Our love for Bizet!

Bizet has a very special place in our hearts here at VanCOCO.  Our very first performance was of Bizet's Carmen, and was a resounding success for us!  It began our journey of bringing a high level of opera to all of British Columbia.  The premiere performance had 3 of our 4 artists in the Tri-City Gala in lead roles, and all received glowing reviews for their performances.  

"Natalie Burdeny showed an enviable understanding of the title role in her portrayal of the nuanced vagaries of Carmen's personality.  Her Card Scene was particularly memorable… The delicate and pure soprano of Arianna Sovernigo made  for an exquisitely sung Micaela,

Arianna Sovernigo as Micaela and Natalie Burdeny as Carmen in our premiere performance in 2011

while baritone Andrew Greenwood, making his entrance striding down the centre aisle of the church, brought his past experience as Escamillo to create and assured portrayal that mesmerized the audience...  

Andrew Greenwood as Escamillo in our 2011 performance

Kudos to VanCOCO of a presentation of this caliber, rewarded by an audience that came to its feet with cheers at the conclusion." Hilary Clark - Opera Canada Spring 2011

Not to be left out, our tenor Sunny Shams, has also performed the role of Don Jose to great acclaim as well and is also one of his dream roles.

Sunny Shams as Don José in Bizet's Carmen

  

Bizet died of a heart attack a mere 3 months after Carmen premiered and he never knew it’s immediate or lasting success.  Why do you think this opera speaks now and why is it so popular?

AG: Catchy tunes I think. I sang Escamillo in Prague, It's always fun to sing toreador. It's fun to fake the swagger and bravado.

NB: I think it's because it has the perfect amount of drama combined with memorable music. I can't think of anyone I've met, opera lover, opera hater, or doesn't know a thing about opera, who if you hummed the Habanera or the Torreador, they wouldn't recognize one of those tunes. In that regard, it's timeless.  Personally, it's the one and only opera, I can watch again, again, and again, without getting bored.

SS: I think because it has so many fantastic arias and ensembles in it. Bizet really captured the exoticism of Spain in his music, which is phenomenal considering he never went to Spain. It's also a very well written libretto.  It's a great sing, and it showcases the main leads really well.  You see the tension building, and the climax comes right at the end. it's great!  Such an epic ending too.

AS: Well, there's sex appeal, love and violence...the trilogy for todays movies.  It's a known story...who doesn't know what happens in Carmen...even if you have never seen an opera before.  I think opera is loved more when you understand it and since this opera is widely publicized and many references made elsewhere it keeps it's popularity...I doubt many would know the story of say Rita by Donizetti for instance.

David Boothroyd Piano. Recorded live in the Old Auditorium at UBC 2012. Photos from productions in Saint Eustache Montreal and Vancouver BC.

It’s often argued that Don José in Carmen is the protagonist in the opera because his character goes through more changes/development than Carmen (the so-called antagonist) because she remains static.  Thoughts?

NB: I disagree.  She does change.  She has never really loved anyone, but has always "used" people to get what she wants.  I think she really does fall in love with Escamillo, and these are new emotions for her, but true emotions.  Don Jose sees that, hence that’s why he goes a bit crazy! 

SS: I would agree with that. I also think that Don Jose is not a bad person, which many argue. I think he's a very inexperienced young man, who falls wholly in love, and believes in it, and gives up everything for Carmen because he is true to her and believes in his love for her.  He's so jealous because she means everything to him, and he can't bear to see that he's devoted himself to her, and she doesn't care. It's his love for her that drives him to kill her at the end because he can't bear the thought of her being with anyone else. He's just so full of desire for her he can't possibly imagine her being with anyone else. He's a good person led down a series of unfortunate events by his naivety and his love for Carmen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We will be performing numerous selections from Bizet during our Tri-City Gala performances in Vancouver, White Rock, and Sechelt.  

Get your tickets TODAY at www.vancoco.ca

It's all about VERDI!

Today's entry is all about Maestro Verdi! As one of the featured composers in our 'Tri-City Gala' concert, our blog today explores how our singers feel about the maestro, their favourite Verdi operas, and why they believe that his compositions have endured for so long!  Enjoy!

There are only 3 DAYS left to take advantage of  our Special Holiday Pricing! Get your tickets now at www.vancoco.ca!!!

AG: Andrew Greenwood | NB: Natalie Burdeny
SS: Sunny Shams | AS: Arianna Sovernigo

Giuseppe Verdi

Which Verdi opera is your favourite?

AG: Hmmm. So hard to choose. It is usually the one I'm working on! But if I had to choose, it would be a toss up between Macbeth and Rigoletto. Which is so unfair, because there are so many I haven't studied yet. Il Trovatore is amazing. Also Simon Boccanegra.

