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Volume 13 - Issue 2 - October 2007

.%onto Operetta Theatre

.%onto Operetta Theatre presents acolourful tribute to operettas of Spain.Jose Hernandez,Music Director & PianistGuillermo Si lva-Marinwith Elena La Comadreand iArte Flamenco!Spanish Dance Co.TOKONTOOfEfilTTA-miEpresentsHEQYEENNovember 9 & 10, 2007 at 8 pmWhich queen? you ask. Why, can there be any other thanFair Oriana, our good Queen Bess, she who claimed tohave the body "of a weak and feeble woman" but to"have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king ofEngland too"? By whom we mean Elizabeth I, whoreigned over the golden age of English music andliterature, and was herself a brilliant writer. Join us aswe celebrate this remarkable monarch, with music forvoices, lutes, bandora, cittern, gamba, violin andkeyboards, and actor Karen Woolridge playing the partof Her Majesty herself' .... ,t.-/ -~www.torontoconsort.orgBack to Ad IndexSponsored by Sun ~-/Life FinancialOn Operaby Christopher HaileOpera Ontario at a turning pointAs the fall opera season begins in earnest in October, there is bothgood and bad news . The good news is that the Canadian OperaCompany and Opera Atelier will be presenting works not seen inToronto for decades. The bad news is that Opera Ontario is inserious financial difficulty and needs to raise emergency funds tosurvive.To start with the bad news, OperaOntario announced on September17 that it was launching a sixtydayemergency fundraising campaignto raise one million dollars.Without these funds the companycannot continue even with its2007-08 season. Performances ofMozart's "The Magic Flute"were to take place in Hamilton onOctober 18 and 20 and in Kitcheneron October 26 and 28. GeneralDirector David Speers says,"Decisions regarding 'The MagicFlute' will become more apparentas we progress in the campaign. "The season was also to haveincluded Popera with RichardBen Heppner: rallying tothe Opera Ontario causeMargison on November 22 and 24 in Hamilton, November 23 inKitchener; Massenet's "Werther" on February 7 and 9 in Hamilton;and Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" April 24 and 26 in Hamilton,May 2 and 4 in Kitchener. According to Board Co-chair Peter Uffelmann, "There is no delicate way to say this, but this not-for-profitopera company is in need of its largest community and governmentshow of support in its over 28-year history ".Speers says, "The serious situation for opera in Hamilton andKitchener Waterloo comes while subscriptions are still strong and thequality of the performances and artists is unparalleled" . Opera Ontario's accumulated operating deficit has grown to one million dollarsdespite efforts to keep it in check through severe cost cutting and arestructuring of performances. According to Opera Ontario the adversefactors that have led to this situation include: 1) a substantialdecrease in municipal funding; 2) the redirection of corporate dollarsfrom the arts to other charitable causes in the region; and 3) thedecline in single ticket sales for some opera productions because ofdemographic shifts.To kick off the campaign famed tenor Ben Heppner donated hisservices for a benefit recital on September 21. Opera Ontario haspresented opera in Hamilton for 28 years and in Kitchener-Waterloofor 12, attracting approximately 16,500 and 8,000 patrons annuallyto Hamilton and Kitchener, respectively . For many Torontonians ,Opera Ontario has functioned as a kind of New York City Opera inrelation to the COC's Met. It has become a prime showcase forCanadian talent and its offerings have complemented those in Toronto,in many cases presenting works that have never or seldom beenstaged here.To contribute to the emergency fundraising campaign cheques maybe sent to Opera Ontario, 105 Main Street East, Suite 905, Hamilton, ON , L8N IG6. Please mention if you wish the money to beheld "in trust". For further information phone 905-527-7627. If youhave to leave a message, it will be answered.Meanwhile, in Toronto the Canadian Opera Company prepares toopen its 2007-08 season with Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro"running October 2-November 2. The opera will star former COCEnsemble member Robert Gleadow, recently returned from CoventWWW.THEWHOLENOTE.COM O CTO BER 1 - N OVEMB ER 7 2007

