Halifax Summer Opera Festival 2023
The supportive summer performing experience.
We finished up this year’s audition tour in Halifax on Saturday. Thanks to all those who came out to sing for us in our hometown!
Over the next two weeks we’ll be contacting the people selected to take part in HSOW 2010. I’d like to personally thank everyone who auditioned for us — as usual we had vastly more wonderful singers apply than places for you all.
Nina
I’m now in London, ON, and I’m really looking forward to my day of auditions here, tomorrow.
I will be listening to auditions from noon until about 5:30 pm here. If you need to reach me, please call my mobile at 902-541-7310. I may not be able to answer right away, so be prepared to leave a message.
I will also be able to access emails tomorrow morning: my direct email address is mco [at] ns.sympatico.ca.
See you tomorrow!
Nina
We’re very happy to announce an excellent line-up of masterclass presenters for this summer.
Returning is mezzo soprano Marcia Swanston, one of Canada’s most distinguished singers and educators and a Professor of Voice at Dalhousie University. Marcia is renowned as a teacher as well as a performer, and has a rare understanding both of technique and the requirements of the operatic stage. Marcia has given masterclasses at HSOW since our founding in 2005, and they are always one of the high points of the workshop.
Young Canadian countertenor Andrew Pickett will present a masterclass on Baroque style this year. A graduate of both the University of Western Ontario and the Royal College of Music in London, England, Andrew is a busy performer and gives many masterclasses on Baroque topics, and we’re very happy that he’ll be joining us this summer!
And we’re particularly pleased that soprano Lorna MacDonald will also join us for the first time to present a masterclass. Lorna is one of Canada’s finest singers and educators and has performed and taught internationally. She is a professor of voice at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music and was named to the Lois Marshall Chair of Voice Studies in 2001.
Saturday March 13
Maritime Conservatory of the Performing Arts
6199 Chebucto Road
Studio 4
1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Please fill in an application form and Marja Ernst will get back to you with an audition time.
Details of requirements on How to Apply
Because of the overwhelming interest in the London auditions, we’ve added two more hours: we’ll now be hearing auditioners from noon to 6 pm on Friday, February 26 at New St. James Presbyterian Church in the Sanctuary. If you have not yet submitted your application, please do so — these times are filling up very quickly. Marja Ernst will be in touch with your audition time.