and not working, what is your favourite thing to do?

TYLER: What artistic director of a small company has time to relax??? But seriously – summers can get very busy, so I spend as much time in the pool as I can. There’s something about swimming that clears my head as well as good exercise.

BB: What was the first drama you remember seeing?

TYLER: It was a production of The Wind in the Willows at Thousand Islands Playhouse. I was probably 6 years old so I don’t remember much besides the actors using dollies to scoot around the stage.

And while not a drama, the most significant early show was probably The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Stratford Festival when I was 10. It had an all-star cast: Willian Hutt, Tom McCamus, Stephen Ouimette, and Chick Reid to name a few. Experiencing two thousand people roaring with laughter was the moment I decided that theatre was what I wanted to do with my life.

BB: Talk about the experience of Guild Festival Theatre

TYLER: My first experience with Guild Festival Theatre was in 2012 – the company’s second season. I was cast in Clouds Over T.O., which was directed by GFT founder Sten Eirik, and absolutely fell in love with this stage. The company was just starting, but Sten brought so much passion and energy to it that it felt like an exciting time to get involved so when he asked me to volunteer on the board of directors, I said yes.

I helped out on the administration and production side for a few years, but my artistic career was growing and I had to focus on that after a few years. When Sten died it was shockingly sudden and the company was lucky that Jamie Robinson was there to carry it through the next few years.

I’d remained fond of the organisation so when the board called me in 2019 asking if Helen and I could direct that summer’s production we immediately said yes. By the end of that summer, Helen and I were fully invested in the company and were honoured to take on the role of co-Artistic Directors.

Helen Juvonen and Tyler Seguin in 2019, co-Artistic Directors

But that was 2019 so you know what’s coming next. Our first planned season had to be postponed because of the pandemic and while that was frustrating, it also gave us an opportunity to build deep connections with the local community. As an outdoor company, we were also among the first theatres in the country to get back to regular performances, which meant that our first (socially-distanced) season sold out and it’s just been one long trajectory of growth ever since: We started with an audience of 1,350. Now, our season reaches more than 10,000 people. We’ve grown from 16 performances in July to 70 events throughout the year. We’ve produced four world premieres. We’re partnering with theatres like Crow’s and the Stratford Festival. We’ve given hundreds of young people training, mentorship, and opportunity. It’s been a wild ride.

BB: What’s your mission with Guild Festival Theatre

TYLER: The mission statement is:

Through the production and curation of professional theatre, Guild Festival Theatre provides the people of Scarborough with meaningful engagement in the performing arts, connects the past to the present, and empowers the region’s diverse communities to participate locally in arts and culture. We achieve this mission through the following activities:

Presenting outdoor productions at the Greek Theatre in Guild Park & Gardens;
Reimagining classical theatre through staging and adaptation and broadening the definition of “classics” to be more diverse, inclusive and equitable;
Expanding the audience for classical theatre through new initiatives that include outreach, education, and engagement;
Supporting artists by providing opportunities for education, mentorship, artistic growth, professional development and meaningful work.

What it boils down to is this: Guild Festival Theatre is the only professional theatre presenting in Scarborough, working with Scarborough artists, and serving Scarborough audiences. Because of that, we have a responsibility to serve our community by bringing the world to Scarborough so that local residents can experience the best of the performing arts, and to share Scarborough with the world so that everyone can appreciate the incredibly diverse and uniquely talented community this is.

BB: Dogs or cats?

TYLER: I grew up with dogs but now live with cats.

BB: Emily or Charlotte?

TYLER: I feel like a Charlotte, but I adore Emily.

Helen wants to add that Anne shouldn’t be forgotten – Justice for Anne!!

BB: favourite Jane Austen novel? (mine is actually Northanger Abbey, one of her shortest fwiw).

TYLER: I think Northanger is Austen’s most fun novel – it’s joyous and exuberant and has a certain youthful energy that’s utterly charming. But I love a well-made plot and Pride and Prejudice is a swiss watch – nothing extraneous, perfect character arcs, and such a satisfying ending. It’s truly a masterpiece.

BB – What’s your favourite/ideal play, both as an artist/ participant and as a member of the audience?

TYLER: I love plays that invite me to open up my imagination both as an artist and as an audience member. I think the joy of theatre is that it’s magic realism: a play is never – fully realistic because there’s always an element of make-believe happening in front of you. And it’s never fully magic because it’s bound by the limits of time and space. But somehow it can live in that interesting space between those extremes to create an experience that insists the world is a more magical and mysterious place than day-to-day life would have us believe.

