Author Archives: barczablog

Toronto Vocal Showcase 2.0

Posted on August 28, 2025 by barczablog

Today I enjoyed the second Toronto Vocal Showcase. The first one was held almost exactly two years ago in late August 2023, the brainchild of Ryan Hofman. In 2023 he said “Today…I hope I changed the game going forward.“ The … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged Amy Moodie, Aria, audition, Cassandra Amorim, Chelsea Kolic, Christian Masucci Facchini, Hope United Church, Ivan Jovanovic, James Coole-Stevenson, Jeremy Scinocca, Joel Ricci, Johnathon Kirby, Joseph Adams, Kathryn Rose Johnston, Kcenia Koutorjevski, Lauren Estey Jovanovic, Lissy Meyerowitz, Nicole Whitney Dubinsky, Olivia Morton, opera, Ryan Hofman, Toronto Vocal Showcase | Leave a comment

Rez Gas premieres at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope

Posted on August 25, 2025 by barczablog

Rez Gas is a new hip-hop flavoured musical, receiving its world premiere production at the beautiful Capitol Theatre in Port Hope, by Cale Crowe and Genevieve Adam. Erika doesn’t like musicals but I persuaded her to come with me to … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged Cale Crowe, Capitol Theatre, Dillan Meighan Chiblow, Emma Rudy, Genevieve Adam, Indigenous, Indigenous music, Indigenous theatre, John Wamsley, Jonathan Fisher, Michelle Bardach, Nicole Joy-Fraser, Port Hope, Rez Gas, Santorini, Vinnie Alberto | Leave a comment

Falling for Sky Gilbert’s Shakespeare Lied and other bardish books

Posted on August 17, 2025 by barczablog

I want to explain where I’m coming from, as I review the second of three books from Sky Gilbert about William Shakespeare. Shakespeare Lied appeared in 2024, while Shakespeare Beyond Science came out in 2020. My response this time (over … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged 1939, books, Heratio, Leslie Hotson, literature, Mr WH, Paul Streitz, Richard Paul Roe, Shakespeare, Shakespeare Beyond Science, Shakespeare by Hilliard, Shakespeare Lied, Sky Gilbert, The Shakespeare Guide to Italy, theatre, William Shakespeare | Leave a comment

Heratio premieres at the Guild Festival Theatre

Posted on August 11, 2025 by barczablog

I’ve just seen Genevieve Adam’s Heratio, a new play that picks up from where Hamlet ended. It’s another of the scripts that build on Shakespeare, with much of the fun coming if you know the original, as in Stoppard’s Rosenkrantz … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged 1939, Clowns Reading Shakespeare, Fortinbras, Genevieve Adam, Guild Festival Theatre, Hamlet, Helen Juvonen, Heratio, Horatio, Jack Davidson, Janelle Hanna, Jani Lauzon, Kaitlyn Riordan, Kenzia Dalie, Philippa Domville, Phoenix Fyre, Rashaana Cumberbatch, Rosenkrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Scarborough, Siobhan Richardson, Tom Stoppard, William Shakespeare | 1 Comment

Feral butterflies: Cale Crowe talks about his new play Rez Gas

Posted on August 8, 2025 by barczablog

Rez Gas is a world premiere musical by Cale Crowe and Genevieve Adam running August 22nd to September 7th at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope. After moving away from his home reservation to pursue a music career, Destin stumbles … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews | Tagged Cale Crowe, Capitol Theatre, Dillan Meighan-Chiblow, Emma Rudy, Genevieve Adam, Herbie Barnes, hip-hop, Indigenous theatre, Jeff Newberry, John Wamsley, Jonathan Fisher, land acknowledgement, Michelle Bardach, musical, musical theatre, Nicole Joy-Fraser, Port Hope, reconciliation, Rob Kempson, Sarah Richardson, theatre | Leave a comment

Dramatic New Orford String Quartet Concert

Posted on July 31, 2025 by barczablog

The New Orford String Quartet appearance July 30th at Walter Hall was not as expected. Yes our Toronto Summer Music program was already a departure from normal expectations, putting Brahms’ F minor piano quintet before rather than after Beethoven’s Op … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Andrew Wan, Brian Manker, Ian Parker, Johannes Brahms, Jonathan Crow, Ludwig van Beethoven, New Orford String Quartet, Sharon Wei, Toronto Summer Music, Walter Hall | Leave a comment

Affairs of the Heart at TSM

Posted on July 26, 2025 by barczablog

Friday night’s Toronto Summer Music concert at Walter Hall titled “Affairs of the Heart” lived up to its name. Three chamber works in a diverse assortment of styles brought the sold out audience to its feet each time. We started … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged chamber-music, classical-music, Dmitri Shostakovich, Efe Baltacıgil, Johannes Brahms, Jonathan Crow, Michael Haydn, Min-Jeong Koh, music, Philip Chiu, piano, Rémi Pelletier, Toronto Summer Music, Walter Hall, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Leave a comment

Missing comes east to Toronto

Posted on July 25, 2025 by barczablog

Toronto Summer Music presented a single concert performance of the opera Missing, from a libretto by Marie Clements and a score by Brian Current, to a full Koerner Hall. This was its first appearance in Eastern Canada after having been … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged Andrea Ludwig, Andy Moro, Asitha Tennekoon, ATOM, Brian Current, Caitlin Wood, Cale Crowe, City Opera Vancouver, Continuum Ensemble, Evan Korbut, Gitxsan, Indigenous art, Indigenous Genocide, Koerner Hall, Marie Clements, Melody Courage, Michelle Lafferty, Missing, oratorio, Pacific Opera Victoria, Timothy Long, Toronto Summer Music | 1 Comment

Asking Genevieve Adam about her newest play Heratio

Posted on July 21, 2025 by barczablog

On August 8th Guild Festival Theatre will be giving the world premiere performance of Heratio, a re-imagining of Hamlet that picks up the story where Shakespeare left off, giving voice to the women and servants who are left to clean … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged Genevieve Adam, Guild Festival Theatre, Hamlet, Helen Juvonen, Heratio, In Conversation With Classics, Jack Davidson, Janelle Hanna, Philippa Domville, Phoenix Fire, Rashaana Cumberbatch, Scarborough, Shakespeare, Siobhan Richardson, theatre, William Shakespeare, writing | 1 Comment

George Li: virtuosity in the service of good taste

Posted on July 18, 2025 by barczablog

Tonight I had the pleasure of making my first acquaintance with pianist George Li, courtesy the Toronto Summer Music Festival, in an excellent concert at Koerner Hall. The four big works on the program plus the pair of encores all … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Chopin, classical-music, Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin, George Li, Koerner Hall, Ludwig van Beethoven, Modest Mussorgsky, music, pianist, piano, Pictures at an Exhibition, Toronto Summer Music | Leave a comment