NB: Rigoletto is my favourite, then Il Trovatore... Of course I'm biased towards the characters I can play, but I think the quartet from Rigoletto as well as the "Storm Trio" are some of my favourite parts of that opera.

SS: Oooh. It's a toss-up between La Traviata and Rigoletto. I love both!!! I love to sing the Duke in Rigoletto. It's a role I'm currently learning. I could listen to Rigoletto a million times and never get bored!  Although, most of Verdi's operas are like that for me.

AS: At the moment La Traviata but as I get to know new operas that I haven't heard before I constantly change my mind. I'm usually really passionate about what I am currently learning.

The 'Ricordi' covers of the favourite Verdi operas of our singers

Why do you think Verdi is such a draw for audiences and singers alike?

AG: So many things. His inherent sense of drama and theater, his orchestration too. Sometimes the orchestra is almost a character; or at least portrays the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters. With the orchestra, he can set up a mood instantly.  And of course the amazing melodies! He wrote so exquisitely for the voice!!!

NB: His music is big and dramatic, plus I think he wrote really well for the voice. Not to say that it is easy music, but his lines make sense.

SS: He was so particular about choosing certain librettos and using certain librettists.  He was so detailed in his work and really understood human pathos.  He made a connection with his audiences through the music.

AS: The emotion behind the music. He has these moments written in the music that sound like sobs or laughter or anger and then it is reflected in the voice. People are always drawn to what touches them emotionally. And truly even though his operas were written for specfic time periods the circumstances of what would happen today are still relavant emotionally if not physically.

"My heyday is over, and another must take my place. The world wants something new. Others have ceded their places to us and we must cede ours to still others... I am more than happy to give mine to people of talent like Verdi." - Donizetti. What do you think Verdi learned from his predecessor?

AG: I think Verdi carried on the ‘bel canto’ tradition from Donizetti. Maybe he was influenced by Donizetti's melody writing and orchestration abilities. 

NB: Donizetti was clearly a wise man. This is a business about tradition, and "passing the baton" as it were. We learn from our predecessors to get to a point where we are able to confidently put our own stamp on the traditional works. We can't move forward before understanding the past. I think this applies to all facets of life, however when it comes to art and music, I think it takes a thoughtful artist to recognize when it is time to hang up one's hat, and an even more courageous artist, who freely passes on his/her own knowledge for the advancement of the art. 

SS: I think Verdi definitely learned a lot from his predecessor in how to write character traits. Again, Verdi was so prolific in writing character traits, and you hear each character in their themes, and the way they sing in ensembles and arias. They all have their own personality in the writing.  As well as he really learned about using the full potential of the libretto to really keep the drama of the story moving and fluid.  

AS: That is an amazing quote. It's something we can all learn from. I think Verdi would have been very humbled by such a gracious gesture from Donizetti and done all he could to live up to that respect. Which undoubtedly he did.  He took opera to the next level and made it more real, less farcical. Even in the comedy there is always a truth behind it and that truth is reflected not just in words and the voice but in the orchestra and stage directions.  

Andrew Greenwood as Amanasro/ Tamara Haskin as Aida

Verdi's Aida

Theater für Niedersachsen Hildesheim 2011

Verdi just celebrated his 200th birthday this year, and is widely considered to be one of the very best composers in history.  However, he listed his profession on official documents as 'Farmer' not ‘Composer’.  Do you have another profession?

AG: Fire lieutenant with Vancouver Fire and Rescue. It's always neat to see the reaction from the guys from work when they hear me perform.

NB: Interesting, I didn't know that. I have in fact had an entirely other career outside of music. I used to be a programmer and project manager for a Fortune 500 company. I spent endless hours writing programs to move financial data from A to B. I quite enjoyed it, and it gave me a really great grounding for the business of "opera".

SS: I am also a barista/baker by day! Opera singer by night!  My parents have had a cafe/bakery on Vancouver Island in Sidney for almost 20 years now, so I've grown up around coffee. I've also worked in Vancouver for Starbucks and Blenz. Done the coffee thing for about 11 years now! I also worked for about 3 years with Apple. As a specialist in Apple products in their retail stores. I've always loved Mac.

AS: Yes, I am a social media director for the swimming pool construction company called ALKA POOL CONSTRUCTION, and I teach singing. In my spare time I design websites.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join us for the next installment where we chat with our singers about Bizet and Donizetti!  

And once again, we hope to see you at our concerts in White Rock, Vancouver and Sechelt!

~ VanCOCO… "all about the music" 

Get to know our 'Tri-City Gala' artists!

We here at VanCOCO are incredibly proud of the singers who are bringing our ‘Tri-City Gala’ to life!  Since they are all active on the international opera scene, and extremely busy, we were fortunate to manage to steal a few minutes from their very busy schedules to ask them a few questions about the concert programming, their voices and careers, a bit about their backgrounds, and some fun rapid fire questions too!  We were very surprised at some of the answers, so we hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

We have broken our conversation into several segments for your reading pleasure!  Check back often for more installments!!

