Inside Vancouver Opera

Vancouver Opera honours Black History Month with a special audio documentary about BC Choral legend and music educator Jim Johnson and his wife, choral conductor and teacher Sheila Johnson. Recorded, edited and produced by Ashley Daniel Foot Music performed by The Concenti Singers and the Cowichan Valley Youth Choir

A profile on of one of the kings of the bel canto age, Gaetano Donizetti, the composer of Don Pasquale , on stage at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre February 10th to 18th. Get your tickets and more information at VancouverOpera.ca . Full Article Credits: Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator Ashley Daniel Foot - Voice of Gaetano Donizetti Richard Wolfe - Voice of Felix Mendelssohn Tom Wright - Voice of Gi...

Today, we're talking with baritone extraordinaire, Gregory Dahl . Audiences from Vancouver will remember him last season as the lead role in The Flying Dutchman. And he's back in Vancouver for as the titular role in Don Pasquale , from February 10th to 18th at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets are available at VancouverOpera.ca Full Story Gregory Dahl - Guest, Baritone Ashley Daniel Foo...

Operatic creative partners André Barbe and Renaud Doucet discuss the timeless appeal of Don Pasquale with guest host Luka Kawabata . Don Pasquale runs from February 10th to 18th at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets available at VancouverOpera.ca . Full Story Credits André Barbe - Guest, Costume & Set Designer Renaud Doucet - Guest, Stage Director and Choreographer Luka Kawabata - Host Mack...

Today, we are looking ahead to OperaSparks Artist Development Workshop. This is a new initiative from Vancouver Opera that really allows young and pre-professional artists to dig into their practice. In our latest podcast, Ashley spoke with Robyn Driedger-Klassen and Tina Chang about this exciting new opportunity. If you are interested, application information is available here . Full Transcript C...

A few weeks after starting at my job at Vancouver Opera, I had the honour of meeting the amazing Carole Côté over the phone - singing her heart out. Carole graciously agreed to visit us at the VO and shared songs and stories. I think you’ll agree that she is truly one-of-a-kind. Carole Côté will be performing on December 7th at The Kettle Choir ’s Holiday Concert, with guests Highs & Lows Choi...

Vancouver Opera's Database and Ticket Centre Manager Tracey Flattes shares her unique brand of hard-earned wisdom, humour, and stories from the trenches of the ticketing world. We're celebrating Black Friday with our best ticket offer of the season : Save 50% Off Duet Subscriptions! You'll enjoy the rest of our blockbuster 2023-2024 season: our wild, pop-art, technicolour production of...

Composer Tawnie Olson and conductor Arianne Abela discuss S anctuary & Storm and the state of women in opera. Transcript Sanctuary & Storm , our new collaboration with re:Naissance Opera , runs from November 17th to 19th at the H.R MacMillan Space Centre. Head to VancouverOpera.ca to grab your tickets. Credits Ashley Daniel Foot - Host Tawnie Olson - Composer, Sanctuary & Storm Arianne...

Join us for a conversation with Vancouver Opera’s new Music Director, Maestro Jacques Lacombe, in which he shares his passion for conducting, right from a young age discovering the organ. Vancouver Opera presents Don Pasquale - February 10th - 18th, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. For tickets and more information visit VancouverOpera.ca Transcript Credits: Host - Ashley Daniel Foot Guest - Jacques...

Mozart. The very name reminds us of soaring arias, evocative melodies, and musical mastery. In this episode we explore 15 things you may not have known about the ingenious composer. Vancouver Opera presents The Magic Flute - October 21st to 29th, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. For tickets and more information visit VancouverOpera.ca Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator David Bloom - Voice of Wolfgan...

Mozart. The very name reminds us of soaring arias, evocative melodies, and musical mastery. In this episode we explore Mozart's life and the Freemason influence. Vancouver Opera presents The Magic Flute - October 21st to 29th, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. For tickets and more information visit VancouverOpera.ca Credits: Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator David Bloom - Voice of Goethe, Leopol...

Vancouver Opera presents The Magic Flute - October 21st to 29th, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Stephen Elgar , Vancouver Opera’s Head of Properties, opens the workshop to share how he brings magic to the mundane, creating objects fit for the stage. Stephen discusses his career from restoring furniture to preparing “pony-trikes” and a “three-headed dragon” for The Magic Flute. For tickets and mor...

