Tag Archives: Joel Ivany

Questions for Neil Craighead

Posted on February 15, 2024 by barczablog

I miss Neil Craighead, who’s currently studying, working and living out west. You may know him as a Dora Award nominee in 2015 for his Leporello in #UncleJohn with Against the Grain Theatre. Time flies, look at how young he is in … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged #UncleJohn, Against the Grain Theatre, Ainadamar, Cunning Little Vixen, Das Rheingold, Edmonton Opera, Federico Garcia Lorca, Golijov, Joel Ivany, Miriam Khalil, Neil Craighead, Pacific Opera Victoria, Patrick Raftery, Peter Barcza | Leave a comment

A Tale for Two Cities: the Battle of Alberta

Posted on December 19, 2023 by barczablog

It’s not the first time I’m jealous of Alberta. The Leafs never win The Cup, while Calgary and Edmonton have each had their moments. Joel Ivany has relocated out west, Miriam Khalil singing and teaching alongside him as they raise … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera | Tagged Against the Grain Theatre, Alberta, Birmingham Opera, Calgary Opera, Calgary Stampede, Das Rheingold, Edmonton Opera, Graham Vick, Joel Ivany, Jonathan Dove, Miriam Khalil, opera, Richard Wagner | Leave a comment

Best of 2022

Posted on January 9, 2023 by barczablog

I enjoy recalling the best moments of the past 12 months. There’s a fork in the road, however. One pathway leads towards that which is truly “new”, while the other relies on what we’ve seen before. Need I mention, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged Against the Grain Theatre, Alexander Neef, ARC Ensemble, Arkady Spivak, Canadian Opera Company, CERB, Chris Abraham, Conan and the Stone of Kelior, Corey Arnold, Crow's Theatre, Eldritch Theatre, Elisa Citterio, Eric Woolfe, Gay for Pay, Gould's Wall, Gustavo Gimeno, Joel Ivany, Kyle McDonald, Lauren Pearl, Michael Hidetoshi Mori, Nicole Lizée, OCADU, Perryn Leech, RCM, Royal Conservatory of Music, RUR A Torrent of Light, Simon Wynberg, Sweeney Todd, Tafelmusik, Talk is Free Theatre, Tapestry Opera, The Lion Heart, TIFT, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, TSO, Wajdi Mouawad, Yuja Wang | Leave a comment

COC Carmen Opens

Posted on October 15, 2022 by barczablog

I saw and heard opening night of the Canadian Opera Company’s Carmen tonight at the Four Seasons Centre, a revival of Joel Ivany’s 2016 production. It’s a wonderful take on a well-known work with a very original approach to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alain Coulombe, Canadian Opera Company, Carmen, Flying Dutchman, Four Seasons Centre, Georges Bizet, Jacques Lacombe, J’Nai Bridges, Joel Ivany, Joyce El-Khoury, Lucas Meachem, Marcelo Puente | Leave a comment

Confronting mortality: AtG /COC Mozart Requiem

Posted on December 4, 2021 by barczablog

The pandemic is simultaneously new in its requirements and yet old in once again reminding us of our ultimate destiny. Modern science may blind us to history’s lessons. The images on the tray in this picture come from Täby kyrka, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged Against the Grain Theatre, Andrew Haji, Canadian Opera Company, Ensemble Studio, Joel Ivany, Johannes Debus, Marion Newman, Midori Marsh, Scarborough Bluffs, Vartan Gabrielian, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Leave a comment

A season like no other: templates

Posted on September 24, 2021 by barczablog

Before the Canadian Opera Company begin their virtual season this fall, it’s worth looking at what the other big companies have been doing. The COC are promoting “A Season Like No Other” in this unique time when everyone is living … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged A Season like no other, Canadian Opera Company, Espiral, Gianni Schicchi, Gotterdammerung, Ian Cusson, In Winter, Joel Ivany, Johannes Debus, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Mozart Requiem, OKAN, Pagliacci, Russell Braun, Sir Andrew Davis, Tamara Wilson, Twilight: Gods, Yuval sharon | Leave a comment

Messiah / Complex

Posted on December 20, 2020 by barczablog

There’s nothing simple about Messiah/Complex, a new film that’s currently available for streaming from the Against the Grain Theatre website until January 7th. Complex? It’s an adaptation of Handel’s popular oratorio, a co-production of Against the Grain Theatre and Against … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Popular music & culture, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged Against the Grain Theatre, Diyet, Diyet & The Love Soldiers, George Frideric Handel, Joel Ivany, Johannes Debus, Messiah, Toronto Symphony Orchestra | 1 Comment

AF and why

Posted on February 21, 2020 by barczablog

Huge preamble coming. If you want to skip to the review itself, look under the photo.I went to see AF and am daring to review it. I feel I need to say this after having read Yvette Nolan’s piece, responding … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Tagged AF, bug, Canadian Stage, Christos Hatzis, criticism, crystal pite, dramaturgy, Eddie Elliott, Eliot Britton, Eugenio Barba, Jennifer Brousseau, Joel Ivany, Joyce To, Michael Rourke, Miyeko Ferguson, National Ballet of Canada, Red Sky Performance, Revisor, Rick Sacks, Sandra Laronde, Sela Vai, Thomas Fonua, Yolanda Bonnell, Yvette Nolan | 1 Comment

#COCgingerbread: Joel Ivany softens a Grimm tale of cruelty

Posted on February 9, 2020 by barczablog

It’s called “Hansel and Gretel”, not “kill the witch”. And in the original the witch isn’t even the nastiest character. You may already know that the new Canadian Opera Company production of Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel modernizes the setting to … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged #COCgingerbread, Adelheid Wette, Anna-Sophie Neher, Brothers Grimm, Canadian Opera Company, Emily Fons, Errol Gay, Hansel & Gretel, Joel Ivany, Krisztina Szabo, Russell Braun, S Katy Tucker, Simone Osborne | Leave a comment

Parenthood, poverty, Hansel & Gretel: a conversation with Joel Ivany

Posted on January 26, 2020 by barczablog

In a few days Joel Ivany, Artistic Director of Against the Grain Theatre, will be premiering his new Hansel and Gretel at the Four Seasons Centre, in a Canadian Opera Company production. Singled out for last year’s Against the Grain … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Interviews, Opera | Tagged Adelheid Wette, Against the Grain Theatre, Alexander Neef, Brothers Grimm, Curious George, Emily Fons, Engelbert Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel, Home Alone, Joel Ivany, Johannes Debus, Krisztina Szabo, Michael Colvin, Russell Braun, Simone Osborne, Where the Wilds Things Are | 2 Comments