Please visit www.vancoco.ca to purchase your tickets! Only 4 days left of our 'Special Holiday Pricing'!!

AG: Andrew Greenwood

NB: Natalie Burdeny

SS: Sunny Shams

AS: Arianna Sovernigo

Are you from a musical family?

AG: Not really. I’m more from a family that likes music.

NB: Not directly, my father was an industrial psychologist, and my mother was an administrator before becoming a real estate agent. However, there are a number of visual artists in our family (photography, painting) and it is rumored that my great grandfather was a professional cantor in the Ukrainian church.

SS: Not really. My mom studied piano and accordion as a kid, but never really pursued it in a serious way. But, I'm from a very music-appreciative family. They love music of all kinds.

AS: Well, my grandfather (on my mother's side) used to sing in the choir and my dad has a nice voice, but other than that no one sings or plays an instrument... and I have a very, very large italian family!

How did you decide on opera?

AG: It decided on me.  Apparently my mom's grandfather said that l had a great singing voice. I started out singing in ensembles and choirs and loved to sing harmony, mostly A cappella.  I didn't start lessons until I was 23 and eventually found I had top notes which is good for opera. That was in my first year of college, where I was majoring in classical voice.  I always wanted to do oratorio and early music.  I fell in love with 15th century polyphonic music and also sang in a barbershop quartet!! Total gleek!!!!  I never sang in a rock band like all the "cool" opera singers... I was always a musical nerd. 

NB: It was purely accidental. I was always involved in music. I started piano lessons when I was 6, played the flute in band, but I was always singing. We used to drive across Canada every summer (Vancouver to Manitoba) and I sang the whole way... Fiddler on the Roof, Neil Diamond, I knew all the lyrics! I decided I wanted to be a Jazz singer and was accepted into a music program after high-school. I had to take "classical" voice training... that was my first introduction to opera, and it became clear at the time, that this kind of singing came more natural to me, so the journey began.

SS: Well, my mom was always listening to Saturday Afternoon At the Opera on CBC when I was a kid, and she still does. So I had opera around me. But I started out playing piano at age 7. In high school I played in the school band and joined Musical Theatre, and did some small roles and fell in love with acting and singing. And I wanted to be like Harry Connick Jr. or Diana Krall and play piano and sing. So I started singing lessons and my teacher at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, Karen Smith, introduced me to Joanne Hounsell, and told me I should pursue classical training.  And voila! I was exposed to the beauty of art song and opera arias and fell in love with it.  I attended UBC for 4 years and studied with Mr. Peter Barcza there. I had the opportunity to perform several roles including Don Ottavio from Don Giovanni, and Rodolfo from La Boheme, as well as to experience solos in orchestral concerts with the Vancouver Symphony during my tenure at UBC.

AS: It decided on me actually.  I was really into musical theater and when I went to the Vancouver Academy of Music they really didn't want me to pursue it. So I stuck it out and figured I would just do the degree in opera and then go back to musicals.  But then I sort of fell in love with it and well, I'm still singing it.  But, I would give anything to do another musical again.  And also, big thing I forgot to mention... I don’t dance.

Who is your biggest musical influence?

Clockwise from Top Left:
Marilyn Horne, Placido Domingo,
Giuseppe Verdi, Joan Sutherland -
Some of the many musical influences of our singers.

AG: I’d have to say as a composer, Verdi.  But I could also say Bach, Handel, Palestrina and Tomas Luis de Victoria early on. Oh!  And believe it or not Gregorian chant!! I loved it when we had to sing it in school, at a monastery.

NB: I'm a big fan of Marilyn Horne, Dolora Zajick, and most recently Jennifer Larmore. Those are the ladies I love listening to. But my teachers and coaches have also had a big influence on me as a singer and as a human being.  I am grateful for the years I spent with Heidi Klassen, and most recently with Victoria Livengood. These exceptional singers have given me many gifts! Oh, and I can't leave out my favourite coach, Rogelio Riojas-Nolasco.  That man knows how to make me work!

SS: My biggest musical influence in Opera? Probably Placido Domingo.  His musicianship and his dramatic technique is incredible. For vocal production though, it's a tie between Fritz Wunderlich and Pavarotti. The ease they have to create such a beautiful tone, such pure, unadulterated beauty in their voices. Effortless and perfectly lined up. Flawless technique.

AS: That’s a tough one.  My father listened to ‘The Three Tenors’ all the time when i was growing up, especially Pavarotti. But I tended to listen to Joan Sutherland when I was first starting out, and then Maria Callas.  I still listen to Maria Callas and her interpretations before going to anyone else, as I love her dramatic intensity. Now I listen to all of the great Italians, Freni, Scotto, etc.