BB – How do you reconcile wearing multiple hats, creating art, as a teacher and producer of performances ?

TYLER: I actually really enjoy the juggle and think that all of the different responsibilities inform each other: Understanding exactly what goes into a production gives me a better set of tools to use when I’m imagining how to stage something; being responsible for marketing and ticketing means that I can be thinking about how I want the audience to experience the production long before they ever set foot in the theatre; and teaching something always makes you understand the subject more deeply – I’m a more thoughtful artist because of the many hats I wear.

BB: Who is part of the team we will hear performing Bronte with Guild Festival Theatre?

I’ll let Helen speak to this one since she’s directing it!

HELEN JUVONEN: The play premiered at Stratford in 2018 and hasn’t been seen much since. It was on our radar as soon as we took over GFT but when I reread it last year it hit me in the gut. I’m one of three sisters and my younger sister passed away in 2021. Revisiting the script through the lens of grief really shaped my approach.

Laura Del Papa (Charlotte), Lara Lucia (Anne), Hilary Scott (Emily; photo: Raph Nogal)

We have three actors new to our stage this year – Laura Del Papa (Charlotte), Hilary Scott (Emily) and Lara Lucia (Anne). We had dozens of wonderful actors audition for us but these three stood out because of their willingness to play and explore. Rehearsing this play has been a process of co-creation with everyone making offers, trying things and building on ideas.

Laura Del Papa (Charlotte), Hilary Scott (Emily) Lara Lucia (Anne; photo: Raph Nogal)

I also want to mention our sound designer, Maddie Bautista. Maddie has been arranging traditional songs and hymns for the show and the actors are singing live. The introduction of music has been another collaborative process and I can’t wait for the audience to hear what we’ve created!

BB: It’s great to see you working with Canadian writers. Please talk about the play-creation process and how it works for Bronte & for Northanger Abbey.

TYLER: Programming Canadian writers has always been a priority of ours. GFT was founded as a company devoted to classical theatre and Helen and I always thought that Canadian writers deserve to be considered at the same level as the likes of Shaw and Shakespeare. So every one of our seasons has featured a Canadian playwright. One of our great joys was initiating In Conversation With Classics – a creators unit that supports playwrights in developing original work. So far 5 plays have been written through that program, including 2 world premieres, one of which is now touring the country, so we’re very proud of the results.

Every script is different, so no two development processes are quite the same. Northanger Abbey was written with a specific cast in mind and is a real celebration of this team’s virtuosity. So while the first draft was created by me sitting down with the novel, we took a week in March to workshop the show – which is a process of trying the scenes on their feet to see what works and what doesn’t. We came out of that with a very different play than went in. And now that it’s in rehearsal, things continue to evolve as we keep exploring as a company to find the best version of the story we can create.

BB: Tell us about the Brontë family history as we see it in the new play.

HELEN JUVONEN: This is a published script, so we weren’t in on its creation.

BB: Yes of course, thanks for the reminder!

HELEN JUVONEN: The basic biographies of the sisters are generally well-known in that they led fairly quiet lives, published under male names and died quite young.

Brontë: The World Without focuses on a period of 3 years in the lives of the sisters as they first started writing for publication. Jordi Mand has written an incredibly well-researched play and it’s filled with biographical and literary details, but it really focuses on the relationships of the three sisters. It’s a very human play that deals with their day-to-day hopes and dreams, their joys and their disappointments. Anyone trying to balance home life with a career will recognize their struggles, and any siblings in the audience will certainly relate to the family dynamics.

BB: Talk about the upcoming production of Northanger Abbey with Guild Festival Theatre.

TYLER: Synopsis:
Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen’s satire of the Gothic novel craze, is brought to life in a hilarious, whirlwind production! Catherine Morland loves reading the latest books but she lets her imagination run wild, finding Gothic mystery in the most mundane corners of England. As the clichés of the Horrid Novels spill into her reality, Catherine’s simple holiday is transformed into a personal adventure filled with mischief and romance.

This production reassembles the team who made last year’s hit The 39 Steps such a success and I’m so excited to be collaborating again with Georgia Findlay, Kiana Woo, and Isaiah Kolundzic. We also have Andrew Prashad joining the cast for his GFT debut!

We’re one week into rehearsals and this cast is doing truly incredible work.

BB: In training actors or directors, aside from the skills they’re learning as artists, how do you think we should train them for the realities of self-promotion & the business of performing arts?

