This blog is often a vicarious exercise, a way for a wannabe composer singer pianist to get closer to my heroes, a bit of wish-fulfillment.

In the process the reader gets my starstruck expressions of awe, while maybe we learn something about the artists and help promote their work.

Case in point, Holly Chaplin.

I’m a longtime admirer of her work as an opera singer. In 2016 I said this about her appearance in James Bond: A Convenient Lie (Opera in Pasticcio):
I’ve never seen the Queen of the Night not only hit her high notes but do martial arts at the same time.

But this was not the Queen of the Night, it was the aptly named Ample Bliss, wonderfully portrayed by Holly Chaplin. 

The angry tune (“Der Hölle Rache”) is a natural for gun-play, so we had that too.

I’ve reviewed Holly several times, always impressed & delighted by her work, her wit and her personality.

Because she has so many gigs coming up in the next few weeks it seemed like the ideal opportunity to ask her a few questions.

And she answered.

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Barczablog: Are you more like your father or mother?

Holly Chaplin; Hmm That’s a question I’ve actually never been asked. I ‘look’ more like my mom, but my personality is definitely from my dad. My parents are both musical people, yet in stark contrast. My dad never took lessons but has an amazing ear for harmonies. Many of my childhood memories are of him ‘figuring something out at the piano’. If anything he was the source material for one of those High School Musical kids. He was in track and field, played guitar/sang in a band, and was also involved in his highschool music theatre program where he sang the role of Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar.

My mom had a more traditional slavic musical upbringing; Conservatory piano lessons, baptisms by fire in regard to stage fright, siblings being forced into cruel competition with each other..those who know, know. Luckily things were actually fun in the public school orchestra where she played the trumpet. I admire that she still has a thirst to learn. Before she retired she started taking flute lessons and still plays to this day. Before the war, my grandfather worked in the theatre painting sets for operas and plays. My grandparents loved the opera, especially La Traviata and Rigoletto. I suppose my connection with opera makes my mom feel connected to them when she misses them most.     

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

Holly Chaplin; The best part of singing is the singing..duh, right? I love learning a score, and meeting new people(or working with my dear usual suspects) to create a show together. I feel the most alive when I perform. There’s great ease in living in a predictable, and temporary universe. It’s literally the holodeck (Star Trek reference..the OG VR)

The worst things…I have been incredibly lucky and I am grateful, but when you’re doing well it can be a serious grind for your mental health; ‘Being perfect’ or just the anxiety of getting sick. I’ve had to cancel, and I’ve had to learn how to say no. It’s a growing pain for sure.

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

Holly Chaplin; I love to listen to Lisette Oropesa. She is so talented, and from her vlogs, she seems to be the salt of the earth. When I need inspiration I listen to her, Joan Sutherland or Maria Callas.

Recently I find it relaxing to watch those videos on Tiktok of that hydraulic crushing machine crush stuff, or that guy who smashes glass bottles filled with paint off of his garage roof. I also have my comfort shows like all millennials; Superstore, the Office, Fleabag, and House.

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

Holly Chaplin; Being multilingual. I can fake it pretty good because of diction studies, but I would love to actually be able to converse.  A real win would be to have a Parisian not answer me in English.

BB: I know what you mean, OMG the sense of triumph ordering a meal in Montreal (I’ve never been to Paris) entirely in French without the waiter switching over to English. Success!

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

Holly Chaplin; I love to play volleyball, go camping or taking the dogs for a hike.

BB: Dogs! are you more of a dog person or a cat person?

Holly Chaplin: I love both. I am more of a dog person ’cause I’m allergic to cats but love them! I had a cat for 17 years.

That’s Minkie.

BB: So could you tell me about your dogs, names – breeds – age..?

Holly Chaplin: This is Richie.

He’s 11 now.

Holly Chaplin; This is Trudy, a Mexican rescue. She’s 8.

And Cocoa is 8.5. They are both rescue dogs from Mexico. They are mutts.

Holly Chaplin; I also love to see movies with my partner, whether it’s at home or in the theatre. My brother is a literature person so I love to discuss plays and where they show up in tv/movies. We saw Who’s Afraid of Viriginia Woolf and had to watch the Dinner Party episode of the Office, which was inspired by Albee’s hit. I love when you find those gems.

BB: What was your first experience of music?     