What is your favourite role that you have sung and why?

AG: Macbeth. First off it feels like vocally it was written for me, and secondly I can identify with the character so well. He is a man with flaws and demons. He may be physically strong, but can be weak in the face of these demons or outside influences.

NB: Not gonna lie, I would *almost* die to sing Carmen in a staged production. I think we have a lot in common, although I hope my life doesn't end so tragically! 

SS: Rodolfo from La Bohème. Rodolfo is a character I feel I can most relate to. He's young, a poet, full of spirit and optimism. He falls madly in love with Mimi, and it's a love that is so real. She's his true love, which is why he's distraught at the end when she dies, because he feels responsible that he couldn't give her enough. He always just wanted the best for her.  I feel I have a lot of that in my persona. I can relate. Also, the music Puccini writes is just so perfect! And it feels right in my voice.  It's easy for me.

AS: To be honest, I don’t have a favourite.  They all had their ups and downs, and that’s really a tough one!

What is your dream role?

AG: Toss up between Don Carlo di Vargas from La forza del destino and Simon Boccanegra.  

NB: I would love to one day perform an Azucena in Il Trovatore, Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera, or Augusta Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe. I'm drawn to these type of "crazy" ladies.

SS: That’s harder... so many! I'd have to say probably Hoffmann in Les contes d'Hoffmann is one of the biggest dream roles for me. I love his character and the stories he tells and the three different loves making up one. But also, a role that I have done too is Don Jose in Carmen -- that's also a dream role of sorts.  I just love the music Bizet has written in Carmen. And the passion and buildup of the character from start to end. 

AS: Definitely Violetta from La Traviata.  I never dreamed I would be able to sing that role and now I'm studying it... I just can't wait to get the opportunity to sing the whole role on stage!

What role would you love to sing that isn't in your vocal category? 

AG: Cavaradossi from Tosca.  Love those Puccini tenor arias!!!! Puccini was to the tenor what Verdi was to the baritone!

NB: Lucia from Lucia di Lammermoor... I dream of the mad-scene and 20 minute long cadenzas!

SS: Tosca in Tosca.  So dramatic in character, beautifully written music, and what an ending! I love Puccini! I think as an aria though, I'd love to sing the Queen of the Night's revenge aria from Die Zauberflöte.

AS: Easy!  Strauss’ Elektra! She's actually a dream role but *sighs* I just wasn't blessed with that kind of voice.  Of the men, I would say Figaro from Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia.  That’s a great aria.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you very much for visiting, and be sure to visit us tomorrow as our singers talk about the magic that is Verdi!  

And be sure to pick up your tickets for the 'Tri-City Gala' . Advance tickets are available now at www.vancoco.ca.

~ VanCOCO… all about the Music!

Introducing our artists for the Tri-City Gala!

Introducing our fantastic artists for the Tri-City Gala!

We here at VanCOCO are so pleased to introduce you to

Arianna Sovernigo, soprano

Natalie Burdeny, mezzo-soprano

Sunny Shams, tenor

Andrew Greenwood, baritone

Michael Onwood, piano

Please keep an eye on this space for upcoming interviews with our artists.

We cover everything from the composers involved in the Tri_City Gala, their 

favourite roles, how they got into opera in the first place, and some of their 

biggest international accomplishments to date.  

Also, lots of fun interesting facts - like they all prefer 

Coffee over Tea! 

Please visit www.vancoco.ca to purchase tickets

Our special Holiday Pricing ends on December 15th, 2013.

~ VanCOCO...All about the Music ~

Greetings from all of us here at VanCOCO!

We wish you all a wonderful start to your holiday seasons! Here at VanCOCO we have some very exciting news, we are pleased to announce the Tri-City Gala that will take place in January 2014!

The lucky cities that get to experience this wonderful Gala are:

White Rock, BC - First United Church - Friday, January 10th, 2014 at 7:30pm
Vancouver, BC - Pyatt Hall - Saturday, January 11th, 2014 at 7:30pm
Sechelt, BC - Raven's Cry Theatre - Sunday, January 12th, 2014 at 2:00pm

The Gala concert will feature some of the most beloved opera selections from the works of Verdi, Donizetti, and Bizet (with some very special treats added in). We have assembled 4 of VanCOCO's top performers, all of whom are active in the international opera scene, to bring this beautiful music to life.  Our dream team includes: Arianna Sovernigo, Natalie Burdeny, Sunny Shams, Andrew Greenwood, and Michael Onwood.

Please visit www.vancoco.ca to purchase your tickets - as all 3 shows are sure to sell out quickly!

As a special holiday gift from us to you, if you purchase your tickets before December 15th, you will be given a discounted price!

Keep an eye on this blog for future posts on our dream team, the composers, and more information about the concerts!

~VanCOCO… all about the Music~