Author Archives: barczablog

Ten questions for Aria Umezawa

Posted on September 2, 2014 by barczablog

Aria Umezawa is Artistic Director and a founding partner in Opera Five, an opera company that has been producing live opera & video. They’re (in)famous for their unpretentious sendups known as “Opera Cheats”, a relatively painless pathway to classics such … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten Questions for Tatiana Jennings

Posted on September 1, 2014 by barczablog

Tatiana Jennings is a Russian born and trained actor, director, dancer and choreographer. She studied theatre and film at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts and was a star of the Moscow experimental theatre scene. Her solo performance Madame Marguerite … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Coffee Mill and old Yorkville: multiculturalism & a changing city

Posted on August 30, 2014 by barczablog

When I saw the piece earlier this week in the Toronto Star about the impending closure of The Coffee Mill, I knew I had to go one last time. Tonight four of us went for a last nostalgic whiff, even … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Food, Health and Nutrition, Popular music & culture, Reviews | 2 Comments

Alex Colville: love and menace

Posted on August 29, 2014 by barczablog

The new show at the Art Gallery of Ontario is called “Alex Colville”. Other shows have had epithets attached. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera was titled “Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting” Francis Bacon and Henry Moore was titled … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Equinox: Day vs Night

Posted on August 28, 2014 by barczablog

Opera Five have a fundraiser coming up on September 9 starting at 6 pm at Atelier Rosemarie Umetsu 198A Davenport Rd. The theme is Equinox: Day vs. Night. Two teams of singers, team Day and team Night fight for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Press Releases and Announcements | 1 Comment

Fading Gigolo

Posted on August 26, 2014 by barczablog

When is a Woody Allen movie not a Woody Allen movie? Maybe when you cast him in someone else’s film. Fading Gigolo (2013) is a dark quirky romantic comedy that has superficial resemblances to a Woody Allen film. It’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Reviews | Leave a comment

Autocorrected

Posted on August 23, 2014 by barczablog

Tonight I saw Love in the Age of AutoCorrect, a Loose TEA Music Theatre adaptation of Stravinsky’s Mavra and Mozart’s Bastien and Bastienne on the Terrace of Atelier Rosemarie Umetsu. I’m trying to catch up (the world is changing, right?  … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Popular music & culture, Reviews | 1 Comment

The Most Popular Operas

Posted on August 19, 2014 by barczablog

I teach a course at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies called “The Most Popular Operas”, a great excuse to watch and listen to some of the most wonderful music ever composed. “Popular operas”? While the first video you get … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera | 2 Comments

Forbidden Music

Posted on August 18, 2014 by barczablog

Although my luggage for the trip to the cottage included a pile of books on diverse subjects –popular culture, a novel, psychology, and a few musicology books—the one that seized my imagination was the darkest of the group. How could … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , | 2 Comments

My eyes are bigger than my stomach

Posted on August 9, 2014 by barczablog

I have reading to do. Do you ever go to a bookstore and get carried away with what you see? Of course with a bookstore there’s no time-limit. You can buy books that you read this week, or this year, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment