Cast Corner - Jessica Wright (Soprano)

Soprano Jessica Wright joins the cast of Die Fledermaus as Yvan (Orlofsky's Valet), the second of two pant rolls in this saucy little operetta. When we heard Jessica in our September auditions, she charmed the pants off us (pun intended!) and so much so, that we had to find place for her on our stage!

Jessica Wright (Far Left)
in The Mikado

Interestingly enough, Jessica is currently finishing a degree in psychology, so if anyone can understand the concept of dual personalities, it certainly would be her! In addition to her studies, Jessica has spent the last five years singing with various companies in the lower mainland including Dragon Diva Operatic Theatre, Opera Appassionata, and UBC's Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

Discovering that her music journey began as a jazz vocalist we were really interested on how she began her transition into classical music...

Q: How did you get started with opera?

A: I had been a jazz vocalist, making the rounds at cafes and restaurants in and around Vancouver. Then about five years ago, I took the plunge and auditioned for The Pirates of Penzance with DragonDiva Operatic Theatre. Pirates has always held a special place in my heart and I took it as a sign. I haven’t looked back since.

Q: What might you say to someone who has never been to an opera before to get them excited about this particular show?

A: When many people think of opera, they often think of grand Wagnerian productions in huge theatres. With VanCOCO, the audience has the opportunity to experience opera in a much more intimate setting. Add to that the gorgeous music of Strauss as well as an English script, and well, what’s not to get excited about?

Q: When you are not immersed in opera, what is your favorite past time?

An annoyed looking Jessica (Centre)
in DragonDiva's HMS Pinafore

A: I love reading, watching films and cycling, but most of all I adore spending time with my two wonderful children. They teach me so much!

Q: Tell us about your first experience with Opera.

A: My father is a big fan of classical music and opera. One of my earliest childhood memories is making up dances to the operas of Bizet, Offenbach and Verdi.

Q: Could you imagine yourself doing something else besides singing?

A: Currently I am working on my degree in order to become a psychologist. But I will be a singing psychologist! Most singers will tell you that singing is a part of their soul. I’ll never give it up!

Will Jessica be too big for these "britches"? We think not, but we know that she will breath new life into Yvan the Valet!

For more information about Jessica please visit our Artist Page for her full bio! Don't forget... tickets are on sale now and can be purchased securely from our website.

IN BRIEF: Vancouver Concert Opera Society presents Strauss’ Die Fledermaus at Pyatt Hall in Vancouver (834 Seymour St.) on Jan 4 & 5, 2013 at 7:00pm and at First United Church in White Rock (15385 Semiahmoo Ave) on Jan 6 @ 7:00pm. “Concert Opera” sung in German with English dialogue. Tickets starting at $24 can be purchased online at vancoco.ca. CASH ONLY at the door.

Behind the Baton - Maestro Gordon Gerrard

Making his debut with VanCOCO is Maestro Gordon Gerrard. Maestro Gerrard is no stranger to Vancouver having worked as principal repetiteur with Vancouver Opera a number of years ago. We are fortunate and excited to be able to have him return to Vancouver to take the helm for our upcoming performances of Rigoletto. Maestro Gerrard graciously took some time out of his busy schedule to share with us a glimpse at the man behind the baton.

(Q) What is the most exciting thing about Rigoletto for you?

(A)  I had listened to recordings of Rigoletto for years, and I had even worked on the famous bits (Gilda’s big aria and the famous quartet), but when I moved to New York to go to grad school, Rigoletto was the first opera that I saw at the Met. It’s an experience I will never forget. This music is amazing! Rigoletto is about midway through Verdi’s operas, and by this point he had perfected something magical. The way that he wrote for the voices is unlike anything else in the operatic repertoire. The music is so completely conceived for the human voice. He knew more than anyone before him exactly how the human voice works, and how it can connect with the emotional guts of any listener.

(Q)  How did you get started with opera?

