|
 |
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Dates and Venue: April 17, 18, and 19 | The ANNEX, 823 Seymour Street, Vancouver Composer: Roan Shankaruk; Director: Christopher Lam; Music Director: Perri Lo; Art Director: Jessica Cole; Intimacy Director: Natasha Martina; Stage Manager: Andy Sandberg; Lighting Designer: Christian Ching; Shadow Puppeteer: Matthew Gorlitz; Supertitles: Emma Jang Reviewer: Christian Steckler Photo credit:Diamond's Edge Photography It is always stimulating to see new approaches to staged events. It keeps the arts world alive and thriving and full of promise. Adapted from the short story by D.H. Lawrence, this new production of The Fox, an exciting, innovative chamber opera, showcases the talent of its creator, Roan Shankaruk. We eagerly await more from this artist, with her clear, sensitive, and nuanced characterizations and plot development in operatic production. Full review
When and Where February 7 & 12 at 7.30pm + February 15 at 2pm, 2026 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre Don Alfonso Daniel Okulitch Guglielmo Clarence Frazer Ferrando Owen McCausland Fiordiligi Jamie Groote Dorabella Alex Hetherington and Tracy Dahl as Despina. The Vancouver Opera Orchestra and the Vancouver Opera Chorus Conductor and Chorus Director Leslie Dala Director Rob Herriot Principal Repetiteur Tina Chang Set design Sheldon Johnson and Costume Design Donnie Tejani Lighting Design Jamie Sweeney Stage Manager Theresa Tsang Sung in Italian with English Projected Titles Reviewer Elizabeth Paterson Against a fabulously picturesque backdrop, not of Naples in the 18th century, as in the original setting, but of the Rockies from a grand 1930’s tourist hotel, Vancouver Opera’s Cosi fan Tutte plays out its themes of love and courtship with style. The limpid lakes and post-card mountain views from set designer Sheldon Johnson are as intimately familiar as the parallel changes in the characters. While the young ladies remain visitors from Ferrara, the young men are transformed from Italian officers to Mounties. Despina (Tracy Dahl) is the hotel housekeeper and the manipulative Don Alfonso (Daniel Okulitch) appears as a suave lounge lizard. Full review
When and Where October 25 & 30 at 7.30pm + November 2 at 2pm, 2025 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre Rigoletto
Michael Chioldi Gilda Sarah Dufresne Duke
of Mantua Conductor Jacques Lacombe Stage Director Glynis Leyshon Set Designer James Rotondo Costume Designer Pam Johnson Lighting Designer Gerald King Chorus Director and Associate Conductor Leslie Dala Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™ Reviewer John Anthony Jane The opera, originally named La Maledizione, but later changed to that of its central character Rigoletto, a master of bad karma, is densely packed with emotional arias and filled with curses and ironic twists. Vancouver Opera has for this production assembled a fine cast of singers who breathe life into their roles. Full review
When & Where April 26 - May 3, 2025; evenings at 7.30pm + 2pm matinees on Sunday | Queen Elizabeth Theatre Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™ Conductor Jacques Lacombe Director Mo Zhou Assistant Director Tayte Mitchell Chorus Director Leslie Dala Lighting Design Marie Yokoyama Set Design Lloyd Evans Costume Design Ruoxuan Li Intimacy Director Lisa Goebel Stage Manager Theresa Tsang Cio-Cio-San Yasko Sato (Karen Chai-Ling Ho) Pinkerton Robert Watson (Adam Luther) Sharpless Brett Polegato Suzuki Nozomi Kato Goro Julius Ahn Yamadori/Imperial Commissioner Luka Kawabata Imperial Registrar Danlie Rae Acebuque The Bonze Insung Sim Reviewer John Anthony Jane Director Mo Zhou’s vision of Butterfly is markedly different from the traditional version that we have come to love. It is still in set in Nagasaki, and of course contains the glorious music and the achingly poignant arias. Nonetheless, Ms. Zhou has reset the story in the historic period of the so-called “American occupation” that followed the surrender of the Japanese Empire in 1945, introducing a political element to the narrative. Full review |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
An
Opera Unbound Production
Vancouver
Opera
Vancouver
Opera
Vancouver
Opera