Tag Archives: opera

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged Canadian Opera Company, classical-music, Elmwood Spa, genre, Giacomo Puccini, Holly Chaplin, La boheme, La Boheme On Tap, Massey Hall, Moonstruck, music, National Ballet of Canada, opera, Opera Revue, Puccini, Redwood Theatre, Ryan Hofman, SOLO, Southern Ontario Lyric Opera, theatre, Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Leave a comment

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. … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged Alexander Hajek, Carmina Burana, classical-music, Daily Bread Food Bank, genre, Giacomo Puccini, La boheme, La Boheme On Tap, music, opera, Opera Revue, Puccini, Redwood Theatre, theatre | 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 … 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