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The Tales of Hoffmann, Opens August 3rd!

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For Immediate Release
July 23rd, 2019

Offenbach’s darkly humorous opéra fantastique, The Tales of Hoffmann, opens in Halifax August 3rd.

 

Jacques Offenbach never lived to see the immortal success of his last and greatest opera, Les contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) (1881). This production by the Halifax Summer Opera Festival features a steampunk theme, which fits perfectly with E.T.A. Hoffmann’s weird and often humorous stories of love thwarted by science, technology, magic and death.

Hoffmann is sung in French with projected translations, so audiences won’t miss any of the drama. Fully-staged and costumed and performed with piano, it opens August 3rd and runs through the 4th, 7th, and 10th at the Dunn Theatre.

The opera opens in a tavern in Nuremberg in 1880, where the poet Hoffmann confesses his love for the opera singer Stella, who reminds him of the three women he has most loved. He tells his fellow students their stories in flashbacks, and how in every case he was thwarted by a villain who took many shapes. Then follow the stories of Olympia, the clockwork doll whom Hoffmann was tricked into thinking human; Antonia, the young singer, who sang herself to death; and Giulietta, the Venetian courtesan who betrayed him and stole his shadow.

“The music is drop dead gorgeous”, says one of the stage directors, Nina Scott-Stoddart. “The opera is packed from start to finish with incredible numbers; from Olympia’s famous Doll Song, with its super high range to the legitimately creepy trio during which Antonia sings herself to death in a duet with her dead mother, to the lushly glorious Barcarolle of the Venetian Act”.

This production features gorgeous steampunk costumes by Egyptian-Canadian costume designer Wafaa Latif, as well as performances by Iranian-Canadian tenor Koosha Khorramian as Hoffmann and Canadian baritone MarKo Hubert as all four villains and the other talented singers of the 15th Halifax Summer Opera Festival.

Tickets for the festival are on sale online at TicketHalifax.com, by phone at (902) 422-6278 (ext. 500), in person at The Coast’s offices, 2309 Maynard Street, or at the venue an hour before the show, payable by cash, credit card, tappable debit, ApplePay or cheque. Audience members can also buy season passes, which will get them into every performance of every show (which can be quite interesting since there are two casts for each opera, providing two quite distinct interpretations).

Halifax Summer Opera Festival and Workshop educates and develops both singers and audiences through the performance of operatic repertoire. For fourteen seasons, HSOF has presented fully staged operas each summer, giving singers from university undergrads to professionals opportunities to learn roles in the context of performing an entire, full-staged opera. Participants are selected from live or recorded auditions and participate in rehearsals and master classes on everything from auditioning techniques to dramatic and musical interpretations by seasoned pros. HSOF is a not-for-profit society with a volunteer Board of Directors, based in Lunenburg and Halifax. You can find out all the details at www.halifaxsummeroperafestival.com.

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Information / interviews:
Bodhi Anders: mobile: 902-293-0264 or email:
bodhi.anders@gmail.com

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The Magic Flute, Opens August 2nd!

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For Immediate Release
July 22nd, 2019

Mozart’s final majestic masterpiece, The Magic Flute, opens in Halifax August 2nd.

 

It is no secret that W.A. Mozart has a very impressive roster of classical works under his belt. However, Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) (1791) is often regarded as his most beloved stage work. This production by the Halifax Summer Opera Festival features a child-friendly environment in which everyone can enjoy this tuneful and magical Mozart opera together. 

The Magic Flute is sung in German with English dialogue, and with projected translations, so audiences won’t miss any of the humour or drama. Fully-staged and costumed and performed with piano, it opens August 2nd and runs through the 3rd, 8th, and 10th at the Dunn Theatre.

Filled with ritual and symbolism, Mozart’s The Magic Flute is a playful, serious, and at times, profound look at man’s search for love, as well as his struggle to attain wisdom; two virtues that could be often difficult to obtain simultaneously. Ranging from the stunning arias of the Queen of the Night to the sweeter and simpler melodies of the bird catcher Papageno, Mozart’s magical operatic talents are certainly on display in this fairy-tale opera.

“It is celebrated as Mozart’s final opera and it is filled with some of Mozart’s most unforgettable music,” says stage director Jason Davis. “Every second is filled with famous arias, duets, ensemble pieces, children’s voices and choruses.” He adds “It was Mozart’s last opera, and many consider it his best. The form is that of a ‘singspiel’ or ‘sing-play’ opera, not so different from contemporary musical theatre. By presenting our dialogue in English, we are making it truly accessible to everyone.”

Tickets for the festival are on sale online at TicketHalifax.com, by phone at (902) 422-6278 (ext. 500), in person at The Coast’s offices, 2309 Maynard Street, or at the venue an hour before the show, payable by cash, credit card, tappable debit, ApplePay or cheque. Audience members can also buy season passes, which will get them into every performance of every show (which can be quite interesting since there are two casts for each opera, providing two quite distinct interpretations).

