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

Featured in BC Business Magazine

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



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

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

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

Bizarre Love Triangle

Photograph by: Handout, The Province

A druid high priestess. A sleazy Roman proconsul. A comely, young vestal virgin. Infanticide. No, it's not the next teen spectral romance to take on Twilight -- it's Vincenzo Bellini's Norma.

Gotta love how the Province Newspaper introduces our upcoming Norma in yesterday's paper.

Click here for the rest of the write up and for how Richard Margison REALLY thinks of Pollione. Gasp!

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

One Hit Wonders: Least Produced VO Operas

Vote for your favorite one-hit wonder in the right hand column. Which of these operas would you most like to see us do again?

There are lots of operas that we've only done once in our 50 year history, so we've picked the ten oldest ones. Tell us what you think of them and which one you'd like us to do again in this week's poll.

The Consul - 1964

Hansel and Gretel - 1966

Manon - 1969

Lucrezia Borgia - 1972

Don Carlos - 1973

The Gondoliers - 1975

Semiramide - 1975

Queen of Spades - 1976

King of Lahore - 1977

Mignon - 1977

A Food Drive for the Food Bank

Vancouver Opera will be collecting non-perishable food items on behalf of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

We will have Food Bank boxes placed throughout the Queen Elizabeth Theatre during our run of Norma, so we invite you to make a donation if you can. We have 50 boxes that we would love to return, full of food stuff, back to the Food Bank at the end of our run.

We welcome all food donations from EVERYONE during our performance hours down at the QET:

Saturday, November 28
Tuesday, December 1
Thursday, December 3
Saturday, December 5

The Food Bank receives 75% of its yearly donations during the holiday season. It is through the support of individuals like you that they are able to continue to provide food to those who are struggling to make ends meet. The Food Bank continue to serve up to 25,000 recipients each week, 40% (10,000) of whom are children. The Food Bank receive no government funding.

If you are unable to attend Norma but would like to make a contribution, please feel free to drop by the theatre too! Vancouver Opera staff will be one hand to receive your donation from 630pm to 10pm each night.

All efforts are much appreciated during this holiday season!

For questions, please email: lchan@vancouveropera.ca

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

T'is The Season...

VO's Community Connections and Foodbank are pairing up for the holidays!

In need of a great way to spread the festive giving spirit while in the company of a good friend? Read on and register yourself and a friend to join us at this great Canadian food drive!

The Loblaw Extra Helping Holiday 2009 Campaign is upcoming and we need your support to help make this holiday season a HAPPY one - not a HUNGRY one - for those who are struggling.

Be an Angel and support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society through your volunteer efforts at this year's campaign! We need your help collecting non-perishable food items and raising Food Bank awareness at ten local Loblaw grocery stores this December!

Campaign dates:
Saturday, December 5th
Sunday, December 6th
Saturday, December 12th
Sunday, December 13th

Two volunteers are needed from 11:00am to 4:00pm on the above dates at the stores listed below:

Vancouver
-Extra Foods – 7190 Kerr Street
-No Frills – 1030 Denman Street
-No Frills – #130 – 2083 Alma Street
-Real Canadian Superstore – 350 S.E. Marine Drive
-Real Canadian Superstore – 3185 Grandview Highway

Burnaby
-Real Canadian Wholesale – 5335 Kingsway
-Real Canadian Superstore – #1105 Eaton Centre – 4700 Kingsway

North Vancouver
-Extra Foods – 1632 Lonsdale Avenue
-Real Canadian Superstore – 333 Seymour Boulevard

West Vancouver
-Extra Foods – 1020 Park Royal

Sign-up is based on a first-come, first-served basis. If the store you request is already taken, we will suggest the next closest store to you.

If you have any questions, please call:

Steve Rayson, Special Events
Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society
604-876-0659 (ext. 106)

Why Is Norma So Special?

"Assembling the singers is just half the battle. Conductors need enormous skill to intercede between the flexible, almost improvisatory demands of the vocalists and the orchestral backup emanating from the pit."

Norma is not just about the obvious, that being Romans and Druids, secret affairs and sacrifice, but something much deeper.

Vancouver Opera's David Gordon Duke breaks it down: the complexity of putting on a show-stopper like Bellini's Norma.

Click here for the full story.

