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Affiche de spectacle de l'Opéra de Montréal.

Rentrée 2021: Opera and vocal art

By Justin Bernard on 10 September 2021 Art Song, Opera

A double bill from the Opéra de Montréal On Sept. 25 and 26 the Ballet Opéra Pantomime company and the I Musici de Montréal chamber orchestra joins the Opéra de Montréal in the Théâtre Maisonneuve to present the premiere of Le Flambeau de la nuit by Hubert Tanguay-Labrosse (music) and Olivier Kemeid (words). Bringing together more than 60 artists on stage, this opera is conceived as a mirror of the opera Riders to the Sea by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, from which it borrows the dramatic process of closed doors, the ghostly presence of a female choir and…

Chants Libres presents l’Orangeraie

By Arnaud G. Veydarier on 9 September 2021 Opera, Vocal

Entre drame humain et conte politique At the cutting edge of the contemporary scene for more than 30 years, the Chants Libres company is presenting the world premiere this fall of its new opera L’orangeraie. Adapted from the novel of the same title and presented as a coproduction with the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM), the opera depicts the throes of war in the Middle East through a gripping family drama. Genesis Deeply impressed by Larry Tremblay’s 2013 novel, the founding artistic director of Chants Libres, Pauline Vaillancourt, felt a deep empathy for the characters, whose music she could hear instantly.…

Andrew Gray, artistic and musical director of Voces Boreales - Photo courtesy of Voces Boreales

Path of Miracles: a musical pilgrimage with Voces Boreales

By Arnaud G. Veydarier on 3 September 2021 Choral

by Olivier Bergeron and Arnaud G. Veydarier Andrew Gray couldn’t have chosen a better city than Montreal when, in 2010, he decided to leave the U.K. to start a new chapter in his already flourishing career. In fact, the “city of a hundred bells” boasts a well-established choral tradition, with two symphony orchestras, a ballet company and hundreds of vocal ensembles of all levels. It was in this rich musical landscape that Gray won his first official position as conductor of the Montreal Children’s Choir, which he left in 2015 to take over artistic and musical direction of the Montreal…

Photo: Vancouver Opera

Six Participating Artists in Vancouver Opera’s 2021–22 Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program

By Newswire on 26 August 2021 Classical Music, Education, Opera

AUGUST 25, 2021, VANCOUVER, B.C. – Vancouver Opera is proud to welcome two new participants to the 2021–2022 Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program. Hillary Tufford and Amanda Testini will join returning artists Ian Cleary, Luka Kawabata, Amy Seulky Lee, and Jonelle Sills. “Our 2021–2022 participants are an exceptional group of artists who will have an opportunity to work and train with world-class opera professionals this coming season,” says Tom Wright, Vancouver Opera General Director. “With our anticipated return to stage this year, we are pleased to welcome back a few of last year’s young artists—who had extraordinary performances in…

italfestMTL will present Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi on Aug. 22nd

italfestMTL’s virtual experience is back

By Newswire on 2 August 2021 Opera

MONTREAL, July 30, 2021 – italfestMTL’s virtual experience is back with a renewed and overflowing programming, complemented by a special in-person event. The festival, formerly known as Montreal’s Italian Week, will enhance the summer of all Montrealers in the name of the Italian culture. This rebranded 28th edition, presented by MastroMD & San DanieleMD, spokesperson, Alexandra Cosentino and together with ambassadors Sicilianudimontreal and Nonna Maria will entertain us on social media with humorous videos. The festival will brighten up your summer days from August 6 to 22, 2021. Tune in for concert performances featuring Manny Blu, Daniela Fiorentino, Anna Liani, Gianni…

COC’s Ensemble Studio welcomes two new emerging artists

By Newswire on 30 July 2021 Opera

Toronto – The COC Ensemble Studio welcomes two new artists for the 2021/2022 season: soprano Charlotte Siegel and pianist Vladimir Soloviev. The two officially join the Ensemble Studio on August 30, 2021, becoming part of an innovative development program that has launched the careers of nearly 230 Canadian opera professionals. “This year, we connected virtually with promising young artists from all across Canada,” says Roberto Mauro, COC Director of Artistic Planning. “Despite the challenges of recent circumstances, artistic development remains a top priority for the COC – and a pillar of who we are as a national performing arts organization.” “Our newest members are…

Italian Dramatic tenor Giuseppe Giacomini dies at 80

By Adrian Rodriguez on 29 July 2021 Arts Industry, Opera

The tenor Giuseppe Giacomini died July 28 at the age of 80 in the town of Veggiano (Padua), where he was born on Sept. 7, 1940. Giacomini specialized in the verismo and dramatic repertoire and had great success in roles such as Otello, Don Alvaro, Radamès, Calaf, Poliione, Andrea Chénier and Canio. La Scala in Milan, the San Carlo in Naples, the Liceu in Barcelona, the National Theatre in Munich, the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opera and Covent Garden in London as well as the Metropolitan in New York were some of the stages on which his brilliant career…

Karina Gauvin in stellar form

By Arthur Kaptainis on 26 July 2021 Arts Industry, Classical, Concert Reviews, Opera

JOLIETTE – Negative in so many ways, the pandemic has given local presenters a good reason to hire Canadian talent. The Lanaudière Festival profited from the opportunity Sunday afternoon in the Fernand-Lindsay Amphitheatre by matching the soprano Karina Gauvin with Les Violons du Roy under Nicolas Ellis. Gauvin has been making music for years but seems no less special for her accessibility. Official biographies stress her strength in baroque repertoire. In fact she can do it all. This program focused on Gluck and Mozart, the composers most responsible for ushering opera from baroque formality into an era of relative realism.…

Albertine: a story for all women

By Olivier Bergeron on 16 July 2021 Contemporary, Opera

Albertine, en cinq temps tells the story of a woman who finds herself alone with her memories after a turbulent life. Confined to a retirement home room at age 70 following an overdose, we discover her in the midst of a conversation with her own ghosts: Albertine at 30, 40, 50 and 60 years old as well as her sister Madeleine, who died several years earlier. The operatic version of Michel Tremblay’s play, set to music by Catherine Major, will be performed by six Canadian singers who actively participated in the creative process, which was the work of an all-female…

Michel Tremblay, opera fanatic

By Olivier Bergeron on 15 July 2021 Classical Music, Opera

Michel Tremblay is a leading light in Quebec. For Quebecers he could perhaps even be called the leading light. Since the publication of his first collection in 1966, his stories, novels and plays have been part of our cultural landscape, whether for students who discover his novels in high school or for those who love to see (and return to) his theatrical works, which are never far from the stage in Montreal or elsewhere in the province. Since he has been a presence in the lives of Quebecers for more than half a century, we all have the impression of…

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