Volume 27 Issue 5 | March 4 - April 15, 2022

Teiya Kasahara in the short
film Opera Trans*formed
And the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music,
after some very interesting experiments with digital production, is
also getting back to live opera production with Handel’s Rinaldo
at Koerner Hall. What makes this a must-see for me is that brilliant
director and acting teacher Tom Diamond who has mostly been
directing south of the border the past few years, is back. Perhaps
this could lead to Diamond directing once again for the COC? We
can hope.
The Shaw and Stratford Festivals have also now muscled up and set
dates for their big musicals of the season. Shaw will be presenting the
Faustian baseball-set classic Damn Yankees to be directed by Brian
Hill, starring Kimberley Rampersad as Lola. Stratford is promising a
newly choreographed version of Kander and Ebb’s Chicago, created
specifically for the Festival Theatre’s thrust stage by director/choreographer
Donna Feore. There is nothing quite like seeing a great production
of a large-scale musical to restore a sense of hope and joy. Both
shows will run through the summer in repertory with other productions,
including (at Shaw) with a return of the outdoor musical and
dramatic programming.
Silver (screen) linings
Luckily while theatres were closed, we have had the silver lining of
companies and individual artists embracing the digital realm, both
sharing existing work and creating new, specifically to share with
audiences over the air waves. The digital wave will continue with two
innovative projects debuting in March that have both artistic and
societal goals: Opera Trans*formed, a short (seven minute) documentary
starring opera innovator Teiya Kasahara, produced by Leah Borts-
Kuperman and Maria Sarrouh, seeks to urge audiences to recognize
that, in a time of existential crisis for the opera industry, the emerging
presence of genderqueer voices is helping reimagine a more vibrant,
sustainable, relevant future for the genre. Opera Trans*formed
can be seen on March 21 as part of the Toronto Short Film Festival,
March 21 to 31.
Against the Grain’s latest opera/film hybrid, Bound, in association
with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Crows Theatre, also aims
to knock down some of the walls in the traditional world of opera,
showcasing four life stories that challenge Canada’s myth of belonging
in an unusual format, interwoven with music by Handel.
Across the footlights
As much as the digital production revolution has been a pandemic
silver lining, and an important evolution of the art form in its own
right, it has to be said that watching a show online is not the same as
actually being in a theatre as a performer or member of the audience
able to experience that feeling of sharing the experience across the
footlights and with other people in the same space. I know I am not
alone in being thankful for the wonderful digital creations that have
sustained us over the past two years, but even more grateful for the
return to live performance.
I Remember...
Programme Highlights:
Arvo Pärt
Spiegel im Spiegel
Tchaikovsky
Eugene Onegin, Opera - Letter scene
Schumann
Piano Quintet, E flat major, Op. 44
Artists:
Cesar Bello, Baritone (OCMS debut)
Joni Henson, Soprano
Inna Perkis, Piano
Rosebud String Quartet
Boris Zarankin, Piano
Host: Julia Zarankin
In person at Trinity St. Paul’s.
www.offcentremusic.com
April 10, 2022
22 | February 2022 thewholenote.com