September 2009 - The Wholenote Magazine

Guillermo Silva-Marin, General Directorwww.operainconcert.com2oo9/2o10 S easonRossini RossiniLa Donna del Lagoin ItalianAlison d’Amato, Music DirectorVirginia Hatfield, Amanda Jones,Paul Anthony Williamson,Graham Thomson, Gene WuOpera in Concert ChorusRobert Cooper, Chorus DirectorOctober 25, 2009at 2:30 p.m.Gala Concert‘Three of Each’Gala ConcertStuart Hamilton C.M., M.C.November 29, 2009at 2:30 p.m.Handel HandelGiulio Cesarein ItalianEducation Centre and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. It runsNovember 5-12 at the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts.In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Joseph Haydn’sdeath, the University of Toronto Opera Division presents Haydn’sIl mondo della luna (1777). The comic story tells of the would-beastrologer Eccitico, who convinces the wealthy Buonafede that hehas been transported to the moon. The opera runs November 5-8conducted by Miah Im and directed by Michael Patrick Albano andErik Thor. Also in November, Opera By Request, a company whosesingers choose the repertory themselves, offers concert performancesof Ponchielli’s once popular La Gioconda (1876) featuring CarolineJohnston in the title role with Melanie Hartshorn-Walton, KarenBojti, Peter Whalen and Melchiorre Nicosia.December begins with a new work commissioned by TorontoMasque Theatre, The Mummer’sMasque, written by composer/librettistDean Burry in celebrationof the Newfoundland mummertradition. The singers will includeLaura Albino, Krisztina Szabó,John Kriter, Giles Tomkins and achildren’s choir. The productionruns December 3-6.February 17-21, Toronto OperettaTheatre revives its popularproduction of Canada’s own operetta,Leo, the Royal Cadet (1889)by Oscar Telgmann. The tunefultale follows the lives of cadetsat the Royal Military College inKingston, their departure for theZulu Wars in South Africa andtheir return home.In March, the Royal Conservatoryof Music will give Torontoaudiences a rare chance to seeJules Massenet’s CendrillonRobert Lepage returns to Toronto todirect “The Nightingale and OtherShort Fables”. (1899) sung by members of the Glenn Gould School and accompaniedby the Royal Conservatory Orchestra under the baton of Mario Bernardi.Performances run March 20-25. March will also brings us aKevin Mallon, ConductorDavid Trudgen, Charlotte Corwin, world premiere from Queen of Puddings Music Theatre: Beauty Dissolvesin a Brief Hour – A Triptych. The work comprises three cham-Catherine Rooney, James LevesqueAradia Ensembleber operas sung in three languages (Mandarin, English and French)commissioned from three different Canadian composers – FuhongJanuary 31, 2010at 2:30 p.m.Shi, John Rea and Pierre Klanac – and scored for two sopranos andvirtuoso accordion player Joseph Petric.April begins with another world premiere, Giiwedin, by Catherine BelliniMagowan and Algonquin poet Spy Dénommé-Welch. This, the most ambitious project in the history of Native Earth Performing Arts, is Belliniwritten in Anishnawbe Mowin, French and English and tells the story of a 150-year old Aboriginal woman fighting for her land. It runs I Puritani April 9-24.in ItalianMay 1-30 the COC presents its first-ever production of Donizetti’s Michael Rose, Music DirectorMaria Stuarda (1835), written the same year as his Lucia di Lammermoor.It stars Serena Farnocchia, Alexandrina Pendatchanska, EricColin Ainsworth, Justin Welsh,Bruce KellyOpera in Concert Chorus Cutler and Patrick Carfizzi, and is conducted by Antony Walker with Robert Cooper, Chorus Director direction by Stephen Lawless.March 28, 2010The season ends with the North American premiere of Rufus Wainwright’sPrima Donna, as part of Luminato, running June 5-14. The at 2:30 p.m.opera was originally commissioned by the Met, but when Wainwrightwith support from:insisted that the libretto be in French, Met Artistic Director Peter JACKMAN Gelb abandoned the project. Thereupon it was swiftly picked up by FOUNDATION Luminato along with the Melbourne International Arts Festival and Istituto Italiano di Cultura the Manchester International Festival, where it had its world premiereSUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW! in July this year. Also in June, Tapestry New Opera Works will presentthe world premiere of the staged “operatic oratorio” Dark StarCall 416-922-2147 for a free brochureor call the Box Office: by Andrew Staniland, a requiem about AIDS. Wayne Strongman conducts and Tom Diamond directs. This season, also look for Tryptych’sworld premiere of Andrew Ager’s Frankenstein. Stay tuned for 416-366-7723 further developments! or 1-800-708-675418 WWW.THEWHOLENOTE.COM September 1 - October 7, 2009