Lazzuli Baroque Presents: Music & Medicine

Posted on September 29, 2025 by barczablog

Lazzuli Baroque Presents: Music & Medicine
October 3rd — 7:30PM
St. Thomas’s Anglican Church,
383 Huron Street, Toronto (ON)

Featuring:
Luce Burrell, lute & theorbo
Keiran Campbell, baroque cello
Rocky Duval, mezzo-soprano
Roseline Lambert, soprano

Lazzuli Baroque is proud to present their latest show, Music & Medicine. Featuring music from early 17th century Italy and Spain, soprano Roseline Lambert and mezzo-soprano Rocky Duval are joined by lute and theorbo player Luce Burrell and five string baroque cello player Keiran Campbell. Music & Medicine will take place on October 3rd at 7:30 pm at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church. Tickets are available on Eventbrite, or at the door.

Music & Medicine is a musical meditation on what it means to heal the body, mind, and spirit. Weaving together 17th century masterpieces, the five elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and poetry from great healers throughout the centuries, Lazzuli Baroque presents a program that fills the heart, and soothes the soul. Featuring works by Monteverdi, Strozzi, Merula, Stefani, Galán, Fontei, and more.

About Lazzuli Baroque:
Lazzuli Baroque was born as a love letter to tight soprano harmonies and raucously fun music making. Founded by soprano Roseline Lambert and mezzo-soprano Rocky Duval, the band is a delightful amalgam of sensual baroque technique and virtuosic prowess. Here to make you smile, laugh, cry, and above all, enjoy the delicious beauty of baroque music, they are joined by some of the finest early music musicians: cello player Keiran Campbell, and lute & theorbo player Luce Burrell.

About Luce Burrell:
Luce Burrell (they/them) is a lutenist originally from the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming. They have performed with ensembles such as Clarion Music Society, Lazzuli Baroque, Silentwoods Collective, Theotokos Ensemble, Mannes Opera and they have appeared in concert series for Gotham Early Music Scene, SoHip Boston, and the Bloomington Early Music Festival. They are passionate about making early music accessible and have appeared as a guest artist in lectures at Harvard and Indiana Universities discussing music of the Baroque and middle ages. Luce also works as a historical keyboard technician and has prepared instruments for productions at The Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall, among other venues. Luce holds a bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music and a master’s degree from the the Jacobs School of Music where they were a Historical Performance Fellow in the studio of Nigel North.

About Keiran Campbell
Described as “a delightful performer… playing with the ease of a pub fiddler,” (The WholeNote), Keiran Campbell (he/him) has performed with ensembles including The English Concert, NYBI, Philharmonia Baroque, The Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, Four Nations Ensemble, and Les Violons du Roy. He recently performed with Le Concert Des Nations under Jordi Savall, touring Europe performing Beethoven Symphonies before recording them on Savall’s new Beethoven CD. He is also on faculty at the recently formed, UC Berkeley-based, Chamber Music Collective. Recent performance highlights include concerto appearances with Tafelmusik and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and performances of Handel’s Saul and Solomon with English Concert at the BBC Proms and Edinburgh Festival.
https://keirancampbellcellist.com/

About Rocky Duval:
American singer, performance poet, and writer Rocky Duval (she/her) has been performing professionally since the age of 11 and has appeared in opera, television, stage, concert, off-Broadway, and the TEDx stage. Hailed as “deeply moving” (NYPL-LPA), and “extravagant” (NY Times), Ms. Duval specializes in singing baroque and contemporary classical music, and has performed with many companies, including: The Metropolitan Opera Guild, Seattle Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Festival Bach Montreal, Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance, The Colorado Music Festival, The Seattle Symphony, Opera Steamboat, Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, among many others. Her first play, Hildegard, Reborn, premiered at Lincoln Center with sponsorship from the NYPL-Library for the Performing Arts in 2024. She has been a resident artist at 2B&2C Gallery NYC, Avaloch Farm Music Institute, The Guggenheim’s Works and Process, and the Art in Odd Places Festival.
https://rockyduval.com/

About Roseline Lambert:
Originally from Quebec City, soprano Roseline Lambert (she/her) quickly made her way into the baroque scene of Toronto. She regularly sings with professional ensembles such as Trinity Bach Project, and is a core member of the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir. In April 2025, she made her solo debut with Opera Atelier in Charpentier’s David et Jonathas. While her repertoire is mainly baroque, she has been invited to sing in contemporary choirs such as Soundstreams Choir 21. Before moving to Toronto, Roseline was in high demand in Montreal. Her repertoire as a soloist includes Haydn’s Creation, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri, Bach’s Wedding Cantata, among others. She also took part of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale tour with Jeunesses Musicales Canada, and was soloist with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and the Choeur Classique de Montréal. Roseline is also a registered acupuncturist practicing in Toronto. When she isn’t singing or poking people, she is out and about salsa dancing, swing dancing, or riding her bike Marcello.
https://www.roselinelambert.com/

Listing information:
Lazzuli Baroque presents: Music & Medicine
Featuring:
Luce Burrell, lute & theorbo
Keiran Campbell, baroque cello
Rocky Duval, mezzo-soprano
Roseline Lambert, soprano
October 3rd, 7:30 pm – St. Thomas’s Anglican Church
General seating $40. Sliding scale tickets available.
Buy at the door or on Eventbrite.
Website: https://www.roselinelambert.com/lazzulibaroque
Social Media: Join the conversation on facebook | instagram
For more information about us: https://linktr.ee/lazzulibaroque

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Rethinking Mozart 40 & Schubert 5 with Rachel Podger and Tafelmusik

Posted on September 27, 2025 by barczablog

Friday night was an exciting beginning to the Tafelmusik concert season led by their charismatic Principal Guest Director Rachel Podger featuring works of Mozart & Schubert, a concert to be repeated Saturday & Sunday at Koerner Hall.

The spectacular performances of a pair of familiar works (Mozart’s Symphony #40 and Schubert’s Symphony #5) showed the music in a new light, while displaying the remarkable chemistry we saw last year between Tafelmusik and Podger. Once again the orchestra played with the kind of tight ensemble we see in chamber music, evident not just in the precision of the music but in the eye contact & smiles of everyone onstage, clearly enjoying themselves. Whenever Podger appears with Tafelmusik the music-making is special.

Rachel Podger & members of Tafelmusik (photo: Dahlia Katz)

Tafelmusik seem to be intent on helping us to learn as we discover new ways of hearing music, often by unlearning the assumptions of the past. Charlotte Nediger’s program note includes a smoking gun from Schubert’s diary, describing the admiration with which Schubert experienced Mozart, and would emulate him at least in his choice of instruments, if not in the actual sound. What a terrific opportunity, to hear these works one after the other, blowing away the cobwebs we inherit of the retrospective thinking we get from musicology, the wisdom of hindsight that may distort the performance. I’m grateful for a new way of understanding them, that is less about musicology and influence than the practical experience of hearing the music.

Their mutual similarities are not as clear when Schubert is seen through the lens of Beethoven & subsequent romantic composers. And the view is further distorted by matters of size, when a chamber orchestra of 40-plus members or more can’t offer the subtleties we heard from the 26 playing for Tafelmusik last night, their careful musicianship reminding me of the way we understand a string quartet: their unanimity like the effect of a single instrument rather than an orchestra, the music emerging as a single thought.

And I returned again to a question I have recently found myself asking over and over, particularly since seeing the Toronto Symphony led by Mandle Cheung. How much of what we hear is via the conductor, and how much is an orchestra managing itself? We saw the kind of instantaneous response between players that one expects in chamber music. Size matters, as this cohesion becomes impossible, the bigger the band gets.

We were treated to high drama in the Mozart G minor symphony. The pace in the outer movements was fast as quicksilver, stormy, stressful, given to abrupt explosions of emotion amid passages of lyrical beauty. We think of Mozart as a paragon of the youthful genius but here we see glimpses of a darker side. He may have died at 35 but had already been a famous musician for decades, perhaps world-weary by the time he came to this his penultimate symphony. The second movement offered depths of feeling worthy of a romantic.

