Rigoletto Video Blog #6: Karaoke Rigoletto

List to Asst. Dir. David Adams and his description of rehearsal...

New Feature: Tweets!

We have boldly strode into the woods of Twitter, or at least the younger, hipper members of our staff have.

Our ID is: VancouverOpera

Now, we actually do have a plan here, and we'll be announcing something kinda cool next week to show you the power of this new form of social media.

And starting today, you can see what we've tweeted about by looking at the little gadget to the right. Better yet, you can click on it, and go sign yourself up as a follower!

Just another step in our plan for opera world domination, er um we mean, for Vancouver Opera.

Yeah, that's all...

Rigoletto Video Blog #5: Biohazard

Hazmat suits everybody, Asst. Dir. David Adams fills us in on the details...

Opera Is For Everyone

This brilliant talk given by Benjamin Zander about classical music is proof that everybody can understand and love opera. Take a few minutes to watch -- you will be moved and inspired.




More later on Rigoletto specifically.........

thanks to Saphina for pointing out the video to us

Vee Haf Vays To Make You Party...

Click on this to blow it up


If you know what's good for you, you'll sign up for this before the hosts come looking for you....

I'm just sayin', they can be particularly Purseuasive....

Some Like It Hot Pics

Some Like It Hot, Feb 23, 2009 was a huge success!
Thanks to Lumiere, DB Bistro Moderne,
Manjy & David Sidoo
Doris Bradstreet Daughney
Rona Radler and Parviz Cordwell
And everyone who participated in one hot night!

Click on the Flickr badge on the right to be transported to our gallery of pics from the evening. Lots of good ones there, thanks to Brian Dennehy Photography.

Rigoletto Video Blog #4.3: Post Collision Round Up

Join us tomorrow for Episode 5: BIOHAZARD!

Rigoletto Video Blog #4.2 Demolition Derby

Part 2 of 3 of David's quick videos from rehearsal. This time we get to see the folks try not to crash into each other in the party scene!

Rigoletto Video Blog #4.1: Crowd Control

One of three short postings from Asst. Director David Adams on what's going on over at Rigoletto Rehearsals...

Tuesday Trivia: G We're Kinda Late

Aaaagh! Our genius has been betrayed! Tried to set up a posting to automatically post and the ghosts in the machine refused! So here's a savvy sorta quiz from our mistress of mishegas, Carmen the quiz-mistress:



G, I didn’t know that, or did I?
All answers start with the letter “G”

1. Alfredo’s father in La Traviata
2. The matchmaker in Madame Butterfly
3. French composer 1818 – 1893 best known for his Faust and Romeo et Juliette
4. American composer 1898 – 1937, his most ambitious composition was Porgy and Bess
5. The jester’s daughter in Rigoletto
6. Tatyana’s husband in Eugene Onegin
7. Italian tenor, 1890 – 1957 considered by many to be the greatest operatic tenor
8. Romanian soprano, b. 1965 married to tenor Roberto Alagna
9. Swedish tenor b. 1925, said to be the most widely recorded tenor in history
10. American baritone b. 1970 known as much for his physique as for his vocal prowess and acting ability


Post your guesses as comments, and we'll have mercy on your souls and post the real answers next week Tuesday! Happy guessing! Snarky made-up answers welcome.

Twenty Questions with Glynis Leyshon

Glynis Leyshon is well known to Vancouver area audiences for her daring and expressive works on stage. With Rigoletto, she brings us her fresh new vision for this masterpiece, which presses the debauchery of the Duke to modern highs. Glynis took a few minutes from rehearsal to answer our Twenty Questions:

Guilty musical pleasure?
Scores from movies: “The Mission”, “Run Lola Run”, and “The Wrestler”

Where do you love to sing?
In the car…driving way too fast.

