Colleen A. Smith on 10 years of growth at the FirstOntario PAC and the new milestone season
“It is so important that people feel like they belong at the PAC, and further, that they see themselves on our stages,” Colleen A. Smith
Music & Opera
Xin Wang’s “Cooo” is a responsive soundscape created especially for “new ears”
“I think sound discovery-based works are excellent choices for new ears… As long as we discover together, they are ready for it.” ~ Xin Wang
“Full send”: Midori Marsh sings an elephant’s journey to freedom in “Sanctuary Song”
“Whether it’s elephant to elephant, elephant to human, or human to human, in this piece music becomes our universal communicator…” ~ Midori Marsh
Korin Thomas-Smith on Wozzeck, Onegin and his unexpected path to opera
“Only after taking my first lessons and learning what classical singing was about did I realize that this was something I even liked – much less wanted to pursue.” ~ Korin Thomas-Smith
Opera Atelier’s epochal celebration: a love story and Canadian premiere
“When we first produced David and Jonathan for the Royal Chapel in Versailles in 2022, we were struck by the fact that the work was almost Shakespearean…” ~ Marshall Pynkoski
Soundstreams’ Danika Lorèn will make you feel “fearlessly alive”
“Even if the act of creating is inspired by sadness, anger, or any other emotion, I think it is always combined with love in some way.” ~ Danika Lorèn
Bea Labikova on the innovation and inclusivity of the “Women From Space” festival
What happens when boundary-pushing women in music take centre stage? One answer is Toronto’s Women From Space Festival, a dynamic
Queen Hezumuryango makes COC mainstage debut in historic new Canadian opera “La Reine-garçon”
“I would like to be remembered as someone who championed work by composers that have been historically excluded from the Western classical music canon, but will I?” ~ Queen Hezumuryango
With new album “soft winds and roses”, Diana Panton is crafting new stories in jazz
2-time Juno Award-winning Panton’s 11th album soft winds and roses represents both a fresh direction and a natural evolution in her musical journey.
Multi-instrumentalist Andrew Penner brings unique interpretations to “UnCovered: U2 and The Rolling Stones
“I love doing this series. The performers are amazing. Singing at Koerner [Hall] is such a treat.” ~ Andrew Penner