Friday, December 4, 2009

Prime Up Those Speakers





This just in!!

Join the COC this Saturday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. as The Nightingale & Other Short Fables makes its radio debut on Saturday Afternoon at the Opera.

Listen to the opera at coc.ca and participate in a live chat with host Gianna Wichelow and members of the cast and creative team, including conductor Jonathan Darlington and soprano Simone Osborne.

Maestro Jonathan Darlington is, of course, VO's Musical Director. (we're looking forward to having you return for Marriage of Figaro!)

Soprano Simone Osbourne was awarded VO's 2007 Toni Cavelti Bursary for Aspiring BC Opera Singing Student, as well as participating in our YACIN (Young Artist Coaching Intensive) program. (we're all proud of you!)

Listen in to hear these two rock those airwaves!

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

A Grant For The Up And Comers

The Vancouver Opera Guild will disburse a $6,000 Career Development Grant in June 2010. This Grant will be available to Canadian Citizens and those with Landed Immigrant status between the ages of 20 and 33. The deadline for the receipt of completed applications is April 15, 2010. This year’s grant is available for singers only.

The purpose of the Grant is to help people involved with opera, or those preparing for a career in the operatic field, to improve their skills or to work on a personal project related to opera. The grant is not available to students for the completion of a music degree, but is designed to assist those not yet fully established in a professional career.

Grant applications will be judged by a jury of three members of the operatic/artistic community on the following points:

- potential of the applicant
- merit of the project
- artistic/operatic background

The Grant will be made available at the start of the successful candidate’s project. The recipient must send a report on the project to the Vancouver Opera Guild not later than three months after its completion.

Further information and application forms available from:

Mrs. R. Michael LePage
9531 Neill Place
Richmond, BC
V7E 5J6
Tel: (604)274-2729

Les Dala: Stellar Music Maker



This just in! VO is pleased to hear that our very own Chorus Director and Associate Conductor, Les Dala, has been appointed as the new Music Director of Vancouver Bach Choir! Way to go, Les!

Here's the new release from Vancouver Bach Choir:

Anthony Roper, President of the Vancouver Bach Choir, announced today the appointment of Leslie Dala as Music Director of the choir, effective July 2010. On behalf of the choir, Mr. Roper expressed great pleasure at the appointment and the expectation of many years of stellar music making.

As Music Director designate, Mr. Dala agreed, "I am thrilled to be chosen as the new Music Director of the Vancouver Bach Choir. This is one of Canada's most acclaimed choirs and it is a great honour to succeed Bruce Pullan who has left a remarkable legacy during the course of his tenure. It is never an easy time when there is a changing of the guard, but I relish this opportunity and I look forward to the challenges ahead and to working with this wonderful ensemble in exploring the great works for chorus and orchestra”.

Described as “a dynamic young conductor, equally at home with symphonic music, opera and contemporary work”, Leslie Dala is in demand across Canada. He has been Music Director of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra for the past seven seasons, Chorus Director and Associate Conductor with the Vancouver Opera for five seasons and was recently appointed Principal Conductor of the Vancouver Academy of Music Orchestra.

During his tenure with the Prince George Symphony the orchestra has given many first performances of important works from the 20th Century as well as several premieres of newly commissioned works. As Chorus Director and Associate Conductor of Vancouver Opera, Leslie has assisted with over fifty main stage productions and conducted the company premiere of Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera, and Verdi’s Rigoletto.

Leslie Dala’s experience and interests fit well with the Vancouver Bach Choir, a 150 voice ensemble specializing in symphonic choral music. Through its own series of concerts presented at the Orpheum each season, the choir has become known for presenting the Canadian or British Columbian premieres of many important choral works such as Mahler’s 8th Symphony, Berlioz’ Messe Solennelle, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem and Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio as well as a broad spectrum of music from the symphonic choral repertoire. The choir has made several successful films for television including Whalesong, the Gemini Award-winning film of its Expo 86 concert, and has undertaken numerous national and international tours, singing from London to Tokyo and from Warsaw and Paris to Toronto and Calgary.

Once A Norma Lover, Always A Norma Lover

In 1960, Vancouver Opera made its debut in our fair city. Three years later, VO produced a legendary Norma with Maestro Richard Bonynge at the helm and soprano Joan Sutherland on the stage.

For VO's 50th Anniversary, it was only fitting to have Maestro Bonynge return to conduct Norma once again.

And for both performances, Heimke Haldane was in the audience.

Heimke was 21 when she saw Norma the first time around. Having grown up listening to Opera at the Met on the radio with her mother, Terrace B.C. born and raised Heimke came to appreciate opera at a very young age. Her parents were Vancouver Opera subscribers in the '60s and Heimke watched her first opera, The Magic Flute, when she was just 10 years old. On a family vacation to Germany, no less.

Since then, Heimke has always been involved in the arts; coming down to Vancouver 2-3 times a year to take in a show.

Having been to the 1960 Norma, what were Heimke's thoughts on second coming of Norma?