TYLER: The reality of today’s industry is that actors need to wear so many hats and learn so many skills that go beyond the work on stage: technical skills like video recording and editing; promotional skills like social media marketing; budgeting and financial knowledge; learning how to navigate the various funding systems. And then there’s the need to be a producer because getting your work out there is always better than waiting for someone to cast you.

And while necessary, I think it’s a shame that so few of our artists get to focus on their craft – all those other skills and activities mean less time and energy spent on just being a great actor/director/writer/designer. Leading Guild Festival Theatre has been an incredible privilege, but it also means that 90% of my time is spent on administrative tasks. One of the reasons I decided to step down is to be able to devote more of my time to creative work.

BB: Talk about Theatre in Transit, how it works and why it’s important.

TYLER: Theatre in Transit is the result of years of people telling us “I’d love to see your shows, but Scarborough is so far!” We decided to try and bridge that gap with a fun experience that solves a number of problems at once:

The sustainability question: with so many of our patrons driving to GFT events, we realized that taking even a small percentage of those cars off the road could have a big impact on our overall carbon footprint.
The transit gap: I love Scarborough. But after it was amalgamated with Toronto, the city council essentially stopped investing in transit out here and now it’s built for drivers. We have a GO station in Guildwood, but it’s still a 25 minute walk from the park – but it has a big parking lot for commuters! Theatre in Transit takes care of that “last mile” issue by making sure that once people step off the train or the subway, they can get to the park quickly and comfortably.
The creative question: Helen and I have always been interested in extending and expanding the audience’s experience of a show. Lobby design, ticketing communications, promotional materials – these are all ways we’ve tried to help invite people into the world of the play long before they find their seats. Theatre in Transit takes the practical necessity of getting to the show and turns it into an immersive theatrical experience. We do a lot of “table-setting” on the bus by introducing ideas, plot points, and characters that inform the experience of the show itself. And since we have a high proportion of patrons who rarely go to the theatre (and a surprising number for whom GFT is their first play ever!) we want to playfully invite them into the experience. GFT is more than just a place where plays happen – it’s a hub of community and creativity in Scarborough and we want to make sure that everyone feels at home here no matter if it’s their first play or their hundredth.

BB: Is there a teacher or an influence you’d care to name that you especially admire or wish to thank?

TYLER: I have been fortunate to have had so many great mentors throughout my career and they’ve all taught me different things. Martha Henry always insisted that it’s worth taking the time to make something perfect. Rona Waddington showed me what grit and a strong vision can accomplish no matter what level of resources you have available.

And my long-time co-Artistic Director, Helen Juvonen, who has always pushed for excellence. Her attention to detail and unwavering standards are what have transformed GFT into a celebrated professional company and she continues to inspire me every day.

*******

Guild Festival Theatre’s two
productions this summer:
Click for tickets or passes:

Brontë: The World Without:
by Jordi Mand
Directed by Helen Juvonen

Jul 16, 2026 – Aug 2, 2026.

Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey:
A Most Horrid Mystery
Adapted & Directed by Tyler J. Seguin

Aug 6, 2026 – Aug 23, 2026

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews | Tagged Andrew Prashad, books, Brontë, Brontë: The World Without, Gothic Girl Summer, Guild Festival Theatre, Helen Juvonen, Hilary Scott, Jane Austen, Jordi Mand, Lara Lucia, Laura Del Papa, literature, Maddie Bautista, Northanger Abbey, romance, Scarborough, Sten Eirik, Theatre in Transit, Tyler Seguin | Leave a comment

Mark Tetreault recalls his Toronto Symphony Tuba playing days

Posted on July 12, 2026 by barczablog

Whenever I come into the concert hall for a Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert and see a tuba my heart beats a bit faster: because it means something extraordinary.

I just googled the tuba. You won’t hear the instrument in a symphony of Mozart or Haydn or Beethoven. The instrument hadn’t been invented yet. The 19th century is thought of as the era of romantic music, the orchestras & their instruments expanding the range of what they could do, new possibilities with valves, slides and other clever inventions, broadening expressive possibilities. If you see a tuba it’s going to be special.

I am a bit envious watching tuba players. In high school I was the smallest guy playing the biggest instrument in a band and no we never played anything challenging. I haven’t handled one in decades.

Upon Mark Tetreault‘s retirement this spring after 40 years as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Tuba, they said “Thank you, Mark, for 40 incredible years of music, dedication and unforgettable performances.”