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Opera Preview Talks start at new time of 6:30 pm!

For your comfort, we have arranged to open the theatre doors 15 minutes earlier. Now, come in from the damp and cold at 6:15pm, in time for the lively Preview Talks in the theatre.

Preview Talks, with VO’s Doug Tuck, take place every performance night at 6:30pm and are free to ticket holders.

Uh Oh! Parking Advisory!

TRAFFIC ADVISORY FOR NOVEMBER 28, 2009 (Opening night of Norma)
Because of the hockey game at GM Place, downtown will be very busy. Please allow plenty of time to get parked and into the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for the 7:30 pm start.

ALERT! CAMBIE STREET LOT CLOSURE
The surface parking lot bounded by Cambie, Georgia, Beatty and Dunsmuir Streets is currently CLOSED for Olympics preparation. It will remain closed through the Olympics and Paralympics.

Please note that latecomers will not be seated until an appropriate break in the performance.

REDUCED CAPACITY IN THE QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE LOT
With the exception of a limited number of spaces for disabled patrons, there is NO PUBLIC PARKING ON OPERA PERFORMANCE NIGHTS. Please explore other options.
Disabled parking reservations - please call 604.665.3050

OPERA PATRONS: PARK FOR ONLY $6 ONE BLOCK FROM THE QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE!
VO has made a special arrangement with Impark to use its 300-stall lot under the BC Hydro Building, just 1 block from the theatre complex. The lot is located at the corner of Homer and Dunsmuir Streets (enter from Homer Street). Identify yourself as an opera patron when you pay, and you'll receive the preferred rate of $6.00.

OTHER PARKING NEAR THE QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE
775 Hamilton Street – Vancouver Public Library – 712 spaces. Entrance from Hamilton just north of Robson.

520 West Georgia Street – 337 spaces
Southwest corner of West Georgia and Richards with entrances from both West Georgia and Richards.

150 West Pender Street
Southeast corner of West Pender and Cambie. Pay-and-display facility, one block from the theatre complex.

88 Richards Street – 99 spaces
Northeast corner of Richards and Robson with entrance from southbound Richards.

These lots are operated by EasyPark. *Please call 604-682-6744 to confirm rates on event nights.

Vancouver Opera Pre-Theatre Prix-Fixe

On Tuesdays and Thursday evenings during the 2009-1020 Vancouver Opera season, Lumière Executive Chef Dale Mackay is pleased to open his kitchen early to VO patrons, and donate 10% back to the Opera.

Lumière wil begin dinner service promptly at 5:00 p.m. on 11 different Opera event weekday evenings during the season to ensure enjoyment of a leisurely paced three-course dinner, and to accommodate a 6:30 pm pre-theatre departure from the restaurant. The $65 per person, dinner menu will change throughout the season and offer a choice of appetizer, main course, and dessert. An optional wine pairing will be offered for $35 per person. Taxes and gratuity not included. As proud patron of Vancouver Opera, Lumière owners David and Manjy Sidoo will donate 10% ($6.50) from each pre-Opera dinner sold throughout the season to the Vancouver Opera.

This special offer is available only to Vancouver Opera patrons and their guests and families, and only on the following Opera performance evenings:

Norma - Tuesday December 1 and Thursday December 3
Nixon in China - Tuesday March 16 and Thursday March 18
Marriage of Figaro - Tuesday April 27, Thursday April 29 and Tuesday May 4
Madama Butterfly - Tuesday June 1, Thursday June 3, Tuesday June 8 and Thursday June 10

For more information on this special offer, visit www.dbbistro.ca, click on Special Offers and type code VO0910.

*This special offer may not be used in combination with any other offer and is not transferable. Offer subject to change without notice.

Saturday We Blog!

Meet our bloggers for Blogger Night at the Opera this Saturday!


clockwise from top left: Kelsey, Gus, Emme and John.

And a special guest blogger who's flying in all the way from Ottawa to join us - Crew Mantle of Command Opera. We are most thrilled to have such a well respected authority on ALL things opera joining us for our Golden Anniversary opener!

Stop by and say hi to our bloggers on opening night in the main lobby of the QET! Or follow along the sidebar to the right here as we post their thoughts on the evening.

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Norma: The Manga

What you surely have been waiting for...