She LOVED it. Heimke thought Hasmik Papian as Norma and Kate Aldrich as Adalgisa perfectly complemented each other and that the music was absolutely wonderful. As well, she was wowed by the gorgeous renovations of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

The timing was perfect as she just found her original Norma program with, signed by Bonynge and Sutherland from the 1960 post-party reception. This time around, Heimke brought down her book, Bravo! The History of Opera in British Columbia for the Maestro to autograph at the backstage party.

So what's next for Heimke and her opera adventures?

She'll be in Italy, during the Christmas holidays, watching her son compete in a volleyball tournament. And going to Carmen at La Scala, of course.


Heike with Maestro Bonynge at the backstage party

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Thursday, December 3, 2009

A Few Words From Senator Jack Austin

I am very pleased to turn today’s Nixon in China blog space over to Senator Jack Austin, a great friend of Vancouver Opera and a valued advisor to our Nixon in China project.

Jack Austin has seen the changes in China year after year since 1971. As a Canadian Senator, he chaired the Canada China Legislative Association. From 1993 to 2000 he was President of the Canada China Business Council. Senator Austin has met and worked with every Premier of China from Zhou En-lai in 1971 to Wen Jiabao today.

~ James W. Wright, General Director

To delve into Jack Austin's memories of that era, click here.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Twenty Questions with Alain Coulombe



No stranger to the Vancouver Opera stage, Canadian bass Alain Coulombe impressed us all with his portrayal of Don Fernando in Fidelio, as well as Zuniga in last season's Carmen. For Vancouver Opera's Golden Anniversary season, Coulombe is singing the role of Oroveso in the season's opener of Norma. A favourite among critics and the opera-going public, Coulombe is one of the most commanding and exciting singers of his generation.

Guilty musical pleasure?
Jazz, instrumental and vocal; they have the highest position on my music list.

Where do you love to sing?
Anywhere there is a fair combination of talent, passion, fun, dedication, intelligent concept, music making and stage direction, as well as genuine egoless work and collaboration between all the creative teams on the production.

What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Family, love, creativity, humility, compassion, forgiveness.

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Since I have a tendency to over indulge in the bliss of good food, in order to keep an ideal weight and stay in good physical shape, I apply a simple equation to my life: As long as I burn as much energy as I take in, I don’t gain weight. It’s as simple as that!

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines of fiction?
The characters from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The complexity of conversations, the language of the time and the numerous rules about social etiquette are fascinating.

Who are your favourite characters in history?
The great peacemakers, the people who have the courage to fight against discrimination, and change the face of the world by their actions and dedication.

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines in real life?
My parents and my partner, for their amazing attitude towards life and for their true understanding of love, compassion, sharing, forgiveness, resilience and joy.

Who is your favourite author?
WOW! I like so many authors... it changes with the seasons of life! Right now, I am reading Joseph Boyden.

Your favourite musician?
Way too many! From Keith Jarrett to Miles Davis and from Christa Ludwig to Cesare Siepi, there is a world of amazing musicians and singers that I admire!

Your favourite composer?
Same here! Between jazz, classical, folk, world music, so many options! I think Richard Strauss was in a class apart, as well as Bach. Monteverdi, well he started the whole opera thing... Joni Mitchell, a genius, ageless... And I haven’t even put a foot into the ocean of jazz and world music yet... impossible to choose!

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Honesty. I highly respect people who have the courage not to play games and show themselves with their strengths, weaknesses, vulnerability and truth.

Your favourite virtue?
Forgiveness, compassion.

Your favourite occupation?
Besides being on stage, it is interior design and home renovations.

What did you want to be as a child?
A doctor, a dentist, a priest, a concert pianist! I pretty much have been every one of these on stage at some point now!

Your most marked characteristic?
My ability to give everything I have on stage, day in day out. Many colleagues and friends would tell you that I am always friendly with people, generous, but that I have also a very private side, which is true. Solitude is a vital thing for me! It keeps me grounded and sane.

What do you most value in your friends?
Their unconditional love, respect and compassion.

For what would you like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered for having been my true self in every moment of my life, and for having shared my talents with people with generosity and passion. I would like to be remembered by my loved ones for my sensibility, my compassion, my unconditional love.

What natural gift would you most like to possess?
The gift to swim like a fish, without the goggles, the nose band, etc...

What is your motto?
“Feet on ground, heart in hand, facing forward, be yourself.”

What non-opera song do you rock?
I can belt quite well some of Michel Legrand’s greatest hits.

Second Round Norma Reviews


Photo by Tim Matheson

A couple more review trickling in about the Norma opening last weekend.

"In fact, the singing in this opera is simply mind-blowing; it is constant, it is varied, and it is deeply stirring." - Epoch Times

"...Hasmik Papian's electrifying voice had me in goosebumps all evening long. The duets between Norma and Adalgisa are almost unbearably beautiful - so exquisitely precise and powerful, I didn't know whether to weep or jump out of my seat." - Vancouver Sun

"Richard Margison, B.C.'s own world-class tenor, filled the shoes of Norma’s illicit partner Pollione with effortless grace. He had the well-rounded tones to test the Queen Elizabeth’s new sound upgrade, and both could be given high marks." The Tyee

Also check out the Tyee debunking opera myths with their awesome 10 (Bad) Reasons to Hate Opera list!

