MARCH 2021 DONOR IMPACT REPORT
CONTENTS 05 |
General Director’s Message
07 |
The Digital Season
09 |
The Music Shop
10 |
The Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program
13 |
Wagner for Valentine’s
15 |
Community, Learning and Schools
17 |
Podcast
18 |
Donor Spotlight
FRONT COVER: JONELLE SILLS AS MASHA IN VO’S THE MUSIC SHOP. PHOTO BY MIKE SOUTHWORTH FACING PAGE: VO’S 2020–2021 SEASON ARTWORK BY EMILY COOPER.
GRATITUDE AND THANKS! We are thrilled at the incredible response and support for our digital season. Although the pandemic altered our ability to offer our much loved and anticipated large-scale live performances, the support of this remarkable community continues to be unwavering, and we are deeply grateful. Everyone at Vancouver Opera appreciates, more than ever, the ability to create a wide-range of original digital works for at-home enjoyment. And there is still more to come! Creating opportunities to perform while maintaining the artistic integrity and safety of our artists has been our top priority this season. The messages, calls, emails and responses to our digital productions has been heartwarming and are also a testament to the hard work and dedication of every singer, director, designer, musician, technician and staff member involved. We couldn’t do any of this without you in our corner. I am proud to share this Impact Report with updates on the projects, artists, and community impact made possible with your generous support.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Tom Wright General Director, Vancouver Opera
TOM WRIGHT, PHOTO BY REBECCA BLISSETT. | MARCH 2021 DONOR IMPACT REPORT
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2020–2021 DIGITAL SEASON
REIMAGINED FOR THE SCREEN LA VOIX HUMAINE | AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS THE MUSIC SHOP | CARMEN: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
THE DIGITAL SEASON: A Journey of Discovery This season has been one of great challenges and great rewards. One doesn’t often think of singing as risky behaviour, but even singing can be a risk during a pandemic. Safety was always top of mind and we had to completely rethink how we present performances—not just the practicalities of digital performances but also how we manage the work on the stage. This season continues to be a journey of discovery. The process has been hugely inspiring as we adapted to film and recording while working three metres away from one another and not touching the same things. La Voix humaine was a wonderful and emotional show to do. The intimacy of the two performers on stage (a singer and a pianist), while distanced, was particularly poignant. It highlighted the loneliness and isolation many of us are currently feeling, when we must remain apart even when together. We progressed to 14 people on stage with Amahl and the Night Visitors, which suddenly seemed like a huge production. Amahl was beautiful and those of us who had the privilege to be at the Chan Centre will never forget the first moment the singers took their masks off and heard one another in full voice. The sound brought tears to our eyes. The New Year brought us this year’s six artists of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program. We started with a two week quarantine before beginning rehearsals for The Music Shop. While the artists were ZOOMing, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and Krisztina Szabó prepared our performance of Wagner for Valentine’s, which was filmed at Christ Church Cathedral. It was wonderful to finally hear the colours of the orchestra come together in these two romantic pieces, Siegfried Idyll and the Wesendonck Lieder, released just in time for Valentine’s Day. Even with restrictions integrated into each production, the joy of producing, creating, and sharing art continues to inspire us on this journey.
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THE MUSIC SHOP: A Canadian Premiere Richard Wargo’s delightful fast-paced comedy, The Music Shop, effectively showcased Vancouver Opera’s talented Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program’s six participants. The four characters sung by soprano Jonelle Sills, mezzo-soprano Amanda Weatherall, tenor Ian Cleary and baritone Luka Kawabata were directed by Dana Fradkin and accompanied by pianist Amy Seulky Lee. Meticulously rehearsed, staged and filmed at Vancouver Opera’s Martha Lou Henley Rehearsal Hall—with a number of invisible-to-the-viewer restrictions incorporated—this Canadian premiere provided 45 minutes of pure joy for home viewing audiences. The Music Shop will be available to watch and re-watch until June 30 for digital subscribers and single ticket buyers.
