A review of 2020!

Feb 15 – Family Day Children’s Sing-along at Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre

With soprano Trudy Chalmers, mezzo-soprano Nadine Cornelius and pianist Roger Parton. We even wore costumes!

May 24 – Our first online Salon Social Concert and Chat with guest singer, baritone, Samuel Chan.

Due to COVID-19, we had to move our Salon Social online, so we booked a recording studio and filmed the concert portion then set up a Zoom meeting for the live chat. All those that registered for the event received a link to the recorded concert then met us online to chat with our guest singer Samuel Chan, pianist Roger Parton, and artistic director Trudy Chalmers.

July – The Community Opera Chorus reunites for rehearsals outside of the fieldhouse!

COVID-19 forced us to cancel our indoor rehearsals. We stopped rehearsing for months until it was okay to rehearsal outside with social distancing, hand sanitizer, and masks. We brought the keyboard outside and sang to the birds and squirrels. We also gained new chorus members from curious passers-by.

Opera in the Parks!

Throughout the summer months, we performed mini concerts in parks across Vancouver. The concerts were no longer than 15 minutes in length so as not to draw a large crowd during the pandemic. People were so thankful to hear live music again after months of being shut-in.

July 30th – Queen Elizabeth Park and Riley Park with soprano Tamar Simon, baritone Geoff Schellenberg, and pianist Roger Parton.

August 13th – Harbour Green Park and Lost Lagoon with soprano Katie McCullough and pianist Roger Parton. We were even captured in a travel video being filmed by YOUZANG at Harbour Green park.

August 19th – Oak Park outside the fieldhouse with tenor Justin Cho and pianist Roger Parton.

August 28th – We returned to Lost Lagoon with soprano Katie McCullough and pianist Roger Parton.

September 2nd – Memorial South Park with baritone Matthew Kim and pianist Roger Parton. The geese joined the audience.

September 10th – Memorial South Park with soprano Madison Craig and pianist Roger Parton.

August 30th – Our first Salon Social concert and chat outside with mezzo-soprano Taryn Plater and pianist Roger Parton.

Everyone was socially distanced and wearing masks.

September 27th – Salon Social with soprano Julie Duerichen and pianist Roger Parton.

October 4th – Opera Gala Concert

We closed our concert season with an outdoor gala concert at Oak Park behind the fieldhouse with sopronos Katie McCullough and Elaina Moreau, mezzo-soprano Nadine Cornelius, bass-baritone Andy Greenwood, and pianist Roger Parton.

December 22nd – Community Opera Chorus online rehearsal and Christmas party.

We moved the chorus rehearsals online in November and ended the year with an online party and mini recital. We also had a guest singer, soprano Katie McCullough, pop into our Zoom party to sing us a couple of Christmas carols.

Events coming up in August

Opera in the Parks

Catch us where you can! Mini pop-up opera concerts in parks across Vancouver featuring local singers. 

  • Thursday, August 13th at 12p in Harbour Green Park and 1pm at Lost Lagoon with soprano Katie McCullough and pianist Roger Parton

 

 

 

  • Wednesday, August 19th at 3pm in Oak Park with tenor Justin Cho and pianist Roger Parton

Please practice physical distancing, be kind, and be cautious. Thank you!

Salon Social with mezzo-soprano Taryn Plater – Sunday, August 30th, outdoors at Oak Park

Mezzo-soprano Taryn Plater will be the next guest singer at the Fieldhouse for our 10th Salon Social with accompaniment by pianist Roger Parton.

Free admission

Please email to reserve a seat: operaopulenza@gmail.com.

Sunday, August 30th (this date may change depending on the weather forecast)

2pm – 3:30pm

Oak Park – outside

Health guidelines will be in effect with physically distanced seating. This concert and talk will take place outside in the park and unfortunately, food will not be provided. 

Mezzo-soprano Taryn Plater’s involvement in opera is multifaceted as she possesses an affinity for both performance and management. Taryn is currently studying opera performance with Marisa Gaetanne while simultaneously completing degrees in business management and linguistics. In her time at UBC, she has performed the roles of Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Second Lady (Die Zauberflöte), and most recently, Marta in the Canadian premiere of Weinberg’s Pasażerka. She is an alumna of the Opera NUOVA summer program and this past summer travelled to Hawaii to sing Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) with the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. Taryn’s varied musical foundations range from musical theatre to choral singing and she continues to perform as a jazz pianist/vocalist. In addition to her performance endeavours, Taryn has worked as Marketing & Communications Assistant at the Chan Centre and enjoys applying her arts management experience to the production of her own opera concerts and performances.

Salon Social with soprano Julie Duerichen – Saturday, September 12th, outdoors at Oak Park   

Soprano Julie Duerichen will be the next guest singer at the Fieldhouse for our 9th Salon Social with accompaniment by pianist Roger Parton.

Please email to reserve a seat: operaopulenza@gmail.com.

