Ryan Hofman’s social media post said
“Today…I hope I changed the game going forward.“
It may be so.
“Toronto Vocal Showcase 1.0” was the title, and Ryan was the producer. Sixteen singers auditioned this afternoon for an audience largely made up of artistic professionals who would employ their voices, supported from the piano by the eager fingers of Ivan Jovanovic, in the welcoming spaces of Hope United Church on Danforth Avenue. I was a fortunate guest listening in.
Ryan is the smiling bespectacled fellow wearing a vest in the middle, while Ivan is the tall bearded fellow in a blue shirt third or fourth from the left. Ryan’s Facebook caption mentions @torontoconsort @tapestryopera @soundstreams @paxchristichorale @jencctung @stuartgraham.ca @grahamcozzubbo @gordon.gerrard @drewadridge @torontocityopera @new_opera_lyra @now_4_now @maestroluz @northyorkconcertorchestra @confluconcerts Missing from the photo: Michael Mori from Tapestry Opera, Emma Fowler from Soundstreams (Programs Manager).
Of the 16 who sang for us, most were sopranos (7) and tenors (4), while there were also two baritones, a bass-baritone and two mezzo-sopranos. Does that correspond in some respect to expectations, that there is a great demand for sopranos and tenors? Or perhaps it’s simply the optics, that when anyone speaks of an opera diva they mean a soprano.
Sopranos: Holly Chaplin, Amelia Daigle, Ania Hejnar, Lynn Isnar, Laura Neilson, Angela Gjurichanin, Christina Bell
Mezzo-sopranos: Alexandra Beley, Alessia Vitali
Tenors: Andrew Derynck. Matt Chittick, David Walsh, Tonatiuh Abrego
Baritones: Cesar Bello, Alexander Hajek
Bass-baritone: Dylan Wright
I wonder how that works out for the mezzo-sopranos the baritones and the basses. There are roles for every vocal category in the canonical operas, and hopefully also in the new works being composed and produced. We didn’t hear any really deep voices neither male nor female. I wonder if they’re in demand.
Among the arias four each were composed by Mozart and Verdi, three from Handel (Messiah in each case), and two each from Puccini, Gounod, Massenet, Richard Strauss, Mendelssohn, Wagner and Carlisle Floyd.
We heard tremendous performances today in Hope United’s vibrant acoustic, a brilliant smorgasbord of Canadian talent. I hope singers and producers find one another, and we get to hear their partnerships onstage in the years to come.
barczablog 