Inside Vancouver Opera
Inside Vancouver Opera is a unique backstage glimpse into the world of Vancouver Opera. Join us as we chat with opera experts, artists, Vancouver Opera staff and others to explore the world of opera on and off the stage. This podcast offers an insider’s glimpse into the artistry, experiences, and perspectives of the talent involved in taking breathtaking opera productions from the page to the stage. Find out more at VancouverOpera.ca
Episodes
Brandon Thornhill joins Inside Vancouver Opera during Black History Month to discuss Ebony Roots, his concert celebrating 300 years of Black music. From spirituals to Soul, he reflects on identity, opera, representation, and what it means to sing Black history in Vancouver.
Today we’re joined by Canadian composer Dean Burry, whose operas for young audiences have been performed across Canada and beyond. His works include The Brothers Grimm, The Hobbit, and today’s focus, The Brementown Musicians, an immersive opera created especially for elementary students.
Episode Credits:
Dean Burry - Guest
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera
Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera
...In this special episode we delve into the intricate dynamics of Così fan tutte and its portrayal of women. We explore the role of Despina as a voice of realism amidst the comedic facade and how the opera reflects societal attitudes towards women and relationships during the Enlightenment era.
Episode Credits:
Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator
Mack McGillivray - Audio Editor
Ashley Daniel Foot - Producer
Barry Ekko - Cover Il...
A behind-the-scenes conversation with costume designer Donnie Tejani, who brings the world of Così fan tutte to life for Vancouver Opera. We explore how costumes shape character, how disguise functions in Mozart’s comedy, what happens inside a modern costume shop, and how designers balance artistry, budgets, and practicality in today’s opera landscape.
Tracy Dahl discusses her illustrious career as coloratura soprano, her role as Despina in Così fan tutte, and evolution of vocal techniques.
Episode Credits:
Tracy Dahl - Guest
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera
Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera
In this episode we're joined by music journalist Kevin Ng and Vancouver Opera's Jane Potter to explore the complexities of Mozart's most dangerous comedy, Così fan tutte.
Episode Credits:
Kevin Ng - Guest
Jane Potter - Guest
Barry Ekko - Artwork
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera
Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera
Mozart’s Così fan tutte is often described as light, mischievous, even trivial. But sit with it — really sit with it — and it reveals itself as one of opera’s most psychologically perceptive works.
In this episode of Inside Vancouver Opera, host Ashley Daniel Foot is joined by stage director Rob Herriot and Vancouver Opera’s Associate Music Director and conductor Les Dala to explore a distinctly Canadian production of Così fan tutte...
Some people shape culture from center stage, others shape it by showing up early, staying late, and standing just out of the light. Our guest today has built a life inside that second kind of work. Bruce Munro Wright is a former chair of Vancouver Opera, the Vancouver Opera Foundation, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. He is a nationally important collector of Canadian art and a recipient of the Order of British Columbia.
Ep...
In this conversation, Amanda Burrows, Executive Director of First United and new Board Member of Vancouver Opera, discusses her journey through the arts and social justice. She emphasizes the interconnectedness of art and advocacy, the importance of community involvement, and the resilience of the Downtown Eastside.
Episode Credits:
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera
Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancou...
In this special episode, Jane Potter brings Verdi’s world to life through the story of Rigoletto, a work born out of controversy, courage, and the fight for artistic freedom.
Episode Credits:
Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera
Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera
Lyndon Ladeur - Voice of Giachino Rossini
Mihnea Nitu - Voice of Guiseppe Verdi
Richard Wolfe - Voice o...
Few artists have shaped Canadian theatre and opera as profoundly as Glynis Leyshon, who now brings her formidable imagination to Vancouver Opera’s new production of Rigoletto, re-set in Victorian London, a place where masks, privilege, and secrecy hold sway.
Episode Credits:
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera
Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera
He's one of the city's greatest voices on stage, on air, and lately at City Hall. Today we're joined by Christopher Gaze, actor, advocate, and the visionary force behind Bard on the Beach.
Episode Credits:
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera
Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera
Composer, producer, and traditional singer from the Lil’wat Nation, Russell Wallace speaks about the influence of his mother, the language inside his music, and why singing together gives him hope.
Episode Credits:
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera
Tim Matheson - Cover Photo
Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera
For nearly two decades, Doug Tuck was the voice of Vancouver Opera. Not just as Director of Marketing, but as the friendly presence who greeted audiences in the lobby and guided them through curtain speeches and pre-show chats. In this episode, Doug shares stories from La Bohème to Stickboy—and why he still believes in the art form’s power.
Episode Credits:
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera
Mack McGillivray -...
Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne joins host Ashley Daniel Foot to talk about her journey from Niagara Falls to the world’s great stages — and her debut as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto at Vancouver Opera.
From childhood competitions where she sometimes sang “against herself,” to major roles at the Royal Opera House and Pacific Opera Victoria, Sarah reflects on the moments that shaped her artistry. She shares what she’s learned about...
Our conversation today is with Madeleine Thien, Giller Prize-winning author of the novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing, as well as librettist of the opera Chinatown. Madeleine's newest novel, The Book of Records, is a sweeping and time-bending, deeply humane work that weaves together lives across centuries.
Episode Credits:
Madeleine Thien - Author, The Book of Records
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host
Mack McGillivray - Editor
Blending Tagalog and English, film and song, Liham gives voice to the Filipino-Canadian experience. Today we are joined by two members of the team behind Liham, producer and mezzo-soprano Renee Fajardo, and baritone Danlie Rae Acebuque.
Liham is a digital art song cycle that explores Filipino-Canadian identity through contemporary classical music, poetry, and film. Created by and for the Filipino community, it uplifts pers...
Today we're joined by two extraordinary sopranos, Karen Chia-ling Ho. and Yasko Sato. Karen and Yasko are double cast in the role of Cio-Cio San in our upcoming production of Madama Butterfly, running April 26th to May 4th at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Credits:
Karen Chia-ling Ho - Cio-Cio San April 27 & May 4
Yasko Sato - Cio-Cio San - Cio-Cio San April 26, May 1 & 3
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host
Mack McGillivray - Pro...
Today we’re stepping into the world of one of opera’s most passionate, enduring, and beloved composers.
His name is synonymous with soaring arias, impossible love stories, and music that grabs you by the heart and doesn’t let go. This is the story of Giacomo Puccini.
Inside Vancouver Opera presents: Un bel dì, A Life Begins: The World of Puccini written and performed by Jane Potter.
So settle in, whether you're a seasoned opera ...
In this conversation, we explore how director Mo Zhou has re-imagined Madama Butterfly for today. In her Canadian directorial debut, Mo Zhou brings this fresh vision to Vancouver Opera from April 26 to May 4, a production that honours Puccini’s masterwork while offering audiences a chance to see Madama Butterfly in a new light.
Credits:
Mo Zhou - Director of Madama Butterfly
Ashley Daniel Foot - Host of Inside Vancouver Ope...
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