Feast your eyes on the Norma Manga, illustrated by the brilliance that is Jerry Cai and Roy Husada.

To supersize the manga, see it on Operalive.ca.













~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

The Opera Ninja Army Is Growing!

Ninjagirl is off at a secret location training more ninja warriors for the upcoming season.

But don't you worry, dear readers! You'll still get all the backstage secrets with our newest member, Ninjaboy Ami, as he utilizes his skills of espionage while stealthly scaling up to the rafters and hiding in the shadows.

So follow along tomorrow night at the Norma dress rehearsal with Ninjaboy Ami on Twitter: Operaninja.

But don't get in his way or you may see of shower of shurikens coming right at you.

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Brand New Season, Brand New Theatre

We are just about to burst, we're so excited for everyone coming to see Norma at the newly renovated Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Last week, the staff went on a tour of the QET and were delighted by the changes, mainly to the lobby and the mezzanine.

When you're at the theatre, you'll notice:

~ the lobby ceiling has been removed completely! instead, there's now a 3 story atrium and white seashell-like chandeliers
~ there are 12 more stalls in the women's restroom (always a good thing)
~ a bar on the mezzanine and the balcony levels
~ HDTV screens throughout the lobby









Inside the house, you'll notice:

~ dark wood stepped floors in orchestra seating area (instead of the concrete decline)
~ brand new staggered seats WITH more leg room
~ 100 wide bodied seats along the aisles
~ handicapped seats and companion seats have doubled
~ fabric rolldowns sound reflectors on the ceiling
~ bamboo sound reflectors on the wall that will bounce music back to the audience

The biggest change would be that to the mezzanine seating. Patrons will have to get to the mezz seating from the mezzanine level only. No longer can you access through the lobby stairs inside the house. Not that people would mind, as sitting in the new mezzanine will make one feel like they're watching a performance in the royal box.





Of course, pictures don't do it justice. You'll just have to come down to the opera and see it for yourselves!

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Hear What The Stars Have To Say About Norma

If the stars have this to say about Norma, imagine what it'll be like to WATCH it!

I just think it’s absolutely gorgeous music. It’s something not to be missed because Bellini is not done that often and I don’t think done often enough. - Richard Margison

I think the singer who can sing this role is blessed because it’s a wonderful part-dramatically, musically, vocally. There’s everything there. - Hasmik Papian

It’s got the greatest singing minds. It’s got wonderful orchestral score. It’s got great drama. It’s something which moves people. - Maestro Richard Bonynge

Oh, the anticipation! Have you got your ticket yet?


Video by Bombshelter Productions & Mike McKinley

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Vancouver Opera Poised to Make History Again with Norma

In 1963, Vancouver Opera brought Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne together under the baton of Maestro Richard Bonynge in a legendary performance of Norma. Forty six years later, VO is poised to make history again as Maestro Bonynge prepares to return to the podium, this time with a stellar cast of beautifully complementary voices handpicked to create an equally stunning Norma.

Excitement is building among those who were at that historic performance and those who will be experiencing Norma for the first time. Maestro Bonynge has conducted over 100 performances of Bellini’s bel canto masterpiece and is the world’s leading musical authority on this haunting, tender opera. There is no one alive who knows this work as well as he.

“I don't think you'll find any better singers for Norma than we have here, “ Maestro says of VO’s 2009 cast.

Singing the title role is soprano Hasmik Papian, currently the world’s most in-demand Norma. Joining her will be tenor Richard Margison, singing the role of Pollione. Born in Victoria, Mr. Margison was in New York just weeks ago, where he delivered striking performances of Radames in Aida at the Metropolitan Opera.

Bringing a fresh, accomplished voice to the role of Adalgisa will be mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich in her VO debut. Bass Alain Coulombe, last seen in VO’s Carmen, sings Oroveso.

Opening night is Saturday, November 28, 2009, with subsequent performances Tuesday, December 1, Thursday, December 3 and Saturday, December 5. All performances take place at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and begin at 7:30 p.m.

Details on the Artists

Making her VO debut is Armenian soprano Hasmik Papian, who has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera and in leading houses around the world. Ms. Papian is featured on the definitive DVD version of Norma, on the Pro Arte label. She is sure to impress with raw emotion and vocal fireworks as she takes on one of the most difficult opera roles in the repertoire.

