Obituaries

Michael Cavanagh (1961-2024)

By Gianmarco Segato on 13 March 2024 Arts Industry, Obituaries, Opera

Renowned Canadian opera director Michael Cavanagh has passed away suddenly at the age of 62. Cavanagh was one of Canada’s most prolific and sought-after opera directors who in 2020 was appointed Artistic Director of the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. Cavanagh directed over 150 opera productions at 32 companies in Canada, U.S. and Europe. He had a particularly close relationship with San Francisco Opera where most recently, he directed new productions of their Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy: Le nozze di Figaro (2019), Così fan tutte (2021) and Don Giovanni (2022). Previous to his appointment in Stockholm, he directed high profile productions…

Seiji Ozawa (Photo under Creative Commons license)

Breaking News | Seiji Ozawa Dies at 88

By Eva Stone-Barney on 9 February 2024 Obituaries, Orchestral

Classical music lovers everywhere mourn the death of Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa, who died on Feb. 6, at the age of 88.

Marlena Malas

Remembering Marlena Malas: The Legacy of One of Opera’s Greatest Teachers

By Bridget Esler on 18 December 2023 Art Song, Obituaries, Opera, Orchestral, Vocal

Voice teacher Marlena Malas’s home was one of warmth, hard work, and beautiful singing. Singers came from far and wide, seeking both vocal, and personal, guidance.

Marlena Malas

Breaking News | Marlena Kleinman Malas Dies

By Eva Stone-Barney on 5 December 2023 Arts Industry, Obituaries

The international opera community mourns the death of Marlena Kleinman Malas, today. Malas was a mezzo soprano, and voice teacher. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, she began teaching at the Curtis Institute in 1986, and at the Juilliard School in 1989. She was the director of the Chautauqua Institution’s Opera Conservatory, previously known as the School of Music Voice Program. Some of opera’s biggest names have benefitted from her mentorship, including Susan Graham, Lyne Fortin, Jean Michel-Richter and Florie Valiquette. Share your memories about Marlena Malas and her teaching: send an email to [email protected]

Michael O'Brian (Photo by Karina Hjort Petersen)

Industry News (November/December 2023 – January 2024)

By Eva Stone-Barney on 10 November 2023 Arts Industry, Obituaries

Obituaries Longtime arts supporter Michael O’Brian died on Oct. 6. Born in Penticton, B.C., in 1941, O’Brian served as a volunteer director of numerous arts organizations in Vancouver and beyond, including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Opera, Museum of Anthropology, the National Art Gallery of Canada, and Emily Carr University. Belgian pianist, composer, and conductor François Glorieux died on Sept. 23 at the age of 91. The honorary professor of music at the Royal Music Conservatory of Ghent and Yale University presented upward of 6,000 concerts, and composed approximately 300 pieces during his career. Russell Sherman, the American pianist and…

Highlights | New Métis Opera Releases This Fall, Sphere Concert Wows Las Vegas

By Zenith Wolfe on 6 October 2023 Highlights, Montreal, Obituaries, Opera, Orchestral, Vocal

Welcome to La Scena Musicale’s weekly Highlights, a roundup of classical music news from Canada and beyond. With the reveal of a new Métis opera, the impending release of a Canadian actor’s first French album, and the inaugural Sphere concert in Las Vegas, musical innovation is in the air this October! Recent and Upcoming Shows The Canadian Opera Company has opened their 2023-2024 season with Fidelio. It’s the first time the COC has performed this opera in 15 years and they did not disappoint, says critic Denise Lai. Vancouver Bach Choir will unveil their new season (Stir) with works by…

Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Highlights | 2023-2024 concert seasons begin, Nézet-Séguin coaches Bradley Cooper

By Zenith Wolfe on 29 September 2023 Arts Industry, Highlights, Obituaries

Welcome to La Scena Musicale’s weekly Highlights, a roundup of classical music news from Canada and beyond. It’s the time for new music seasons, and that means many inaugural concerts are underway! 2023-2024 Season Updates For their first concert of the 2023-2024 season, Violons du Roy presented La Seine en fête (La Presse) at Palais Montcalm, which was originally on their 2020 schedule but delayed for three years due to the pandemic. The ensemble has since recruited a flute quartet, two oboists, a bassoonist, and a guitarist. Nouvel Ensemble Moderne announced the start of its 35th season with a performance…

Elora Singers conductors Lydia Adams was awarded the Order of Canada

Industry News

By Eva Stone-Barney on 1 September 2023 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Music Competition, Obituaries

Obituaries Pianist and founding member of the Beaux Arts Trio, Menahem Pressler, died on May 6, at the age of 99. Alongside his performing career, he maintained a career as a professor of music at the Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Austrian pianist Ingrid Haebler died on May 14, 2023, at the age of 96. She was especially known for her interpretation of works by Mozart and Schubert. Montreal-based choral conductor Mary Jane Puiu died on May 16, at the age of 73. In honour of her life, a reprint of her 2010 interview is included in this issue.…

Mary-Jane Puiu (1950 – 2023)

By Wah Keung Chan on 27 May 2023 Choral, Education, Montreal, Obituaries

My first choral conductor Mary-Jane Puiu (b. March 8, 1950) passed away on May 16, 2023 at the age of 73. According to tenor Eduardo Aparicio, “despite battling a long devastating disease, she heroically managed to keep conducting her choir till the last minute of her life.” We pay tribute to Puiu by republishing a profile/interview I conducted of her in La Scena Musicale in 2010 for her 60th birthday. According to the McGill Choral Society’s Facebook page, here are the details of the service on June 12, 2023: An Orthodox service for close friends and family will be held…

Newswire | National Arts Centre Mourns the Loss of Jocelyn Morlock (1969-2023)

By Newswire on 29 March 2023 Classical Music, Newswire, Obituaries

MARCH 28, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Canada’s National Arts Centre is mourning the loss of Jocelyn Morlock, a remarkably gifted Canadian composer and a bright light for contemporary music in Canada. Her work was celebrated by many, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, who commissioned her JUNO Award-winning work My Name is Amanda Todd as part of the landmark multimedia commission Life Reflected. My Name is Amanda Todd premiered on May 19, 2016. It was performed at the Luminato Festival Toronto in 2017 and in performance halls across Western Canada during the Orchestra’s Canada 150 Tour. In 2018, it…

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