Corona Serenades: Q&A with Philip Kalmanovitch, baritone (Canada)

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Meet Philip Kalmanovitch, baritone singer for Corona Serenades (Canada)

How has COVID-19 affected you?

COVID-19 has affected me in a big way. I was set to travel to Sweden for a big audition literally the weekend the travel ban went into effect. I lost a handful of gigs, and missed out on three competition opportunities. I also lost my side job at a restaurant for obvious reasons. The silver lining was I decided to head home to stay with my parents for the majority of quarantine, so I was able to spend some quality time with them for the first time in years.

What are your five favorite operas?

Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, La Bohème, Pagliacci, Don Carlo.

What are your dream roles?

Don Giovanni, Rodrigo, Germont, Tonio and Scarpia.

What movies, books, TV shows would you recommend?

I highly recommend the podcasts The Adventure Zone and My Brother, My Brother, and Me, the books The Courage to Be Disliked, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, IQ84, the movie Seven Samurai, and the TV show Hannibal.

Why have you signed on to work with the Corona Serenades project?

I’ve signed on to the Corona Serenades because years ago I took part in La Scena Musicale’s Valentine’s Day Singing Telegrams and I loved putting a surprise smile on people’s faces. I miss performing so damn much and this seems like a great opportunity to keep my skills sharp and to brighten someone’s day, which we could all use right about now.

Biography

Canadian baritone Philip Kalmanovitch completed his diploma in operatic performance with honours at the University of Toronto, where he studied with Jo-Anne Bentley. He also holds a B.A.H. in drama and a B.A. minor in music from Queen’s University, studying voice with Bruce Kelly. Currently, he studies with voice teacher Jeremy Aye. His roles with the Opéra de Montréal include Antonio (Le nozze di Figaro), the Secret Police Agent (The Consul), Conte Ceprano (Rigoletto), Il familiare (Roberto Devereux), Sergente (La Bohème), and Le Podestat (Docteur Miracle). In 2014, he made his European concert debut with the Printemps Musical de Silly in Belgium and was Bill Jones in the North American debut of Brokeback Mountain with New York City Opera. Were it not for the pandemic, the 2019-2020 season would have seen Philip appear as Peter in Hansel and Gretel with City Lyric Opera alongside concert performances in and around New York City.

Active in oratorio and concert, Philip has appeared as a soloist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Fairfield County Chorale, the Grand Philharmonic Choir, and the Toronto Orpheus Choir, to name a few. He is especially proud to have premiered two oratorios in Canada: James MacMillan’s Mass and Nils Lindberg’s A Christmas Cantata.

Philip has received recognition as winner of the Galaxie Musique Rising Star Award, the IVAI Silverman Scholarship, an honourable mention from the Ottawa Choral Society New Discoveries Series in 2012 and 2014, the Prix Lyrique Allemand and the Prix Lyrique Giuseppe Verdi-Raoul Blouin from Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, of which he is a three-time laureate, and, most recently, was winner of the VOX New England Classical Idol Competition.