Canadian tenor (and Victoria native) Richard Margison sings Pollione, the Roman commander whom Norma cannot resist. Mr. Margison, who last appeared with VO in memorable performances as Florestan in 2008’s Fidelio, has been described as “magnificent”, “sublime”, and “radiating”.

Also making her VO debut is mezzo Kate Aldrich as Adalgisa. Among many roles, Ms. Aldrich has been praised for her fiery Carmen at the Met and San Francisco Opera, and for her touching Adalgisa in Miami. “In many ways the American mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich stole the show... Aldrich is destined for operatic stardom!” raved the Miami Coral Gables Gazette.

Bass Alain Coulombe, who charmed audiences as Zuniga in last season’s record-breaking Carmen, returns to sing the archdruid Oroveso. Also appearing are John Arsenault as Flavio and Barbara Towell as Clotilda.

Conducting the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and Vancouver Opera Chorus (Leslie Dala, Chorus Director) will be celebrated Maestro Richard Bonynge. Maestro Bonynge conducted his first opera, Faust, in Vancouver in 1963. That same year he conducted Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne in the now-legendary performance of Norma. During his tenure as VO’s Artistic Director during the 1970s, he founded the VO Orchestra, which gave its first performances in 1977. VO is pleased to salute the company’s venerable history by welcoming Maestro Bonynge to the podium to kick off the Golden Anniversary season.

The stage director is Emmy-nominated Tazewell Thompson, who helmed VO’s memorable production of Dialogues of the Carmelites in 2005. Born in New York City, Mr. Thompson wrote and directed the acclaimed musical Constant Star. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Director for the televised performance of his production of Porgy and Bess.

Full Ticket Information

Single tickets starting at $29 (plus handling fee) 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.

Golden Anniversary Gala: The Photos

Photos by Brian Dennehy Photography

On November 6, Vancouver Opera's Golden Anniversary Gala reflected the past, present and future of opera in BC with a special concert and dinner at the Orpheum Theatre and Commodore Ballroom. Internationally renowned artists and special guests enthusiastically shared in this once in a lifetime event.

The evening highlights included performances from Sally Dibblee, Brett Polegato, Kathleet Brett, Kimberly Barber, Tracy Dahl, Benjamin Butterfield, Alain Coulombe, Yulan Zhang, John Arsenault, Barb Towell and Heather Pawsey, as well as Sawagi Taiko and Tiqilap drummers and a silk artist aerialist.

When it came down to dinner, the evening's delicious menu was created by Chef Oliver Beckert from the Four Seasons Hotel, while the wines were provided by Mission Hill Family Estate.

It was definitely a night to remember!

Vancouver Opera would like to thank everyone for coming out to celebrate the start of what will sure to be an exciting and memorable season.

A special thank you to Scotiabank Group, Martha Lou Henley, Couverdon, Goldcorp for their extraordinary support of our Golden Anniversary season.

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

BOV: The Knife!

Sometime Bizarre means cool. Check this out:



I'm not sure I get it, but I like it. Whatever it is.

See this an other videos we like on our YouTube Channel today!

Operabot Winners!

The Operabot screening party was held at Rainmaker Studios this past Tuesday evening and for those of you who missed out, it was a great screening in Rainmaker's 50 seater HD theatre!



The 15 Operabot submissions came in from Vancouver, Eastern Canada and the US and can be viewed on our Youtube. Of course, nothing beats viewing the shorts on the big screen.


clockwise: Laura Charlton's The Marriage of Figaro, Kristie Nutter's Madama Butterfly, Stephanie Basque's Madama Butterfly, John Landry's The Marriage of Figaro


clockwise: Brad Lamey's Madama Butterfly, Christine Cornell's Madame Boterfly and Arron Robinson, Olaf Miller & Curt Spurging's Fragile (Madama Butterfly)

After the screening, guests got to enjoy platters of sushi and bevvies in Rainmaker's staff lounge.


huge picture windows, 2 balconys with a view of downtown and yes, that is a foosball table!

After careful deliberation between the judges, here are the winners for our first Operabot contest!