Saturday, September 12th (this date may change depending on the weather forecast)

2:30pm-4pm

Oak Park – outside

Health guidelines will be in effect with physically distanced seating. This concert and talk will take place outside in the park and unfortunately, food will not be provided. 

Soprano Julie Duerichen is a scholarship recipient of Calgary Opera and a 2008 laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques programme in Montreal.  She was also a finalist in the Marie E. Crump Vocal Competition in Washington D.C. in 2002.
Julie holds a Master of Music Degree in Opera Performance from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Calgary, both graduating with honours. In 2005, she studied in Hannover and Cologne, Germany, and attended the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart. 

Julie recently appeared in East Van Opera’s premiere of Alma, singing the role of Kelsh.  She performs regularly with Burnaby Lyric Opera at the Pan Pacific Hotel in the Live Opera Buffet Concert.  She was also featured with Burnaby Opera as Euristene in the world premiere of La Spartana Generous and Musetta in highlights from La Boheme. Performances with Opera Pro Cantanti include the roles:  Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilda in Rigoletto, and Violetta in La Traviata.  She has also sung with Calgary Opera, Annapolis Opera, and Washington Opera in Washington, D.C.

Solo oratorio work includes Fauré’s Requiem with Vivaldi Chamber Choir, Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor with the Capilano Unveristy Singers , and Messiah with the Abbotsford Symphony and Handel Music Society.

Julie has trained with such international artists as:  Carol Richardson, Leon Major, Donald Bell, and Delores Ziegler.

On-going

Community Opera Chorus – rehearsals resume Saturdays outside

Saturdays 11am-12pm outside the Oak Park Fieldhouse

Health guidelines will be in effect with physically distanced seating. Singers are not to share music, touch any of the equipment, or move the chairs. Hand sanitizer and masks are available. We encourage singing with a mask. 

Come join our Community Opera Chorus! There’s no experience necessary and no membership fee. We are building a chorus from the ground up! We will help you with group breathing and singing exercises, movement and score reading. It’s like choir, but eventually you’ll be in costume and acting as well as singing! If you love to sing and to be part of a group come join us! Saturdays 11am-12pm at the Oak Park Fieldhouse on Fremlin Street. To register email: operaopulenza@gmail.com with “Community Opera Chorus” in the subject line. We will be working on repertoire from “The Tales of Hoffmann”, “Rigoletto”, “Don Carlo”, “Tosca”, and “Carmen”.

Mini Concerts in the Park

Catch us where you can! We start our mini pop-up concerts in parks across Vancouver this month.

These concerts are short, 10-15 minutes in total with a rough estimate of their start times.

 

Thursday, July 30th, beginning at 4pm

Soprano Tamar Simon, baritone Geoff Schellenberg, and pianist Roger Parton. 

 

  • Queen Elizabeth Park, at the top, by the conservatory – 4pm

  • Hillcrest Park near the North entrance to the community centre – 4:45pm rough estimate

  • Riley Park – 5:10pm rough estimate

Please practice physical distancing, be kind, and be cautious. Thank you!

Community Opera Chorus – rehearsals resume Saturdays at 11am outside

Saturdays 11am-12pm at the Oak Park Fieldhouse outside 

We have resumed chorus rehearsals outside and in keeping with Worksafe guidelines. Chorus members are socially distanced 3-5 metres, are not sharing music, do not touch equipment, and use masks. Hand sanitizer and extra masks are available.

Come join our Community Opera Chorus! There’s no experience necessary and no membership fee. We are building a chorus from the ground up! We will help you with group breathing and singing exercises, movement and score reading. It’s like choir, but eventually you’ll be in costume and acting as well as singing! If you love to sing and to be part of a group come join us! Saturdays 11am-12pm at the Oak Park Fieldhouse on Fremlin Street. To register email: operaopulenza@gmail.com with “Community Opera Chorus” in the subject line. We will be working on repertoire from “The Tales of Hoffmann”, “Rigoletto”, “Don Carlo”, “Tosca”, and “Carmen”.

Salon Social with baritone Samuel Chan May 24th at 2:30pm ONLINE!

Baritone Samuel Chan will be the guest singer for our 8th Salon Social, as part of our Fieldhouse programming, with accompaniment by pianist Roger Parton. In observance of COVID-19 guidelines, we’ll be posting the performance online: on the day of the Salon, audience members will be sent two links, one to the prerecorded concert, and the other to the live online chat with Samuel and artistic director Trudy Chalmers. It’s important to provide our at-home audiences with the best possible audio/visual quality, and so we’ve hired a production team to ensure the best sound and video quality – without any lag!

Be sure to join us online, after seeing the concert, for our live Q&A! We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

The concert itself is roughly 30 minutes long, but extra time will be given to view the concert before the online chat begins.

