What’s Up with Opera? Season 2
with Rebecca Hass
Friday
Jun 07, 2024
1:00pm
Venue Online
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As it happens, quite a lot.
In Season Two, we dive deep into opera’s next wave of bold artists and cutting-edge productions, exploring what it takes to make it in opera. Candid discussions with singers, educators, conductors, and self-producers expose the industry’s grit and glory. Fearless artists like Asitha Tennekoon, Samuel Chan, and Fleur Barron dissect opera’s evolution, examining what radical change might look like in a new era of opera.
Join us for a great conversation with Jonathan McCullough and Christopher Allen. Jonathan, a Grammy-nominated baritone and opera director, is praised by the NY Times as a “pacesetter for cinematic opera.” Christopher, a recipient of The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, has worked with top opera companies like LA Opera and Washington National Opera. Together, they founded The Fourth Wall, a 12-person vocal group in NYC committed to transformative storytelling and changing the opera industry. Don’t miss this insightful chat on the realities of being a classical music artist!
Music in this Episode:
Largo al factotum – by G. Rossini. Performed by Jonathan McCullough Baritone
Two Marines from Soldier Songs Music and Libretto by David T. Little – Produced by Opera Philadelphia with the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra
Danny Boy – arranged by Joshua Pacey
Performed by Fourth Wall Ensemble, Conductor Christopher Allen
Traditional: Danny Boy (Arr. Pacey)
This week we sit down with Asitha Tennekoon, tenor and co-founder of Amplified Opera, an indie opera company based in Toronto. Asitha discuss tropes and concerns with people of colour in the world of opera, as well as what drives him and brings him joy.
We join Fleur Baron, mezzo soprano and curator of recital programs, exploring music from contemporary and baroque. We explore just how intricate and personal her curation work is, how it uplifts personal stories such as amplifying the voices of Asian creators and other diverse communities.
Music in this Episode:
Tungu Tungu by Teodoro Varcarcel
Doundou Tchil from Harawi by Olivier Messiaen
Fengyang Flower Drum, a Chinese Folksong,
Ananurha, an Uyghur Folk Melody for Mezzo-Soprano and Prepared Piano by Zubaida Azezi & Edo Frenkel
Join Patrick Hansen, Director of Opera Studies & Opera McGill Artistic Director, as he discusses dismantling barriers for young musicians, hopes for the future of opera, and an encounter with the legendary Liberace!
American bass-baritone Davóne Tines returns to examine the triumphs and challenges of self-expression and self producing; changing what it means to be a classical singer.
Please enjoy a bonus clip of baritone Joshua Hopkins as he discusses working with Canadian literary icon Margaret Atwood.
Content warning: This episode discusses gender based violence and the murder of a family member.
We join baritone Joshua Hopkins as he guides us through his project, Songs for Murdered Sisters, a collaboration with Jake Heggie and Margaret Atwood. Songs For Murdered Sisters not only allowed Joshua to heal from the shock and numbness of such a tragedy, but also allowed him to transform his grief into a peaceful and hopeful experience.
Samuel Chan a baritone singer, originally from Calgary, Alberta, shares his musical journey, the challenges posed by his race and culture, his experiences in Germany—one of the most operatic places on earth—and how these diverse cultural perspectives influenced his travels, casting, and performances. He also discusses ways to break down these racial barriers.
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