What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Fine food, great wine, and intimate gatherings of friends

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Procrastination

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines of fiction?
Elizabeth Bennett, Aunt in “Three Day Road”, and Shakespeare’s Rosalind

Who are your favourite characters in history?
Elizabeth I, Pericles, Mme. Curie

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines in real life?
All the women and mean who lead private lives filled with decency

Who is your favourite author?
Too many to name – love Canadian writers in particular

Your favourite musician?
Yoav, Maestro "Fresh Les”


Your favourite composer?
Mozart, Handel, Leonard Cohen

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Grace under pressure

Your favourite virtue?
Courage

Your favourite occupation?
Directing, especially at the conceptual stage

What did you want to be as a child?
Painter of very very very large paintings

Your most marked characteristic?
Passionate

What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty/Loyalty

For what would you like to be remembered?
Living/working as truthfully

What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Writer

What is your motto?
Carpe diem/live with intent

What non-opera song do you rock?
Blue grass/Alison Krauss

Twenty Questions with Les Dala

Leslie Dala is conducting his second main stage production for Vancouver Opera, having served as music director/conductor for The Three Penny Opera in 2004. He has served as VO’s chorus director since 2004, and is the Music Director of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra. He has held positions on the music staffs of The Santa Fe Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, and has conducted for UBC Opera and Bard on the Beach. He’s a terrific musician and all-round nice guy! He sat down recently to address our Twenty Questions, and here's what he had to say:

Guilty musical pleasure?
Led Zeppelin

What piece is the most fun to conduct?
Carmina Burana

What piece would most like to conduct but have not?
Mahler Symphony No. 2

What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A blissful sunny day on the beach.

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Must I really tell?

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines of fiction?
Frodo Baggins

Who are your favourite characters in history?
Leonardo da Vinci, Bach, Gandhi

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines in real life?
Obama

Who is your favourite author?
Milan Kundera

Your favourite musician?
Glenn Gould, Claudio Abbado

Your favourite composer?
Whoever I’m working on at the moment (right now – Verdi)!

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Honesty

Your favourite virtue?
Humility

Your favourite occupation?
Musician

What did you want to be as a child?
Musician or a priest (the latter desire ended at 13)!

Your most marked characteristic?
You’d have to ask my wife.

What do you most value in your friends?
Sense of humour and love of life

For what would you like to be remembered?
Being a loving husband, father and friend

What natural gift would you most like to possess?
A photographic memory.

What is your motto?
"It’s All Good!"

Rigoletto Video Blog #3

Wherein Assistant Director David Adams tells us what it's like watching Rigoletto as a dad....

Rigoletto Video Blog #2

It's a Tough Job, But Somebody's Got To Do It



David is back with a blog from rehearsals of Rigoletto. Sounds like tough work...

Jack Pine on CBC

Does the CBC have a nickname? CBC featured Jack Pine recently. It's a great segment and you can hear it here.

PS: you have to have realplayer loaded on your computer to listen, which you can get loaded here.

Bloggers are Back in Town

Second Blogger Night @ The Opera will take place on Saturday, March 7, 2009 at the opening night performance of Rigoletto. Five prominent local bloggers have been invited to attend and live-blog their opera experience.

The inaugural Blogger Night @ The Opera was held during Vancouver Opera’s production of Carmen in January 2009. The highly successful event introduced many blog readers to opera – and many opera-goers to blogging.


The bloggers will post live updates from laptop computers in the lobby of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre before the performance. During intermission, they will return to the their computers to continue their reporting, and will also post their final thoughts and reviews after the performance.


A live feed collecting all the blogger posts as they happen will be available here, beginning at approximately 7:00pm. Each bloggers’ individual posts will also appear on their own websites simultaneously.

The bloggers are:

Rebecca Bollwitt of Miss604

Tanya Davis of Netchick

Tris Hussey of A View From the Isle

Kimli of Delicious Juice

Monique Trottier of So Misguided

Rigoletto is Giuseppe Verdi’s dark, powerful story of treachery and vengeance. Rigoletto is a jester in the court of a womanizing Duke. When his jokes go too far, he becomes the subject of an angry Count’s curse. His beloved daughter, Gilda, is kidnapped by the Duke’s courtiers and Rigoletto swears revenge. The jester’s plan goes wrong and Gilda pays the price with her life.

This emotional and haunting production, conceived and directed by Glynis Leyshon, features an imaginative set design by Bretta Gerecke.

Opening night is Saturday, March 7, 2009, with subsequent performances Tuesday, March 10; Thursday, March 12; Saturday, March 14 and Tuesday, March 17. All performances take place at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Georgia and Hamilton Streets, Vancouver, B.C. and begin at 7:30pm.

Single tickets are available from the Vancouver Opera Ticket Centre, online at www.vancouveropera.ca, or by phone at 604-683-0222. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are accepted. Groups: For special pricing for groups of ten or more, call 604-683-0222.

Photos by Ling Chan

New Feature: Video Blog!

