Category Archives: Opera

Embedded in Oshawa Opera

Posted on October 19, 2015 by barczablog

I spent an afternoon observing auditions for Oshawa Opera alongside Artistic Director Kristine Dandavino and Michael Robert-Broder.  For the AD, an extra set of eyes and ears offer additional perspectives.  Or as she herself said, she’s the one who makes … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | 2 Comments

Enough tenors for now: COC 2015 Ensemble Studio Finalists

Posted on October 17, 2015 by barczablog

It should be no surprise that the eight finalists just announced for the the COC’s 2015 Ensemble Studio competition don’t contain any tenors in the group. No wonder, when last year the top three places in the competition went to tenors, … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Press Releases and Announcements | Leave a comment

Tragic Canadians in Traviata

Posted on October 17, 2015 by barczablog

I had a second look at Arin Arbus’ production of Verdi’s La traviata for the Canadian Opera Company with a few cast changes. At the centre of this world is Joyce El-Khoury in the title role, opposite Andrew Haji as … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

10 questions for Peggy Kriha Dye: Armide

Posted on October 15, 2015 by barczablog

Soprano Peggy Kriha Dye has been one of the keys to Opera Atelier’s successes in Toronto, in the title roles of Armide (Toronto, Versailles, Glimmerglass Festival) and L’Incoronazione di Poppea, as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Ilia in … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

10 questions for Andrew Haji

Posted on October 13, 2015 by barczablog

You may know tenor Andrew Haji as a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, for his appearances with the COC in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Barber of Seville (as Count Almaviva in May 2015), and Così … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The wit and wisdom of Eldritch Theatre’s Doctor Wuthergloom

Posted on October 11, 2015 by barczablog

Praetorius Wuthergloom is a 142 year-old widower, an itinerant mediciner of supernatural blight & exorcist–the titles he gives himself—whose most recent extravaganza ended tonight, alas, with the closing performance of his show at the Red Sandcastle Theatre. Be not afeared, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

COC traviata and the three faces of Violetta

Posted on October 9, 2015 by barczablog

I witnessed something rare and wonderful at the opening of the Canadian Opera Company’s la traviata at the Four Seasons Centre tonight. It’s almost impossible to do justice to the role of Violetta that Verdi created in his adaptation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | 6 Comments

Soundstreams: Beyond the Aria but not beyond Virtuosity

Posted on September 30, 2015 by barczablog

Tonight in a Soundstreams concert titled “Adrianne Pieczonka: Beyond the Aria” we saw and heard two great operatic artists go beyond their usual boundaries, using their instruments in unexpected ways.  Soprano Pieczonka was joined by mezzo-soprano Kristina Szabó in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Love Shards of Sappho at RBA

Posted on September 29, 2015 by barczablog

Today’s free noon-hour concert in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre (the upper lobby of the Four Seasons Centre) offered a rich pairing of matched works, presented by the Array Ensemble & a pair of sopranos.  Today feels especially like a preparation … Continue reading →

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

10 questions for Phillip Addis: Pyramus and Thisbe

Posted on September 29, 2015 by barczablog

Canadian Baritone Phillip Addis “is praised for his creamy, bright, smooth voice as much as for his spell-binding, daring, yet sensitive interpretations. A rising star on the international stage, Addis has performed in opera, concerts and recitals throughout Canada, the United … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment