Category Archives: University life

Martin’s music

Posted on February 4, 2014 by barczablog

I’ve crossed over to the other side.  I’m sitting onstage rather than in the audience for a student production at Ryerson, playing an electronic keyboard alongside capable student singers & musicians.  As I mentioned in a recent post, I’ve been … Continue reading →

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Adapting Martin Chuzzlewit

Posted on January 24, 2014 by barczablog

Just had the first run of Martin Chuzzlewit which I am directing at Ryerson. It is by Charles Dickens in a great adaptation by Michael Hollingsworth. The text has sixty seven scenes and forty characters. Dickens thought the novel his … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, University life | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Italian Lesson

Posted on October 27, 2013 by barczablog

Yesterday I was on the University of Western Ontario campus, attending a special performance of Lee Hoiby’s The Italian Lesson in a production from Diva Lounge Productions.  UWO welcomed back alumnae Sonja Gustafson (soprano & Diva Lounge founder) and Tanya … Continue reading →

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YouTopia

Posted on September 13, 2013 by barczablog

Tonight at a performance of Bruce Barton’s YouTopia I was reminded of the difference between the mandate of University of Toronto’s “Drama Centre” (recently renamed “Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies”) and various theatre schools such as Ryerson or … Continue reading →

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Under the radar

Posted on July 20, 2013 by barczablog

At Luella Massey’s funeral service today, Professor Domenico Pietropaolo spoke of a dream near & dear to both of their hearts. Pietropaolo is a former Director of the Graduate Centre for Study of Drama, and is now Principal of St … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Personal ruminations & essays, University life | 2 Comments

Architect, house thyself

Posted on June 20, 2013 by barczablog

University of Toronto are undertaking an ambitious building project, the new home of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.  But it’s not that it’s a tall building or a unique shape; that’s not what’s especially daring … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Personal ruminations & essays, University life | 1 Comment

Akhnaten in Indiana

Posted on February 24, 2013 by barczablog

It’s late at night.  It’s intermission, as I watch Philip Glass’s opera Akhnaten from Jacobs School of Music, at Indiana University, Bloomington, conducted by Arthur Fagen, directed by Candace Evans, and live-streamed on my laptop.  This student production is very … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews, University life | 7 Comments

Adieu Feydeau

Posted on February 14, 2013 by barczablog

It’s been a fun couple of weeks chez les étudiants de Ryerson, playing La Dame de Chez Maxim.  Due to snow Friday night we’ve played six consecutive nights. I feel I am cheating to say “we” because I am mostly … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Personal ruminations & essays, University life | 2 Comments

Wagner and Adaptation: Linda’s Legacy

Posted on February 2, 2013 by barczablog

I use surnames in this blog.  Everyone calls him “Topher”, but when I wrote about him it was “Mokrzewski”.  Some aspects of the naming convention are absurdly obvious.  We call RW and RS “Wagner” and “Strauss not “Richard” and “Richard”, … Continue reading →

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10 Questions for Daniel Taylor

Posted on December 8, 2012 by barczablog

Daniel Taylor is a countertenor with a unique voice, arguably Canada’s finest, with more than 100 recordings on Sony, DG Archiv, Decca, Harmonia Mundi, BIS, Analekta, Teldec, Erato and Universal. Taylor has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Glyndebourne, Rome Opera, … Continue reading →

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