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Tuesday Trivia: Belli Bellini

To say that Vincenzo Bellini was well loved in his native Catania region of Sicily would be an understatement. Bellini is considered by some to be the quintissential "bel canto" composer of opera. Test your knowledge of the "Swan of Catania" with this Tuesday Trivia.


1. There's one degree of separation between Bellini and Freddy Mercury. Who is it?
2. In Naples he studied under what noted composer of his time?
3. Bellini wrote his first opera at what age?
4. In what year did Bellini's first opera premiere at La Scala?
5. What was that opera?
6. There is one degree of separation between Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini. Who is it?
7. A performance of Norma inspired landmark tree to be named after it. Where?
8. Giuditta Pasta, who created the role of Norma, created what other notable Bellini role?
9. Bellini was superstitious. What evil omen did he receive shortly before his death?
10. Where is there a gravestone but no remains of Bellini?

Enter your guesses as comments and we'll post the answers next week!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Blogger Love for Norma

Here are some pics of our wonderful bloggers from the opening night of Norma:


from left to right: Gus Fosarolli, Emme Rogers, Crew Mantle, John Biehler and Kelsey Dundan.





Despite some technical difficulties, we were pleased as punch to have them join us in blogging and tweeting our big nite. I think they liked us too.

To read all about their experiences, go here:

Gus Digital

Emme Rogers

John Biehler

The Anthology

And our special guest blogger, Crew Mantle, who flew all the way in from Ottawa (yes, the one in the carnivale mask)

CommandOpera

Many thanks and mad props to all our bloggers!

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

So What Did YOU Think Of Norma?

Wonderful. Fabulous. Amazing. Absolutely incredible. Very powerful.

These were some of the adjectives to describe what theatre-goers thought of Norma, the opening opera of our Golden Anniversary season.

Some more words would be:

That was totally outstanding. In every way.

This was the best production of Norma that I've seen in a long time.

The set was fantastic. The lighting, the way that it changed to suit the mood was brilliant.

I love the duet between the 2 women. The soprano and the mezzo. I thought they were fabulous together.

The singing was flawless. The music was flawless. A great cast. A great production. Great scenary. It was a beautiful show.

Press play for all the blush-inducing audience feedback from Norma.


Video by Bombshelter Productions & Mike McKinley

Get your tickets now! Only 3 performances left! Call 604-683-0222 to speak to our box office.

And see you down at the theatre!

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Monday, November 30, 2009

First Round Norma Reviews


"Here we find the operatic archetypes: a stout tenor of formidable volume; the diva...who has long owned the title role; the young mezzo-soprano on the rise." - The Globe and Mail


"Norma is all about a trio of principals— soprano Hasmik Papian, in the title role, mezzo Kate Aldrich as her rival Adalgisa, and tenor Richard Margison as the object of both their affections. Each was impressive on her or his own; in duets and trios, they were particularly well matched." - Vancouver Sun


"If you witness this present production you too will dream of being 79 and conducting with the precision of Bonynge, the master musical knitter, casting his musical knit and purl as perfectly and passionately possible for the musical robes of a powerful Druid priestess." - The Vancouver Observer

"The opening of the second act, where Norma tries unsuccessfully to persuade herself to kill her children to protect them from becoming slaves, was extremely moving. Sometimes Bellini's music seems too light to match the emotional agonies of the protagonists, but in this scene it does, and it is some of the best and most profound music in the opera. In this, as in the rest of the opera, the orchestra sounded wonderful." - Review Vancouver

"This is classic bel canto, and for once in a beautiful, newly renovated Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Not only does it look great, it sounds great, thanks to some masterly acoustical redesign. The sound blooms with presence. I couldn’t believe my ears." - Georgia Straight

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Featured in BC Business Magazine

Here's the profile on Parvin Mirhardy, VO's Wardrobe Supervisor from the November issue of BC Business Magazine.



She keeps our cast looking good! Way to go, Parvin!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Get Those Earbuds Ready



If you didn't make it down to Opera Speaks with Maestro Richard Bonynge, fear not!

CBC recorded our Nov 9 Opera Speaks panel for Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. If you’d like to listen, it will be broadcast this Saturday, Nov 28 at 1:00pm on Radio 2 (105.7FM)

What you’ll hear:

Richard Bonynge talking about his love of bel canto opera, and also we have Irving Guttman on how he came to invite Marilyn Horne, Dame Joan and Maestro Bonynge to be part of that legendary 1963 production.

In The Company Of Legends



Norma is without a doubt an icon defining role. Hasmik Papian has joined the legendary ranks of Joan Sutherland and Maria Callas as the world's go-to Norma.

Click here to check out Georgia Straight's write up on Hasmik Papian.

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director