Inside Vancouver Opera

Inside Vancouver Opera honours Black History Month with an illuminating and candid conversation with two exemplary Black Canadian sopranos – Othalie Graham and Jonelle Sills, who recently were part of our performance of Cavalleria Rusticana In Concert.  The conversation delves into the question of race and representation in opera, and features the hard-won insights of both Othalie and Jonelle’s experience of being a Black singer in...

Inside: CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA IN CONCERT

Join Vancouver Opera’s Ashley Daniel Foot and discover the passionate opera that is Mascagni’s CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA  and explore the hot and glorious masterwork of everyday Sicilian life with Vancouver Opera Conductor Emeritus Jonathan Darlington and hear his thoughts on staging an opera in concert, his life during COVID, and his unique perspective on how opera needs to meet the moment and as...

Join Vancouver Opera’s Ashley Daniel Foot and discover the magical world of Gluck’s ORFEO ED EURIDICE and find out what makes the opera so unique as we talk with the stars and creative team of Vancouver Opera’s debut production of this dazzling work. Maestro Leslie Dala speaks with sopranos Krisztina Szabó and Mireille Asselin and mezzo soprano Mireille Lebel. We also check in with opera scholar Leah Giselle Field for a little hist...

"Success is what music does to the human spirit. If audiences come out of a concert feeling better than when they went in, that's success."
– Leila Getz.  

In the season finale of Vancouver Opera Offstage, Les talks with Leila Getz, C.M., O.B.C., D.F.A., founder and Artistic Director of the Vancouver Recital Society. Leila has presented Canadian and Vancouver debut performances of some of the world’s most brilliant and...

In this very important episode, Les turns the stage around to talk with an illustrious audience member. Our guest is Canadian track and field icon, granddaughter of Canada's first Black Olympian, sister of Canadian track legend Harry Jerome, educator and teacher, social justice and environmental advocate, patron of the Arts, and long-time opera fan Valerie Jerome. Valerie talks about her experiences with racism growing up on th...

In this episode, meet the brand-new Artistic and Executive Director of Early Music Vancouver! Suzie LeBlanc, C.M., is a prolific Canadian soprano and recipient of the Order of Canada in 2015, with four honourary doctorates for her work. A performer and scholar in Baroque repertoire, she is also accomplished in classical and modern repertoire and improvisation. Her 2011 album, I am in need of music, won an ECMA for Best Classical Re...

Meet Mike Southworth, who was responsible for the camerawork and videography behind Vancouver Opera's 2020–2021 Digital Season, on #VOffstage with Les Dala. Listen Now! www.vancouveropera.ca/offstage
Subscribe to the season now: digital.vancouveropera.ca #VOGoesDigital

In this episode, Les takes us on a glimpse behind the camera lens to get a perspective of what it takes to bring opera from the stage to the screen. Our guest is M...

In our official Preview Podcast for Vancouver Opera's new production of Carmen: Up Close and Personal and the 26th episode of Vancouver Opera Offstage, meet Brenna Corner, director and mastermind behind this brand-new digital opera. Brenna has worked as a director, actor, singer, choreographer, and fight director across Canada, the United States, and Europe. An alumnus of Vancouver Opera's Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Prog...

This very special 25th episode of Vancouver Opera Offstage is also the official Pre-Show talk for Vancouver Opera's The Music Shop, which premieres online Saturday, March 13. We're delighted to welcome Richard Wargo, composer of The Music Shop to talk about his creative inspirations for the opera and to share some tips for aspiring composers. Richard joins us from his home in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Check out our episode at ...

In this episode, Les chats with prolific Canadian Stage Director Michael Cavanagh. No stranger to Vancouver Opera audiences, Michael has staged numerous productions over the years including–most recently–Otello, Madama Butterfly, and Nixon in China. We're thrilled that Michael has recently been appointed as Artistic Director of the Royal Swedish Opera. Les talks with Michael about his journey, his deep connection with VO, and t...

In our first episode of 2021, host Les Dala is joined by celebrated Canadian baritone Brett Polegato. Brett has sung on the most important stages of the world and is also a three-time Grammy Award recipient. VO Audiences will remember him last as Belcore in 2018's L'Elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love). Brett tells us about some of his favourite roles over the year and talks about the special importance of art, literatur...

In this special seasonal episode, our last podcast of 2020, Vancouver Opera Offstage has a holiday treat for our listeners: Les shares over 40 minutes of music recorded specifically for this podcast! Inspired by Menotti retracing his childhood memories of Christmas in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Les performs some solo piano music by Hungarian composers Franz Liszt, Béla Bartók, and Ernő Dohnányi, inspired by Christmas carols. Les...

In this episode, Les takes us on a behind the scenes glimpse into the creation of Vancouver Opera's next digital opera: Amahl and the Night Visitors. This new take on a delightful holiday classic has its digital premiere on Saturday December 12th, featuring an exciting BC cast alongside members of the Vancouver Opera Chorus. This podcast's guests include Stage Director Sarah Jane Pelzer, Andreas Dala (Amahl), and Stephanie ...

In this, our 20th episode, Les chats with two of Vancouver Opera's fabulous stage managers, Marijka Asbeek Brusse and Theresa Tsang. We'll go on a virtual tour of what goes on in opera in the rehearsal hall and from backstage of a major opera company. Theresa and Marijka will share experiences and challenges from their unique perspective and give us a unique glimpse of what some of their favourite productions look like from...

In this episode, Les speaks with Jim (James) Wright, former General Director of Vancouver Opera who led the company from 1999-2016. As the longest-serving General Director in the company's history,  Vancouver Opera presented a wide range of repertoire during his tenure including the world premieres of Lillian Alling, Stickboy, and the Canadian premiere of Nixon in China. Jim also oversaw the creation of our community engagement...

In this episode, Les chats with Canadian mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel, who will be starring in Vancouver Opera's Digital Season Opening Production, La Voix humaine. Last appearing as Siébel in Vancouver Opera's 2019 production of Faust, Mireille grew up in Vancouver and was a member of the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal before making critically successful debuts with opera companies and orchestras in Europe and Nort...

In this episode, Les chats with J. Patrick Raftery, who is professor of voice and opera at UBC and who has had an illustrious singing career as both a tenor and a baritone. Recipient of the Richard Tucker Music Foundation Prize, Patrick has appeared on the world's greatest stages including the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, La Scala and the Paris Opera to name a few. He has shared the stage with some of the greatest operati...

In this very special video and audio episode, Les is proud to feature a series of introductions from the talented participants of our 2020–2021 Yulanda M Faris Young Artists Program. We’ll be meeting Toronto-based stage director Dana Fradkin, Vancouver-based baritone Luka Kawabata, Toronto soprano Jonelle Sills, tenor Ian Cleary who hails from Chatham, Ontario, Vancouver-based pianist Amy Seulky Lee, and mezzo-soprano Amanda Weathe...

In this episode, Vancouver Opera's Director of Learning and Engagement, Colleen Maybin brings you an uplifting story about music, connection, and community. The Can You Hear Me? Project is an unique choral video from Vancouver Opera and longtime community partner, The Kettle Society, conceived as a way to shine a light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the members of The Kettle Choir and Writers Guild.

Run out of The Ke...