Holly Chaplin; It would have to be Disney movies like Fantasia, Little Mermaid, the Lion King etc.  I am the youngest of 4, with one TV everyone could agree on a Disney movie. My siblings joined a community choir and of course I wanted to join in too, and the rest is history.

BB: March 8th you sing the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor in Burlington for Southern Ontario Lyric Opera.  That probably fits your voice well.  How does it feel?

Holly Chaplin; I am very excited to sing Lucia. She is a dream role for me..since I was a teen! I am excited to portray her because of how Donizetti’s score really highlights the amygdalic nature of the teen brain. Many productions make Enrico a tyrant, Edgardo some romantic hero, and Lucia some teary eyed pig to slaughter. To me, Enrico has the burden of having to be a parent/brother to a teen, better yet a child, who has started a love affair with a grown man who he has generational beef with. Sure, he is a gambler and needs Lucia to marry Arturo to get out of debt. Perhaps he’s also trying to avoid teen pregnancy since Lucia, a ghost chasing thrill-seeker is discovering love. For her that’s so exciting, but a big part of the excitement is that the love is forbidden. Then Edgardo, her jacobite lover,  offers to put aside his differences with the Ashtons to honorably ask for Lucia’s hand…but Lucia finds his rage too exciting to pass up…and he’s like ‘Okay’…in a nutshell.

Lucia can be passive aggressive, and at times manipulative which is no surprise since that’s the parenting style Enrico has. Ultimately they are similar people.  The main difference between the two siblings; Enrico’s brute strength, and Lucia uses her emotions for manipulation. He’s just more familiar with her tricks than she is with his.

Ah the mad scene. I love mad scenes; especially Lucia’s. It’s a real marathon of a sing but it is an absolute joy. The dramatic pacing, the levels of ‘madness’…and perhaps Lucia’s prefrontal cortex maturing(a bit) when she realizes the gravity of killing Arturo. I love Donizetti’s writing. His characterization is really special and I can understand those Come Scritto productions; It’s perfect writing.

BB: March 22nd when you sing Beethoven’s 9th & Bruckner te deum with Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, what’s that like so far?

Holly Chaplin; I am excited to sing my first Beethoven’s 9 and Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Scaraborough Philharmonic Orchestra. I get to sing with Veronika Anissimova, Corey Arnold and Luc Lalonde. We were supposed to mount this program in 2020..and now we’re getting the band back together! I love working with Veronika, Corey and I look forward to working with Luc Lalonde. They are fabulous musicians and lovely people too. Toronto Choral Society will be doing the heavy lifting, led by Geoffrey Butler. Geoff is a singer’s dream when it comes to conducting. He has been a precious resource for me, especially for nuanced phrasing.

On April 25th Voicebox- Opera in Concert present Robert le Diable, when you sing the role of Isabelle.  I don’t know the opera at all. Please tell us about your role and the work.  

Holly Chaplin; I came across Lisette Oropesa’s performance of Isabelle around 2021 on youtube. She was stellar. I started learning the role for funsies..mostly cause there wasn’t much else to do during the pandemic. Then I got the role offer in 2024! If I can pass on some knowledge to anyone, it is; learning something is never a waste of time.

Isabelle, and almost every role in Robert Le Diable, is coloratura dominant…well, coloratura fun if you ask me! Lots of runs and highnotes 🙂 My main concern for the role is sounding French. My teacher Frederique Vezina, is helping me achieve the task of sounding so French that I’ll be the envy of croissants everywhere! My words..She is a good sport and always laughs at my terrible jokes.

My basic breakdown; Princess Isabelle is hosting a tournament. Her father is forcing her to marry the winner. She hopes that the apple of her eye and ringer, Robert, won’t let her down..again. He is a handsome Knight with impulse control issues…who loves to get into trouble. Isabelle has to decide if Robert is worth the trouble that he is. It’s a classy version of Jersey Shore. Of course there are more details including witchcraft, ‘fathers’ and fights galore…but I’m just hanging a carrot here.

BB: Do you have any upcoming projects / shows / workshops you might want to mention / promote? 

Holly Chaplin; The problem is I have a lot of ideas, but producing is expensive. I am trying to cook up a protest recital for May or June…stay tuned!

BB: Sounds exciting!

Holly Chaplin;  I am most inspired by Alex Cappellazzo’s violent positivity and entrepreneurial spirit. He’s putting on a great concert called Brews, Beauties and Brawlers on March 1st with an amazing cast of under represented singers. If you can go, go!