First place: Brandon Cathey, Art Institute of Colorado



Second place: Gabriela Meijia and Chris Holbrow, Vancouver



Third place: Arron Robinson, Olaf Miller and Curt Spurging, Vancouver



Public vote: Brad Lamey, NBCC Miramichi New Brunswick



Thanks to the judges, Rainmaker Studios for hosting the party and our sponsor, The Georgia Straight!



And a BIG thank you to all the talented artists who made Operabot such a success!

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Top Ten VO Operas

Vote in the Right Hand Column for your favorite of these Top Ten Operas.

These are the operas most produced by the Vancouver Opera in our 50 year history.

La Boheme - 10
1960, 1964, 1970, 1976, 1982, 1987, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008

Madame Butterfly - 10
1965, 1971, 1978, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2004, 2010

Carmen - 9
1960, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2009

La Traviata - 8
1961, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2004

Rigoletto - 8
1962, 1967, 1975, 1981, 1989, 1992, 1999, 2009

Barber of Seville - 7
1964, 1968, 1978, 1986, 1991, 1998, 2003

Tosca - 7
1962, 1968, 1978, 1986, 1991, 1998, 2003

Marriage of Figaro - 6
1964, 1973, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2007

Don Giovanni - 5
1977, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2006

Magic Flute - 5
1978, 1986, 1993, 2001, 2007

Feel free to add comments if you have a favorite VO production of one of these.

Next Week: One Hit Wonders. Operas we only did once....

Fred Lee Unleashed at Golden Anniversary Gala

Vancouver Opera's Music Director, Maestro Jonathan Darlington and honorary chair Justin Woolfrey is featured in Vancouver Courier!

Read man about town Fred Lee's great little blurb on the VO Golden Anniversary Gala November 6 here!

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

What A Bunch Of Nixonians!

We have assembled a veteran cast of seasoned “Nixonians” for Vancouver’s production of Nixon in China. Our Nixon, Chou En-Lai, Madame Mao and Henry Kissinger have all performed the role several times and bring a seasoned sense of their characters and of the work as a whole to our new production. Canadian soprano Sally Dibblee will be performing Pat Nixon for the first time and Canadian Alan Woodrow is performing his second Mao.

For a complete rundown, click here to go to Nixon in China blog!

Listen, Watch and Read with Maestro Darlington

Can't get enough of VO's Music Director Maestro Jonathan Darlington?

Well then, tune in tomorrow at 11am PST to listen to the live broadcast of the 3rd Philharmonic Concert on German radio station WDR3.

Click on the link "Stream" under the right hand column, sit back and be swept away.

And if that's not enough, (and we know it's not) watch the Maetro interview organist Wayne Marshall:



Last but certainly not least, read Jonathan Darlington’s programme notes for the 3rd Philharmonic Concert with the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Wayne Marshall and the Mercatorhalle concert hall’s new organ.


Photo by Christoph Müller-Girod

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Get O.U.T.!

Vancouver Opera's Get O.U.T. – Get Opera Under Thirty has now launched.

If you're between 18-29 and love you some opera, call our ticketing centre at 604.683.0222 and give them promo code 2256 to purchase selected seats for our 2009/10 season for a mere $25! That's a savings of up to 75%! Ticket limit is 2 per person.

Designed for a younger audience but not exclusive to students, Get O.U.T. is the first ticket program of its kind for a major arts organzation in Vancouver.

Get O.U.T. tickets will be made available for each production in VO’s Golden Anniversary season: Norma (November 28 – December 5, 2009); Nixon in China (March 13 – 20, 2010); The Marriage of Figaro (April 24 – May 4, 2010); and Madama Butterfly (May 29 – June 10, 2010).

BOV: The Impossibly High Note -- Nailed It!

French soprano Mado Robin sings what is perhaps the highest note ever sung on video, or audio, for that matter. It is a real high Bb OVER high C!! (Right at the end)

This is one I'd like to see a reaction video of a dog to.....





Want to see more of our favorite videos? Join us on the Vancouver Opera YouTube Channel!

2009 Mayor's Arts Awards Goes to Four VO Folks

A big CONGRATULATIONS to our VO folks Colin Miles, Michael O'Brian, Kim Collier and Annaliese Camfferman for being the recipients of this year's Mayor's Arts Awards.