(A) I came to opera a little later than some. I grew up in a small town in Manitoba, and opera was not high on the list of activities for a Saturday night. I saw my first opera when I was an undergrad at the University of Manitoba (Hänsel und Gretel). I had at this point started to play for a lot of singers at school, even though my degree was in solo piano. I went to a summer art song festival where I met my now friend and mentor, Michael McMahon, who encouraged me to apply for the brand new opera training program, Opera Nuova in Edmonton. I thought I was unqualified to go, and I said to him, “I don’t know anything about opera!” He replied, “Well, it’s about time you learned.” I’m happy to say that I’m still learning.

(Q) What might you say to someone who has never been to an opera before to get them excited about this particular show?

(A) One of the criticisms that’s often leveled against opera is that the people and situations are too unbelievable for us to engage. Rigoletto is not to be included in this category. The first time (and every time) I see this opera, I am bowled over by the inescapable plight of poor Rigoletto himself. There’s a tragic inevitability about the story; we can see the outcome approaching a mile away, and Rigoletto cannot. As the opera charges on, you can’t help but become involved. You want to tell Rigoletto to change course, but of course you are stuck in your seat, helpless.

(Q) And one last question, everbody has a guilty pleasure when it comes to music, what yours?

(A) Eek. Well I’m kind of a music nerd. My iTunes is nearly all classical. I do own a couple of Rufus Wainwright albums. I recently discovered Madeleine Peyroux, Gavin Creel and Zee Avi. Sadly, that’s about it.

Well admittedly, we were sort of hoping to hear that the Maestro likes to listen to a little Jay-Z or Snoop Doggy Dogg when not waving his arms around passionately, but we know what it's like to have an iTunes account and be frustrated at the lack of classical categories like Romantic, 20th Century, and Baroque! To read more about Maestro Gerrard, click here go directly to his bio!

Stay tuned for our next blog update featuring the multi-talented Tenor, Frédérik Robert who will be joining us again to sing Il Duca after an impressive and memorable jump in as Don Jose in our January 2011 production of Carmen!

Seasons Greetings and Gilda's Ginger Snaps!

Seasons Greetings

VanCOCO would like to send each of you a warm Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings. Each and every one of you have helped us to have a hugely successful 2011 and for that we are truly grateful. We sincerely hope that this season finds you in the presence of those whom you adore most.

VanCOCO started 2011 with a hugely successful production of Carmen, which we have remounted twice this year, and a fully staged production of Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival. What you may not know is that we have now become a fully registered Non-Profit Society and we are now Vancouver Concert Opera Society, but you can still call us VanCOCO because our motto and mandate have not changed. We are still "all about the music" and our goal remains to "create performance opportunities for emerging Operatic Professionals." We made some great connections during these productions and we hope that we have made some long standing fans.
___________________________________________________

Big Announcements

We will be opening 2012 with a concert production of Verdi's masterwork Rigoletto. We have assembled a fine group of artists who will be lead by the baton of Maestro Gordon Gerrard and we know that you will not be disappointed. Tickets are currently available for advance purchase on-line and available just in time to make a great stocking stuffer for the opera aficionado on your list.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for entertaining information about our upcoming show.

Click here for Advance Tickets or visit our Facebook Event Page.
___________________________________________________

Gilda's 
    Ginger 
         Snaps

We wanted to give all of our fans a new Audi A4 to show our love but our new Board of Directors just wouldn't approve the budget so we decided that we would share with you our favorite Christmas cookie recipe. Make sure to leave some of these out for Santa and maybe he will leave you something extra special under the tree.

• 3/4 Cup Shortening
• 1 Cup Br. Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Molasses
• 1 Egg
• 2 1/4 Cup Sifted flower
• 2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ginger
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves

Cream together shortening, brown sugar, molasses, and egg until light and fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients.  Mix dry ingredients into molasses mixture. Refrigerate dough overnight. Form into small balls and roll in granulated sugar.

Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 F for 10 minutes or until cookie tops begin to crackle. (For crispier cookies, bake 10-12 minutes or until just beginning to darken). Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy with a glass of your favorite holiday beverage and be sure to share with the ones you love.