Between the two famous symphonies we watched and heard the theatrical dialogue of Mozart’s Rondo in B-flat for violin & orchestra. Besides aligning us with the key we’d be in for the concluding Schubert, we watched and heard the back & forth game playing of the young Mozart, a work of joyous innocence to contrast the darkness of the symphony we had heard. Not only is this a work where the music seems to play games, but Podger seemed to be toying with us, playing with our expectations in the audience. Podger was spectacular on the violin but perhaps more importantly drew something remarkable and rare from Tafelmusik, who played with passionate commitment.

Violinist Rachel Podger (Photo: Broadway Studios)

The concluding reading of the Schubert #5 reminded me a bit of the old recording I have of London Classical Players led by Roger Norrington who passed away recently. Decades later I still wish Tafelmusik would undertake more of the romantic works Norrington & the LCP recorded back in the 1980s, and believe there would be interest. Considering the wonderful job they did with the Beethoven Symphonies or works such as Weber’s Der Freischütz, I know the orchestra is more than up to it, as they showed us again Friday night. I can’t tell if I am out of step in making such a suggestion, when I see Tafelmusik promoting this concert on Facebook with a video of Rachel Podger under the heading “Baroque Music Excellence.” Yes their Bach & Handel are amazing. But I am sure they could also play Berlioz or Schumann. For now, I am grateful to hear them play Schubert and how wonderful they sound playing this music.

This splendid concert repeats Saturday & Sunday nights, and then Tafelmusik will be right back to Mozart for Opera Atelier’s Magic Flute opening October 15th at the Elgin Theatre.

Rachel Podger (Photo: Broadway Studios)

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Over 800 meals from Boheme On Tap for Daily Bread Food Bank

Posted on September 20, 2025 by barczablog

I have a new perspective on Puccini’s opera since attending La Boheme On Tap last night at the Redwood Theatre, although watching Moonstruck last week while interviewing a couple of the participants highlighted the contrast.

Yes Mimi lives in poverty, dying surrounded by her impoverished friends, a sad ending to be sure.

But I’m not so different from Ronnie (Nicholas Cage). He took Loretta(Cher) to see the opera at the Met, having previously watched this funny romantic story with the tragic conclusion many times, while it was her first time seeing the story. Impoverished as the bohemians may be, it’s a bit of escapism for those of us who actually have enough money to go to the opera. The characters in boheme may be poor but the ones in Moonstruck are mostly wealthy, boheme a lovely romance to entertain & help teach some misguided folk (Loretta & Ronnie are both messed up when the film opens) how to properly open their hearts to love.

However I may have experienced boheme in the past, I watched through a new lens last night, thanks to Ryan Hofman the co-producer of La Boheme On Tap, who brought in Daily Bread Food Bank for a fundraising auction, a natural partnership given the storyline of boheme.

I heard that they raised enough for over 800 meals.

The audience included members of Toronto’s opera community. I was too busy talking and buying raffle tickets (and I even won a prize) to photograph everyone. I ran into Kyle Derek McDonald whose operatic adaptation of Richard the Lionheart’s adventures will be presented in concert in Ottawa in November.

I talked to Opera in Concert / SOLT / Toronto Operetta Theatre artistic director Guillermo Silva-Marin and Henry Ingram. Henry spoke to me about my Toronto Symphony concert review I posted yesterday, mentioning that he had heard another less enthusiastic opinion of Marsalis’s Concerto for Orchestra. I suggested he listen to the piece, using the YouTube performance of the new work that’s in my review.

I first met Henry in 1970 when he was known as Barney rather than Henry, singing Tom Rakewell in a Rake’s Progress production with my brother Peter Barcza singing Nick Shadow, when I hazarded playing some of that score at home.

I was sitting beside Ann Cooper Gay, who was Ann Truelove in that 1970 Rake’s Progress. It was very cool to see Henry aka Barney chat with Ann his Truelove of more than a half century ago.

Ann has a remarkable history, as a music teacher, as an organist (she played at my 1st wedding), as the Artistic Director of the CCOC, mentoring many young singers. Ann seems to know everyone in Toronto and had a great time chatting with members of the audience.

I heard a great story from Ann a few days ago, when we chatted about Holly Chaplin, who played Mimi tonight in la Boheme.

Ann told me the story of hearing a small child singing Non so piu, Cherubino’s Act 1 aria from Marriage of Figaro. I’m including the video because it’s my favourite aria from this opera and to give you some idea of why it might be remarkable to hear a little child singing this.

Now imagine you’re hearing this sung by a little child. Sung correctly. And discovering that the child was only 8 years old.

That child was Holly Chaplin.

She’s all grown up now, singing roles in operas like boheme or an upcoming Lucia di Lammermoor she will be singing in a few months time.

I joked with her that she’s singing two different Lucias, if we recall that as Mimi tells us in her aria:
“Mi chiamano Mimì ma il mio nome è Lucia.” (they call me Mimi but my name is Lucia).

It was great to see Ann & Holly talking & reminiscing after the show, alongside Brahm Goldhamer, the music director & pianist last night.

Brahm Goldhamer, Ann Cooper Gay & Holly Chaplin

La Boheme On Tap gave us what we came for, an escape from a troubled world into romance, comedy & a realm of great beauty. Holly was Mimi. Joel Ricci was our poet Rodolfo, Alex Hajek Marcello the painter, Kathryn Rose Johnston the flirtatious Musetta, Dylan Wright the philosopher Colline, Andrew Tees Benoit the landlord & later Alcindoro the ATM for the feast in Act II. And our producer Ryan Hofman also sang Schaunard the musician. While there was no chorus, the story was told clearly with the help of projected titles. I couldn’t begin to count how many times I’ve seen this indestructible opera, last night with a few unique moments and the unavoidable tears at the end. I understand that they had only a few rehearsals this past week, making their successful performance something of a miracle, perhaps testimony to the skills of Brahm their music director. I understand he’s off to Ottawa today for another gig.

This is the first time an opera has been presented at the Redwood Theatre. The acoustic is very friendly, the voices heard clearly without too much reverberation. I think it’s an ideal space in many ways. Some of us were drinking beer or wine. I suspect the ways to properly exploit the space are still to be discovered. I say that enviously, to be honest, thinking it will be great fun for the Opera Revue team to explore the possibilities of different configurations & set ups.

Congratulations to Ryan & the team for a superb performance that also successfully raised funds for the Daily Bread Food Bank. If you’re interested in making any contributions or as a volunteer, here’s the link.

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O Fortuna bless Toronto Symphony to start the season

Posted on September 19, 2025 by barczablog

Forgive me that my headline sounds like a prayer to the Goddess Fortuna. But so far she seems to be smiling upon our fair city and our Toronto Symphony. I feel lucky to live in this city.

Toronto Symphony started the new season with a strong program that might be their formula for the coming season, a mix of a familiar piece with something new.

Roy Thomson Hall can sometimes seem like a big cavern, but occasionally the planets align (thank you Fortuna), as the combination of the work being presented and the massed forces make that big place seem intimate, even small. Between the full house and the full stage magic can happen.

First we heard the Canadian premiere of Wynton Marsalis’s Concerto for Orchestra, followed by Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana including soloists, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto Children’s Chorus.

The two works hit me as a beautiful contrast, even though Music Director Gustavo Gimeno drew some interesting parallels between the two works in his pre-concert talk. At first glance the two pieces couldn’t be more different, so the opportunity to see similarities is exciting.

At one point while speaking of Marsalis’s Concerto Gimeno spoke of jazz. It’s perhaps unavoidable given Marsalis’ history as a great jazz player. He’s a genius with his trumpet.

