Tag Archives: opera

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

Reflections from Stephen Bell, former COC chorister, Founder of Coffeeshop Film & Creative

Posted on June 16, 2025 by barczablog

Stephen Bell is an award winning filmmaker and visual designer based in Toronto. Videographer by day and opera singer by night, Stephen is the Founder of Coffeeshop Film & Creative. And on May 25th Stephen posted on Facebook that after … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Interviews, Opera | Tagged Angela Bell, Bardia Doust, Brahm Goldhamer, Canadian Opera Company, COC Chorus, Coffeeshop Film & Creative, digital content, Eric Moniz, Four Seasons Centre, La Maupin, Messiah/Complex, music, opera, OperaQ, passagio, Sandra Horst, Stephen Bell, Tenor, videographer, videography | Leave a comment

COC’s Wozzeck, a relatable opera

Posted on April 28, 2025 by barczablog

This spring season of the Canadian Opera Company feels a bit like the second coming of Alexander Neef, their former General Director. Next week we’ll be seeing the revival of Robert Carsen’s Eugene Onegin, a production that Neef brought to … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged Alban Berg, Alexander Cappellazzo, Alexander Neef, Alexander Pushkin, Ambur Braid, Canadian Opera Company, Catherine Meyburgh, Eugene Onegin, Greta Goiris, Johannes Debus, Karl Emil Franzos, Kim Gunning, Literaturoper, Luc De Wit, Michael Kupfer-Radecky, Michael Schade, Mikael Kangas, modernist, music, opera, review, Sabine Theunissen, theatre, Urs Schönebaum, William Kentridge, Wozzeck | 13 Comments

Alexandra Delle Donne discusses their Mozart – Menotti double bill

Posted on February 24, 2025 by barczablog

When I heard that soprano Alexandra Delle Donne was producing a twin-bill of one act operas, I wanted to know more. The night of Saturday March 8th and the afternoon of Sunday March 9th Alexandra will be singing in Menotti’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged Alexandra Delle Donne, classical-music, Der Schauspieldirektor, East End United, Giancarlo Menotti, James Sandau, Joshua Clemenger, Katelyn Bird, Mehkriban Mamedova, music, opera, Out of the Cold, The Telephone, theatre, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Leave a comment

Varieties of virtuosity: an interview with Piano Lunaire founder Adam Sherkin

Posted on February 2, 2025 by barczablog

Last month I was delighted to discover Adam Sherkin at a free noon-hour concert in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, a brilliant pianist & composer I probably should have heard sooner and founder of Piano Lunaire. I jumped at the chance … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged Adam Sherkin, Barbara Hannigan, Boris Lysenko, Brian Current, Canadian Opera Company, Franz Josef Haydn, Franz Liszt, Julien Bilodeau, La Reine-Garçon, Leon Fleisher, opera, paraphrase, piano, Piano Lunaire, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Stewart Goodyear, Thomas Adès, Udo Steingraeber, virtuosity, virtuoso | Leave a comment

New COC Butterfly gets it right

Posted on January 27, 2025 by barczablog

Everything clicked today in the Canadian Opera Company presentation of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Four Seasons Centre. I’ve been enjoying the music of this opera all my life in spite of shortcomings, never having experienced a production that was … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Eri Nakamura, Gene Wu, Giacomo Puccini, Hyona Kim, Julius Ahn, Kang Wang, Keri-Lynn WIlson, madama butterfly, Michael Samuel, opera, Puccini, Samuel Chan | Leave a comment

Talking to Lauren Margison about Alceste

Posted on January 3, 2025 by barczablog

Canadian soprano Lauren Margison will sing the title role in Gluck’s Alceste on January 12th with Voicebox Opera in Concert. Lauren is a graduate of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble studio, the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged Alceste, Ann Cooper Gay, Christine Goerke, Christoph Willibald Gluck, classical-music, Guillermo Silva-Marin, Lauren Margison, opera, Richard Margison, Valerie Kuinka, Voicebox Opera in Concert | Leave a comment

Ambitious COC Faust

Posted on October 14, 2024 by barczablog

The Canadian Opera Company have a new production of Charles Gounod’s 1859 opera Faust, telling the tale of the old man who sells his soul to the devil for youth and romance. Gounod’s opera is but one of the many … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alex Hetherington, Amy Lane, Canadian Opera Company, Charles Gounod, Emma Ryott, Faust, Guanqun Yu, Johannes Debus, Jules Barbier, Korin Thomas-Smith, Kyle Ketelsen, Long Long, Megan Latham, Michel Carré, opera, Szymon Mechlinski, theatre | Leave a comment

Sankofa: The Soldier’s Tale Retold, and Andrew Burashko’s farewell to Art of Time

Posted on October 9, 2024 by barczablog

For the last 25 years, Art of Time Ensemble has been on the cutting edge of the performing arts in Canada, fusing music with theatre, dance, film and literature in unique and unprecedented ways. The list of illustrious artists who … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged Andrew Burashko, Art of Time, Art of Time Ensemble, Diego Matamoros, Joel Ivany, John Gzowski, Kevin Lamotte, Leon Fleisher, librettist, Marek Jablonski, opera, Peggy Baker, Sankofa, Sankofa: The Soldier's Tale Retold, Tawiah M'Carthy, Titilope Sonuga | 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