On today's episode, we're proud to welcome the Canadian mezzo-soprano, Mireille Lebel, who's known for her captivating performances across the globe in operas such as Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Barber of Seville. And currently, she's starring as Count Orlofsky in our production of Die Fledermaus on stage October 26 to November 3rd. I hope you enjoy the conversation. Full Article Credits: Ashley Daniel Foot - Host Mireille Lebel - Guest Mack McGillivray - Audio Producer

We are celebrating Vancouver Opera’s 65th anniversary with a truly fabulous season. The season opens with Johann Strauss II’s beloved operetta Die Fledermaus. This charming comedy relies almost entirely on a series of pranks, trickery and disguise as plot devices to illuminate the themes of revenge, love, friendship, and forgiveness and reconciliation. Die Fledermaus runs from October 26th to November 3rd, with a masquerade party performance on Halloween. Full article. Credits: Ashley...

A candid conversation about identity, queerness, and joy with UBC voice professor and baritone J. Patrick Raftery and his former student and tenor Spencer Britten. Patrick is about to launch his all-queer reimagining of Maurice Ravel's L'heure espagnole as A Spanish Hour? with two performances on July 27th in the Telus Theatre at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Tickets will be available soon. Read the full article. Credits: J. Patrick Raftery - Guest Spencer Britten -...

In honour of Asian Heritage Month, we are in conversation with curator, writer, public art consultant and the newly appointed executive director of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Henry Heng Lu. Henry shares insight on art, heritage, and the power of cultural collaboration to confront racism. Read the full article. Credits: Henry Heng Lu - Guest Ashley Daniel Foot - Host Mack McGillivray - Producer

We always say that Vancouver Opera is a family, but today's guests actually are family. Eve-Lyn de la Haye and Clara Griesdale are real life mother and daughter, and they're both in our upcoming production of Carmen. For tickets and more information visit VancouverOpera.ca. Read the full article here. Credits: Clara Griesdale - Guest Eve-Lyn de la Haye - Guest Ashley Daniel Foot - Host Mack McGillivray - Producer

In anticipation of our upcoming production of Carmen we are rebroadcasting our 7-part series on the composer’s life as one episode. Originally aired in October of 2022 ahead of our production of The Pearl Fishers. Vancouver Opera presents Carmen at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from April 27th to May 5th. For tickets and more information visit VancouverOpera.ca. CREDITS Written and edited by Kris EppsAdditional editing by Ashley Daniel Foot and Mack McGillivrayMusic Supervisor and Clearances:...

Canadian opera icon Judith Forst and Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Simran Claire share the experiences of being a mezzo-soprano and wearing the pants onstage. Read the full article here. Credits: Simran Claire - Guest Judith Forst - Guest Ashley Daniel Foot - Host Tabitha Brasso-Ernst - Associate Producer Mack McGillivray - Producer

In a rollicking and candid conversation, Jim Wright reflects on his storied career and his 17 years leading Vancouver Opera and spills the beans on long-held desire to be a senator from Indiana. Read the full story here. Credits Ashley Daniel Foot - Host Jim Wright - Guest Mack McGillivray - Producer

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 Giuseppe Verdi Mack McGillivray - Audio Producer, Voice of Hector Berlioz

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 Foot - Host Mack McGillivray - Producer

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 McGillivray - Audio Producer

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 Credits: Ashley Daniel Foot - Host Robyn Driedger-Klassen - Guest Tina Chang - Guest Mack...

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 Choir. The performance runs from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at The Kettle’s Recovery Cafe, 620 Clarke Drive,...

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 Donizetti's comedic romp, Don Pasquale and Bizet's timeless classic Carmen. Full Transcript Credits: ...

Composer Tawnie Olson and conductor Arianne Abela discuss Sanctuary & 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 Abela - Conductor, Sanctuary & Storm Mack McGillivray - Audio Producer

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 Lacombe Audio Producer - Mack McGillivray

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 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven Ashley Daniel Foot - Voice of Antonio Salieri Mack...

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, Leopold Mozart, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Ashley Daniel Foot - Voice of Voltaire Kent Wilson -...

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 more information visit VancouverOpera.ca Credits Host - Ashley Daniel Foot Guest - Stephen...

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 Host - Ashley Daniel Foot Guest - Roberta Doylend Editor - Mack McGillivray

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 Editor - Mack McGillivray

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 overshadowed, have found their place within the canon, enriching the operatic landscape. Unveiling...

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 FootGuest - Tom WrightEditing - Mack McGillivray