Please email to reserve your space online: operaopulenza@gmail.com
Sunday, May 24th  
12pm – link for the concert will be emailed out (the concert is roughly 30 minutes long; watch anytime between 12pm and 2:30pm)
2:30pm – live chat and Q&A 
Online
Admission is free

Named one of CBC Musics’ Top 30 Canadian Classical Musicians under 30, Calgary born Samuel Chan has been praised by critics for his “naturally produced, forwardly placed, attractive baritone” (Ludwig van Toronto). Most recently, Samuel made a surprise role debut at the Canadian Opera Company as the title character in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, replacing an indisposed Vito Priante. Other recent season engagements include Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus for Saskatoon Opera, Messiah for Kitchener Waterloo’s Grand Philharmonic Choir, and Faure’s Requiem for the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Past engagements include multiple roles with the COC, Elora Festival, The Festival of the Sound, Gala Cantos para Hermanar al Munro, Windsor Classic Chorale, Cincinnati Chamber Opera, Cincinnati Camerata, and City Opera Vancouver. Future engagements include company debuts with Pacific Opera Victoria, Tapestry Opera, Opera on the Avalon, and the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. He is a graduate of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and has had further training with the National Arts Centre’s Young Artist Programme, Highlands Opera Studio, the Vancouver International Song Institute, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, and the Toronto Summer Music Festival. Competition highlights include 2nd place Lieder/ 3rd Place Oratorio with the 2019 Stella Maris International Vocal Competition, 2nd Place at the COC Centre Stage Competition, and district wins/encouragement awards with the Met National Council Auditions Western Canada/Ohio Districts.

Salon Social with soprano Julie Duerichen April 26th at 3pm – Postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions

Soprano Julie Duerichen will be our next guest singer at the Fieldhouse for our 9th Salon Social with accompaniment by pianist Roger Parton.

Free admission, snacks, and tea. Please email to reserve a seat: operaopulenza@gmail.com.

Sunday, April 26th

3pm – 4:30pm

Oak Park Fieldhouse

Soprano Julie Duerichen is a scholarship recipient of Calgary Opera and a 2008 laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques programme in Montreal.  She was also a finalist in the Marie E. Crump Vocal Competition in Washington D.C. in 2002.
Julie holds a Master of Music Degree in Opera Performance from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Calgary, both graduating with honours. In 2005, she studied in Hannover and Cologne, Germany, and attended the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart. 

Julie recently appeared in East Van Opera’s premiere of Alma, singing the role of Kelsh.  She performs regularly with Burnaby Lyric Opera at the Pan Pacific Hotel in the Live Opera Buffet Concert.  She was also featured with Burnaby Opera as Euristene in the world premiere of La Spartana Generous and Musetta in highlights from La Boheme. Performances with Opera Pro Cantanti include the roles:  Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilda in Rigoletto, and Violetta in La Traviata.  She has also sung with Calgary Opera, Annapolis Opera, and Washington Opera in Washington, D.C.

Solo oratorio work includes Fauré’s Requiem with Vivaldi Chamber Choir, Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor with the Capilano Unveristy Singers , and Messiah with the Abbotsford Symphony and Handel Music Society.

Julie has trained with such international artists as:  Carol Richardson, Leon Major, Donald Bell, and Delores Ziegler.

Salon Social with soprano Irina Medvedeva March 22nd at 2pm – Cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions

Soprano Irina Medvedeva will be our next guest singer at the Fieldhouse for our 8th Salon Social with accompaniment by pianist Roger Parton.

Free admission, snacks, and tea. Please email to reserve a seat: operaopulenza@gmail.com.

Sunday, March 22nd

2pm – 3:30pm

Oak Park Fieldhouse

Soprano Irina Medvedeva is described as being a “flexible, supple, yet powerful soprano” (The Globe and Mail) and has been praised for having “a large voice with an astonishing range” (Opera Canada).

Ms. Medvedeva is currently part of Vancouver Opera’s Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program for the 2019-2020 season. This engagement includes singing Annina in La Traviata with the Vancouver Opera as well as covering Violetta Valéry, in 2020 she will be covering Rosina in Rossini’s Barber of Seville and the Mother in Another Brick in the Wall as well as singing Alice in the chamber opera The Garden of Alice.. This summer Ms. Medvedeva attended as a Professional Fellow at SongFest in Los Angeles where she worked with renowned collaborators Margo Garret, Graham Johnson, Alan Smith, Kevin Murphy, and esteemed mezzo soprano Susan Graham. This summer she also covered Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème with Brott Opera and was featured in their PopOpera concert singing “Mein Herr Marquis” with orchestra at the First Ontario Concert Hall. Bio continued…

Children’s Sing-along at Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre

Opera Opulenza at the Family Day Festival at Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre (59th ave & Oak st)

Children’s Sing-along

Saturday, February 15th, 2020

1pm to 2pm

Upper lounge

Admission is free

Mezzo-soprano Nadine Cornelius, soprano Trudy Chalmers, and pianist Roger Parton will be performing in the community centre upper lounge and conducting a children’s sing-along. Come find out more about our Fieldhouse programming, and take part in a little vocalizing and breath work and enjoy a free concert!