Composer & trumpeter Wynton Marsalis

Let me add, that I remember the excitement when Marsalis first appeared on the scene back around 1980 or so. He was perhaps unique, unprecedented because he was both a jazz trumpeter and also as a classical trumpeter playing sparkling performances of concerti by Haydn and Hummel. I’m reminded of Leonard Bernstein, a similarly versatile artist, challenging us to figure him out. Is he popular or classical?

Maybe both.

So yes, Marsalis is a jazz musician & a composer. I wonder if the adjective “jazz” really fits, to label this composition in any way as “jazz”.

In fairness I want to remember that Gimeno’s goal was not musicology or analysis, but simply meant to make the music approachable, to describe the piece in a way to offer an entry point, to bring listeners in even if the work is a daring composition that is at times quite dissonant, with a driving pulsing beat such as you hear in Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with just a hint of something jazzy. I think Gimeno sought to make the piece less daunting, less forbidding, more approachable. Given the way the audience ate it up, I would say he succeeded although full marks to the TSO for brilliant playing.

The music is fun, playful, astonishingly creative.

Marsalis gave us six movements in his Concerto, with a series of allusive titles to further bemuse us:
I: Who Struck John?
II: Group Speak
III: Testimonials
IV: It Comes in Waves
V: A Love Feeling
VI: Say What?

I wish I had had the titles available as I was listening to each piece. I’m not sure I understand the intention, but that’s why I need to listen again. As I try to unpack the Concerto the next morning especially for those who might consider attending one of the concerts in this series (Saturday at 7:30 & Sunday at 3:00 pm), I am going to share the YouTube I found of an earlier performance of this piece, that so far has only been performed in Los Angeles & Germany. Is it jazz? you be the judge.

I am reminded of the reception of Gustav Mahler in the 20th century, a composer who didn’t really become popular right away, at least not until people had the opportunity to hear his pieces multiple times, through the magic of recording technology. After experiencing a single performance of Marsalis’s concerto, a bit like a Mahler Symphony, I think it deserves multiple hearings, if we are to properly appreciate the depths of this music. I am in awe and insist that this is a superb piece of music.

I found myself obsessing a bit about that word jazz and its cousins in popular music, the harmonic language of blues, wondering if the idiom & the orchestral colours employed by Marsalis might be analogous to the use of a national folk music by a Dvorak or a Ralph Vaughan Williams. I think too Marsalis is aiming for a kind of sophistication, rather than something hummable, generations removed from the romantic composers I mentioned. Perhaps the dense textures of Marsalis’s writing can be understood as a kind of second or third generation elaboration upon his jazz- blues roots (perhaps with the earlier generations being Bernstein & Gershwin), the way Berg is a twist on Mahler or Stravinsky can be understood as the enlarged & distorted image first seen in earlier composers building on their slavic folk music roots.

I wonder if we should think of this as a sort of modernist or even post-modernist orchestral writing, building on certain tropes and regular figures that in isolation are recognizably “jazzy” but without necessarily being assembled into the usual structures that build to a conclusion, instead compiled as a series of fragments, a series of tiny segments without the simple goal you achieve in a Gershwin concerto. Yes there are lots of jazzy moments, melodic gestures: but rarely much of a melody, the foregrounded solos passed around through the orchestra. Similarly the chords we might have in a jazz piece are only hinted at, without letting the regular predictable structure of a jazz piece ever invade the much looser structures employed by Marsalis. For that it seems even more of an achievement for dodging the usual to build something more irregular, at times resembling a pointillist texture of momentary effects & timbres.

I have to listen again, and suggest you do so as well. I submit the YouTube performance for your consideration, to show what a brilliantly original work we heard tonight at Roy Thomson Hall, every solo by the TSO spectacular in its execution from brass, woodwinds, percussion, and even concertmaster Jonathan Crow & principal cello Joseph Johnson, in the foreground.

After intermission we heard Orff’s most famous composition, Carmina Burana.

I was swept up in reveries of long ago times, listening to this piece while getting stoned during my undergradaute years. I had forgotten that the powerful simplicity of Orff’s chorus & orchestra have a following across cultural boundaries, as beloved as Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd as stoner music, and perhaps under the radar when we consider the composers such as Berlioz usually associated with hallucinations & drugs. Have you ever listened to Carmina Burana while stoned? Marijuana is legal now, so it’s not the forbidden idea that it was back in the 1970s, when I first encountered this music as we passed joints furtively. The TSO performance with the Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Children’s Choir and soloists was a trip. Our choruses shoulder a huge load, enunciating with stunning clarity, often understated, building gradually to climaxes at least partially thanks to TMC Music Director Jean-Sébastien Vallée.

Jean-Sébastien Vallée, Artistic Director of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir

The interpretation is a team effort, between conductor Gimeno, TMC leader Vallée as well as Zemfira Poloz preparing the Children’s Choir.

Gustavo Gimeno leading the combined forces of the Toronto Symphony, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir & the Toronto Children’s Choir (photo: Allan Cabral)

Orff gives the lion’s share of the solos to the baritone, tonight sung by the remarkable Sean Michael Plumb.

Baritone Sean Michael Plumb (photo: Bayerische Staatsoper)

The timbre of the voice is immediately noticeable, such a pretty sound! His rich baritone has flexibility and thank goodness is always precisely in tune. Gimeno’s tempi, which were sometimes the fastest I have ever heard, challenged the soloists but nonetheless Plumb sparkled throughout.

Foreground: soprano Julie Roset, conductor Gustavo Gimeno, baritone Sean Michael Plumb, and Andrew Haji, plus the TSO (photo: Allan Cabral)

Soprano Julie Roset and tenor Andrew Haji both sounded great, Haji playing up the comedy of his song.

Tenor Andrew Haji

Gimeno had the choruses & soloists sailing through Orff’s big climaxes, a near perfect performance all round.

TSO Music Director Gustavo Gimeno (photo: Allan Cabral)

As perfect as the performances were, I watched the woman sitting beside me struggling repeatedly to see the text of the Carmina Burana in her program in the darkened hall. The exquisite drama Andrew acted out (the swan being roasted) would have been even better had his words been projected in translation. I feel we honour the performers when we project the text in translation, to fully grasp the meaning of what they are singing. In the old days this nerd prepared for operas & concerts by reading & memorizing the whole thing, to know what they were enacting & dramatizing. Maybe I’m spoiled now that titles are a normal feature of live performance. I think we would all have enjoyed the show that much more if we had been able to see the translation of the text projected. Friday night I will see La boheme at the tiny Redwood Theatre in a performance that will feature projected surtitles for a work I know really well. While it may be the same for the Orff, (that many of us in the audience know the text), I still believe the performance would be enhanced by the projection of the translation on a surface in Roy Thomson Hall, enhancing the experience for everyone. Excuse me that I keep making this observation whenever I see a concert with text at Roy Thomson Hall. But any piece of music with words being sung deserves to be properly understood. We don’t watch foreign films without subtitles, right? I think maybe that’s why I was suddenly having a flashback, remembering times from long ago, when I used to listen to Orff with my friends , the music washing over us as we were stoned on marijuana with little idea of what the Latin words meant: except maybe “O Fortuna”. But the memory is a good one, the music a stunning experience.

Thank you TSO, and thank you Fortuna, we are blessed indeed.

The concert will be repeated Saturday at 7:30 & Sunday at 3:00 pm.

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Holly Chaplin and Ryan Hofman talk about their upcoming La Boheme On Tap

Posted on September 12, 2025 by barczablog

La Boheme is being presented at the Redwood Theatre on Friday September19th 8:00 p.m., a co-production with The Redwood Theatre including a silent auction in support of Daily Bread Food Bank.

I talked to Holly Chaplin who sings the starring role of Mimi and Ryan Hofman who will sing the role of Schaunard the musician. Ryan Hofman is also co-producer.

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Barczablog: La Bohème is often spoken of as a comedy with a tragic ending. Do you think of Bohème as more comic or more tragic?