Colin Miles is a violist with the VO Orchestra.
Michael O'Brian is a member of the Leadership Circle of VO supporters.
Kim Collier has been an assistant director on mainstage productions and will direct our VOIS show next season.
Annaliese Camfferman is a long-time volunteer ambassador with VO.

From the City of Vancouver news release:

Recipients of 2009 Mayor’s Arts Awards announced

Twenty-two established and emerging artists from the local creative community are among the winners of the City of Vancouver’s 2009 Mayor’s Arts Awards.

Each year, a jury of peers convened by the Alliance for Arts and Culture nominates a local artist or community member in each of the thirteen categories for making a significant contribution to the creative life of Vancouver.

In the categories for individuals working in the arts, each honouree is invited to select an ‘emerging artist’ in their discipline who demonstrates the promise of the next generation, and the emerging artist shares the Award and the cash prize of $5,000.

Individual awards are also made in the categories of Volunteerism, Business Support and Philanthropy.

Mayor Gregor Robertson will pay tribute to the recipients at a reception and presentation ceremony at the Museum of Vancouver on November 16, hosted by broadcaster and author Bill Richardson.

The Mayor’s Arts Awards recognize established and emerging artists in a diverse range of disciplines, from literary to culinary to performing and visual arts.

The 2009 honourees are:

Studio Arts :

Paul Mathieu, Craft and Design; Hidekazu Tojo, Culinary Arts; Aerlyn Weissman, Film and New Media; Brian Kaufman, Literary Arts; Marian Penner Bancroft, Visual Arts; Alan Storey, Public Art; Terry Hunter and Savannah Walling, Community Arts

Performing Arts:

Colin Miles, Music; Lola MacLaughlin, Dance; Kim Collier, Theatre

Support of the Arts:

Michael O’Brian, Philanthropy; Telus, Business Support; Annalies Camfferman, Volunteerism.

Other artists being recognized include Brad Cran, Poet Laureate 2009 – 2011; Lee Henderson for The Man Game, winner of the 2009 City of Vancouver Book Award; and Althea Thauberger, Michelle Allard, Josh Beamish and Kristen Roos, recipients of the Artist Live/Work Awards for 2009 – 2012.

Maestro Bonynge at Opera Speaks!

"I don't think you'll find any better singers for Norma than we have here."

Last Monday, Maestro Richard Bonynge graced us with his presence at Opera Speaks.

Press play below to hear the Maestro talk about his love of the opera, the voices required to sing it, and the stellar cast that VO has assembled.

Bonynge at Opera Speaks Nov 9 09.mp3 -

Operabot Screening Party!

Operabot Screening Party, presented by The Georgia Straight and hosted by Rainmaker Studios will take place Tuesday, November 17.

If you would like to come for the screening, have some bevvies and eats, shoot me an email at lchan@vancouveropera.ca and I'll add you to the guestlist. But hurry, seating is limited!


~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Can You Spot The Difference?

If you've been to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in the past year+, you'd of course notice the renovations going on in and around the 50 year old building.

On November 12, Vancouver Civic Theatres director Rae Ackerman was happy to report that all renovations are now completed!

So what are our opera-loving friends in for when they join us for Norma on November 28?

We don't want to ruin the surprise just yet, but we CAN tell you that the acoustics grading have now be raised from "a D to an A", thus rivaling the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.

Check out the Georgia Straight video for more details:


Video by Matthew Burrow

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Twenty Questions with Hasmik Papian

Having sung on some of the most prestigious opera stages including the Vienna State Opera, La Scala, Bastille Opera Paris and the Metropolitan Opera, Hasmik Papian is regarded as one of the most successful lyrical-dramatic sopranos in the world. Hasmik Papian will be open Vancouver Opera's Golden Anniversary season in her signature role as Bellini's Norma.


Guilty musical pleasure?
Can any musical pleasure be guilty…?

Where do you love to sing?
On stage.

What is your idea of earthly happiness?
To spend time with my wonderful daughter.

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Those that cause no damage.

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines of fiction?
Hamlet. Carmen.

Who are your favourite characters in history?
Lord Byron. Woodrow Wilson.

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines in real life?
Helmut Schmidt (ex chancellor of Germany). Sofia Loren.

Who is your favourite author?
Anton Chekhov.

Your favourite musician?
Violinist Zino Francescatti.

Your favourite composer?
Beethoven.

