Beardism, the Lumbersexual, and the Young Performer

Op-ed

This post isn’t so much about singing or opera or theatre in the usual sense. I just wanted to talk about one of the parts of our industry that sort of gets taken for granted by the audience. I make that statement because I’m guilty of it. I also opened with that little bit of a diatribe so that I can hope make a point stronger.

To Dance for Grandma, or the Spontaneity Question

Op-ed

In opera circles, one of the beloved stories of innocent lay-person ignorance is the old chestnut: “Oh you’re an opera singer? Can you sing something for me right now?” The implication of this hypothetical, that it’s utterly ridiculous to ask an opera singer to demonstrate his or her skills, is really telling of characteristics unique to classical musicians. For trained opera singers, the concept of spontaneity is, for some reason, unwelcome.

Opera Australia: hating haters?

Op-ed

Well, it's been a weird week for critics. After opera critic Paolo Isotta, of the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, got himself blacklisted from receiving free media tickets from La Scala, new management has lifted his ban. Although Corriere has since decided to refuse free ticket offers from La Scala in the future, Artistic and music directors Alexander Pereira and Riccardo Chailly have said that they won't ban any critics from requesting media seats (including Paolo Isotta). How progressive.

#RoundUp2014

Op-ed

The dwindling calendar days of the year, the family time, and the potential hangovers tend to bring out our best days of nostalgia. In my case, it’s flipping through the collection of events I’ve had the fortune to attend over 2014, remembering the good, forgiving the bad, and noticing no ugly. In the spirit of wrapping things up, I offer up a list of my most memorable moments of the year. And since he’s contributed to Schmopera with his own sets of expertise over the year, I also asked guest writer Greg Finney to list his 2014 highlights.

Can Opera Make Money?

Op-ed

Opera doesn't make money, it never has, and we all know it. I was recently asked about opera's economy and why opera companies have never functioned as a for-profit theatre company. The theoretical comparison was between the Canadian Opera Company and Mirvish Productions.

Unpaid Artists, and all the ways they can stay that way

Op-ed

I came across two separate articles the other day, on the topic of artists working without pay. The first was this open letter to Oprah, written by Revolva, a professional hula hoop act and vaudeville performer. Apparently, Oprah's The Life You Want Weekend tour invited Revolva to work for their San Jose stop earlier this month. The catch: she'd be working for free.

Shh...Don't tell them it's opera!

Op-ed

I'm spending this month touring around Ontario, putting on opera for kids. We bring a whole set, costumes, props and electric keyboard, to school gyms and perform for hundreds of kids, twice a day. It's a lot of early mornings, a lot of equipment-schlepping, and a lot of time in the tour van.

Encore?

Op-ed

I was in rehearsal for an upcoming concert, and the only thing left to look at was the encore. I always feel like a lame impostor, rehearsing an encore.

The Opera Posse Phenomenon

Op-ed

Opera singers are masters of multi-tasking: they juggle an important list of technical elements in order to sing a performance, and they have to do it in foreign languages, while following a conductor and negotiating weird costumes/lighting/staging. Singers' to-do lists don't get simpler as they gain experience.

A Tale of Two Cio-Cio Sans

Op-ed

I worked on the COC's production of Madama Butterfly (the final show is tonight), and it was a chance for me to see a perfect example of artistic individuality. The twelve-show run at the Four Seasons Centre was shared by two almost entirely different leading casts, save for Elizabeth DeShong as Suzuki.