Feb 4th, 2010
by Marshall.
It is such a pleasure for all of us at Opera Atelier to be preparing Handel’s ravishing pastorale, Acis and Galatea for the opening of our 25th anniversary season. I’ve always adored this work but for years I was stymied by the character Damon. It struck me as odd that although he has a great deal to say, none of the other characters ever speak to him or even acknowledge his existence. It seemed to me that he was not so much a human being as a “Puck-like” character (ie. Midsummer Night’s Dream) whose interest in the protagonists was somehow neutral. He acts as a catalyst – egging the characters on, sometimes to their advantage but often to their detriment.
During discussions with Jeannette, she mentioned that she thought the name Damon was strangely similar to the Greek word “daimon” or “demon”. This instantly made sense for me. It means that when Acis sings his prayer to the “spirit of the mountain” (“Where shall I seek the lovely fair”) he is addressing a daimon of the mountain who is visible only to the audience!
Our tenor (Lawrence Wiliford) becomes an invisible character on stage who can move through the action unbeknownst to the other characters. He acts as a link between the audience and the characters deepest thoughts and desires. Rehearsal should be fascinating.
Posted in: Backstage.
Feb 1st, 2010
by Marshall.
I can’t imagine a more thrilling pairing of productions than those we have chosen to celebrate this company milestone. There are still plenty of exciting announcements to be made particularly regarding casting for the 25th anniversary season. Suffice to say that some of Canada’s most important international stars will grace the stage of the Elgin Theatre along with the superb Artists of Atelier Ballet and Tafelmusik Orchestra.
To read the press release click here and stay tuned for more exciting details.
Subscribe by April 30th and avoid the HST!
Subscriptions for Opera Atelier’s 2010/11 season start at $55 and are on sale now by calling 416-703-3767 x 22.
Single tickets for Acis and Galatea go on sale August 16, 2010.
Also don’t miss our gorgeous 25th anniversary image. See photographer Bruce Zinger’s spectacular take on the company.
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Tagged: 2010-11 Season
Jan 22nd, 2010
by Marshall.
Let me explain. Last night we shot Opera Atelier’s 25th anniversary image! It was the most complex shoot we have ever had involving ten artists in the photograph in addition to stage management, hair, makeup, wardrobe, our photographer Bruce Zinger, OA General Manager Jane Hargraft and our art director Gerard Gauci. We began hair and makeup at 6:30 p.m. and didn’t finish the shoot until almost 11 o’clock p.m. Every person who was there (working themselves to the bone I might add) generously donated their time! It was a very moving and deeply appreciated gesture of support and the final product exemplifies how seriously these people take their work.
The dancers from the National Ballet raced over immediately following rehearsal. Our other dancers had just finished an afternoon performance and came directly to the Atelier. Baritone Curtis Sullivan arrived from an afternoon workshop of a new opera at the Berkeley St. Theatre. Barbara Szablowski (makeup) and Laura Bolton (who designed the hair along with colleagues from the Aveda salon) took on this enormous project having come from a full day of work (with a little guidance from our hair consultant Jacqueline Robertson-Cull) as did Michael Legouffe (wardrobe), and our production manager Evelyn Campbell. The generosity these people displayed is overwhelming as is our 25th anniversary photograph. It will be officially released in February. Until then, a thousand thank yous to our artists in the final image – who are without a doubt, some of the most beautiful people on the planet!
Artists: Ben Cruchley, Leonie Gagné, Juri Hiraoka, Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, Patrick Lavoie, James Leja, Jennifer Nichols, Jack Rennie, Curtis Sullivan, Magda Vasko
Special thanks to the City of Toronto and the staff of St. Lawrence Market Complex who generously donated the space, John Kerr, who filmed the whole process and Ben Stein, a Tafelmusik Chamber Choir member who loaned us his very valuable lute.
Posted in: Backstage.
Jan 13th, 2010
by Marshall.
Many of you have responded to my blog in which I described our most recent photo shoot for the opera which will open Opera Atelier’s 25th anniversary season. We’ve had some extremely ingenious guesses as to the name of the opera in question but it would seem my hints have been too broad. I’ve decided to post two of the outtakes from our shoot, neither of which gives away the spectacular impact of the final photograph, which features tenor Thomas Macleay and ballerina Juri Hiraoka in the pool together. Keep sending in your guesses of which baroque opera could possibly require two of the protagonists to share a body of water at a pivotal moment! Email blog@operaatelier.com The first person to correctly identify this piece of repertoire will win two tickets to the opening of our 25th anniversary season.