Tahiti-toids! Indulge your mind...

We thought it was time for a few little factoids, or "Tahiti-toids" as we like to call them, about the show.

Trouble in Tahiti is a one-act opera in seven scenes composed by Leonard Bernstein with an English libretto by the composer. The opera received its first performance on 12 June 1952 at Berstein's Festival of the Creative Arts on the campus of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts to an audience of nearly 3,000 people. The work is about 40 minutes long. The NBC Opera Theatre subsequently presented the opera on television in November 1952; a production which marked mezzo-soprano Beverly Wolff's professional debut in the role of Dinah. Wolff later reprised the role in the New York City Opera's first staging of the work in 1958. Bernstein's later opera, A Quiet Place (1983), incorporates Trouble in Tahiti in the form of an extended flashback, and both versions are regularly performed worldwide. (Source: Wikipedia)

Premiere:      6/12/1952

                      Waltham, Massachusetts

                      Elliot Silverstein

                      Conductor: Leonard Bernstein

                      Company: Brandeis University

Moods:          Comic, Romantic

Subjects:       Contemporary, Relationships, Society

Style:             Musically, Bernstein indulges in many of the styles he is most recognized for. The heroine's first aria has a wistful melancholy reminiscent of Aaron Copland's earlier vernacular works and of Bernstein's later writing in West Side Story, while the jazzy interludes harken back to the score Bernstein wrote for On the Town.

Vernacular:    Bernstein tried to make his opera as real as possible. He wanted everything about it to be believable. He even went to great lengths to write in language that would be heard in everyday speech during that time. “All the music [in Trouble in Tahiti] derives from American vernacular roots, as do the words. And the words are very carefully set so that they will sound in the American cadence and with the American kind of syncopated, almost slurred quality”.

Inspiration:    While it was rumoured that the troubled young couple was based on Leonard Bernstein himself and his new bride, Felicia Monealegre, there is another, perhaps more plausible, theory that the story is based on the relationship of Bernstein’s own mother and father.

Do you know any interesting facts about Bernstein or Trouble in Tahiti? If so, we'd love for you to let us know! Simply leave a comment below!

Cast Corner: The Fabulous Katherine Landry

We are so excited to have the fabulous Katherine Landry filling out our trio for Trouble in Tahiti. Here is some interesting tid-bits she had to share with us.

Q: Vancouver Concert Opera Co-Operative is a "Concert Opera Company" what do you think the advantage is of branching into the staged world of the Fringe Festival?

A: Opera is meant to be a 'complete' art form: not only heard but seen as well. This is an opportunity for us to go beyond great music and provide audiences with a truly theatrical experience.

Q: We are the first opera at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival, do you think that opera can be a regular part of the Fringe Festival? If so what other operas do you think might fit in well with the regular Fringe crowd?

A: I hope opera will become a regular addition to the Fringe! I recently performed in one of a series of short operas premiered in a salon style setting called "The Opera Project". This was an opportunity for local composers to try their hand at opera for the first time in a condensed setting. These short works were outstanding and I think the Fringe would be perfect for further experiments!

Q: One last question, what is the most bizarre thing you've done or seen on stage?

A: I suppose this isn't really so bizarre as funny. I was in the chorus for the first time with Vancouver opera for their last production of Aida in 2002. One evening I was waiting in the wings for my 'Ethiopian Slave' entrance and we heard laughter and light applause from the audience. As we were shoved out on stage by the 'soldiers', I saw the tenor trying not to laugh as he looked up stage towards us. Apparently the horse he rode in on had decided to poo right there on the stage - luckily a costumed supernumary was on hand to sweep it up before we slaves made our entrance and had to kneel in it!

Make sure you check back tomorrow for our fun and unusual TAHITI-TOIDS!

Cast Corner - Ed Moran (Baritone) on Trouble in Tahiti

Baritone Ed Moran will sing the role of Sam in our upcoming production of Trouble in Tahiti. As one of the show's Co-Producers we thought you might find it interesting to hear some of his thoughts on the show and what his experience has been thus far as a Co-Producer.