Holly Chaplin: There are definitely comedic aspects, but I wouldn’t call it a comedy. Maybe dramma giocoso at best. I once heard a colleague sum up the plot of La Bohème like this: “A bunch of dudes try to skip out on their rent and some girl dies.” Factually, not wrong. But what makes La Bohème so moving is the way it pushes past that cold description. It doesn’t dismiss the hardships of poverty, disease, or death like my colleague’s summary—it humanizes them. Rodolfo knows he can’t provide the care Mimi needs, and shows you his fear of her demise. Mimi is so sweet and loving. She has found the love of her life, and what does she get? A terminal illness. Yes, there are lighthearted moments when the guys are clowning around with their drinks, or Musetta is being a brat, but beneath that is a story about people who fall through the cracks of society.

Ryan Hofman: I actually think of La Boheme as more of a tragic romance with comic relief. The love story of Mimi and Rodolfo is such an epic love story, only to be thwarted by death (spoiler, this is opera!). Who doesn’t want that great love story! The comic relief comes from several moments of the opera:
1) the bromance between Rodolfo, Marcello, Schaunard and Colline
2) Musetta and Alcindoro
3) Musetta and her jilted loved Marcello

Ryan Hofman, co-producer and baritone

Holly Chaplin: I think La Bohème is a rite of passage for every artist, because it hits so close to home. Directors often say, “You’ll need to imagine what this kind of poverty feels like.” But for artists, there’s no need to imagine—we live it. Loving music enough to pursue it often means sacrifice. Rodolfo burns his writing for warmth; I’ve done the singer’s version of that—reusing old recordings instead of investing in new ones, cancelling coachings or lessons just to pay the bills. It hurts, because it feels like your art is suffering, but it also forces you to be resourceful and resilient.

So, is it comedy or tragedy? To me, it’s neither. It’s just life.

BB: Do we maybe need to dispense with genres, when they confuse us?

Holly Chaplin: Everything gets its own annoying box. Mostly it’s capitalism, but in a world where people have little time and even less money, they want to have an idea of whether they can expect to spend their afternoon crying or not.

BB: Does genre matter? or do you sing the same whatever the genre, for comedies vs tragedies?

Holly Chaplin: The short answer is yes. You’re not going to sing Gilbert & Sullivan the same way you’d sing Verdi. The longer answer is that it depends on the palette you have and what you need to create within the piece. With Mimi, for example, there are massive legato lines but also delicate pianissimos—and those have to shift depending on whether she’s crying, in pain, or simply living in the tenderness of love. Every genre demands its own colors, but all of them rely on solid technique to be presented well.

BB: Imagine you’re Musetta tormenting Marcello in Act II (comedy) or Schaunard observing Mimi’s illness (tragic). You may want to react (to laugh or cry) but have to stay in character, to make the comedy or tragedy work. What strategies do you use to stay in character, to keep your focus?

Holly Chaplin: I think the key is to remember that your character is experiencing the world for the first time. Most people in real life aren’t hyper-aware of others, so many “funny” situations don’t feel funny to those actually living them. Have you ever watched a sitcom without the laugh track? It feels bizarre. Comedy works the same way: after enough rehearsals, the joke just becomes another part of the day. Of course, I’m not immune—when I sang HMS Pinafore with Ryan Downey, I completely cracked during Ralph’s speech where he called himself “a living ganglion of irreconcilable antagonisms.”

Ryan Hofman: I find the best strategies to stay in character are not only eye contact with your colleague on stage but asking yourself what story is your colleague trying to tell on stage? What can I add to this scene? What would Schaunard do? Who is Schaunard in this scenerio and does can I do with the text to add to the character onstage (through body language, facial expression, etc).

A glimpse of the lighter side of Ryan Hofman

Holly Chaplin: For me, tragedies are harder. I try to pace them by pulling from my own life experiences or those of people I know. The situations may be imaginary, but the emotions are real. I save the high-intensity feelings for dress rehearsals and performances, and in early rehearsals I focus on the moving parts—staging, technique, and play with my colleagues. That balance helps me stay grounded without losing the emotional truth.

Soprano Holly Chaplin

BB: The public perception of roles will usually focus on a big aria. When you’re learning how to sing, especially the arias are a great starting point. But they aren’t necessarily the toughest parts of your role either vocally or dramatically. What part of your role is toughest?

Holly Chaplin: For me, the dramatic arc is the most challenging. Every singer learns arias before they’re ever cast—those pieces are audition staples, and the choices you make there are often “turned up to 11” to show your range. But once you step into a full production, the real challenge is pacing. In a role like Mimi, you can’t give everything away too early.

Ryan Hofman: I really believe the toughest part of any role is the interjections that take place with other characters. You have to be so focused on what the other characters are saying in order to be able to have the most authentic reaction.

Ryan Hofman

Holly Chaplin: What I find hardest is her sweetness in the face of her circumstances. In the practice room, she breaks me. She’s a simple woman who loves with her whole heart, and through no fault of her own, she just has to fade away. That reality exists for so many people, and it makes me want to scream. I spend a lot of time searching for the version of myself who could meet that fate with grace instead of fury. I suppose Mimi finds strength in surrender—and that’s what makes her so devastating to portray.

BB: Using La Boheme as a fundraiser for the food bank seems like a natural. Are there any particular lines of your role or of anyone else onstage, where you are reacting to the challenges of life (as Marcello or Mimi) that you would highlight, that we should notice?

Holly Chaplin: I appreciate the focus on the simple things that our Bohemians want; shelter, heat, crema, or a pink bonnet! These are basic joys and necessities, not luxuries. It reminds me of how people living on the margins of society are often misunderstood or turned into political fodder.Those who rely on support programs live with immense shame and are too often painted as greedy or taking advantage, when in reality most are just hardworking people struggling to afford food and rent. La Bohème captures that humanity—the way survival and dignity can hinge on the smallest comforts.

Ryan Hofman: I think Colline’s Coat aria and Musetta in Act 4 are the perfect examples. They are both willing to sell their prized possessions in order to help their friend, Mimi. This showcases the reality in their time and what they were willing to sacrifice for their loved ones.

BB: I understand that in addition to the opera, there have been some cool gifts that have been donated to be part of the silent auction. What can one expect?

Ryan Hofman: Here’s a preliminary list.

Elmwood Spa $200 gift card.
Canadian Opera Company Orchestra Seats
Toronto Symphony Orchestra 2 tickets to 1 of 3 possible concerts
Opera Revue Tickets
3 Separate Redwood Theatre Shows
GOOD THINGS:An Evening with Samin Nisrat @ Massey Hall
2 Tickets to SOLO’s upcoming performance of TOSCA on Saturday, October 4th
National Ballet-Signed Pair of Pointe Shoes

BB: Wow! So La boheme is one of the most popular operas of all, a great first opera, a terrific opera for people who don’t know opera. Why do you think that’s the case?

Ryan Hofman: I think La Boheme is timeless and has stood the test of time because of the music and the message. The romance, whether it is a tragedy or comedy, opera most of all is an escape where it allows us to be transported from everyday life. 

Holly Chaplin: The music is simply beautiful. I love the intensity of verismo, and I think right now we all crave the chance to “feel fully.” Audiences are drawn to the chemistry of the four lovers in the first two acts—falling in love and being in love, especially in those early stages, is thrilling. Pair that universal experience with Puccini’s lush, emotional score, and it’s no wonder La Bohème is such a perfect first opera.

Soprano Holly Chaplin

Ryan Hofman: La Boheme has it all! Comedic moments, romance, tragedy! It has the recognizable classics, such as “Quando m’en vo” and “Che gelida manina”: having the familiarity of this classics, allows for the audience to be taken into the bohemian world time and time again.

BB: Is there anyone out there who hasn’t seen Moonstruck (one of my favourite films)?

BB: …complete with a Toronto connection. Do you have any acknowledgements you’d like to make?

Holly Chaplin: I’d like to thank you, Leslie! Also, my parents and entire family for raising me, my neighbors for putting up with all my practicing these past couple of months, my fiancé, my colleagues and friends, and Frederique Vézina.