Photo by Bruce Zinger, Artist: Juri Hiraoka
Photo by Bruce Zinger, Artist: Thomas Macleay
Posted in: Backstage.
Jan 6th, 2010
by Marshall.
Yesterday I had the great pleasure of an informal “staging session” with Canadian soprano Mireille Asselin. She happened to be in Toronto visiting friends, prior to returning to Connecticut where she continues her music studies at Yale. I first met Mireille while conducting a masterclass for the Glenn Gould School and she, as a young student sang some Mozart for me. I can’t even remember the aria as I was so overwhelmed by the sheer impact Mireille made vocally and dramatically. It was clear at once that she was a singer blessed with a superb voice coupled with extraordinary theatre instincts and an exceptional affinity to text. I’ve since had many opportunities to work with Mireille and her career has blossomed – just as everyone associated with her expected. She will be back for Opera Atelier’s 25th anniversary season singing two important roles, neither of which I can mention at the moment as we do not officially announce our season’s repertoire until February. Until then, suffice to say Toronto is in for a thrilling event when this marvelous young artist makes her Opera Atelier debut.
Posted in: Backstage.
Jan 3rd, 2010
by Marshall.
Although I have little use for computers, I am nonetheless amazed at the impact they can have on my life when I least expect it. Let me explain. Years ago Jeannette and I had the pleasure of making a music video with Rhombus media. The filming took place over a three week period in Amsterdam. We were working with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music and Jeannette acted as choreographer for members of the Scapino and Dutch National Ballet as well as some of the Artists of Atelier Ballet.
A young soloist from the Dutch National Ballet named Andrew Kelley starred opposite Jeannette as the love interest – (torn between Jeannette and Kiri) in the music video called “The Sorceress.” Andrew was a spectacular dancer with a charismatic and compelling stage presence and the camera loved him. He became a dear friend and Jeannette and I kept in touch with him on a regular basis. We even brought Andrew to Toronto to star in Roland Petit’s ballet Le Jeune Homme et la Mort where he enjoyed a tremendous success opposite one of Canada’s most famous ballerinas, Evelyn Hart (“A teaming of stunning sensuality – an evening to treasure” John Colbourn, The Toronto Sun, 1999).
After Andrew’s retirement as a performer we somehow lost touch with him and this past week I became somewhat obsessed with tracking him down. It seems incredible to me that it took Opera Atelier’s office only three days to locate Andrew! Ultimately, it was through the Hungarian National Ballet’s twitter account that we managed to let him know that we were searching for him. Andrew had been teaching in Budapest and has since relocated to Berlin where he and his wife continue to pursue their careers as teachers and coaches. I was so happy to hear his voice!
Click here to watch the music video of “The Sorceress” featuring music by Handel.It is a beautiful creation which has won multiple awards and is well worth viewing.
Posted in: Uncategorized, Videos.
Dec 15th, 2009
by Marshall.
Yesterday evening we had a photo shoot (something I adore) with the incomparable photographer – Bruce Zinger. I’m not at liberty to divulge the name of the opera the resulting photograph will represent as it will open Opera Atelier’s 25th anniversary season, but I can at least tell you a little about the shoot itself. Perhaps some of you will be able to guess the name of the opera in question after I have described some of the challenges of shooting the image. Email blog@operaatelier.com with your guess and have a chance to win 2 tickets to the opera!
First of all, we needed a significant body of water in addition to a tenor and a female dancer who did not mind getting very wet. We began shooting at 10 p.m. and finished just before 1 o’clock in the morning. It was without a doubt of OA’s most challenging and hilarious endeavours and we were left with some images of incredible beauty.
Our job was certainly made easier by the fact that we had the ravishing dancer Juri Hiraoka (a member of the National Ballet of Canada who has performed as an Artist of Atelier Ballet on numerous occasions) and the ridiculously handsome tenor Thomas Macleay (who created such a sensation in our recent production of Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride) disporting themselves in the water.