Q: What excites you most about this show?

A: I performed in this show a hundred years ago during my undergrad at the University of Alaska and believe it or not I actually sang the Tenor part in the trio. Trouble in Tahiti was the first Opera I was ever in and it has excited me ever since. The music is stunning particularly because of the juxtaposition of the trio, which is very jazzy, against the two main characters Sam and Dinah who sing with a very operatic lyricism. The interaction between Sam and Dinah is very exciting and yet also very puzzling to me. At times I look at them and think, they really do love each other they just argue like any other couple, then at other times wonder, how are these two still together? I guess because I am an optimist, I look for the happy ending in this show and see the drama as just an average day in the life of Sam and Dinah.

Q: Is there a defining moment in your life when you decided that Opera was your lifes calling.

A: Yes, very much so. While I was in my undergrad at U.A.A. I began to sing in the Chorus with Anchorage Opera. My second or third show with them was Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera. In this production the scene just before the ball took place in front of the curtain. While this was happening the chorus, in all of their fanciest ball costumes, took the stage behind the curtain. As the curtain swiftly rose, the entire Chorus took two giant steps directly towards the audience. At this precise moment there was an audible gasp from the audience and the energy that ensued gave me goosebumps. Later on in the act, after Renato had be assassinated, I had the good fortune of being placed very close to the front of the stage. Each night I could look past the "4th wall" and see the audience sobbing in their seats. I decided at this moment that this would be my path. I absolutely adore that I get to take people away from their own world for a few hours and bring them into a world of beautiful music and drama. There isn't anything better for me on this earth.

Q: Can you give us a little sneak peak of what your show is going to look like?

A: Well... I suppose I can give you just a little sneak peak...  I really wanted to show how Sam and Dinah's life together (or at least this particular day in it) is shallow and one dimensional. For this reason we are playing around with silhouette's. The scenes with Sam or Dinah will be projected onto a flat surface and everything with be as deadpan and flat as possible. To experience the entire vision you will simply have to come and see the show.

Cast Corner - Paul Just (Tenor) on Tahiti and Opera

Tenor Paul Just was next on our list to catch up with. Here are a few interesting tid-bits about our Trio Man #1.

Q: What excites you about this opera?

A: For me, this opera walks that very fine line between musical theatre and opera. It has all those exciting syncopated and jazzy rhythms and crunchy, yet satisfying chords that you find in the musical theatre of this era, but the arching, grandiose lines that you so often associate with opera are found here, as well; most often heard in the scenes with Dinah. The juxtaposition of the two very distinctive styles is blended wholly and so very organically by Bernstein. It can satisfy the palate of most any music-theatre goer.

Q: Tell us about your first experience with Opera.

A: My first experience hearing an opera was when I was two when my father would play Minnesota Public Radio for me when they laid me down to sleep in my crib. Even as a two year old, I still have memories of laying in my crib and hearing the first chords of Bizet's CARMEN and my parents told me that I didn't fall asleep until the final chords of the opera. That should have been a telling factor about my choice of career. Fast forward to my first year of university when I was cast as Ben Budge in Benjamin Britten's re-imagining of John Gay's THE BEGGAR'S OPERA. It was a great show. Lots of good, fun, rollicking music for the Men of the Road. Britten has never been my favorite composer to sing or listen to, but his re-working of this opera opened my mind to him, if only a little. But, being on the stage, working as a unit with fellow-singers, a conductor, orchestra - it was something that I never forgot and I love it today as much as I did then. Well, perhaps a little more.

Keep checking back to hear more news and info about our upcoming performances of Trouble in Tahiti as part of the Vancouver International Fringe Festival.

Cast Corner - Natalie Burdeny (Contralto) on Tahiti and "Fropera"

So we had a little time in our busy schedule to catch up with Ms. Burdeny our Founding and Artistic Director and ask her a few questions about the upcoming run of Trouble in Tahiti at the Firehall (Sept 8-18th). Here is what she had to say:


Q: What do you think is significant about the characters in this show?