Today we introduce a new feature: Video Blogging!

Inspired by our blogger friends, we've gotten our hands on a video camera and turned Assistant Director David Adams loose. David will be blogging throughout the rehearsal period for Rigoletto to provide some insight on what's going on behind the scenes! In today's episode, David introduces himself and just what exactly an Assistant Director in an opera production does.



We hope you enjoy. If so, please let us know what you'd like to see in the future.

Tuesday Trivia: Daddy Dearest

Tuesday Trivia is Back! This week we challenge your craniums to match wits with the Cruella Deville of Quizzes, our own Carmen M. This week she's whipped up something near and dear to our hearts as we prepare for Rigoletto -- Daddies. They might be loveable, they might be cruel, but everybody's got one, and for better or for worse each of these darlings of the opera had one too. Match up the dads to the kids for this week's challenge, post your answers as comments and we'll post the real answers on Thursday.

1. Rigoletto
2. Giorgio Germont
3. Gianni Schicchi
4. Ramfis
5. Nabucco
6. The Marquis of Calatrava
7. The Emperor Altoum
8. Rocco
9. Siegmund
10. Pinkerton

a) Lauretta
b) Ismaele
c) Marzelline
d) Turandot
e) Sorrow
f) Alfredo
g) Don Carlo di Vargas
h) Siegfried
i) Gilda
j) Amneris


Guess early, guess often, make your daddy proud....

The Karma of Comedy

Opera Speaks @VPL February 19

Get ready to laugh – and vote – at the next Opera Speaks @ VPL, Vancouver Opera’s award-winning series of free forums on themes arising from our productions.

In preparation for Rigoletto – a serious and tragic opera about a man who uses comedy as a weapon and pays a terrible price - a panel of professionals will explore the boundaries of what’s acceptable in comedy and satire, and then the audience will get to weigh in, as you watch a live comedy routine and vote on what’s okay and what crosses the line.

You’ll learn about comedic traditions in opera and gain insights into the complicated and risky world of comedy.

Join Italian Studies lecturer Elena Fumi, veteran impressionist and comedy writer Bob Robertson (half of comedy team “Double Exposure”), and stand-up comedians/sketch performers Charles Demers and Paul Bae.


Here's a sample of the boys....



Thursday, February 19, 2009
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Alice MacKay Room, Vancouver Public Library

Admission is free. Come early; seating is limited

Produced with the generous support of Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Vancouver.

Do You Like It Hot?

Monday Next -- Feb 23 -- at 6pm -- we are holding a swanky little get together to benefit the Opera at Lumiere and DB Bistro Moderne.

Come be part of our seductive supper club atmosphere with classic cocktails, a sumptuous supper, and memories of Marilyn's Hollywood. Hot/Haute Attire is in.

Click above or call 414-331-4850 for details.

We Have A Secret....

But you have to be a fan of Vancouver Opera on Facebook to find out.....

Blogger Night Is Back!

We are thrilled to announce that due to the success of "Blogger Night At the Opera" that we're doing it again for Rigoletto opening night, March 7th!

For Carmen, we invited four Vancouver bloggers to attend the opera, blogging about their experience before the show, and at each of the intermissions. Response was overwhelming positive from the bloggers, the people at the show, and everybody out there in cyberspace.

Ling and Selina are putting the final touches on the blogger night and we'll announce next week. In the mean time, if you'd like to suggest we invite a blogger you like from the Vancouver area, contact Ling at: lchan@vancouveropera.ca

Also, be sure to check out the founding members of blogger's night over on the right hand side under Bloggers We Love.



The photo of Rosie the Blogger is from www.flickr.com/photos/notionscapital/2493066577 and it is the copyright of Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com.

Sheila peeks behind the curtain

Looks like Sheila Christie (Giovanna) is blogging about Rigoletto rehearsal, so check it out! Her link is over on the right or here.

Rigoletto Manga: Dark Jester

Roy Husada and Fiona Meng are at it again with their groundbreaking opera manga. This time, they tackle the dark and sinister world of assassins, predators and a curse paid with the blood of an innocent.

Check it out today at www.operalive.ca
Click on Read. Click on Manga. Click on Rigoletto.

The Treachery Begins March 7...........

One More For the Road

Thank You Vancouver For A Great Run of Carmen!


Watch this space for a cool new feature to our blog next week!!!

Long Live Jack Pine!

