Visit Sondra Radvanovsky At Home In Canada During Interview

 

Watch a video interview by Canadian Opera Company as they visit soprano Sondra Radvanovsky where she reveals her love of chopping wood, collecting red cars, and special opera memorabilia from past performances. Once more photo after the jump.

Christopher Alden Sets the Record Straight About "Rigoletto"

Ekaterina Sadovnikova as Gilda and Quinn Kelsey as Rigoletto in
the Canadian Opera Company production. (Photo: Michael Cooper)

"One of the busiest opera directors on the international opera circuit today, Christopher Alden was in Toronto this September for the rehearsals of the new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Canadian Opera Company. His creative team chose to set the work in the period in which Verdi composed the opera. The Chicago Lyric Opera decided not to revive this production due to donor pressure, but Toronto audiences seem to be more open to innovative readings of the old operatic mainstays. The new Rigoletto premiered at the COC on Sept. 29 and will be on stage until Oct. 22." The revealing interview by Tandem's Lydia Perovic goes on to discuss topics such as the director's rule for adapting the Rigoletto production for modern time, the environment of arts organizations in the United States, how music dictates his directing, his view of why so women die in opera, whether Italy has conservative views on new productions and whether or not there has been an opera too challenging for him to conceptualize. Read the whole story here.

Side note: The Lyric Opera of Chicago replaced the Alden production in 2006 with a more traditional approach led by director Stefano Vizioli.

Dora Award Opera Nominations Announced in Toronto

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
Prima Donna (Luminato)
Orfeo ed Euridice (Canadian Opera Company presents Lyric Opera of Chicago)
Nixon in China (Canadian Opera Company presents a Co-production of Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Chicago Opera Theatre, Opera Colorado, Houston Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera and Portland Opera)
La Cenerentola (Canadian Opera Company presents a Co-production of Houston Grand Opera Association, Welsh National Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu and Grand Théâtre de Genève)
Death in Venice (Canadian Opera Company presents The Aldeburgh Festival, Opéra National de Lyon, Bregenz Opera and Prague State Opera)


OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Sondra Radvanovsky (Aida /Canadian Opera Company)
Lawrence Zazzo (Orfeo ed Euridice/Canadian Opera Company presents Lyric Opera of Chicago)
Jane Archibald (Ariadne auf Naxos/Canadian Opera Company presents Welsh National Opera Production)
Alan Oke (Death in Venice/Canadian Opera Company presents The Aldeburgh Festival, Opéra National de Lyon, Bregenz Opera and Prague State Opera)

The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance, and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped establish Canadian professional theatre, the award was established on December 13, 1978. Each winner receives a bronze statue made from the original by John Romano. [Source, Source]