Stage Door News
Stage Door News
September 15, Toronto, ON – Opera 5 and Alliance Française de Toronto are co-producing an evening of rare French opera at the Alliance’s new theatre running September 19-21st. Offenbach & Hahn will feature the Canadian premiere of Reynaldo Hahn’s, L’Île du Rêve, and Jacques Offenbach’s first hit, Ba-ta-clan. Both operas are examples of Orientalism – an aesthetic which draws inspiration from Asian cultures, popular in France at the turn of the century. It will be the first ever, fully staged opera produced at Alliance Française de Toronto, as well as one of the first performances to take place in their new theatre. Signature cocktails produced by Pop-Up Party will be available for sale during the intermission.
The production features Toronto-based singers Teiya Kasahara and Adrian Kramer, both of whom are COC Ensemble Studio alumni, Benjamin Covey a Canadian alumnus of the Merola Program through the San Francisco Opera Company, and Justin Ralph who recently appeared in the Yorkshire Opera Workshop’s production of Iolanthe. Production Design will be done by London, Ontario native Matthew Vaile who recently designed for the Toronto TEDx Expo, and Lighting Design by Dora Award winning designer Oz Weaver. Opera 5 Artistic Director, Aria Umezawa will co-Direct with Toronto Native, Jasmine Chen.
"We were extremely excited when we discovered that Reynaldo Hahn had written an opera! Who knew? The music is lush, dramatic, and everything you want from an opera. The story is something audiences will be familiar with - it's similar to Madame Butterfly and South Pacific. I think it is a great contrast to the franticness of Ba-ta-clan" -Aria Umezawa, Artistic Director, Opera 5
“In a multicultural city like Toronto, we need to be sensitive to the difference between cultural appropriation, and cultural exchange.” Says Opera 5 Artistic Director, Aria Umezawa. “This performance really opens the floor for discussion on that topic.”
Opera 5 is an exciting, new, independent opera company in Toronto. It is currently run by three operatic GTA musicians: Rachel Krehm, General Director; Aria Umezawa, Artistic Director; and Maika’i Nash, Music Director, with a goal to seek out the next generation of opera audiences through original, and dynamic programming, and mixed media productions. The company is known for its popular web series titled Opera Cheats, which deconstructs opera plots and opera-going rules with a humorous twist. You can check them out at http://www.youtube.com/user/OperaFive.
Offenback & Hahn runs September 19-21 2014/7:30PM/New Theatre Alliance Française de Toronto/24 Spadina Road. Tickets are available online: $20.00 Alliance Française Members $25.00 General Admission; Tickets at Door $20.00 Alliance Française Members/$25.00 General Admission (Cash and Credit Card).
Photo: Cover of sheet music to Ba-ta-clan, 1855.
2014-09-15
Toronto: Opera 5 presents rarities by Reynaldo Hahn and Jacques Offenbach September 19-21