Another new creation from Vancouver Opera takes to the road this morning (Monday, February 9). Vancouver Opera In Schools’ production of Jack Pine launches a 3 month tour with dates throughout Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan and a week of shows in Ottawa both in schools and at the National Arts Centre.
Our four singers, Adam Fisher, Hiather Darnel-Kadonaga, Michael MacKinnon and Rose-Ellen Nichols, Pianist, Andrea Wood and Stage Manager, Rebecca Craster will lend their many talents to this exciting new production by Veda Hille (her first but hopefully not last opera).

Jack Pine will tour to more than 55 elementary schools and a several community theatres, performing for over 20,000 young people in the next 3 months.

Look for the official premiere opening at Centennial Theatre, Sunday, February 15 at 2:00 pm, Tickets can be purchased at the Centennial Theatre box office by calling 604-984-4484.

~ Patrick LeBlanc, Education Manager

New Artist Blogs

Check out some new artist sites we've added:








Sheila Christie - who has a great closing blog for Carmen and starts Rigoletto now

Fabrice Grover - who has some great shots of Carmen

Fiona Meng - the artist behind the Manga

We're always adding new links, so check out the sidebar to keep up on the VO family.

Pac Rim Review is "Resplendent"

"From experience, and it’s only a hunch, it seems that transplanted Asian audiences are less interested in hearing Asian material at the opera than they are in hearing Carmen and Madama Butterfly, and not because Butterfly is “Asian”—it’s pure Giacomo Puccini.

It seemed a good idea, or at least a smart one, that Vancouver Opera, in its second annual Voices of the Pacific Rim recital, should try to attract a significant sector of the demographic: they shop at Boboli, why shouldn’t they shop at the opera?"


Read Lloyd Dykk's review in the Georgia Straight.

Voices of the Pacific Rim SOLD OUT!!!!

Tickets Sold Out
票 卖 完 了

매진되었습니다

売り切れました



We have a few tickets that we are holding to sell at the door.

Otherwise we are sold out Voices of the Pacific Rim

This Sunday, February 8 at 7:30pm

Come down to Vancouver Playhouse (649 Hamilton St.) at 6:30 if you want tickets!

Now On Flickr!

Pictures of some of the people that made Carmen such a success! Visit us on Flickr to see all these and more.

Photos by Ling Chan

Voices of the Pacific Rim features Asian-flavoured arias

If you can't come to Carmen tonight - come to Voices on Sunday!

Georgia Straight's pick of the weekend!

Voices of the Pacific Rim

We are pleased to announce the performers for this year’s Voices of the Pacific Rim, a recital of popular opera selections combined with traditional Asian songs performed by rising young Japanese-, Korean- and Chinese-Canadian opera singers.

In honour of the 80th anniversary of Japanese-Canadian diplomatic relations, and with the support of the Consulate General of Japan, this year’s Voices of the Pacific Rim will spotlight Japan.

By embracing the communicative impact of music in any language, Voices of the Pacific Rim is intended to celebrate eastern content in western opera and honours the generations that have immigrated to Canada and have integrated their families in Canadian culture.


The Artists:


Asako Tamura – soprano, Japanese
Soprano Asako Tamura has impressed and delighted audiences with an extraordinary blend of vocal brilliance, powerful stage presence, and innate musicality. In 2008 she makes her South American debut as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Solis in Montevideo, Uruguay. Born in Kyoto, Japan, Asako has appeared with opera companies all over the world including performing the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor with Hungarian State Opera, Budapest, the Ente Luglio Musicale Trapanese, Sicily, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Serdegna and Opera Constanza Romania; Musetta in La Boheme with Tokyo Art Sphere; Micaela in Carmen with Tokyo City Opera; Juliette in Romeo et Juliette with Hungarian State Opera ;Licenza in Il sogno di Scipione with Gotham Chamber Opera, New York. On the concert stage, Ms. Tamura has performed as the female soloist with The Three Tenors (Domingo, Pavarotti, Carreras) in Yokohama, Japan, as well as with Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York.