BB:  Thanks for the tip!

Do you believe Toronto companies could work harder to hire Canadian artists instead of importing singers from USA or Europe?   

Holly Chaplin; Honestly, I don’t really want to comment on today’s COC since it’s in transition. The Neef years did a real number on them…I stopped going to the COC altogether for a multitude of reasons. Besides throwing money at imported stars, I believe Neef never understood our culture, nor cared to.

One thing I will say is that the COC needs to give up on trying to compete with the Met, and they need to embrace what makes our sports so successful in regard to attendance; HOME GROWN TALENT! People are willing to partake in expensive hockey culture because most people have a ‘6 degrees of separation’ relationship with big hockey players. A lot of people grew up playing them because of its grassroots movement! There are leagues available from ages 5-99!  We have a grassroot movement for musicians and it falls by the wayside because we rarely see our people on the Canadian Opera Company’s stage, and if we do it’s either in a tiny role or to fill-in at the last minute. So many great musicians teach private lessons, run community choirs, orchestras, theatre groups etc, and I believe hiring these musicians would be a better strategy in the long run to cultivate audiences. A local scene is essential to any economy, especially with the arts. Outside of Hockey, our institutions at the highest levels really have a confidence problem when it comes to trusting the abilities of our own people. We have great training, amazing facilities and an abundance of talent..yet it never seems good enough. Canadian artists have to leave Canada for success in CANADA! Frankly, Canada’s lack of faith in itself is shameful.

BB:Agreed! Canadian talent is very good even if you’d never know it the way imported artists continue to take jobs from Canadians. How is it that Stratford or Shaw can employ Canadians, that the National Ballet can employ Canadians, that almost every other opera company in Canada employs Canadians… I get that it’s a tricky thing when you’re seeking quality. My benchmark for imports has always been to ask “can a Canadian sing it?” They imported Christine Goerke because they didn’t know of any available Canadian dramatic sopranos who could sing Brunnhilde. But it makes me nuts when I see an import singing a role that a Canadian could sing. Yes this is an obsession of mine.

And by the way I said the following about your Queen of the Night for Opera York in 2023:
Holly Chaplin’s Queen of the Night was sung as well as I’ve ever heard the role sung, and with the aid of Richmond Hill Centre’s superb acoustics, her pinging coloratura was especially dazzling….No it’s not a competition, but I take exception when the Canadian Opera Company bring in singers from abroad when there are so many excellent Canadians available and needing employment.  I came to the show knowing I’ve get to enjoy Holly Chaplin and tenor Ryan Downey as Tamino…I found Holly and Ryan better than the people singing their roles with the COC downtown in their 2022 revival of Magic Flute in Toronto.
And I think it’s particularly troubling right now when the phrase “buy Canadian” has taken on a particular urgency….

BB: Next question..!
Are opera programs doing enough to prepare students for the business?    

Holly Chaplin; So much of ‘the business’ is finding your own path. Sure some programs offer opportunities with musicians who had a career, but what worked for them then is probably obsolete in today’s industry. I think it would be wise to offer courses in how to do your taxes as a musician, or how to write a grant! Better yet, they should just teach musicians how to just start a new life in another country since that was ‘the’ suggestion from almost every professor, especially for singers. There is a lot to figure out since YOU are a business.

BB: Do you have any teachers or influences you would want to mention?    

Holly Chaplin; YES X 1000!!

Frederique Vezina, Narmina Afendyeva, Julie Nesrallah, Dom De Kauwe, Stephanie Bogle, Sabatino Vacca, Guillermo Silva Marin, Geoffrey Butler, Zimfira Poloz, Maria Riedstra and Ann Cooper-Gay for believing in my talent.

I also want to shout out to some of my amazing colleagues future and past who continue to inspire me; Amy Moodie, Matt Chittick, Catharyn Carew, Natalya Gennadi Matyusheva, Kristine Dandavino, Jonelle Sills, John Holland, and Andrew Tees! I’m pretty sure this entire list would be a fantastic Wagnerian cast! I want to mention more but the list would be endless!

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Holly Chaplin has a few appearances coming up in 2025:

March 8th:
Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor with Southern Ontario Lyric Opera (tickets/info)

March 22nd:
Beethoven’s 9th & Bruckner’s Te Deum with Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra (tickets/info)

April 25th:
Isabelle in Robert le Diable with Voicebox- Opera in Concert (tickets/info)