Suffice to say that they bravely agreed to immerse themselves in the luxurious hot tub of the SoHo Metropolitan while wearing a variety of pieces of 18th century costume all the while balancing on a collection of milk crates! Any idea what the name of the opera may be? I will include outtakes as soon as I am given permission by our publicist. In the meantime, my sincere thanks to Nan Shepherd (stage management), Gerard Gauci (artistic advisor), Evelyn Campbell (aquatic production manager), Michael Legouffe (wardrobe), Barbara Szablowski (hair and makeup), Bruce Zinger (camera man) and our imperturbable models for their participation.
Posted in: Art, Backstage.
Dec 8th, 2009
by Marshall.
Last Thursday Gerard Gauci (Opera Atelier’s set designer) and I flew to New York in order to meet with Ralph Rucci – the extraordinary couturier introduced to us by Jeanne Beker. It was Jeanne who originally suggested that Mr. Rucci would be the ideal designer for a special production slated to take place as part of Opera Atelier’s upcoming 25th anniversary season.
Having attended Ralph Rucci’s fall/winter 2009/10 collection in New York last year, I was already overwhelmed. The prospect of meeting this designer was nerve wracking to say the least. How does one “collaborate” with an artist who’s vision is already so refined: so fully formed, and innovative? My fears were put to rest the moment we stepped into the beautiful offices of Chado (Ralph Rucci’s luxury line of clothing).
We met with Ralph, his sister Rosina and two of his assistants and it was clear at once that we were all on the same wavelength. As we discussed the upcoming project and Gerard began presenting his designs – the ideas began flying so fast we were barely able to take it all in. As Rosina said in an email to Jane (OA’s general manager) “…it was amazing how beautifully they all clicked and heard each other and finished each other’s sentences…positively karmic.”
What will the show look like? I can’t even begin to say! At the moment I simply know that we are putting the costuming into the hands of a creative genius with an eye for detail which any Baroque composer would have understood and applauded. You can take a look at Ralph Rucci’s breathtaking designs by clicking here. In particular, take a look at the evening wear in the finale of his spring 2010 show. It’s heart stopping!
Posted in: Art, Backstage.
Nov 30th, 2009
by Marshall.
I received an email from an audience member asking why we were producing The Marriage of Figaro in English. This is a legitimate question and I take for granted if one person is asking, there are another hundred silently wondering the same thing.
The fact is, Opera Atelier has always produced comedy in English whenever possible. I firmly believe that comedy moves at a different pace than tragedy. There is less time for the audience to reflect on what is being said, rather the audience is drawn in to rapid-fire dialogue, particularly in eighteenth century scenarios. Revelations (such as Figaro discovering Marcellina is his mother) are instantaneous, word games involving sexual innuendo occur frequently and punch lines race by as fast as the actors can deliver them.
When we are forced to rely on surtitles during comic performances the audience is frequently ahead or behind the actor’s delivery. It is simply impossible for the surtitle operator to stay in perfect sync with the actors’ recitative. As a result, the actors on stage are left dealing with laughter occurring before a punch line is delivered or long after it hit its mark! The actor’s comic timing and spontaneity are compromised when the audience is reacting to the written text rather than to the actor’s delivery.
Translation was the order of the day in the eighteenth century. All of Mozart’s operas were translated into multiple languages so that they could be enjoyed by the extremely demanding and discriminating audiences of his day. What with expert translators such as Jeremy Sams at our disposal, we are happy to do the same.
Posted in: 2009/10 Season.
Nov 25th, 2009
by Marshall.
Jeannette and I have just returned from our week in Rome. As always, it was overwhelming and exhilarating. We averaged a trip to 3 galleries or special exhibits per day and were on our feet from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sometimes we were looking for specific references but often we were simply letting impressions wash over us like waves. A great deal of our time was devoted to the development of images for Opera Atelier’s 25th anniversary season next year.
On Monday morning as I made my way down the stairs at the subway I was stopped by a charming young woman who spoke to me by name. I was afraid it was someone I should know and began to respond as though we were acquainted. She corrected me at once telling me we had not met but that she was an OA subscriber. She went on to explain how much she had enjoyed Iphigénie and that she was looking so forward to Figaro. I wish I could remember her name. I wonder if people have any idea how much it means to have such positive input on the heels of a beautiful show having just closed. It was like a breath of fresh air.
Posted in: 2009/10 Season.