Lucy Choi – soprano, Korean
Lucy Choi – Soprano
Lucy Hyeon Kyung Choi is a Korean lyric soprano living in Vancouver. She has performed extensively on both sides of the Pacific Ocean since graduating from the Dan-Kook University. After graduation she studied with baritone J. Valdengo in Italy and subsequently graduated from the Vancouver Academy of Music where she studied with Ann Golden Fischer. In addition to singing numerous solo recitals and Oratorio performances, Ms. Choi has performed the roles of Despina in Cosi fan tutte; Una Conversa and Suor Dolcina in Suor Angelica; Vespetta in Pimpinone; Suzel in L'Amico Fritz and as a soloist in eight Opera Appassionata mainstage productions.


Joyce Ho – mezzo-soprano, Chinese (Mandarin)
Born in Taiwan, mezzo-soprano Joyce Ho began her musical training studying piano and cello. Following her studies as an opera major at the UBC School of Music, she is currently enrolled in the Vancouver Academy of Music Bachelor of Music program studying with David Meek. Ms. Ho is a recipient of the Fraser Valley Kiwanis Music Festival Most Outstanding Vocalist award and was chosen to compete as a finalist in the Provincial Music Festival. Past roles for the UBC Opera Ensemble include Filipyevna in Eugene Onegin; the Third Lady in Die Zauberlote; Olga Olsen in Street Scene and Amastre in Xerxes.


Jessica Cheung – soprano, Chinese
Soprano Jessica Cheung is an Artist Diploma candidate at The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music. Miss Cheung made her professional opera debut with The Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble as the title role in Naomi’s Road in 2005. In 2006, she made her international debut with the Hong Kong Bach Choir as a soloist in Honegger’s Le roi David. Past roles include Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and chorus in Dido & Aeneas at the Banff Centre for the Arts; Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro with GGS and Burnaby Lyric Opera; and Second Woman in Dido & Aeneas at the University of California Irvine. Upcoming performances include two solo recitals at The RCM in Toronto.


Sam Chung – tenor, Korean
Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sam performs regularly with the Vancouver Opera chorus and most recently understudied the roles of Beppe in Pagliacci and Jaquino in Fidelio, and performed the roles of Parpignol in La bohème and the 2nd Villager in Pagliacci. He performed the role of Stephen in the VOIS production of Naomi’s Road. This fall Mr. Chung performed in War and Peace with the Canadian Opera Company. Upcoming engagements include performing the role of Soldat with City Opera Vancouver in their premiere work, Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and as Borsa in Rigoletto and the Second Jew in Salome for Vancouver Opera.



Michael Mori – baritone, Japanese
Baritone Michael Mori completed his Masters in Opera at the University of British Columbia. He performed such roles as Schaunard, Figaro, and Guglielmo and the role of Papageno in repeat performances in Vancouver, the Czech Republic, and Prince George. Mr. Mori also performs regularly with the Vancouver Opera Chorus. As a founding member of the UBC Gilbert and Sullivan Society he has most recently directed the productions of Iolanthe and The Mikado. Mr. Mori is the presentation director and a singer in the Juno nominated a capella group musica intima.



Brian Lee – tenor, Korean
Six years ago Brian Kwangmin Lee was a 3rd year Biology major at UBC when he realized his true passion was opera. After several small roles with the UBC Opera Ensemble, he performed his first lead role as Sam in Street Scene. Further roles with the UBC Opera Ensemble include Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte performed in the Czech Republic, Tamino in Die Zauberflote, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Rodolfo in La bohème with the Prince George Symphony and Alfred in Die Fledermaus. Mr. Lee performs regularly with the Vancouver Opera Chorus. Upcoming he will perform the role of Fenton in Falstaff with the UBC Opera Ensemble and will make his Vancouver Opera début as the Third Jew in Salome.


Gina Oh – mezzo-soprano, Korean
Most recently having sung at the Presidential House in South Korea and greeted by the First Lady, Vancouver born soprano, Dr. Gina Oh was honored as one of the most influential Korean Women Of The World of 2008. Representing Canada, she stands out as a cultural ambassador through music and song. Gina has been recognized for her talent and good work by the Korean Consulate, Elite Canadian Politicians, the Canadian National Press and the major Vancouver music communities.
Gina now resides in Vancouver, proudly teaching at Caulfield School of Dance, assisting the opera program at Vancouver Academy of Music, and continuing her diligent community outreach with Vancouver Opera.