“(The Music Shop) provides an even-handed workout for a company of fine young singers and it’s a nice project for director and pianist. And above all, it’s a great choice for streaming. Bravo tutti” - Vancouver Sun
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): 1. PIANIST AMY SEULKY LEE; 2. AMANDA WEATHERALL AS THE WIFE; 3. IAN CLEARY AS IVAN; 4. MEMBERS OF THE MUSIC SHOP PRODUCTION TEAM; 5. LUKA KAWABATA AS DMITRI AND JONELLE SILLS AS MASHA. PHOTOS BY MIKE SOUTHWORTH AND AUTUMN COPPAWAY.
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THE YULANDA M. FARIS YOUNG ARTISTS The artists of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program have been hard at work ever since they began their tenure with us in early January. The first two weeks consisted of meetings, workshops, coachings and planning sessions online before we all came together in person on January 18 to start music and staging rehearsals for Richard Wargo’s The Music Shop. Fast forward to mid-February. With the filming of The Music Shop completed, the artists shifted their focus to overall training, including workshops with acclaimed stage director Kelly Robinson and renowned soprano Kathleen Brett, both of whom have a long-standing association with Vancouver Opera. In addition, the artists have been doing regular coachings with our music staff and yoga sessions with Barb Towell, a
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VO'S 2020–2021 YULANDA M. FARIS YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. PHOTO BY NACH DUDSDEEMAYTHA.
certified instructor and valued member of the Vancouver Opera Chorus. Each artist has been working on their independent role studies and doing language study and character work. As of the middle of March, the artists began full rehearsal mode for Carmen: Up Close and Personal, the fourth and final digital offering of the season. I have enjoyed immensely my work with this super talented, hard working, dedicated group of artists and I can’t wait for our audience to witness their outstanding contributions in the two digital productions this season. Leslie Dala, Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program Director
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WAGNER FOR VALENTINE’S Thanks to the generosity and support of Martha Lou Henley, musicians from the Vancouver Opera Orchestra were able to make music together for the first time in almost a year since VO’s production of The Barber of Seville in February 2020. It was a true gift and an honour to be able to rehearse and perform two exquisite works of Richard Wagner with colleagues and friends in the orchestra, and with our special guest soloist, Krisztina Szabó who has been featured in a number of Vancouver Opera productions over the years and with whom I have had the pleasure of working with on numerous projects. The intimate and highly romantic nature of both the Siegfried Idyll and the Wesendonck Lieder were perfect showcases for the players who enjoyed a rare opportunity to be front and centre participants in beautiful music making. It seems incredible to me that the project was realized in a mere 36 hours from the first rehearsal to the final notes sounding in the stunning acoustic of Christ Church Cathedral. My hope is that we, as performers, were able to convey the beauty and sincerity of this music to our audience and that you enjoyed it half as much as we savoured the opportunity to experience the joy and magic of communal music-making.
Leslie Dala, Associate Conductor and Chorus Director, Vancouver Opera
AVAILABLE NOW This performance of Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll and the Wesendonck Lieder concert is now available for
WATCH NOW
viewing until June 2021.
KRISZTINA SZABÓ. PHOTO BY BO HUANG.
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OPERALAB
OperaLab is a set of digital resources for secondary school teachers for home or the classroom. Each package includes: access to one of the online operas
background information about the opera
activities for students related to the arts, humanities, and career education
FOR MORE INFO
LEARNING AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS In February, we launched OperaLab, a new virtual program for secondary students. It provides teachers with access to the digital production of The Music Shop, along with related educational materials, lesson plans, activity videos and virtual information sessions that are designed for either in-class or online learning. Key elements of our signature elementary school program, Project Opera, have also been adapted to a completely online format. Running in five schools throughout the Lower Mainland, the response from teachers has been overwhelmingly positive and the students are engaged and excited to participate in this refreshed program. We’re thrilled that the inaugural VO Capstone Mentorship Program, designed to fulfill a graduation requirement for secondary students is at full capacity. We’ve paired grade 12 students with Vancouver Opera artists who are mentoring the students in a variety of artistic endeavours such as: music composition, song writing, professional musicianship and choreography.