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Never loosing one’s love of life – even in difficult moments.

Your favourite virtue?
Sincerity.

Your favourite occupation?
Walking where the landscape is exciting (like in the mountains).

What did you want to be as a child?
A violinist. (I actually became one, before becoming a singer.)

Your most marked characteristic?
Seriousness. New colleagues frequently ask me after three weeks of rehearsals: How comes we never see you smiling or laughing?

What do you most value in your friends?
Fidelity.

For what would you like to be remembered?
Being gentle and tolerant.

What natural gift would you most like to possess?
I can’t think of any which I don’t have.

What is your motto?
It’s never too late.

What non-opera song do you rock?
“La Bohème” – not the opera from Puccini, but the chanson from Charles Aznavour!

VO Wants You to Get O.U.T.!

This season, Vancouver Opera is encouraging patrons to Get O.U.T. – Get Opera Under Thirty, that is. Launching Friday, November 13th at 9:00 am, the Get O.U.T. program will allow patrons aged 18 to 29 to enjoy selected seats at VO productions for $25 - a saving of up to 75%.

Designed for a younger audience but not exclusive to students, Get O.U.T. is the first ticket program of its kind for a major arts organzation in Vancouver.

Get O.U.T. tickets will be made available for each production in VO’s Golden Anniversary season: Norma (November 28 – December 5, 2009); Nixon in China (March 13 – 20, 2010); The Marriage of Figaro (April 24 – May 4, 2010); and Madama Butterfly (May 29 – June 10, 2010).

Available exclusively to patrons aged 18 – 29, Get O.U.T. tickets can be purchased only with a special promotion code, which will be announced though VO’s blog and social media presences. Ticket limit is 2 per person.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's launch!

Tootin' Our Gala Horn

"...splendid."

"...flash of showmanship."

"...ecstatically sung.."

"It would be hard to think of a better kick-off."

Words that described the Golden Anniversary Gala on November 6.

Click here to read the rest of Georgia Straight's review.

Bonynge, Guttman, Cunningham & Littler Speak Tonight!

Richard Bonynge in 1963, for his conducting debut in VO's Faust.

Our first “Opera Speaks” event of our Golden Anniversary season is fast approaching and we are very excited to hear all the amazing stories of VO’s past from our esteemed panel: Dr. Irving Guttman, widely known as the father of opera in western Canada; legendary conductor Richard Bonynge; William Littler (music columnist for the Toronto Star); and Rosemary Cunningham, author of Bravo! The History of Opera in British Columbia. The event will be hosted by VO's General Director James W. Wright. We will also hear an excerpt from Norma performed by a cast member from VO's upcoming production.

Monday, November 9, 7-9 pm
Alice MacKay Room, Vancouver Public Library Central Branch
Admission is free. Arrive early; seating is limited.

BOV: Habanera on tuned bike horns

A dear friend and a brillant musician, Mike Lorenz percussionist extraordinare in one of his weird and wacky moods.

Like this? Want to see more of our favorite opera videos? Join us on YouTube!

Dress You Up

We got a local celeb in our midst!

Our very own wardrobe supervisor, Parvin Mirhady, is getting featured in BC Business Magazine!

Every month BC Business Magazine spotlights a full page on different businesses or industries at work. For the November issue, Vancouver Opera was selected!

The Assistant Art Director, Ben Oliver met Parvin at the wardrobe department and spent half a morning taking pictures on the preparations for the upcoming Norma production.

Here are a couple of shots taken of the photoshoot:





Thanks to Parvin who's makes sure that the outfits everyone wears on stage stand out and look absolutely amazing!

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

They Left Their Hearts In San Francisco

Photo credit by Clive Barda & San Francisco Opera

We love it when our friends visit other cities. And that's because they love telling us all about the amazing operas they saw!

D.S. Spring spent last week in San Francisco and was at the opera. Three nights in a row! That's devotion. D.S. and Diana thoroughly enjoyed the San Francisco Opera and were literally blown away by both Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Florez.