Stephanie Nakagawa – soprano, Japanese
Stephanie Nakagawa is in her fourth year in the UBC Opera program. She is a winner of the Metropolitan Opera Competition–Western Canada District, and the Gold Medal winner of the Royal Conservatory of Music. Last year, Ms. Nakagawa performed Musetta in La bohème; Adele in Die Fledermaus with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and at the Wesben Festival; and Zerlina in Don Giovanni in the Czech Republic and at Bard on the Beach. She holds ARCTs in piano and voice from RCM and has won numerous awards, including the Wesbrook Scholar, June Goldsmith Music Scholarship, and the Johann Strauss Scholarship.


Szu Wen Wang – soprano, Chinese
Taiwanese soprano Szu-Wen Wang has appeared in several Vancouver area productions with Opera Appassionata, DragonDiva Operatic Theatre, North Shore Light Opera Society, Vancouver Academy of Music and the inaugural Voices of the Pacific Rim recital in 2008. Ms. Wang holds a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Taipei National University of the Arts and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Vocal Performance from the University of Texas. Upcoming in May she will perform the role of Lola in Cavalleria rusticana for Opera Appassionata.


Voices of the Pacific Rim will be presented on Sunday, February 8, 2009 at 7:30pm at the Vancouver Playhouse (Hamilton & Dunsmuir Street). Tickets are $20 each, including GST, and can be ordered from the Vancouver Opera Ticket Centre at 604-683-0222.

Twenty Questions with Hiather Darnel-Kadonaga

Soprano Hiather Darnel-Kadonaga is playing the role of Piper/Pitch Pine in our new production of Jack Pine, for the VOIS program. Born in Calgary and graduating from the opera program at UBC, Hiather went on to train with with Elizabeth Johnson at Mount Royal College, she completing a diploma in voice performance, followed by a degree studying with Marisa Gaetanne.

Hiather has performed Adina from L’Elisir d’Amore, Pamina from Die Zauberflöte, the soprano aria “Zerfliesse mein Herze” from a staged version of St. John’s Passion, Gianetta from Gondoliers, and the exciting role of Musetta in La Bohème. Hiather has had the pleasure of working with Robert Tweeten, conductor with Sante Fe Young Artist Program, Czech conductor Norbert Baxa, Prague State Opera Director Martin Otava, Vancouver Opera Conductor Les Dala, and many more.

Hiather was kind enought to take a few minutes from rehearsals for the world premiere of Jack Pine to answer our "Twenty Questions".

Guilty musical pleasure?
Humming in the shower.

Where do you love to sing?
In stairweslls that echo, the sound is amazing.

What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A green planet and no war.

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Munching on pastries.

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines of fiction?
How do you choose from so many?

Who are your favourite characters in history?
Queen Elizabeth, W. A. Mozart

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines in real life?
Dali Lama, Cleopatra

Who is your favourite author?
Anne Rice

Your favourite musician?
Joan Sutherland

Your favourite composer?
Beethoven

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Respect and an open mind.

Your favourite virtue?
Patience

Your favourite occupation?
Molecular Engineer or Bio Molecular Scientist

What did you want to be as a child?
Always a performer of some sort on stage

Your most marked characteristic?
My exotic features, I am half Japanese and half Finnish

What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty, trustworthy, forgiving, and caring.

For what would you like to be remembered?
Helping others to the best of my ability

What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Telepathy

What is your motto?
The Golden Rule

What non-opera song do you rock?
I Miss You on guitar with vocals by the band Incubus.

Kids across B.C. learn to speak the language of trees in Jack Pine

You’ll never see a tree more bent, more squat, more grim, more weird and ugly than Jack Pine. He’s small and stunted, his branches twist and turn. In sunlight he looks mad at you, and in moonlight he’s a monster. What can Jack Pine possiblY be useful for?

Vancouver Opera brings the delightful story of this tenacious and truly remarkable tree to elementary school gymnasiums and community venues across BC in Jack Pine, a brand-new opera commissioned just for children. Sung in English, this magical 45-minute production will transport more than 50,000 young people and their families deep into Canada’s vast forests and will introduce them to the beauty, relevance and sheer fun of opera.

Jack Pine is the story of three children who, with the help of an enthusiastic botanist, discover the secrets of the trees that surround them. Together they explore the myths, legends and fascinating facts of Canada’s forests, and like Jack Pine, learn something about their own potential along the way.

From February to April 2009, Vancouver Opera In Schools (Vancouver Opera’s touring program) will present Jack Pine to 140 elementary schools throughout Metro Vancouver and beyond. In April 2009, Jack Pine will travel to Ottawa to take part in the National Arts Centre’s BC Scene showcase event and will be presented in area schools and at the National Arts Centre.