In February Mark Tetreault posted the following text on Facebook:
“I’m retiring this season! It has been a wonderful 40 years of great friends, family, colleagues, students and music; and it went by in the blink of an eye. Being the tuba player in a great orchestra has truly been a dream come true.

Auditions will be in Toronto, June 12-13. Someone will get a great gig in a fantastic orchestra, and hopefully the TSO will find a wonderful new musician.“

He included this photo, the four leaf clover perhaps a sign that he felt fortunate & grateful.

I was pleased to ask Mark a few questions.

*******

Barczablog: Are you more like your father or mother?

Mark Tetreault I like to think that I have some traits of each.

My dad was a civil engineer who wound up running an asphalt company, which provided me a good, hard summer job every year and interesting guys to work with. He was a libertarian, a bit stoic, very independent.

My mom was an O.R. nurse, who quit working to raise us, and then went back to it until retirement. She was from a big Catholic family and tried to raise us Catholic. I liked the organ and singing in church. Mom was kind, patient and nurturing. They both supported my musical education and activities, but my mom did not want it to be my career.

I was good at math and science and she said that I should do something to use my brain. I think it’s funny that scientists now recognize that performing music activates more areas of your brain at one time than almost any other activity. My dad was very supportive — he always knew I’d end up a musician.

BB: What is the best or worst thing about what you do?

Mark Tetreault: The best thing about playing in an orchestra is working with other musicians. The TSO has amazing players, and there is always someone who will inspire, amuse, or teach you. The focus they bring to performing is remarkable. On any given night, someone’s babysitter hasn’t shown up, or their car broke down, or they had a fight with a family member, or had to put a pet down. All of that gets left at the stage door, and magic happens.

The worst part of the job is the physical demands. We’re elite small-muscle athletes. Studies have shown that in a major orchestra, at least half the musicians are dealing with an injury, and half of those have more than one. The music keeps coming, and there’s always pressure to play through pain and take minimal time off. That can have disastrous results. There’s little support at work — we deal with, and pay for, the treatment of these problems on our own.

BB: Who do you like to listen to or watch?

Mark Tetreault: I’m a musical explorer — always listening and discovering new music. The newest band I like is Angine de Poitrine. I like listening to opera singers; they really know how to use their breath and shape a phrase. Piano and violin players are wonderful in the way they use rubato. I like Motown, R&B, jazz, and interesting music from all over the world. I’ve also got a large vinyl collection, which has become a retirement project.
I don’t watch much TV — mainly YouTube: recipes, dogs, sports highlights, news, humorous compilations, history, reels, science news, comedy.

BB: What ability or skill do you wish you had, that you don’t have?

Mark Tetreault: I wish I was good at foreign languages. Travelling could have been that much more interesting. I started late and don’t have the ear for it — I have trouble with word boundaries.

BB: When you’re just relaxing and not working, what is your favourite thing to do?

Mark Tetreault: I love just hanging out with my wife and our two Boston Terriers. We go to the dog park, drive in the country, run errands, visit the kids. We commuted to work from Thornhill together for years and have done some major road trips, so we’ve spent a lot of time together in the car. It used to be spent planning the kids’ activities or “talking shop.” Now it’s just a way of life.

BB: What was your first experience of music?

Mark Tetreault: My parents said that when I was very young, I was always drawn to music — things like Lawrence Welk on TV. I began guitar lessons in grade 3 and euphonium in grade 4 at school. Our school system had a very good music program, and the music teacher was a fine trombonist who got me off on the right foot.

BB: Have you ever felt a challenge reconciling the business side with the art of music?

Mark Tetreault: I spent 20 years working for the musicians’ union and was involved in negotiations, grievances, arbitrations, mediations, certifications, and various other issues. It’s a very interesting business.

BB: What if anything can classical music learn from the way popular musicians play and market their music?

Mark Tetreault: I think classical musicians could be freer about improvising and playing by ear. Some are intimidated by it and needn’t be. I also think memorization is an under-used but important skill. Trying different genres of music can expand your expressive repertoire.

BB: If you could tell the institutions how to train future artists, what would you change?

Mark Tetreault:When I taught music performance, I felt the students had too much book-work and not enough ensemble playing. The only way to learn to play an instrument is to play the instrument. The best way to learn to perform is to perform.

Cross-over into other genres is valuable and could be emphasized more. Learning how to deal with the physical challenges of the job — before it’s too late — should also be an important part of performance education.

BB: What conductors did you work with?