Halifax Summer Opera Festival and Workshop educates and develops both singers and audiences through the performance of operatic repertoire. For fourteen seasons, HSOF has presented fully staged operas each summer, giving singers from university undergrads to professionals opportunities to learn roles in the context of performing an entire, full-staged opera. Participants are selected from live or recorded auditions and participate in rehearsals and master classes on everything from auditioning techniques to dramatic and musical interpretations by seasoned pros. HSOF is a not-for-profit society with a volunteer Board of Directors, based in Lunenburg and Halifax. You can find out all the details at www.halifaxsummeroperafestival.com.

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Information / interviews:
Bodhi Anders: mobile: 902-293-0264 or email:
bodhi.anders@gmail.com

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Women Composers of Opera: July 24th

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Women Composers of Opera: July 24, 7:00pm at the Halifax Central Library

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This lecture-recital by Dr. Jane Gordon and Nicholas Gilmore will feature arias and ensembles performed by participants of the 15th annual Halifax Summer Opera Festival.

Join us on Wednesday, July 24 at 7:00PM for Women Composers of Opera! Check out the teaser below, and we will see you there.

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Laurel Coddington: 2019 Performer Highlight

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Born in California, Coddington is a mezzo-soprano who has had a very musical upbringing. Both her grandparents are professional musicians, and she went into her first opera in the fourth grade! This year, she joins HSOF as Bradamande in Alcina. Find out more about Alcina here:

Alcina (1735)

 

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This year, HSOF welcomes over 50 performers from around the world, including many from Nova Scotia and the Maritimes, all of whom underwent competitive auditions. We are excited to introduce Laurel Coddington as a performer this summer!

Buy your tickets here:

https://www.tickethalifax.com/54495769/operafestival 

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Q:  What has been your onstage experience or role that has been the most meaningful, exciting or successful for you? What do you long to do next?

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A:  “Playing Cherubino in Marriage of Figaro this past February was extremely exciting for me! Lyric mezzo-sopranos (the highest of the voice type) generally play a lot of different pants roles, so dressing up as a teenage boy was nothing new for me; however, in the opera, Cherubino has to disguise himself as a woman to hide from the Count. How do I, a female, act as a cis boy who’s wearing Susanna’s dress and bonnet? It was a super fun acting challenge! 

My school, Biola University (La Mirada, California) is putting on The Music Man next fall, so I would LOVE to play Marian. In terms of opera, though, La Cenerentola, Carmen, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Cosí fan tutte are on my “wish list!”“

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Q:  What is the best part about starting a new opera?

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A:  “I love opening a new, clean score. There’s something so exhilarating about flipping through it, looking for my character’s lines, and dreaming about having it all memorized. 

I enjoy a good challenge!“

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Q:  What has been the most challenging thing about performing or preparing an operatic role for you so far? How are you dealing with it?

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A:  “First of all, I’ve never been in a Handel opera, so Alcina is entirely new to me. Secondly, melismas (the really long vocal runs) are intimidating! Bradamante has some of the most complex, unintuitive melismas in the opera, so learning and making them sound clean has definitely been a challenge.”

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Q:  Which non-operatic artwork or piece of culture or history would you like to see become an opera?

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A:  “Ooooh – such a good question! There are a lot of U.S. history events that would be really interesting to see as operas: the Great Depression, industrialization, the civil rights movement, 9/11… to name a few. 

I think opera is such a unique platform to 1) bring awareness to a historical or cultural event, 2) share someone’s story, and 3) convey the emotions connected with the event to the audience. As historical events begin to repeat themselves in our world, we need reminders of our past. We need to be emotionally moved by and connected to tragic events in order to move forward.”

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Sevan Kochkarian: 2019 Performer Highlight

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Kochkarian is an Armenian soprano who got her entrance into music when her mother and grandmother sang classics from the likes of Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables to her. This year, she is teaming up with HSOF as both Morgana and Alcina (Cover). Find out more about Alcina here:

Alcina (1735)

 

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This year, HSOF welcomes over 50 performers from around the world, including many from Nova Scotia and the Maritimes, all of whom underwent competitive auditions. We are excited to introduce Sevan Kochkarian as a performer this summer!

Buy your tickets here:

https://www.tickethalifax.com/54495769/operafestival 

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Q:  When did you start studying voice? Where are you studying now?

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A:  “I started the Vancouver children’s choir when I was 8, then at the age of 11 I started my private vocal lessons in classical music. I’m studying now at McGill University getting my Masters!“

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Q:  What is the best part about starting a new opera?

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A:  “The best part is of course highlighting the score! Okay no in all seriousness: for me it’s figuring out my character, my objects, what I want, what my story arch is. I also think it’s just listening to the opera and falling in love with the music!“

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Q:  Who is your biggest inspiration in the opera world?

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A:  “That is an impossible question. I think I have multiple inspirations for different things. I mean Anna Netrebko, Nadine Sierra, Danielle de Niese, Joyce DiDonato…. they all have taught me something different and I think that’s the beauty of this art form! Different people can inspire you in different ways.”

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Q:  Who is your biggest inspiration in the non-opera world?

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A:  “My parents are my biggest inspiration. They came from poverty, and they turned their lives around by working hard. They immigrated, they learned English, busted their tails off and now they are business owners and live happy lives. I mean they showed me if you want something with work hard you can accomplish anything. Even when things get hard you cannot give up. I hope to become like them because they made so many sacrifices just to help me achieve my goals and dreams. I hope to be just like them when I am a parent someday!”

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