Here's D.S.'s write up about the fantastic visit:

October 21st, 2009
Salome / Richard Strauss

Salome is a short, but intense, one-act opera about obsessions and fixations. It has been described as “a scherzo with a fatal conclusion.” What a performance on October 21st! It was absolutely superb. Nadja Michael has to be the quintessential Salome in opera today. Her portrayal of Salome, both singing and acting as well as appearance, exuded uninhibited sexuality and psychosis. Her dance of the seven veils was the most alluring I have ever seen. Greer Grimsley was great as Jokanaan, just as he was in the Vancouver production last May.

The sets were dramatic, yet simple, which, along with the lighting, enhanced the psychodrama taking place on stage. Sean Curran, the Director and Choreographer, kept the focus on the psychotic characters and their actions. The orchestra, under the baton of Nicola Luisotti, who is the new San Francisco Opera Music Director, played the lush and sometimes dissonant music of Strauss beautifully and supported the singers well.

This performance will be remembered as the one to measure all future Salome productions by.

October 22nd
The Daughter of the Regiment (La Fille du Régiment) / “Gaetano Donizetti

This was an absolute delight! Everyone was there to hear and see Diana Damrau as Marie and Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio and they did not disappoint. They could not have been better suited for these roles – Damrau as an attractive tom-boy teenager and Flórez a young love-sick lad -- and their voices blended superbly. Flórez effortlessly knocked off the show-stopping cavatina, “Pour mon âme quell destin” with its nine high Cs to everyone’s enjoyment.

This production by Laurent Pelly is shared by Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera, Covent Garden and the Vienna State Opera. Its sets by Chantal Thomas were visually very effective. Even though this is a rather silly opera, it was filled with humor, drama and pathos. With leads like Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Flórez I would go experience this opera again and again and again.

October 23rd
The Abduction from the Seraglio (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

This opera had gorgeous ensemble singing by Mary Dunleavy as Constanze and Matthew Polenzani as Belmonte, Anna Christy as Blonde and Andrew Bidlack as Pedrillo. However, other aspects of this production by Chas Rader-Shieber were disconcerting. The dialogue, spoken in English, had been updated to current everyday street slang, which was incongruent with the staging and with sets reminiscent of the first performance in Vienna in 1782 depicting an 18th century theater complete with apparent chandelier and candle lighting. Other than a door rising from the floor at center stage when needed, the audience was left to imagine the surroundings of the many short scenes in this opera.

Conductor Giuseppe Finzi, the recently appointed Assistant Music Director of San Francisco Opera, led the orchestra at a much slower tempo than one normally hears with this opera, thus losing some of its energy and liveliness.

If you are coming to the opera just to hear great ensemble singing and can ignore the antics and incongruences on stage, then you will go home well satisfied.

Vote Now For Operabot!

Vote Here on the blog for your favorite Operabot video!

Through midnight, November 13th, we'll be hosting the Operabot popular vote contest right here on our blog.

View all the entries HERE ON OUR CONTEST SITE.

Then come back and choose your favorite!

One of four prizes will be given to the video with the most votes. Another three videos will be awarded prizes based on the choices of our judges from the animation industry here in Vancouver.

Big thanks to Wacom for a donation of a Intuos 4 Tablet! Wacom rules!

News on our Operabot screening party to come.

Vote now for your favorite!

Operabot sponsored by The Georgia Straight

Big Norma Is Watching You

If you happen to be on the corner of Robson and Granville, take a look skywards at the giant screen of the Future Shop building.

And wait for it...wait for it...

Vancouver Opera's flaming Norma head looking out at you! Oh, the wonders of technology!


Illustration by Edel Rodriguez / Video by Tim Matheson

If you like that, you're going to LOVE our Norma opera!

Tickets to Norma can still be purchased online or call our box office at 604-683-0222.

~ Ling Chan, Assistant to Managing Director

Buy in the Back, Sit in the Front!

We’ve just opened up a new block of subscription seats at amazing discount prices!

For a limited time, you can purchase a subscription in the rear mezzanine but sit up close to all the excitement in the front of the Orchestra! That's a saving of up to $250 per subscription!*

Come see our first 3 operas for $225 or all four operas for only $299!

Offer Expires November 18th!

This offer is available exclusively through the VO Ticket Centre, open 9am-5pm, Mon-Fri.
Call: 604-683-0222
Visit: 835 Cambie St. (between Robson & Smithe)
**Tell them the VO blog sent you**

* This offer may not be combined with any other offer or used to replace tickets already purchased. Service charges and conditions apply.