Garden, in the title role.Sopranos Ying Huang and IsabelBayrakdarian alternate in the role ofSusanna. Russell Braun will beCount Almaviva. In repertory willbe the COC 's first-ever presentationof Verdi's "Don Carlos" in its originalfive-act French version createdfor the 1867 World Exposition inParis and based on Friedrich Schiller'splay of the same name. MikhailAgafonov sings the title role withAdrianne Pieczonka as Elisabeth.Guang Yang and Mary Phillipsshare the role of Princess Eboli,Norwegian bass-baritone TerjeStensvold is Philip II and Armenianbass Ayk Martirossian is the GrandInquisitor. John Caird directs. Music Conductor Paolo Olmidirector of the Opera National deNancy, Paolo Olmi, an expert in the French and Italian repertoirewho has conducted both versions of the opera, takes the podiumreplacing the late Richard Bradshaw who was to have conducted.The opera runs October 12-November 3.From October 27 to November 3,Opera Atelier will present the firstfully staged period production inCanada of Monteverdi's "The Returnof Ulysses" ("II ritornod'Ulisse in patria") (1641). After its"Orfeo" last year and "The Coronationof Poppea" in 2002, OperaAtelier will have given us all threeof Monteverdi's surviving operas.Olivier Laquerre stars in the titlerole with Stephanie Novacek asUlysses' faithful wife Penelope,who has waited twenty years for hisreturn from the Trojan War. Theproduction also features such favour- Stephanie Novacekites as Alain Coulombe, Carla Huhtanen,Laura Pudwell, Jennie Such and Curtis Sullivan. Followers ofAtelier's opulently edgy operatic art will be aware that the orchestraand chorus for their productions are often furnished by the city'sother leading Baroque ensemble, Tafelmusik, often with David Fallisconducting. In this production, OA will be conducted by Fallisagain, but this time the collaboration is with Fallis's other pride andjoy - the Toronto Consort. As usual Marshall Pynkoski will directand Jeannette Zingg will choreograph.So an operatic season of mixed hopes and much promise is underway. We can only hope that in all cases it goes from strength tostrength.HOLD YOUR NEXT RECITAL-beliconian ballA beautiful restored Carpenter's Gothic board and batten churchbuilding in the heart ofYorkville can be rented at reasonablerates for musical events. Steinway Grand piano included.A high, vaulted ceiling provides excellent concert-hall acoustics.Capacity up to 120. Tel: 416-922-3618 Fax: 416-922-2431Back to Ad Index15, 16, 17 November, 20078:00 pmWINCHESTER STREET THEATRE80 Winchester St.with Derek Boyes, Mane Nathalie Lacours16re,Larry Beckwith, Kathleen Kaj1oka,Joelle Morton, Burys fvledicky and other guestsTHE INDIAN QUEENHENRY PURCELL24, 25, 26 April, 20088:00 pmBETTY OLIPHANT THEATRE404 Jarvis St.Directed by Derek Boyes,choreographed by Marie-Nathalie Lacoursieresoprano Meredith Hall, tenor Daniel Auchinclossand a host of other familiar TMT artistsLarry Beckwith leads a period instrument bandfrom the violintorontom a sq ueth atre. eaRossini'sThe l?,ctrber of $eviLLeArtistic DirectorSabatino VaccaFeaturingJennifer Elisabetta Finaas RosinawithDion Mazerolle as Figaro & Rory McGlynn as Count AlmavivaFriday, November 2 at 8 pmMarkham Theatre forthe Performing ArtsFriday, October 26 at 8 pmYCDSB Centre for the ArtsSunday, October 28 at 2pmYCDSB Centre for the ArtsWith orchestra and chorusand supertitlingWWW, TH EWHO LEN OTE .COM 27

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