On November 29, 2012, 10 finalists competed at the Canadian Opera Company’s Second Annual Ensemble Studio Competition for cash prizes and a chance to join the Ensemble Studio for the 2013/2014 season. At the competition, bass-baritone Gordon Bintner was awarded first-place and the audience-choice awards, tenor Andrew Haji took home the second-place prize and mezzo-soprano Charlotte Burrage received the third-place prize. View our recap for photos and tweets from the competition.
The three prize winners are joining the 2013/2014 Ensemble Studio as well as soprano Aviva Fortunata, baritone Clarence Frazer, and mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan. These six singers become part of an illustrious program that has launched the careers of over 150 Canadian singers, opera coaches, stage directors and conductors. They join returning Ensemble Studio members, soprano Sasha Djihanian, soprano Claire de Sévigné, tenor Owen McCausland and baritone Cameron McPhail.
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Posted by Danielle D'Ornellas / in Ensemble Studio / comments (0) / permalink
Do you have a case of the post-holiday blues? Perk up and attend one of our COC Free Concert Series performances at the Four Seasons Centre in January. You can warm up your winter with some spicy Latin jazz, get your groove on with our hip hop showcase, and enjoy classical music performed by COC artists.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 – 12 p.m. – Artists of the COC Ensemble Studio – Mozart and Salieri
This noon-hour concert features members of the COC Ensemble Studio performing pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his colleague, Antonio Salieri. This concert features bass-baritone Neil Craighead, soprano Sasha Djihanian, baritone Cameron McPhail, tenor Owen McCausland and soprano Claire de Sévigné, accompanied by Timothy Cheung and Jenna Douglas on piano.
Posted by Danielle D'Ornellas / in Free Concert Series / comments (0) / permalink
Just before we close up the office for the holidays, we asked our staff and social media followers for some of their favourite musical gifts over the years and here are some of their responses!
Daveda Karanas, mezzo soprano, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde – "My fave recording of Bluebeard's Castle w/Troyanos, Nimsgern, & Boulez w/the BBC Symp. I'd searched years for it to no avail!" (via Twitter)
Ali Kashani, Associate Director, Development –" My favourite musical gift was the flute my dad bought me in high school. I was so happy not to have to use one of the school’s instruments (which often had problems) and I was over the moon about the fact that the mouthpiece was solid silver!"
Kathleen Keenan, Public Relations Intern – "I’ve received lots of musically-themed gifts over the years, from my clarinet stand to sheet music for the top pop songs of 2003, but my favourite has to be my copy of Michael Steen’s The Lives and Times of the Great Composers. This huge book contains all the information you’ll ever need about the tragic, scandalous or inspiring lives of your favourite classical and opera composers!”
John Kriter, Communications Assistant, Creative & Volunteers – "My favourite musical gift was an appreciation of opera given to me by my grandmother."
Alan Moffat, Ticket Services Manager – "My guitar. My wife and I spent a day going around guitar shops and when I finally found the one that was right for me, she bought it for me. I’ve since written her many songs on it."
Claire Morley, Communications Assistant – "One of my favourite gifts was from a friend who works at the LSO, who snuck me into a rehearsal of LSO and Colin Davis rehearsing Verdi’s Requiem. The other was an orchestra seat to a concert performance of Fidelio with Simon Rattle and the Berlin Phil."
Posted by Danielle D'Ornellas / in Opera Appreciation / comments (0) / permalink
Sara Fulgoni in the COC production of Bluebeard's Castle. Photo: Michael Cooper © 2001