BB: What do you have coming up?

Holly Chaplin: I have a few things. Obviously La Boheme, then I sing a Mozart Requiem in November in Brantford. In the new year I am excited to join the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra for New Years Day concert, and on Valentines Day I will be singing with the Georgian Bay Symphony Orchestra. After that I get to sing Lucia in Lucia Di Lammermoor with Opera York, which I am so happy to explore the role again after its success with Southern Ontario Lyric Opera last season.

I have some other gigs and giglets in the works; check out my website www.hollychaplin.com, instagram or blog https://uselessnewsgoddess.blogspot.com/ to see what I have going on!

Ryan Hofman: After this, I am still in the thick of it. Returning to the SOLO stage as Sacristan/Sciarrone (more Puccini, this time in Tosca) and pulling double duty, working behind-the-scenes as Artistic Consultant and Outreach Officer. 

After, Tosca, it slows down briefly before a busy November with concert work (Brahms, Duruflé Requiem and Dvorak Te Deum in Ottawa and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem with RESOUND Choir in Oshawa). 

*******

But first, Holly sings Mimi and Ryan sings Schaunard as part of La Boheme On Tap Friday 8 pm September 19th at the Redwood Theatre, 1300 Gerrard St East.

Tickets start at $50.00. Click for info & tickets.
For 30% off enter F&F at Check-Out.

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Alexander Hajek talks about the upcoming La Boheme On Tap

Posted on September 10, 2025 by barczablog

La Boheme is being presented at the Redwood Theatre on Friday September19th 8:00 p.m., a co-production with The Redwood Theatre in Support of Daily Bread Food Bank.

I talked to Alexander Hajek who sings the role of Marcello the painter.

*******

Barczablog: La boheme is often spoken of as a comedy with a tragic ending. Do you think of boheme as more comic or more tragic? 

Alexander Hajek: Well it certainly ends tragically ( not to spoil things of course ) but I’m not sure I’d classify it as either. It’s really the perfect opera because it has such high and low brow moments woven throughout.  Some of the funny lines are quite tragic and even the cutest moments have a tinge of foreshadowed tragedy.

BB: Do we maybe need to dispense with genres, when they confuse us?

Alexander Hajek: No, it’s nice to give opera newbies a little heads up.  No one wants to be locked in their seat for 3 hours waiting for a laugh that never comes.

To quote Peter Griffin:

“For the love of god, someone throw a pie already!”

BB: Do you sing the same whatever the genre?

Alexander Hajek: Genres should influence the colour of your sound a tad. If it’s a joke, usually the text is more important and should be more emphasized, but if it’s a swelling romantic moment where multiple people are singing, different text over one another, maybe go for a richer fuller sound to get “the vibe” across.

BB: Imagine you’re Marcello tormenting Benoit in Act I (comedy) or watching Mimi dying, reacting to her situation (tragic). You may want to react, laughing at the joke or even crying at the tragedy: but have to stay in character, to make the comedy or tragedy work. What strategies do you use to stay in character, to keep your focus?

Alexander Hajek: This I find easy, just stay in the moment by pretending you’re hearing Benoit demand the rent for the very first time. And. In turn. Feel as if the text and music you respond to then is something that just popped in your head as a quick witted response on why you shouldn’t have to pay. It’s remarkably effective.

The trap is waiting to just sing your line after they’re finished. It deadens the drama. Keep it fresh.

BB: The public perception of roles will usually focus on a big aria. When you’re learning how to sing especially the arias are a great starting point. But they aren’t necessarily the toughest parts of your role either vocally or dramatically. What part of your role is toughest?

Alexander Hajek: As Marcello uniquely does NOT have an aria.  I had to find the most dramatic moment for him and make one out of it. This is either his second act showdown with Musetta or his third act duets with Mimi. They have some of his most gorgeous music and I try and make a meal out of them.

The toughest part of the role is not letting my simmering anger ( either as a jealous lover, or highly annoyed roommate ) not constrict the voice. It’s easy to get carried away by the heightened drama of a Puccini score and forget to keep the instrument fluid and free.

Baritone Alexander Hajek

BB: Using La Boheme as a fundraiser for the food bank seems like a natural. Are there any particular lines of your role or of anyone else onstage, where you are reacting to the challenges of life (as Marcello or Mimi) that you would highlight, that we should notice?

Alexander Hajek: The “starving artist” bohemian lifestyle is absolutely front and center. It informs everything the characters do and ultimately causes the death of Mimi. If they had funds then the tragedy of the opera wouldn’t happen. So every little joke is really foreshadowing how poverty can kill you. If their apartment had adequate fuel for heat, or if any of them had a steady job then they could buy medicine or afford a trip to the doctor.  But they don’t.

I guess my favorite lines are in the 4th act when the gents are pretending the few pieces of stinky fish and stale bread for dinner are actually “tongue of penguin” and “the finest champagne in France.” They are wonderfully optimistic and a cheerful bunch.

BB: La boheme is one of the most popular operas of all a great first opera, a terrific opera for people who don’t know opera.  Why do you think that’s the case?

Alexander Hajek: It’s not too long and there are no wasted moments. Each scene feels full and captivating but doesn’t drag on forever. The 4th act is only about 30 min and has about 4 sections in it with rapid shift in mood. It’s kindda perfect for peoples’ attention spans these days.  And the music is perfect. Everyone gets a leit motif and is immediately accessible. It’s not a score you need to study before hand or hear 20 times to get the subtle nuances. It just bathes you in beautiful western melodies all night.

BB: What do you have coming up?

Alexander Hajek: My most ambitious project is coming up Nov 26th. Opera Revue is having their 4th gala and they have hired some professional wrestlers to help put on another unforgettable show. It was hard to top last years circus themed night with highflying trapeze and dogs jumping through flaming hoops.  But we’ve added Queen Hezumuryango as our special guest as well. It’ll be at the Great Hall and will not be something you want to miss.

Danie Friesen, Claire Elise Harris and Alexander Hajek of Opera Revue

In addition Opera Revue with be performing at the Four Seasons Centre for the first time on Oct 14th. And it’s free to attend.

My first Carmina Burana will be with the Toronto Beach Chorale in April 26.
(Click for tickets & info)

And I will have my first Don Giovanni in a while with the Hamilton Philharmonic,
Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre
357 Wilson St E.

Saturday, February 7, 2026 – 7:30 PM
in partnership with COSA Canada
James Kahane is Conductor
(tickets & information)

*******

But first, Alexander Hajek will sing Marcello as part of La Boheme On Tap Friday 8 pm September 19th at the Redwood Theatre, 1300 Gerrard St East. Tickets start at $50.00. Click for info & tickets.
Use code BOHEMEONTAP for $10 off.

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Robert Lepage’s Macbeth at Stratford

Posted on September 6, 2025 by barczablog

Bruce asked me whether the Scottish play is worth seeing. I had seen it from the front row, able to see every detail of the complex presentation in the Avon Theatre, less Shakespeare’s immortal play than Robert Lepage’s Macbeth.

YMMV or “your mileage may vary” comes to mind. Some will love it, some won’t. My goal is to describe how Lepage’s production works, to help people like Bruce decide whether they might like it, even as Bruce’s question gives me a perfect template to examine questions of theatre criticism and the discourse surrounding creations. I continue to obsess about memory since my mom’s passing. I see my role as a witness, to remember & testify to what I’ve seen, rather than as a judge to say “this is good /bad.”

I came to Stratford for Bruce’s birthday party. Although he lives in Stratford he hadn’t yet seen the show, perhaps hesitant because of what he heard, given Lepage’s refusal to do the usual things.

Instead of kilts we get jeans and leather jackets.

Instead of old castles we get cheesy modern motels.

Instead of a medieval tale of murder we get men riding their motorbikes right onstage.

So in other words, no it’s not what you expect when someone says “I saw the Stratford Festival Macbeth Friday night.”

