Vocal - my/maSCENA

CVAI: Tamar Simon, soprano

By Adrian Rodriguez on 18 June 2021 Art Song, Opera, Vocal

Name: Tamar Simon Voice type: soprano From: Vancouver Teachers: Nancy Hermiston, James Patrick Raftery, Heidi Melton Education: University of British Columbia opera program. Tamar Simon is an emerging Armenian-Canadian soprano from Vancouver. Her recent roles include Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Musetta in La bohème and Zerlina in Don Giovanni. Heralded for her “clear vibrant tone” by Opera Canada, the young soprano is a winner of the District Award and an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. Tamar is also a frequent performer in British Columbia, singing with Vancouver Opera, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra…

CVAI: Mia Rolland, soprano

By Justin Bernard on 18 June 2021 Art Song, Opera, Vocal

Name: Mia Rolland Voice type: soprano From: United Kingdom Teacher: Dominique Labelle Education: Yale University Opera is everything. It is set, decor, lighting, performers, costume, acting, music and audience. It is opulence and minimalism, art and reality all in one. Calling it ‘fat’ seems to suggest it is superfluous to the basics, or excessive. That ‘extraness’ fuels the stigma. But opera is reality dressed up in music. It is sex, heartbreak and hate. It is inequality, nationalism and religion. It is human emotion at its core. Nothing about that is extra. This is how soprano Mia Rolland defines her longtime…

CVAI: Daevyd Pepper, tenor

By Justin Bernard on 18 June 2021 Art Song, Opera, Vocal

Name: Daevyd Pepper Voice type: tenor From: Canada Teachers: Norma Burrowes, Dr. Darryl Edwards, Frédérique Vézina Education: York University, University of Toronto Opera School I wouldn’t say it was fully my decision, but I’m glad that it happened. I started singing at 17 in a guitar class. The first song I ever sang in public was John Denver’s ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane.’ This was when I discovered I could sing. I started taking voice lessons shortly after and the teacher suggested I start singing classically. Thus began the journey of Canadian tenor Daevyd Pepper into singing and later into…

CVAI: Emmanuel Hasler, tenor

By Justin Bernard on 18 June 2021 Art Song, Opera, Vocal

Name: Emmanuel Hasler Voice type: tenor From: France Teacher: Richard Margison Education: Centre de musique baroque, Versailles; Conservatoire national supérieur de musique, Paris; Université de Montréal. I love singing for sure, but more than anything else I love music as a whole, and opera in particular. Being right there in the middle of that big machine, that world of sounds and emotions, is like delving deep into the recesses of the universe. I have to be there for the ride, because I am so engrossed by it. To me, it is no different a need than taking in a gulp…

CVAI: Hélène Picard, mezzo-soprano

By Justin Bernard on 18 June 2021 Art Song, Opera, Vocal

Name: Hélène Picard Voice type: mezzo-soprano From: France Teachers: Rosemarie Landry, Catherine Sévigny Education: Maîtrise Notre-Dame-de-Paris, Université de Montréal Music has been in Helène Picard’s life from an early age, as she was born into a musical family. As the French-born mezzo recalls: “I was in a class whose program made an allowance within its usual curriculum for added training at the conservatory, mainly in voice. I was also taught violin.” By her own admission, she did not connect with opera immediately. “I have to admit that my love for singing, like all passions in life, was a stormy one.…

Photo: Magnus Skrede

Bergen: Johannes Weisser – Moving moments but less than full control

By Justin Bernard on 8 June 2021 Art Song, Concert Reviews

On June 6, in front of a live audience, the Norwegian baritone Johannes Weisser, accompanied by pianist Christian Ihle Hadland, offered a recital in Troldhaugen – this being the name of the house where composer Edvard Grieg lived, a national treasure. And what better way to honour the former master of the house than to offer a program of his songs, some in Norwegian, others in German. We were able to watch this webcast on June 7 and admire the idyllic surroundings of this heritage property on Nordåsvannet Bay, near Bergen. The balance of the program comprised Gustav Mahler’s five…

Richard Margison: Canadian Vocal Art Institute

By Arthur Kaptainis on 4 June 2021 Classical Music, Vocal

There is nothing like working in a room with singers in person,” Richard Margison, the new artistic director of the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute, said from his home in Stouffville, Ontario. “It’s the best of all possible scenarios.” Many listeners would contend there is nothing like sitting in an auditorium and hearing a singer in person – an option that has been distinctly on the wane since March of 2020. But teachers will teach and singers will sing. This year the CVAI – cancelled last summer for the first time since its founding in Montreal in 2004 – takes…

Tam Photography

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir appoints Jean-Sébastien Vallée as new Artistic Director

By Newswire on 1 June 2021 Arts Industry, Choral

Chair of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Board of Directors, Denny Young, today announced that Jean-Sébastien Vallée has been appointed as the TMC’s eighth Artistic Director. Jean-Sébastien’s appointment comes as TMC prepares to enter the post-pandemic era with a renewed and exciting commitment to choral music performance and creation. His outstanding record of artistic leadership ensures the continuation of TMC’s long and distinguished tradition of excellence. But more than that, his vision for choral music’s capacity to build inclusive communities perfectly aligns with TMC’s aspiration to be a catalyst for change. Jean-Sébastien has a demonstrated talent for creating extraordinary choral music…

"Gould’s Wall" is a re-imagining of the life of Canadian icon and classical pianist Glenn Gould

Royal Conservatory of Music to present world premiere of Gould’s Wall

By Newswire on 25 May 2021 Arts Industry, Opera

The Royal Conservatory of Music is pleased to announce an addition to the ninth 21C Music Festival, taking place in January and February of 2022. Presented in collaboration with Tapestry Opera and Manac Star, the world premiere of Gould’s Wall will open the festival on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 8pm, with additional performances on January 13, 14, 15, and 16. Gould’s Wall is a re-imagining of the life of Canadian icon and classical pianist Glenn Gould and features singers climbing along the interior wall of The Royal Conservatory’s atrium. This daring new opera echoes Gould’s constant striving for artistic perfection and the…

Emily D’Angelo signs with Deutsche Grammophon

By Newswire on 25 May 2021 Arts Industry, Vocal

Deutsche Grammophon is pleased to announce the signing of an exclusive agreement with the 26-year-old Italian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, an artist already in high demand at the world’s leading opera houses and concert venues. “In a word, Emily D’Angelo is a phenomenon” – Le Devoir’s pithy review sums up the way her voice wows public and press alike. Opera Wire was equally full of praise about her 2019 performances in La clemenza di Tito at New York’s Metropolitan Opera: “D’Angelo’s Annio was undeniably the bright light of the evening, always looking poised and energised for every moment of conflict.” A keen recitalist…

Browsing: Vocal

CVAI: Tamar Simon, soprano

CVAI: Mia Rolland, soprano

CVAI: Daevyd Pepper, tenor

CVAI: Emmanuel Hasler, tenor

CVAI: Hélène Picard, mezzo-soprano

Bergen: Johannes Weisser – Moving moments but less than full control

Richard Margison: Canadian Vocal Art Institute

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir appoints Jean-Sébastien Vallée as new Artistic Director

Royal Conservatory of Music to present world premiere of Gould’s Wall

Emily D’Angelo signs with Deutsche Grammophon

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