A: I think the fact that the story is completely transportable into the “now” even though it was written in the 1950’s is significant. A lot of the times we experience opera as sort of a fantasy, when in actual fact, these characters could be people you know today, or maybe there are characteristics about them that is reflected in our own personalities. Even thought the trio seems to be a little nonsensical at times, I equate them to today’s vision of the media… if Facebook could sing, it would be our “Greek Chorus”… the mundane events that keep us entertained and sculpting the world before our eyes; albeit our singing Facebook Trio sounds quite beautiful!

Q: VanCOCO is producing the first Opera at Vancouver International Fringe Festival, do you think that Opera can be a regular part of the Fringe Festival? If so what other "Operas" do you think might fit in well with the regular Fringe crowd?



A: The answer is YES YES YES! The Fringe format lends itself well to one-act and experimental opera. This alone is a reason to keep opera as a part of the Fringe. With a one-act you have the challenge of telling a story in a very condensed amount of time which means we, as artists, have to be very clear of our intention. From a dramatic development standpoint, this is a great avenue for the singers to grow as actors. Not to mention, that we’re bringing the art form to a broader audience. Who knows… maybe someone who has never seen an opera will leave saying… “I want more… where do I get it?”!

Check back frequently to hear what the rest of our creative team has to say in the weeks leading up to our performances at Firehall Arts Center!!!

 

All Things Tahiti!

Okay, so we've been remiss! But it's time to fix that! With the 2011 Vancouver International Fringe Festival only weeks away, VanCOCO is in high-gear with planning for our production of Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti.

Our cast and crews are set, our promo materials are ready, rehearsals are scheduled and we're just tickled to be stepping out onto the Fringe Stage!

Over the next few weeks, we'll be blogging some interesting (well, we hope it's interesting) factoids and information about the upcoming show.

For now, we hope you will enjoy our MUSICAL TRAILER!



Advance ticket sales have begun and you can purchase your ticket on the Vancouver Fringe website - just click here!

Say you heard them when! Kudos to our stars!

Vancouver Concert Opera Co-Operative is committed to promoting Canada's emerging professionals and this is the time of year where people are "getting stuff". As singers send off applications, audition for roles / residencies / young artist programs, it's about this time that we start hearing all the good news!

That said, VanCOCO sends out congratulations and kudos to the following talented singers who have graced our stage so far:

Mezzo Soprano Katherine Landry will sing the role of Mother in Vancouver Opera In Schools (VOIS) touring production of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel this Fall.

Soprano Arianna Sovernigo is yet again a Jeunes Ambassadeur! She will be representing Canada at the "Città di Alcamo" International Singing Contest in Alcamo, Italy this coming September!

Baritone Ed Moran will grace the stages of Parksville again this Fall where he will join Vancouver Island Opera as Dulcamara in their production of L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love), an opera by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti.

Contralto Natalie Burdeny has been selected to participate in the Professional Masterclass Series at the Buck Hill-Skytop Music Festival in Pennsylvania under the direction of Maesto Peter Mark, Founding General and Artistic Director of Virginia Opera (1975-2010), and of the International Opera Alliance, as well as the the new LYRIC OPERA VIRGINIA.

Young Dramatic Soprano Sarah Vardy is undeniably the busiest of all our singers and is set up to cover just about everything that Mozart has to offer. Late this spring she will attend Portland Spring Opera Workshop (PSOW) where she will sing Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro. In July, she will tackle the roles of Dritte Dame in Die Zauberfloete with Vancouver Summer Opera Workshop and then Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte) with Vancouver Summer Opera Studio (wwww.vansos.com). August will take her abroad to Germany where she will sing Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro and Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte. Both with Lyric Opera Studio of Weimar. And before all of this she will debut the role of Mercedes with VanCOCO!

You have the chance to hear all these singers in May during our Encore Performances of Carmen in Vancouver and Victoria! Visit www.vancoco.ca for full details and be able to say... I HEARD THEM WHEN!