THE KETTLE SOCIETY In November 2020, VO began a new project with longtime community partners, The Kettle Society. Members of the Kettle Choir were invited to join weekly virtual classes in music, movement and visual arts, along with their long standing weekly writing class, all taught by VO teaching artists. The groups are in the process of collaborating to create a short video documenting their work together, which will be presented in late Spring 2021. The impact of these classes has been immeasurable, as the isolation this group has experienced due to the pandemic is palpable. The sense of community prevails, as each class is filled with familiar faces, creativity and laughter.
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VANCOUVER OPERA OFFSTAGE
A Special Episode with Composer Richard Wargo We're delighted to welcome Richard Wargo in our 25th episode. Richard talks about his creative inspirations, his journey as a composer, and shares some tips for aspiring composers.
Subscribe to #VOffstage on your favourite podcast apps!
OFFSTAGE
VANCOUVER OPERA OFFSTAGE PODCAST With Host Les Dala The 25th episode of Vancouver Opera Offstage features the American composer and librettist, Richard Wargo who penned The Music Shop, Vancouver Opera’s third digital production this season. It has really been a pleasure for me to host this podcast. A year ago, none of us would have imagined creating it. However, it has become a meaningful way of staying in touch with our audience and our supporters. The podcast has created a unique opportunity to get to know some of the outstanding singers, conductors, directors who have graced our stages along with past and present leaders of our cultural institutions. We have also had episodes on various communities connected to Vancouver Opera, including guests from the Kettle Society. We have had enlightening talks on diversity and inclusion in the world of opera and discussed issues and shortcomings which have long existed, but are only now being recognized and addressed. Opera is one of the most sophisticated and heightened forms of storytelling and this podcast shares a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of some of the people who have devoted their lives to this magical art form. As the host, I have learned so much and been so inspired by all of the guests who have appeared on the program. Also, I must absolutely credit and praise my friend and colleague Vincent Wong who is the wizard behind the curtain using his superior technical skills and savvy to make sure everything goes according to plan during the recording and exhaustive editing process. His good humour, enthusiasm and friendly disposition put all of our guests at ease and I am lucky to have him as a partner on this venture.
LISTEN NOW
RICHARD WARGO. PHOTO BY TIM EVANS. | MARCH 2021 DONOR IMPACT REPORT
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DONOR SPOTLIGHT MARTHA LOU HENLEY, C.M. I was thrilled to learn about the Wagner Siegfried Idyll and the Wesendonck Lieder concert. What an appropriate way to bring love and light into our lives. I love Wagner, and it has been a long time since we have heard it “live” in Vancouver. I gave my support immediately to this concert when I heard about it, and I’m so glad to have been a part of it. Supporting Canadian artists, and giving the VO Orchestra members an extra boost during this challenging time warms my heart.
MARTHA LOU HENLEY. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE CARLSON.
WAGNER FOR VALENTINE’S This performance of Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll and the Wesendonck Lieder concert is now available for viewing until June 2021.
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WATCH NOW
COMING NEXT
Georges Bizet
Carmen: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL An adaptation of Bizet's original masterpiece Digital premiere: May 1, 2021 at 7:30PM
vancouveropera.ca
VO’s 2020—2021 digital season artwork is by Vancouver artist and photographer, Emily Cooper.
DIGITAL SEASON SPONSOR
DIGITAL SEASON PRODUCTION PATRONS
Ms. Martha Lou Henley, C.M. Alan & Gwendoline Pyatt Yoshiko Karasawa OFFICIAL WINERY
LA VOIX HUMAINE PRODUCTION PATRON
LA VOIX HUMAINE PREMIERE PATRON
AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS PRODUCTION & PREMIERE PATRON
THE MUSIC SHOP PRODUCTION PATRON
THE MUSIC SHOP PREMIERE PATRONS
Mr. Ross & Ms. Ursula Southam
Brigitte & Henning Freybe
Ms. Martha Lou Henley, C.M.
Signe Jurcic
Mike & Kathy Gallagher
TICKET CENTRE SPONSOR
YULANDA M. FARIS YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAM SPONSORS
SEASON SPONSOR
WITH CONTINUING SUPPORT FROM
The Edwina and Paul Heller Memorial Fund, held at Vancouver Foundation
Alan and Gwendoline Pyatt Foundation
Dr. George Luciuk
Patricia Charles
