Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Beginning with the first season in 1974, VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert has been a champion of rarely heard operatic repertoire performed by the finest Canadian vocalists… and the vision is as vital as ever. The forty-fourth season boasts two Canadian Premiers and the return of Isabel Bayrakdarian in Massenet’s WERTHER. Though each opera in the season comes from a different musical culture, they are united by themes of societal strictures and the pursuit of happiness.
The season opens on Sunday, October 21, 2018 with COMEDY UNBOUND!, a tribute to Stuart Hamilton. Hamilton was a champion of emerging Canadian talent and in that spirit VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert presents Holly Chaplin, Jocelyn Fralick, and Evan Korbut with Michael Rose as music director and pianist and host Guillermo Silva-Marin.
Hailed worldwide as a vocal dramatist of the highest order, Isabel Bayrakdarian stars as Charlotte in Massenet’s WERTHER on November 25, 2018. She is joined by Brett Polegato and Matthew Chittick with Narmina Afandiyeva as music director and pianist with Robert Cooper leading the VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert Chorus.
Schubert’s FIERABRAS follows on February 3, 2019. A religious rivalry is the backdrop for this Schubertian romance and features debuting Amy Moodie with Lawrence Wiliford and Justin Welsh. Kevin Mallon will lead the Aradia Ensemble, chorus and cast in this single performance.
Those 20th century firebrands, Kurt Weill and Bertholt Brecht came together for THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY, scheduled for two performances on March 30 and 31, 2019. Heading the cast are Elizabeth DeGrazia, Marion Newman, David Curry and Theodore Baerg, conducted by Robert Cooper.
Extra this year…Musical Bon Bons at Gallery 345 – Little Mahagonny on September 25, 2018 and Viva Verdi on April 3, 2019. Music and reception in a relaxed gallery setting in the West End.
Subscription packages are available at 35% savings over single ticket prices and there are early bird discounts.
Opera in Concert is supported by the Jackman Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council. Media Sponsor is Classical 96.3 FM. Single tickets are available from the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts’ Box Office, 27 Front St. East, by phone – 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754 – or online at www.stlc.com. The theatre is wheelchair accessible and close to public transit and municipal parking. All the Sunday performances at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts are at 2:30 pm, except the opening performance of THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY on Saturday, March 30, 2019, at 8 pm.
Photo: Isabel Bayrakdarian.
2018-08-18
Toronto: The stars of Voicebox: Opera In Concert's 2018/19 season