On July 12, Lebanese-Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury will be making her professional stage debut in the title role of Carmen at Oper im Steinbruch (more information here). 

She talks about taking on new roles, the importance of fine tuning your technique, and has great advice for emerging singers coming up in this business.

Born in Lebanon and raised in Canada, Joyce’s discography includes three rare Donizetti operas on the Opera Rara label (Les Martyrs, Belisario and L’Ange de Nisida) conducted by Sir Mark Elder—all to critical acclaim, L’Ange recently took home the 2019 Oper! Award for Best Opera Recording.  She also has a Juno-nominated solo disc, ‘Écho’  with The Hallé conducted by Carlo Rizzi.  Additionally, Audite released the newly-discovered unfinished Liszt opera Sardanapalo in 2018.

All episodes of The Opera Glasses podcast are hosted by the editor of Opera Canada, currently Michael Jones after Elizabeth Bowman hosted seasons 1 and 2. Follow Opera Canada on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Visit OperaCanada.ca for all of your Canadian Opera news and reviews.

Canadian bass-baritone joins Elizabeth Bowman to talk about the wholehearted reimagining of one of the greatest operas of the 20th century: Béla Bartók's Bluebeard’s Castle. Against the Grain Theatre will present this work March 29-April 1 at Harbourfront's Fleck Dance Theatre in Toronto. 

This radical retelling, originally produced by the ground-breaking opera company Theatre of Sound in London, England, features a new English libretto and orchestral arrangement, re-framing the piece as a love story between a long-married couple living with dementia. 

More information on this show here.  And more information on Gerald Finley here. 

All episodes of The Opera Glasses podcast are hosted by the editor of Opera Canada, currently Michael Jones after Elizabeth Bowman hosted seasons 1 and 2. Follow Opera Canada on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Visit OperaCanada.ca for all of your Canadian Opera news and reviews.

 Guests: Ian Cusson, Composer; Kanika Ambrose,  Librettist; Jorell Williams, Baritone

We talk about the upcoming WORLD PREMIERE of the Tapestry Opera/Obsidian Theatre Group  production of OF THE SEA (opens MARCH 25-APRIL 1, 2023). The work is a powerful new opera flowing with hope and heartbreak, written by Kanika Ambrose, composed by Ian Cusson—both are guests on this podcast. Also joining the podcast is American baritone, Jorell Williams, who stars as Maduka in the production.

A little bit about the opera (more available here):

Under the crushing power of the Atlantic Ocean, a mythical world rises from the depths Of The Sea. 

A father will do anything to save his daughter. Of the Sea follows the story of Maduka, his daughter Binyelum, and fellow Africans thrown overboard during the Middle Passage who now populate mythical underwater kingdoms that span the ocean floor.  Amidst the waves, fiery plans for revenge are made, a parent is blinded by love for their child, and a fight against fate begins. 

In the cold, murky waters, everyone dreams of seeing the sun again.  Directed by renowned Canadian actor and director Philip Akin, and Music Direction by Jennifer Tung. With The Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Perryn Leech, General Director, Johannes Debus, Music Director.

All episodes of The Opera Glasses podcast are hosted by the editor of Opera Canada, currently Michael Jones after Elizabeth Bowman hosted seasons 1 and 2. Follow Opera Canada on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Visit OperaCanada.ca for all of your Canadian Opera news and reviews. 

A west coaster living in Toronto, Stephen Bell works as a director of photography and lead UX/UI designer for the media design company Coffeeshop Film & Creative. His passion for all things digital has led Coffeeshop Film & Creative to be recognized as one of Toronto’s leading media studios for arts and design. From full length features and music videos to commercial and social media advertisement videography, his passion for compelling visuals has been recognized both in Canada and abroad. 

Award winning work includes nominations at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards 2021 for session directing on CBC’s Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards with Vérité Films. Stephen directed 400 Days Later, a recent short film, which received 16 official film festival submissions, winning best cinematography at the New York Cinematography Awards, as well as Best COVID-19 film at the Stockholm Film Festival. In 2020, Stephen worked as director of photography as well as editor on the critically acclaimed Messiah/Complex with the Against the Grain Theatre & Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Online, his self titled Youtube channel, Stephen Bell, now has 5000 subscribers and continues to focus on all things video and camera reviews.

Outside of videography, Stephen is a classically trained operatic tenor and a member of the Canadian Opera Company. He holds both a Masters and Bachelors of Music from the University of British Columbia, and was a member of the Calgary Opera Young Artist Program.

All episodes of The Opera Glasses podcast are hosted by the editor of Opera Canada, currently Michael Jones after Elizabeth Bowman hosted seasons 1 and 2. Follow Opera Canada on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Visit OperaCanada.ca for all of your Canadian Opera news and reviews.

Joel Ivany, a Canadian director and Artistic Director of Against the Grain Theatre and Edmonton Opera AND Program Director for Opera at the Banff Centre, joins Elizabeth Bowman in a conversation about the opera industry right now, reviews, where we're headed, and more. 

All episodes of The Opera Glasses podcast are hosted by the editor of Opera Canada, currently Michael Jones after Elizabeth Bowman hosted seasons 1 and 2. Follow Opera Canada on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Visit OperaCanada.ca for all of your Canadian Opera news and reviews.

Karen Stone has retired from the Aalto Theater Essen after 23 years of opera prompting - a job that many opera fans might not know exists.  An opera prompter is key to the success of any performance. Stone is a Canadian flute player with a McGill education, and an affinity for languages. This episode is for all who are interested in opera—both those on stage and in the audience. 

All episodes of The Opera Glasses podcast are hosted by the editor of Opera Canada, currently Michael Jones after Elizabeth Bowman hosted seasons 1 and 2. Follow Opera Canada on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Visit OperaCanada.ca for all of your Canadian Opera news and reviews.

A special episode dedicated to the winner of the Canadian Opera Company Centre Stage Competition for Emerging Artists.  Polish-Canadian soprano Karoline Podolak won singing Violetta's famous aria "Sempre libre" from Verdi's La traviata.  She also took home the Audience Choice Award.  

In this episode Podolak talks about how she prepares for a competition, who has guided her, what she does when she's not immersed in opera, and the story behind her gold dress. 

All episodes of The Opera Glasses podcast are hosted by the editor of Opera Canada, currently Michael Jones after Elizabeth Bowman hosted seasons 1 and 2. Follow Opera Canada on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Visit OperaCanada.ca for all of your Canadian Opera news and reviews.

Catherine Pisaroni, Founder, Principal and Art Director of Lenny's Studio—a design, PR, and digital marketing firm specializing in opera and classical music clients—is our guest on today's show.  We talk about the art of ENGAGEMENT in opera—how we can bring more people into the world of opera, where to focus our efforts and what we would like to see more of. 

Elizabeth Bowman, Editor-in-Chief of Opera Canada Magazine, hosts. 

Intro/Outro Music by Soul Shepherd

All episodes of The Opera Glasses podcast are hosted by the editor of Opera Canada, currently Michael Jones after Elizabeth Bowman hosted seasons 1 and 2. Follow Opera Canada on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Visit OperaCanada.ca for all of your Canadian Opera news and reviews.