University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music stages professional calibre opera

The University of Toronto Faculty of Music’s production of Così fan tutte by W.A. Mozart was of exceptionally high calibre. Throughout most of the production I was completely able to forget that I was watching students under the age of 30. This high calibre was unsurprising since the U of T’s music program is widely recognized to be one of the most competitive programs to be admitted to in Canada. Continue reading Review: Cosi fan tutte (U of T Faculty of Music) →

Theatre de Français de Toronto’s one-woman show weighs in on the lives of women in La Liste

La Liste (The List) by Jennifer Tremblay is a one woman performance about a woman who possibly played a hand in a friend’s untimely death by failing to keep a promise. This production is presented by Theatre Français de Toronto and stars Sylvie Drapeau. The play is in French with English surtitles. Continue reading Review: La Liste (Theatre D’Aujourd’hui | Theatre Français de Toronto) →

COC’s romantic Love From Afar plays at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto

The Canadian Opera Company’s production of Love from Afar was a decadent feast for the eyes, rich with highly evocative contemporary music. This 21^st century opera was written by Kaija Saariaho of Finland and is the COC’s first mainstage production written by a female composer. The opera has received a great deal of critical acclaim and has quickly become one the most performed operatic works of this century.

Continue reading Review: Love from Afar (Canadian Opera Company) →

Opera By Request offers singers a chance to act out their dream roles in the latest production

Lohengrin, like many operas by Richard Wagner, is based on a medieval German myth. Opera by Request’s in-concert performance of this work on January 28 provided an excellent opportunity to be exposed to this work, which is not one of the most performed in the repertory. Given the cost of tickets to see opera produced by companies such as the Canadian Opera Company and Opera Atelier, taking advance of Opera by Request performances is a great idea. Continue reading Review: Lohengrin (Opera by Request) →

Tosca, one of Giacomo Puccini’s best known operas, is a tale of political intrigue, murder, passion and love. The Canadian Opera Company’s most recent interpretation of this work premiered on January 21 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. I should preface this by saying that Puccini is my favourite composer of opera and Tosca is one of my favourite of his works so my expectations were high. Continue reading Review: Tosca (Canadian Opera Company) →