Browsing: Vocal

Ancient stories, attributed to lesser-known figures, are sometimes strikingly modern. This is the case of St. Marina, known as Marina the Monk, a woman who devoted her life to God despite her life’s tribulations and the prejudice she endured. After her mother’s death, Marina’s father decided to disguise her as a boy and take her to the Qannoubine Monastery in Lebanon, reserved for men. There, she became known as “Brother Marin,” and her sex was only discovered by the community after her death. Her life was deeply marked by a false accusation of rape involving the daughter of an innkeeper.…

Share:

Every fall, young singers from across Canada prepare for auditions and competitions. The rewards are usually cash prizes and recognition. The set of auditions of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques (JAL) organized by Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 (TL20), however, is different—the jury includes many European opera directors and the prizes consist of contracts or tours in Europe. “I believe in giving singers the experience of auditioning and performing in Europe,” said tenor Alain Nonat, the group’s founder. Originally from Paris, Nonat trained as a heldentenor and continued his studies in Montreal before returning to Europe in 1970 to begin his career. Returning…

Share:

Toronto – Seven of Canada’s most talented new opera singers have been named as finalists for the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition on October 30, 2024 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The annual fundraiser and vocal competition showcases the very best in emerging opera talent, with all proceeds supporting the COC’s prestigious artistic career development program, the Ensemble Studio. “It is an immense privilege each year to hear so many emerging singers across the country and to witness their exceptional level of artistry,” says Dorian Cox, Director of the Ensemble Studio. “Centre Stage is…

Share:

TORONTO, ON – Today Opera 5 announces our 2024/2025 season, including the launch of the brand new Toronto Opera Festival. This festival in June 2025 features a series of performances, including the world premiere of Come Closer by Canadian Composer Ryan Trew with a libretto by Opera 5 General Director Rachel Krehm, Opera 5’s first production of musical theatre with performances of Elegies: A Song Cycle by William Finn, and a Gala Performance featuring our Portfolio Artist Interns. Opera 5’s Toronto Opera Festival is Toronto’s first-ever festival of opera and musical theatre celebrating Canadian creation and performers, while creating a…

Share:

McGill graduate Jingjing Xu is the 2024 winner of the prestigious Mirjam Helin Competition held in Helsinki, Finland. The Montreal-based, Chinese mezzo-soprano says that competition selections such as Saariaho’s “Attente” and Ravel’s “Le paon” maximized her opportunity to demonstrate different styles and vocal colours. The first song “contains long notes that must be performed straight-tone and with long crescendi or decrescendi, (in order to) depict stillness and loneliness,” she notes. In a completely different vein, the Ravel required her to narrate the courtship of a peacock! Xu approaches singing from an imaginative standpoint, celebrating how “it creates a spiritual world…

Share:

“My commitment to being a full-time musician really crystallized when I was in high school in London (UK) and was a member of the London Youth Choir and the National Youth Choir,” says soprano Emily Richter. “I got a sneak peak into what life as a musician could look like, and I knew I wanted more.” Richter chased this dream, studying Vocal Performance at Lawrence University and completing a master’s in Voice and Opera Performance at McGill University. Her musical journey led to further training as an Apprentice at Santa Fe Opera and then, as a Resident Artist at Pittsburgh…

Share:

Excellence, beauty and discovery. These are the keywords used by Bourgie Hall to present its new concert season. If there’s one event that brings them all together, it’s the launch of their traversal of the complete catalogue of Schubert’s Lieder. Bourgie Hall’s presentation of the complete cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach had only scarcely been completed when artistic director Olivier Godin was already thinking of another project on a similarly grand scale. There are no fewer than 600 songs born of Schubert’s genius. “It’s a very rich body of works,” he says, “and yet the public hears perhaps 20 per…

Share:

Presenting Mozart’s Requiem is a tradition of the Société philharmonique du Nouveau Monde. Conductor Michel Brousseau, who will be at the helm of three choirs and the orchestra at Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica, tells us the story behind his programming of this repertoire staple. “It’s a recurring event that began some 20 years ago with Jean-Pierre Guindon. Not only was he conductor of the Notre-Dame Basilica choir and artistic director of the sacred music festival with the Quebec Choral Alliance, he was also my predecessor at the helm of the Chanteurs de Sainte-Thérèse. He asked me if I wanted to take…

Share:

In June 2024, choral conductor Simon Fournier was awarded the Prix Jean-Pierre-Guindon by the Quebec Choral Alliance. This award, presented annually by an independent committee, recognizes a choral conductor’s exceptional dedication to the cause of choral singing for at least 25 years. Simon Fournier, who has been involved in the world of choral singing since his days as a chorister with the Petits chanteurs du Mont-Royal, accepted the award with gratitude and humility. “The recognition of my peers, of several colleagues who took the time to congratulate me, touched me deeply and motivates me to continue to surpass myself. It’s…

Share:

After a thrilling and atmospheric finale, with Philzuid conducted by David Parry on 5 October in the Casinozaal of Theater aan de Parade in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Portuguese mezzo-soprano Cláudia Ribas emerged the convincing winner of the 57th opera and oratorio edition of the International Vocal Competition‘s-Hertogenbosch 2024. She won the Grand Prix of the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, consisting of a silver medal and a cash prize of €15,000, and received this grand prize from the hands of Mayor Mikkers of ’s-Hertogenbosch. In addition, 31-year-old Cláudia Ribas won the ANED Public Prize, the Wagner Prize and the Junior Jury Prize. During the…

Share:
1 4 5 6 7 8 110