Vancouver Opera presents The Magic Flute - October 21st to 29th, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Through costuming Roberta Doylend has built cohesive worlds for over 400 shows. Roberta discusses her remarkable career, her role as Vancouver Opera’s Head of Wardrobe, and the visual candy store awaiting audiences in The Magic Flute. For tickets and more information visit VancouverOpera.ca Credits Hos...

Vancouver Opera presents ⁠ The Magic Flute ⁠ - October 21st to 29th, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Director Ashlie Corcoran returns to Vancouver Opera to direct this remount production of Mozart’s ultimate opera. Join us for an early glimpse into what awaits you on the stage. For tickets and more information visit ⁠ VancouverOpera.ca⁠ Credits Host - Ashley Daniel Foot Guest - Ashlie Corcoran Edi...

In this episode we explore the intersection of identity and opera with University of Florida musicologist Leo Walker. Opera, with its grandeur, emotion, and powerful storytelling, has been a stage for human experiences throughout history. Amidst the vast repertoire of operatic works, there are narratives that explore the diverse spectrum of queer identities. These stories, often overlooked or over...

Join us for a fascinating conversation with Vancouver Opera’s General Director, Tom Wright. Tom reflects on the past opera season, the challenges the art form faces, and the future of opera in Vancouver. Visit vancouveropera.ca to discover our 2023-2024 season: The Magic Flute, Don Pasquale, and Carmen. Episode Credits: Host - Ashley Daniel Foot Guest - Tom Wright Editing - Mack McGillivray

A fascinating and insightful conversation with baritone, and Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist, Luka Kawabata. Luka talks passionately about his Hafu ハーフ Project and the unique intersection between family, memory, and music. We also discuss the state of modern opera and how to confront our operatic canon. Episode Credits: Host - Ashley Daniel Foot Guest - Luka Kawabata https://www.lukakawabata.com/...

The 2022-2023 Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program toured ten elementary schools performing their show Singing Stories, a fun and exciting operatic experience that asks the question, what if the show goes wrong but in the best possible way? Join host Ashley Daniel Foot in a discussion about Singing Stories with five members of the Young Artists Program: Sawyer Craig, Luka Kawabata, Amy Seulky Le...

Richard Wagner is known today as one of the greatest, most influential composers to have lived. But his life, anything but easy and straightforward, was as tumultuous as the age he was born into. Our top-15 list of things you didn’t know about Richard Wagner takes you behind the scenes of the life of one of Germany’s most famous exports. Vancouver Opera presents The Flying Dutchman - April 29th to...

Richard Wagner is known today as one of the greatest, most influential composers to have lived. But his life, anything but easy and straightforward, was as tumultuous as the age he was born into. Join us now for the second half of our exploration of the life and times of Richard Wagner. When we left him at the end of episode one, Wagner and his wife, Minna, had just returned to Germany following 1...

Richard Wagner is known today as one of the greatest, most influential composers to have lived. But his life, anything but easy and straightforward, was as tumultuous as the age he was born into. Join us for a three-episode look at the sometimes turbulent, often unrestrained, but always inspired life that shaped the man. Vancouver Opera presents The Flying Dutchman - April 29th to May 7th, 2023, a...

We were honoured to welcome an incredible panel of Wagnerian singers, artists, and fans to a robust discussion of The Flying Dutchman. Join host Ashley Daniel Foot alongside: Les Dala, Conductor of The Flying Dutchman Marjorie Owens, Senta in The Flying Dutchman J. Patrick Raftery, singer, UBC professor, and expert on all things Wagner Stanis Smith, musician, architect, and super fan Vancouver Ope...

“To be loving we willingly hear the other’s truth, and most important, we affirm the value of truth telling. Lies may make people feel better, but they do not help them to know love.” ~bell hooks Vancouver Opera honours Black History Month and shares a conversation that took place during Indie Fest 2022, co-hosted by Debi Wong of re:Naissance Opera and Ashley Daniel Foot the Senior Manager of Part...

In the second episode of our two part series on Benjamin Britten, we talk to the composer himself (played by Roger Carr) in the form of a Proust questionnaire.  Written and presented by Jane Potter Britten: Roger Carr produced by Ashley Daniel Foot and Jane Potter audio editing by Jack Goodison musical clearances: Ashley Daniel Foot and Vancouver Opera

In the first episode of our two part series on Benjamin Britten, we get a brief overview of Britten’s prolific musical output, his musical influences, and the huge impact that Peter Pears had on his life and work. Written and presented by Jane Potter Britten: Roger Carr produced by Ashley Daniel Foot and Jane Potter audio editing by Jack Goodison musical clearances: Ashley Daniel Foot and Vancouve...