The libretto and music, based on the children’s poem and illustrated book of the same name by Canadian author Christopher Patton, are created by renowned Canadian indie singer-songwriter Veda Hille. Hille’s fresh music and libretto will appeal directly to young audiences’ sense of wonder and humour.

Children will be charmed by the zany energy and full-throated singing of the talented young cast: tenor Adam Fisher (Jackson/Jack Pine), mezzo-soprano Rose-Ellen Nichols (Rebecca/Red Pine), soprano Hiather Darnel-Kadonaga (Piper/Pitch Pine) and baritone Michael MacKinnon (The Botanist/White Pine/The Farmer).

Musical accompaniment is by pianist Andrea Lahmer and the music director is Kinza Tyrrell. The touring stage manager is Rebecca Craster and the stage director is Amiel Gladstone. The set is designed by Drew Facey, based on original illustrations by Cybele Young. The costumes are designed by John Powell, the Kwak waka wakw First Nation co-designer of the stunning costumes for Vancouver Opera’s acclaimed First Nations-inspired 2007 production of The Magic Flute.

Vancouver Opera in Schools is the largest touring program of its kind in Canada. It its 36 years, it has enthralled more than 1.5 million elementary school children and their families in communities throughout BC and in Alberta, Washington State and Ottawa.

The Jack Pine tour is generously supported by FDC Brands, RBC Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, YVR and a host of others.

For the latest pics, go to Tim Matheson's website

Twenty Questions with Majorie Poirier

Frasquita (Karen Ydenberg) and Mercedes (Majorie Poirier) thought they would fill out this questionnaire together, seeing as how they are pretty much joined at the hip throughout the entire production, and share a dressing room as well.

Though they are both tall, poeple have remarked that this is whee the similarity ends. That said, they get along very well, even after five weeks side-by-side.


Guilty musical pleasure?
Listening to Hard Rock while I jog!

Where do you love to sing?
Anywhere I feel there's a positive vibe.


What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A full body treatment day at a spa!



To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Lack of self esteem in certain situations

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines of fiction?
Princess Eboli, Amneris, Adalgisa

Who are your favourite characters in history?
Everything about the life of Louis XIV fascinates me.

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines in real life?
Anybody who fights AIDS.

Who is your favourite author?
Stieg Larsson

Your favourite musician?
I admire too many to name.

Your favourite composer?
Hard question...Mozart for his genius but I love Verdi for his "grandeur"!

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Self Sacrifice

Your favourite virtue?
Empathy

Your favourite occupation?
Coccooning at home with my boyfriend.

What did you want to be as a child?
A hairdresser

Your most marked characteristic?
My laugh

What do you most value in your friends?
Truthfulness

For what would you like to be remembered?
I always tried to do my best

What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Floating pianissimo high notes.......

What is your motto?
Life is too short to look behind

What non-opera song do you rock?
Bohemian Rapsody by Queen

Twenty Questions with Karen Ydenberg

Frasquita (Karen Ydenberg) and Mercedes (Majorie Poirier) thought they would fill out this questionnaire together, seeing as how they are pretty much joined at the hip throughout the entire production, and share a dressing room as well.

Though they are both tall, poeple have remarked that this is whee the similarity ends. That said, they get along very well, even after five weeks side-by-side.


Guilty musical pleasure?
Dixie Chicks

Where do you love to sing?
The Shower (my family won't let me sing in the car because I'm too loud).

What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A 4-year old's cuddle

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Time wasting.

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines of fiction?
Owen Meany

Who are your favourite characters in history?
I always hate this question.

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines in real life?
Parents, especially single ones

Who is your favourite author?
Anne Lamott

Your favourite musician?
These days, it's Rufus Wainwright

Your favourite composer?
Again, Rufus (I'm a little obsessed)

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Wit

Your favourite virtue?
Kindness

Your favourite occupation?
Humanitarian Anything

What did you want to be as a child?
An Actor

Your most marked characteristic?
Indecision - no wait, can I change that answer?

What do you most value in your friends?
Kindred Spirit-ness

For what would you like to be remembered?
Kindness

What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Patience - I used to have it but my kids used it all up.

What is your motto?
The Golden Rule

What non-opera song do you rock?
Just about anything by Rufus Wainwright (I told you I was a obsessed)!