Mark Tetreault: It’s hard to pick even a few. Andrew Davis hired me, had a long relationship with the orchestra, and was a good friend. Our Music Directors — Herbig, Saraste, Oundjian, and Gimeno — were each special in their own way, and it was always fun when they came back. A few names from a 54-year career: Bernstein, Ozawa, Mehta (father and son), Gergiev, Sanderling, Zander, Comissiona, Temirkanov, Dausgaard, Storgårds.

I should also mention our Pops conductors, Kunzel and Reineke, who we had lots of fun with.

BB: What do people misunderstand about the tuba?

Mark Tetreault: People don’t realize that the tuba has a very large range — well over four octaves — and can be a genuinely agile and expressive instrument.

BB: What are the toughest pieces to play?

Mark Tetreault: New music is the hardest. Composers are always coming up with new challenges, both in individual parts and in putting it all together. It demands a lot of focus and concentration, and I enjoy that.

Movie music can be hard in terms of endurance — it’s recorded over days, one part at a time, so it was never intended to be played straight through in one sitting, and it can be relentless. Not as enjoyable.

BB: Wow! That’s profound. Thanks for sharing that. Of course, I never thought of that.

(next question) I am a fan of the expensive, large-orchestra pieces by Berlioz, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. What are your favourite compositions, either to play or to hear?

Mark Tetreault: I always said my favourite piece was the one I was currently playing. Prokofiev wrote very well for the tuba. So did Shostakovich, Mahler, Bruckner, Berlioz, and many others.

BB: Looking back on your history with the Toronto Symphony, what were your favourite concerts you played in?

Mark Tetreault: I joined the TSO in 1986, and we immediately went on a long European tour, where I meet my wife and had many great adventures. Touring was always a highlight. The Great Gathering — many great soloists and conductors celebrating our former General Manager, Walter Homberger — was amazing. Our joint concert with the Israel Philharmonic was very special — Zubin Mehta conducting on an enlarged stage. A brass quintet concert in Inuvik with TSO principals also stands out.

BB: What are your favourite memories of the Toronto Symphony?

Mark Tetreault: For a while we had a Trillium grant that funded a short tour to two different northern Ontario cities every fall, right after Labour Day. Rather than take the bus, Leslie and I would turn them into road-trip adventures — great times, beautiful scenery, friendly audiences, seeing friends after the summer break. It was a great way to start the season.

Mark and his wife, former TSO violin Leslie Dawn Knowles played these instruments together in the 4th movement of a TSO Mahler 7th under Andrew Davis in 2019.

Also, there was the time we played at the Forum at Ontario Place, which had a slowly rotating stage. In one concert, an elderly trumpet player had a couple of pieces off and decided to go backstage — except by the time he came back, the door was in a different place, and we got to watch him walk in a giant circle all the way around, trying to play while laughing the whole way. Another trumpet player, who’d finished early, stopped by the control room on his way out and turned up the speed of the stage rotation. Fun times.

BB: What are the greatest hits for tuba?

Mark Tetreault:The one people mention most often is the A &W Root Beer theme, aka “The Great Root Bear.”

In my first year with the TSO, they rented a bear costume and I played it on a Pops concert.

There are suddenly a lot of concertos for tuba these days. The best known is by John Williams. Other notable ones are by Jennifer Higdon, Lalo Schifrin, and Wynton Marsalis.

BB: What influences or teachers were most influential on your development?

Mark Tetreault: I’ve been lucky to have very good training. I switched to tuba in grade 7. My band director, Brent Herhold, is a tuba player — he got me a decent horn and gave me private lessons, and we’re still in touch. In high school I studied with Oscar LaGasse (Detroit Symphony, retired) and Wes Jacobs (Detroit Symphony). At New England Conservatory my teacher was Toby Hanks (NY Ballet). I had an amazing wind ensemble conductor, Frank Battisti, who taught me an incredible amount about ensemble playing. Ben Heppner referred me to his vocal coach, Dixie Ross Neill, and I had an amazing lesson with her. I continued to have occasional lessons throughout my career with various players passing through town — everyone has a unique perspective.

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology | Tagged Ben Heppner, classical-music, Dixie Ross Neill, Jennifer Higdon, John Williams, Lalo Schifrin, Leslie Dawn Knowles, Mark Tetreault, Steven Reineke, tuba, Walter Homberger, Wynton Marsalis, Zubin Mehta | Leave a comment

barczablog

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Gothic Girl Summer: Tyler Seguin talks about Brontë & Northanger Abbey at Guild Festival Theatre

Mark Tetreault recalls his Toronto Symphony Tuba playing days

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