But Shakespeare is still there. We see the most perfect ghostly apparitions I’ve ever seen for the Scottish Play, and I say that having sat in the front row. From further back they will be even better.

The witches are as usual the most interesting characters of all. Lady Macbeth is the usual troubled inspiration for the evil deeds of her husband.

I keep looking at my program because the cover photo is so compelling. It’s all there in the photo.

Lucy Peacock and Tom McCamus

No there are no crowns or kilts to be seen, but Lucy Peacock and Tom McCamus are powerful in the usual ways. Sexy arms enfold Shakespeare’s great over-thinker, her sensuality in the service of murder, mayhem and poetic reflection.

Lepage is the ideal specimen to look at how the modern artist adapts and reframes classics. It’s right there in the photo, where they burned the key word in reverse.

“Ambition” it says, and yes that’s Macbeth in a nutshell.

And it’s also Lepage who rewrites the text as something original and sometimes unrecognizable, so maybe it’s less McCamus’s or Shakespeare’s and more Lepage’s Macbeth.

The design focus of Robert Lepage reminds me of Ridley Scott, a director known for his thorough art direction. I could also mention Wes Anderson or Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam, directors whose work features phenomenal detail & inventive visuals. A Lepage show is best understood as architecture, an investment of time and money to build a space for the live theatre experience. We see that in every Lepage show I’ve seen. Whatever character dynamics we see, they are always played upon elaborate stage designs & machinery, usually via Ex Machina, Lepage’s design company. (read and see more about Lepage’s Macbeth including future dates beyond Stratford on the Ex Machina website)

Photo from Ex Machina website (photo: Ann Baggley)

This was true for Eonnagata (2010), one of the very first things I reviewed on this blog. The stage was relatively empty even as everything and everyone else (sound, light, movement, text) were all brilliantly interconnected.

This was true for 887 (2015), a kind of reflection on the life & sensibility of a Francophone written and actually performed by Lepage himself.

Robert Lepage and Ex Machina: 887 (Photo: Érick Labbé)
The big projected images are shot from a camera in the model car believe it or not (photo: Elabbe).

And there’s Needles & Opium (2013), as the stage machine is a simple & blatant metaphor that seems to torture the actor onstage, a box rotating with the performer forced to cope with the impacts of that microcosm (the set, his world).

Wellesley Robertson III in Needles and Opium. Photo by Nicola-Frank Vachon.

This was also true for Lepage’s operatic creations, such as Damnation of Faust (2008). Here’s a brief interview with Lepage about his Met production, still totally relevant to what we see in Macbeth.

There was also Tempest (2012), the four Ring Cycle operas (2010-12), The Nightingale and other short fables (2009), and the first ones I saw, the double bill of Bluebeard’s Castle & Erwartung (1993), the latter two so effective that the Canadian Opera Company will revive them again in 2026.

(l-r) Mark Johnson as the Psychiatrist, Krisztina Szabó as the Woman and Noam Markus as the Lover in the Canadian Opera Company production of Erwartung, 2015. (Photo: Michael Cooper)

I invoke all of these elaborate designs, mindful of impatient & dismissive voices, whether in NY for his Ring or more recently for Macbeth. I mentioned YMMV as a polite way to suggest that one needs to suspend judgment in the encounter with originality. Does one require kilts and castles for a Macbeth to work? That’s a question I would offer to anyone who shows up with stipulations, their nose out of joint before the play has even begun.

And as I sat there in the front row, watching parts of the complex stage set be reconfigured, I remembered my experience with Lepage’s Ring, that in fact it was better to sit further away. Up close there is less of an actual illusion, because we could see the actors or singers working with the complexities of the set, and even saw stagehands working to move the set. It’s impressive, it’s fascinating: but it undercuts a dramatic illusion. It reminds me of a Brechtian dramaturgy –where the apparatus & set call attention to themselves as a way to distance us (Brecht speaks of a Verfremdungseffekt or “alienation effect”), pushing us into a reflective space and away from the story.

Why was Brecht trying to do this? I think he was reacting to Wagner’s dramaturgy, against the ideals of the Gesamtkunstwerk (or “total art work”), and the overpowering illusion of music theatre. We live in that world now. Whether it’s the visuals, music & sounds of a superhero movie or just your smartphone telling you when you’ve received a message, our art, our appliances, cars & virtual realms are often Wagnerian, swallowing us up with messages working together in multiple channels. Brecht wanted critical thinking, so he tried to wake us up from the dream.

Long before Lepage did a Wagnerian opera, he was already employing elements of the Wagnerian toolkit, even as he was sometimes himself working to distance us, pushing us away, encouraging us to wake up & reflect rather than swallow his illusion. Lepage has spoken of cinematic elements, aware of the sophisticated modern audience, and playing with us, using both Brechtian & Wagnerian tools.

Working with composer & sound designer John Gzowski, Lepage (meaning Gzowski of course) faced a challenge in bringing bikers and bikes believably into a Macbeth. One real motorcycle motor is a huge loud sound when it revs, let alone the sound of a whole fleet, and that’s magnified further if they’re the huge type of vehicle driven by bikers. That’s not what Gzowski & Lepage give us, however, because we’d never hear the dialogue even were they to shout or scream back and forth. I can’t imagine the agonies of level setting, editing, revising the sound & music lower & lower, likely with earlier versions ending up on the cutting room floor. The result is remarkable to hear, the voices clear, the music subtly threatening rather than overpowering. I am sure it must have taken a lot of work to achieve something that seems so effortless.

To state the obvious: this is a work of art not reality. The bikes moving onstage were probably electric with sound on the soundtrack to simulate the reality of a motorbike. We are presented with a cinematic image that collapses somewhat if you sit in the first few rows, partly because we see a biker ballet, harmonious movement and gentle throbbing rather than the real raw roar that such machines would generate in reality. And the actors must have had a steep learning curve to execute their movements so cleanly. On so many levels this is a tour de force, to make it look easy rather than something a bunch of Shakespeareans did between soliloquys and swordfights. The moving sets are another part of that tour de force, but nobody usually notices the stagehands, who are especially heroic in this show.

I’m reminded of some of the other daunting challenges Lepage has given to his performers. Damnation of Faust featured all sorts of acrobatic performers climbing and hanging from the set, as did The Tempest.

A scene from Robert Lepage’s production of The Tempest at Festival Opéra de Québec, 2012 © Nicola Vachon 2012

The machinery becomes such a big focus that the actor or singer may feel threatened, at least given the usual dynamic where an audience watches the stars. In a Lepage show his design is arguably one of the stars of that show.

It felt like a revelation, watching the enraptured audience at the Avon Theatre watching Macbeth last week, speaking as someone who has been a big fan of Lepage’s work. At the interval in the washroom and afterwards, people buzzed as though they were on drugs. But it helps to be open to the experience, to arrive with an open mind rather than to show up with stipulations.

I continue to be fascinated by Lepage & Ex Machina. The originality I see in his opera productions sometimes forces me to look at familiar works in new ways. The pieces that were new to me always moved me. I experienced Macbeth in many of the same ways I came to the Ring operas or Damnation of Faust, sometimes staring open-mouthed, but never indifferent and sometimes powerfully moved. I never expected tears as I watched Lady Macbeth (Lucy Peacock) coming apart at the seams or the ravings of Macbeth (Tom McCamus) as he is haunted. The show hit me in unexpected ways. I’m glad to see that the show has been extended, and perhaps will be revived in a future season, because I’d like to see it again.

So for the record: I think Bruce should go see Macbeth. If we can handle iambic pentameter coming out of the mouths of men wearing togas I don’t see how it’s troubling when it’s a guy in jeans on a motorbike. I don’t want to give away too much except to say that for Lepage’s staging, the supernatural – ghostly elements are the most powerful I’ve ever seen. If you’re interested in going to the show, Macbeth has been extended until November 22nd.

