Soprano Carole-Anne Roussel is forging a path that diverges from the mainstream model. She notes that perhaps it was this kind of “bold move,” here in the context of repertoire choices, that made her stand out in the Queen Elisabeth Competition. One of two Canadian laureates, Roussel says she was “proud of the choice to go against the grain” and sing a less popular soprano repertoire, including works by Menotti, Beach, Poulenc, and an aria from Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. Outside of her unique repertoire selections, Roussel aspires to be a relevant, useful musician. She believes strongly in the power…
Browsing: Vocal
Although Davóne Tines may have “tumbled his way into the opera world” somewhat accidentally, his artistic output has been deliberate ever since. As a young person, he says, he didn’t know where he would end up. Tines completed undergraduate studies in sociology at Harvard University, and worked at a series of arts organizations as an administrator, before considering the prospect of life as a professional musician. Tines grew up singing – in the Black Baptist church, growing up in Virginia; at college, in a Renaissance polyphony ensemble; in the professional choir at the National Shrine in DC; and in a…
The Canadian Opera Company opened its 2023-24 season with a rare gem. Fidelio is the only opera Beethoven ever wrote, and it has not been performed by the COC in almost 15 years. Leonore hatches a plan to rescue her husband Florestan, who has been wrongfully incarcerated for trying to expose the wrongdoings of Don Pizzaro, governor of the prison. She disguises herself as a man by the name of Fidelio, to work at the prison where her husband is held. She saves him just in the nick of time, as Don Pizzaro is about the silence Florestan for good…
Toronto, September 29 – The Canadian Opera Company (COC) and National Arts Centre (NAC) have officially co-commissioned Empire of Wild, an imaginative and enthralling new mainstage opera from composer Ian Cusson and librettist Cherie Dimaline that centres the Georgian Bay Métis community at the heart of its story. “I am thrilled to be partnering with the National Arts Centre in the creation of this important, contemporary opera,” says COC General Director Perryn Leech. “Empire of Wild embodies years of community-rooted work that the Canadian Opera Company has been doing through regular discourse with its Circle of Artists, and marks a tangible…
Toronto, September 25, 2023 — The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir announces an exciting array of community events for the 2023/2024 season, led by an all-new Community Engagement team under the artistic direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée. From free performances to choral workshops, the TMChoir returns this season with both long-time choral favourites and new community endeavours. To facilitate these new ventures, the TMChoir appointed Lesley Emma Bouza as Community Engagement Coordinator and Justin Jalea as Community Engagement Advisor. “This season, I’m excited to explore the diverse communities and identities that intersect within TMChoir and to better understand our choir’s own identity,” says…
In September 2023, the Professional Chamber Choir in Edmonton, AB, fired singer Erin Craig. The board for the choir, also known as Pro Coro, says it’s an issue with their contracting process. But Craig, who went on to protest outside the choir’s first concert of the 2023-2024 season on September 16, believes they were released on the basis of gender discrimination. It’s a controversy that started back in mid-July, when artistic director Michael Zaugg invited Craig to a coffee shop for a private meeting. Though neither Craig nor the board were available to comment on the nature of the meeting,…
On Tuesday, September 12, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) launches its 90th season with two musical masterpieces of the 20th century. Kicking off his 3rd season at the helm of the OSM, Rafael Payare conducts Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. The programme highlights the Maison symphonique’s great Pierre-Béique, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The first work on the program features an entire movement for solo organ. OSM organist-in-residence Jean-Willy Kunz brings his virtuosity to the fore on the high notes, while soprano Camilla Tilling, alto Rose Naggar-Tremblay, tenor Ladislav Elgr and bass…
In a faraway city named Cérulée, a 200-year-old power-hungry vampire has been unleashed and the inhabitants must quickly find a way to neutralize her powers before it’s too late—welcome to the captivating world imagined by Vivianne Delorme, an up-and-coming stage director and producer who is ready to bewitch audiences with her very first opera Sortilegio. Original concept Developing the project took more than 100 hours of research and discussions. During lockdown, inspired by some of her favourite fantasy novels such as Lord of the Rings, Delorme came up with the idea of writing the libretto. “Initially, I wanted to organize…
Quebec Bas-Saint-Laurent Le Choeur de Rimouski www.choeurderimouski.wordpress.com Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean La Bande Sonore Saguenay www.fb.com/La-Bande-Sonore-448817948495426 National-Capital Choeur Azurythmes www.choeurazurythmes.com Choeur de l’Université Laval www.choeurul.asso.ulaval.ca Choeur de la Cité www.lechoeurdelacite.com Choeur de la Colline www.choeurdelacolline.org Choeur de Québec Choeur du Domaine www.fb.com/lechoeurdudomaine Choeur du musée de la civilisation www.choeurmuseecivilisation.com Choeur du Vallon www.choeurduvallon.com Choeur La Clé des Saisons www.choeurlacledessaisons.org Choeur Les Rhapsodes www.lesrhapsodes.com Chorale l’Odyssée vocale de Vanier www.odysseevocale.com Cœur de Charlesbourg www.coeurdecharlesbourg.com Ensemble de musique sacrée de Québec www.emsq.org Ensemble Polyphonia de Québec www.polyphonia.qc.ca Ensemble vocal Baroquo-Negro www.baroquo-negro.com Ensemble vocal CharleVoix www.ensemblevocalcharlevoix.com Groupe vocal Les Loriots de Cap-Rouge www.lesloriots.ca L’Odyssée Vocale www.odysseevocale.com…
This section is an advertising supplement. To announce here, contact [email protected]. Kevin Lau: Under a Veil of Stars Kevin Lau Rachel Mercer, cello; Scott St. John, violin; Angela Park, piano Leaf Music LM273; release date Sept. 15, 2023 Kevin Lau: Under A Veil of Stars invites you to explore the spectrum of human emotions and experiences. Across nine captivating tracks, each brimming with its own distinct mood and theme, Kevin Lau’s composition invites you to interpret their profound meaning through the prism of your own unique perspective. This album was recorded in a studio at Western University in London, Ont.,…