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Talking to Karina Bray about the first complete recording of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Songs of Travel by a female artist

Posted on August 28, 2025 by barczablog

Karina Bray is an award-winning mezzo-soprano.

Karina’s new recording of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Songs of Travel most definitely travels somewhere new, given that the song cycle is normally sung by a man.

Her new recording is the world premiere of this version done by a mezzo-soprano. I wanted to ask her about this and a few other things.

*******

Barczablog: Are you more like your father or mother?

Karina Bray: I owe so much of my musical journey to my parents—they are truly the most fantastic people I know. They have supported me every step of the way, right up to this gender-bending recording, and I couldn’t have asked for better. I feel incredibly lucky to be a true 50/50 blend of both of them, because they are both remarkable in their own ways.

My big voice? That comes from my dad. I remember being a young child out on the farm, helping him and learning from him how to cattle call. That’s where it all began—the roots of my voice were born in those wide-open fields matching the volume of my Dad’s voice.

My determination in breaking barriers, though, comes from my mom. She broke the mold in her own right, becoming the first female night-time manager in a male-dominated industry when there were significant gender barriers for women. Hearing about her carving her path gave me the strength to forge my own.

Surprisingly, no one in either side of the family is a musician. There are definitely music lovers among us, but I’m the first to dive fully into the world of music. In that way, I guess I broke the mold too.

Mezzo-soprano Karina Bray

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

Karina Bray: Music keeps me incredibly busy, and I’m truly grateful for how deeply involved I get to be. But during the quieter moments — when I’m not actively practicing and instead sitting back and listening to recordings — my cat loves to curl up on my lap and nap. I feel so fortunate to have the best of both worlds: the joy of pursuing my passion for music, and the comfort and companionship of my cat, who can sometimes be my loudest critic!

BB: Who do you think of first, when I ask you to name the best singer?

Karina Bray: Such a tough question, Leslie! I believe the best singers aren’t necessarily the most perfect, but the ones who reveal the humanity behind the music, some singers are blessed with both qualities. One singer who always comes to mind is Sir Bryn Terfel. His recording of Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel has long been my go-to listening choice.

When he was in Toronto, I had the immense pleasure of meeting him briefly. He encouraged me — given my voice type — to take things slowly and explore art songs while my voice continues to develop. In many ways, that conversation sparked the journey I’m on now. His influence played a meaningful role in my decision to record Songs of Travel myself.

BB: What was your first experience of singing?

Karina Bray: I have such fond memories of visiting my dear Oma and Opa, who were both passionate lovers of classical music. There was always music playing softly in the background — even when I was in the kitchen ‘helping’ my Oma, which usually ended with my Opa and me playfully teasing her. She’d play along in the role of the disapproving Oma, of course, but she always laughed with us. That music was a quiet, constant presence in their warm and happy home.

One weekend in particular stands out. My Opa and I were flipping through TV channels when we came across the 1976 film version of Tosca with Plácido Domingo. I must have been only three or four years old, but I was completely mesmerized — by the music, the singing, the drama, the artistry. My Opa, sitting beside me, let me watch the whole thing, my eyes never leaving the TV screen.

Not long after, my mom enrolled me in piano lessons at an old church. While my older sister had her lesson, I would wander up and down the pews, singing to myself. Eventually, the piano teacher — who also happened to teach voice — convinced my mom to let me try voice lessons. And, well… the rest is history!

Karina Bray

BB: Did you win a voice competition?

Karina Bray: I’m truly honored and deeply thankful to have received recognition from several respected competitions over the past two years.

Being named a Gold Place Finalist at the 2024 Euterpe Music Awards and a 1st Place Finalist at the Medici International Music Competition has been incredibly meaningful. I’m also very grateful to have been awarded 2nd Place Finalist at the Clara Schumann International Competition, the BTHVN Wien Competition, and at the Euterpe Music Awards in both 2024 and 2023.

One of the most humbling and unforgettable experiences was being selected to participate in the internationally highly regarded Bayreuther Festspiele Masterclass, which is dedicated to supporting young dramatic voices. There, I had the immense honour of working with world-acclaimed Wagnerian soprano Catherine Foster, a profound experience that concluded with my participation in a recital of Wagner’s music, accompanied on Wagner’s original piano in his home, Villa Wahnfried.

I was also privileged to receive the Richard Wagner Stipendium through the Stipendienstiftung Canada, which allowed me to immerse myself further in the rich musical tradition of Bayreuth, Germany. These honors—granted by juries composed of professionals from international opera houses and esteemed musicians—continue to inspire me to grow, learn, and give my best as an artist. I remain sincerely grateful to everyone who has supported and believed in my journey.

BB: You’re recording Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel, a piece usually done by male singers.  Tell me about the project.

Karina Bray: I’ve always genuinely loved this iconic song cycle—my connection to Songs of Travel goes all the way back to 2009. I remember hearing men perform ‘The Vagabond’, for example, and feeling a twinge of jealousy, wishing I could sing such fantastic music myself.

It wasn’t until 2023 that I seriously started planning to go against the grain—to make a female recording of the entire cycle. Through research, I discovered that a complete recording by a woman hadn’t been done before, which only fueled my passion even more. I’ve always believed that Art Song, like all music, belongs to everyone.

When I floated the idea to colleagues, I expected hesitation. Instead, to my surprise and delight, the response was enthusiastic. Many said they’d be fascinated to hear how the cycle would sound from a different perspective. And so, here we are.

This project came to life thanks to an incredible team: Jo Greenaway on piano, whose artistry elevated the work.

Jo Greenaway, pianist

And Ryan Harper, our brilliant recording engineer.

Jean MacPhail

Most importantly, Jean MacPhail, my teacher, believed in me and worked with me in order to make this project a reality.

The recording officially launched on August 27 across YouTube and social media—a poetic coincidence, as that date is just one day after the anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ passing. It feels like a full-circle moment—a tribute, a transformation, and hopefully, a small step toward expanding the world of Art Song for future generations.

BB:  When you sing it, how does it feel in your voice? 

Karina Bray: The first song from the cycle that I worked on was actually ‘Whither Must I Wander?’—and it felt like a window had been thrown open, letting in fresh air. It’s hard to put into words, but something about it just felt right. The poetry has always been close to my heart, and to feel my voice open up with such warmth was almost unimaginable.

Ralph Vaughan Williams writes so exquisitely for the voice that singing the entire cycle felt like finding a missing puzzle piece. Everything just clicked into place.

Karina Bray

BB: Do you have any other projects coming up to mention?

Karina Bray: I wish I could say more, but stay tuned for upcoming announcements!

BB: Do you have any influences / teachers you want to acknowledge

Karina Bray: I have been incredibly lucky to be surrounded by wonderful people who have supported me on this journey—most especially my parents, who have tirelessly taxied me to lessons and coachings over the years.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Jean MacPhail, my teacher, who completely rebuilt my voice and has been unwaveringly supportive throughout this time. And also my coach Narmina Efendiyeva.

I’m also immensely thankful to Stefan Vinke, Tenor, Sabine Vinke, Soprano, and to Mignon Dunn, Mezzo-Soprano, whose generosity, kindness, and wisdom have guided me through both the rough patches and the joyful moments.

To everyone who supports the arts—thank you. Your support and encouragement are invaluable to musicians everywhere. The arts thrive because of people like you.

*****

Here is Karina’s new recording.

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 game is scary considering how expensive the art form has always been for the producers, how few jobs there are for young singers. I am grateful some people still want to sing, to try to live the challenging life of the artist.

Ryan Hofman

The singers had eight minutes each, usually two arias.

Last year Ryan brought 13 artistic personnel to hear the performances, while this time there were over 20 of us listening & watching at Hope United Church on Danforth.

L- R Barry Peters, Kathleen Allan, Lawrence Cherney, Robert Cooper, Jennifer Tung, Ivan Jovanovic pianist extraordinaire, Lucie Veillette, William Schookhoff, Lauren Yeomans, Josh Wood, Ryan Hofman, Alexander Cappellazzo, Leslie Barcza, Ariel Harwood-Jones, Norman Reintamm, Chelsie Pall, Stéphane Potvin, Sue Tsagkaris, Conrad Gold, Alexander Hajek, Tom Diamond. (Missing: Ryan Harper, Jennifer Carter)

Here is the program we heard today, each singer expertly accompanied by Ivan Estey Jovanovic, Pianist.

“Or sai chi l’onore” from Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart &
“Marietta’s lied” from Die tote Stadt by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
sung by Lauren Estey Jovanovic, Soprano

“Una Furtiva Lagrima” from L’Elisir D’Amore by Gaetano Donizetti &
“Fra Poco ricovero” from Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti
sung by Joel Ricci, Tenor

“Chi il bel sogno” from La Rondine by Giacomo Puccini &
“Depuis le jour” from Louise by Gustave Charpentier
sung by Cassandra Amorim, Soprano

“Nobles Seigneurs, salut!” from Les Huguenots – Giacomo Meyerbeer &
Métamorphoses, FP. 121: No.2 C’est ainsi que tu es- Francis Poulenc
sung by Lissy Meyerowitz, Mezzo-soprano

“Je suis encore “from Manon – Jules Massenet &
“My darling Jim” from Glory Denied – Tom Cipullo
sung by Kathryn Rose Johnston, Soprano

“Mein sein Sehnen, mein Wähnen” from Die tote Stadt – Erich Wolfgang Korngold &
“Avant de quitter ces lieux” from Faust – Charles Gounod
sung by James Coole-Stevenson, Baritone

“Dawn, still darkness” from Flight – Jonathan Dove &
“From Rosy Bowers” Don Quixote – Henry Purcell
sung by Christian Masucci Facchini, Countertenor

“Glitter and Be Gay” from Candide – Leonard Bernstein
sung by Nicole Whitney Dubinsky, Soprano

“Ach, ich fühls” from Die Zauberflöte – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
“Da tempeste” from Giulio Cesare – George Frederic Handel
sung by Olivia Morton, Soprano

—INTERVAL—

“Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific – Rodgers and Hammerstein &
“Why Do the Nations” from Messiah – George Frederic Handel &
“Si puo” from Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo
sung by Johnathon Kirby, Baritone

“Ah mes amis” from La fille du régiment – Gaetano Donizetti &
“Ecco ridente” from Il barbiere di Siviglia – Giaochini Rossini
sung by Joseph Adams, Tenor

Lubava’s Aria from Sadko – Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov &
“All’afflitto” from Roberto Devereux – Gaetano Donizetti
sung by Kcenia Koutorjevski, Mezzo-Soprano

“Oh had I Jubal’s Lyre!” from Joshua – George Frederic Handel
“Deh vieni, non tardar” from Le Nozze di Figaro – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
sung by Amy Moodie, Soprano

“Vivi tu te ne scongiuro … Nel veder la tua Costanza” from Anna Bolena – Gaetano Donizetti &
“Thou Shalt Break Them” from Messiah – George Frederic Handel &
“Di rigori armato il seno” from Der Rosenkavalier – Richard Strauss
sung by Jeremy Scinocca, Tenor

“Signore ascolta!”from Turandot – Giacomo Puccini &
“Dove sono” from Le Nozze di Figaro – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
sung by Chelsea Kolic, Soprano

I feel privileged, getting to hear so many talented young singers.

When I asked Ryan how many actual jobs were the result of Toronto Vocal Showcase 1.0 he couldn’t answer precisely (indeed my question may seem kind of stupid & literal-minded): but there were definitely a couple of connections made. Holly Chaplin & Alex Beley are two and there may be more.

That’s good news.

Pardon me for sounding literal minded again, but it boggles my mind –speaking as someone who pays the Canadian Opera Company for a subscription– that they don’t seem to be trying hard enough to put Canadians in their operas. It is understandable to cast a famous singer who sells tickets or a virtuoso who sings something Canadians can’t sing (for instance when Christine Goerke sang Brunnhilde). Of course that makes sense. But the COC have cast two unknowns as their Romeo and their Juliette. Will unknowns put bums in seats? We shall see. They must have noticed that I will show up whether the leads are Canadians or imports.

For the operas that feature young personages why not use young Canadians? The audience may make a connection to the singers, even if they’re not famous: because they’re Canadian.

If it works for wine & whiskey, why not singers?

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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.

Genevieve Adam & Cale Crowe

Erika doesn’t like musicals but I persuaded her to come with me to see it, largely because I value her perspective and yes we wanted a fun afternoon. Port Hope is roughly an hour away from our home in Scarborough. I am pleased to report that she loved it at least as much as I did, maybe more. I mention that because Rez Gas is unconventional, not like anything I’ve seen before. It doesn’t work in the usual ways a musical works. Composers don’t always know how to express the emotions Cale captured in the powerful little capsules throughout the show, sometimes as solos sometimes in exciting ensembles. I want to see the work done again, it deserves to be produced elsewhere. I wish they’d make a cast album, the music deserves to be heard.

Although there were lots of words being sung quickly, the cast enunciated clearly, aided by whoever set the levels sufficiently low that the band never overpowered them. I’m grateful even as I recognize the struggles that may take place behind the scenes before they find the right balance.

The cast of Rez Gas, Aurora (Michelle Bardach) centre (photo: Sam Moffatt)

Over many decades, rap has articulated grievances, but it can be so much more. The music Cale composed captures much more than frustration or rage but also takes us through a broad range of emotions, from sad or sentimental, to optimism, romance, even joyful celebration. I was moved to tears more than once.

Cale & Genevieve should be proud of what they’ve created. In our recent interview Cale said “Genevieve often describes her part of this process as “midwifing” the story.”

Clearly Genevieve did a great job bringing that baby into this world.

A promo for the play I saw describes it this way:
After moving away from his home reservation to pursue a music career, Destin stumbles back into town with unexpected car trouble and lands at the Wide Wigwam diner. There he finds many of those who he left behind and who want to remind him of his history and his place in the community. 

Before Destin appears we discover the world of Rez Gas, hosted by Lucy (Nicole Joy-Fraser) who welcomes us into the Wide Wigwam.


Leon (Dillan Meighan Chiblow), Lucy (Nicole Joy-Fraser), & Mackenzie (Emma Rudy, photo: Sam Moffatt)

And there’s also Nolan (Vinnie Alberto) who works for Lucy clearing tables & serving customers, but we will find out that Nolan is also an artist.

Destin (John Wamsley) comes in, unhappy to be stuck in the place where he started long ago, as the car has broken down. We meet Leon (Dillan Meighan Chiblow), whose complex history is entangled with Destin and Nolan.

Mackenzie (Emma Rudy) is the girl Destin met in the city, who teaches at a university and is riding with Destin. It’s actually her car that broke down.

Destin (John Wamsley) and Mackenzie (Emma Rudy, photo: Sam Moffatt)

The arrival of the outspoken Aurora (Michelle Bardach) complicates the plot, while the parts played by Jonathan Fisher also help add soulful depths to the story-telling.

Jonathan Fisher (photo: Sam Moffatt)

Rez Gas is another impressive production in a smaller Ontario community, this time Port Hope. After the show, Erika and I enjoyed dinner at the Santorini, just a few doors away from the Capitol Theatre. Our matinee experience driving to Port Hope and enjoying our meal after a show in a vibrant downtown underlines the value of cultural investments like those of the Canada Council & Ontario Arts Council, helping to support and grow thriving communities. It’s ironic that a piece touted as “a world premiere musical about discovering home” should also function so well as a way to build a better home, meaning the Capitol Theatre and the downtown excitement we felt in our visit to Port Hope. It makes me want to go back again.

Rez Gas is more than just a fun theatre experience. It’s a moving piece with great tunes and a strong ensemble cast giving terrific performances. Rez Gas runs until September 7th. Click for info & tickets.

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment