Music and Opera Appreciation news
Media Release, November 2019
Music & Opera Appreciation announces its 26th Winter Series
“Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman”
Ludwig van Beethoven
“Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman”
Ludwig van Beethoven
Music & Opera Appreciation is pleased to announce the 2020 Winter Series created by Barbara Steed Young, our Artistic Director.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Quality Inn in Stratford. We are in for a warm 2020 Winter Series because each session illustrates Fire in opera, music, and ballet. FIRE is the last of the four classical elements we will explore, having covered Water, Earth, and Air in previous series.
The element of Fire has electrical, creative, and destructive properties, which it also shares with water. Fire, unlike the other elements, does not exist in a natural state. Its physical form can only take place by consuming some other element. Fire is the transformer, converting the energy of other objects into other forms: heat, light, ash, and smoke. Fire is an aggressive element, its aspects being change, passion, creativity, motivation, willpower, drive, and sensuality, both physical and spiritual. Fire is the element of authority and leadership. It is also associated with ‘red,’ the colour of flames.
First in this series, on January 7 and 14, we encounter fire as the vehicle for the martyrdom of Joan of Arc in Tchaikovsky's opera The Maid of Orleans, written in 1881. This is the composer’s closest approach to French Grand Opera with its large scale cast and orchestra, and includes a finely nuanced musical portrait of the fearless young woman who led the French army to victory in 1430. We will also explore Russian nationalism and the development of opera alongside the Bolshoi Opera’s 1993 production.
On January 21, we return to Russia with Stravinsky’s The Firebird, based on Russian folklore and premiered in 1910 by the Ballet Russe in Paris. It is the story of a hero working with the mythical Firebird to defeat an evil sorcerer and free a bevy of princesses, one of whom he marries. As a rare treat we will see some original footage of Annette av Paul dancing the Princess, and then the 1991 production choreographed by Brian Macdonald for the Harkness Ballet Company in the 1960s, later remounted at the Banff Festival. Annette av Paul, Brian’s muse and partner, will introduce the work.
On January 28, we look at the third and final act of Wagner’s Die Walküre, written in 1870, as performed by the Berlin Philharmonic at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2007. The god Wotan creates a wall of fire to protect the heroine and prepare the plot for the next opera in the Ring Cycle. This devastating drama involves complex relationships between brother and sister, husband and wife, father and daughter. In Act 3 we see the head-strong Brünnhilde and the tortured Wotan quarrel, as she faces the wrath of her father. Wagner’s music has an emotional intensity with its outbursts, power, and size of the orchestra and voices. You will definitely feel the heat!
On February 4 and 11, we explore the fires of Hell as we watch the Glyndebourne Festival’s 2010 production of Don Giovanni starring Canadian baritone, Gerald Finley. The consequences of the male ego and libido unrestrained by morality or conscience are ageless. Ultimately the legend of Don Juan is a morality play because this personification of unrepentant promiscuity is punished for his sins with pain and hellfire. Mozart’s music is breathtaking and this opera is on the top 10 list for ‘Best Operas Of All Time.’ It was first performed in Prague in 1787.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are informal, entertaining, charming and educational in the best sense. They are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversation during the break.
Those interested in MOA travel far and wide: from St. Marys, Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Brantford, and even Toronto to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions. All are welcome. Entrance is $10 per session, or a $50 subscription for all six dates.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Quality Inn in Stratford. We are in for a warm 2020 Winter Series because each session illustrates Fire in opera, music, and ballet. FIRE is the last of the four classical elements we will explore, having covered Water, Earth, and Air in previous series.
The element of Fire has electrical, creative, and destructive properties, which it also shares with water. Fire, unlike the other elements, does not exist in a natural state. Its physical form can only take place by consuming some other element. Fire is the transformer, converting the energy of other objects into other forms: heat, light, ash, and smoke. Fire is an aggressive element, its aspects being change, passion, creativity, motivation, willpower, drive, and sensuality, both physical and spiritual. Fire is the element of authority and leadership. It is also associated with ‘red,’ the colour of flames.
First in this series, on January 7 and 14, we encounter fire as the vehicle for the martyrdom of Joan of Arc in Tchaikovsky's opera The Maid of Orleans, written in 1881. This is the composer’s closest approach to French Grand Opera with its large scale cast and orchestra, and includes a finely nuanced musical portrait of the fearless young woman who led the French army to victory in 1430. We will also explore Russian nationalism and the development of opera alongside the Bolshoi Opera’s 1993 production.
On January 21, we return to Russia with Stravinsky’s The Firebird, based on Russian folklore and premiered in 1910 by the Ballet Russe in Paris. It is the story of a hero working with the mythical Firebird to defeat an evil sorcerer and free a bevy of princesses, one of whom he marries. As a rare treat we will see some original footage of Annette av Paul dancing the Princess, and then the 1991 production choreographed by Brian Macdonald for the Harkness Ballet Company in the 1960s, later remounted at the Banff Festival. Annette av Paul, Brian’s muse and partner, will introduce the work.
On January 28, we look at the third and final act of Wagner’s Die Walküre, written in 1870, as performed by the Berlin Philharmonic at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2007. The god Wotan creates a wall of fire to protect the heroine and prepare the plot for the next opera in the Ring Cycle. This devastating drama involves complex relationships between brother and sister, husband and wife, father and daughter. In Act 3 we see the head-strong Brünnhilde and the tortured Wotan quarrel, as she faces the wrath of her father. Wagner’s music has an emotional intensity with its outbursts, power, and size of the orchestra and voices. You will definitely feel the heat!
On February 4 and 11, we explore the fires of Hell as we watch the Glyndebourne Festival’s 2010 production of Don Giovanni starring Canadian baritone, Gerald Finley. The consequences of the male ego and libido unrestrained by morality or conscience are ageless. Ultimately the legend of Don Juan is a morality play because this personification of unrepentant promiscuity is punished for his sins with pain and hellfire. Mozart’s music is breathtaking and this opera is on the top 10 list for ‘Best Operas Of All Time.’ It was first performed in Prague in 1787.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are informal, entertaining, charming and educational in the best sense. They are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversation during the break.
Those interested in MOA travel far and wide: from St. Marys, Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Brantford, and even Toronto to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions. All are welcome. Entrance is $10 per session, or a $50 subscription for all six dates.
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Media Release, July 2019
Music & Opera Appreciation announces its 26th Season
“Music is the poetry of the air.”
S. Richter (1915-1997), Soviet pianist
“Music is the poetry of the air.”
S. Richter (1915-1997), Soviet pianist
Music & Opera Appreciation is pleased to announce the 2019 Fall Series created by Barbara Steed Young, our Artistic Director.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Quality Inn (formerly the Festival Inn) in Stratford.
The Fall Series ELEMENTS OF NATURE: AIR will commence Oct. 15, 2019. Each session illustrates one of the many definitions of Air. Air is an English word that means everything from breath to the tune of a Renaissance song, a gas, or an unconfined space, creating weather patterns, and even hanging out the wash.
For the purpose of this series Barbara will first be using air as weather and in this case blowing Aeneas to Dido. Then magic is used to create a storm to take Aeneas away. This opera on Blu-ray, Dido and Aeneas by the great Baroque English composer Henry Purcell, is sung in English.
Oct. 22, we present a live concert: Mark Fewer: The Art of the Violin. This promises to be a thrilling performance by one of Canada’s most experienced violinists and our new Stratford Summer Music Artistic Director. Mark will be playing a variety of styles to reflect his outstanding versatility. This is our annual fundraising concert to provide scholarships for young singers and opportunities for more mature singers to attend the Stratford Summer Music Vocal Academy as well as supporting the Met Opera HD Series in Stratford’s City Hall.
On Oct. 29, we look at the Canadian conductor and opera superstar Barbara Hannigan through the lens of her documentary I’m a Creative Animal. The Druids used a baton, made from a short straight branch to represent a tree, and the movements of that baton used air as wind to create spirit and energy. Barbara Steed Young, as a singer, will give you some idea how breath is used in singing extremely difficult music.
On Nov. 5, we explore 20th Century Jazz and the use of air as unconfined space. Through the narration of Leonard Bernstein, we define what makes up jazz, and through the performances of Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, and Oscar Peterson we see the spontaneous combustion of air and creativity.
On Nov. 12 and 19, with Fidelio, we finish the 2019 Fall Series by using air as an attitude as well as a physical “airless” space. Air here represents spirit and passion. In Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, we see characteristics of enlightenment at work. Leanora, our heroine, has to work hard to appear to be a man and pull off the seemingly impossible task of springing her man from a top security prison. The story is glorious and Beethoven’s music is very moving.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are informal, entertaining, charming and educational in the best sense. They are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversation during the break.
Those interested in MOA travel far and wide: from St. Marys, Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Brantford, and even Toronto to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions. All are welcome. Entrance is $10 per session ( except $20 for the Mark Fewer concert), or a $50 subscription for all six dates.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Quality Inn (formerly the Festival Inn) in Stratford.
The Fall Series ELEMENTS OF NATURE: AIR will commence Oct. 15, 2019. Each session illustrates one of the many definitions of Air. Air is an English word that means everything from breath to the tune of a Renaissance song, a gas, or an unconfined space, creating weather patterns, and even hanging out the wash.
For the purpose of this series Barbara will first be using air as weather and in this case blowing Aeneas to Dido. Then magic is used to create a storm to take Aeneas away. This opera on Blu-ray, Dido and Aeneas by the great Baroque English composer Henry Purcell, is sung in English.
Oct. 22, we present a live concert: Mark Fewer: The Art of the Violin. This promises to be a thrilling performance by one of Canada’s most experienced violinists and our new Stratford Summer Music Artistic Director. Mark will be playing a variety of styles to reflect his outstanding versatility. This is our annual fundraising concert to provide scholarships for young singers and opportunities for more mature singers to attend the Stratford Summer Music Vocal Academy as well as supporting the Met Opera HD Series in Stratford’s City Hall.
On Oct. 29, we look at the Canadian conductor and opera superstar Barbara Hannigan through the lens of her documentary I’m a Creative Animal. The Druids used a baton, made from a short straight branch to represent a tree, and the movements of that baton used air as wind to create spirit and energy. Barbara Steed Young, as a singer, will give you some idea how breath is used in singing extremely difficult music.
On Nov. 5, we explore 20th Century Jazz and the use of air as unconfined space. Through the narration of Leonard Bernstein, we define what makes up jazz, and through the performances of Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, and Oscar Peterson we see the spontaneous combustion of air and creativity.
On Nov. 12 and 19, with Fidelio, we finish the 2019 Fall Series by using air as an attitude as well as a physical “airless” space. Air here represents spirit and passion. In Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, we see characteristics of enlightenment at work. Leanora, our heroine, has to work hard to appear to be a man and pull off the seemingly impossible task of springing her man from a top security prison. The story is glorious and Beethoven’s music is very moving.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are informal, entertaining, charming and educational in the best sense. They are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversation during the break.
Those interested in MOA travel far and wide: from St. Marys, Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Brantford, and even Toronto to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions. All are welcome. Entrance is $10 per session ( except $20 for the Mark Fewer concert), or a $50 subscription for all six dates.
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Media Release, November 2018
Music & Opera Appreciation announces its 25th Winter Series
“We live in this world in order always to learn industriously and to enlighten each other by means of discussion and to strive vigorously to promote the progress of science and the fine arts.”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
“We live in this world in order always to learn industriously and to enlighten each other by means of discussion and to strive vigorously to promote the progress of science and the fine arts.”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Music & Opera Appreciation is pleased to announce the 2019 Winter Series created by Barbara Steed Young, our artistic leader.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
The 2019 Winter Series, with the theme EARTH, continues with the Elements of Nature. The works being presented have been created, and chosen to show here, because of the human drive to migrate over the Earth, driven by motivations ranging from privation, to curiosity, to a quest for freedom.
We start the series Jan. 8 with Shadows in Paradise, a documentary about Hitler’s exiles in Hollywood. By1939, 30,000 intellectuals and artists were either exiled from or chose to leave Europe. Those dramatic events in Europe sent many of the greatest minds of the 20th century into exile in the United States. The aura of creative intensity that hovered over Berlin in the 1920s, in music, art, theater and film, that glow of aesthetic productivity, was extinguished there. Los Angeles in the 1930s and early 1940s may be seen as its afterglow… when many of the immigrants, fleeing the upsurge of European fascism, briefly transformed Southern California and America into one of the capitals of world culture.
On Jan. 15, Loreena McKennitt will introduce her concert Nights from the Alhambra recorded live in the Medieval Moorish palace in Granada, Spain, where the Moors settled and ruled between the early 8th and late 15th centuries. This concert is an outstanding celebration of mixed cultures reflected in the music and instruments, which include the oud, lyra, tabla, Celtic Bouzouki, Uillean pipes, bodhrån, hurdy-gurdy, kanoun, accordion, harp, piano, percussion, strings, guitar and electric bass.
Jan.22 and Jan.29, we continue in Spain with Rossini’s opera buffa, The Barber of Seville (1819). Here we see the influence of Italian opera with its commedia dell’arte traditions blended with the Spanish emphasis on rhythm and form. The result is laughter and vocal acrobatics! The opera is sung in Italian with English subtitles.
Feb. 5 and 12, we look at the opera, Die Tote Stadt (The Dead City) written by the 23-year-old German exile, Erich Wolfgang Korngold. It is in the style of late romanticism and received its premiere in the wake of WWI. The opera represents a renewal of life and hope through the redemption of its conflicted anti-hero. The opera is sung in German with English subtitles.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are informal, entertaining, charming and educational in the best sense. They are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversation during the break.
Those interested in MOA travel far and wide: from St. Marys, Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Brantford, and even Toronto to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions. All are welcome. Entrance is $10 per session, or a $50 subscription for all six dates.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
The 2019 Winter Series, with the theme EARTH, continues with the Elements of Nature. The works being presented have been created, and chosen to show here, because of the human drive to migrate over the Earth, driven by motivations ranging from privation, to curiosity, to a quest for freedom.
We start the series Jan. 8 with Shadows in Paradise, a documentary about Hitler’s exiles in Hollywood. By1939, 30,000 intellectuals and artists were either exiled from or chose to leave Europe. Those dramatic events in Europe sent many of the greatest minds of the 20th century into exile in the United States. The aura of creative intensity that hovered over Berlin in the 1920s, in music, art, theater and film, that glow of aesthetic productivity, was extinguished there. Los Angeles in the 1930s and early 1940s may be seen as its afterglow… when many of the immigrants, fleeing the upsurge of European fascism, briefly transformed Southern California and America into one of the capitals of world culture.
On Jan. 15, Loreena McKennitt will introduce her concert Nights from the Alhambra recorded live in the Medieval Moorish palace in Granada, Spain, where the Moors settled and ruled between the early 8th and late 15th centuries. This concert is an outstanding celebration of mixed cultures reflected in the music and instruments, which include the oud, lyra, tabla, Celtic Bouzouki, Uillean pipes, bodhrån, hurdy-gurdy, kanoun, accordion, harp, piano, percussion, strings, guitar and electric bass.
Jan.22 and Jan.29, we continue in Spain with Rossini’s opera buffa, The Barber of Seville (1819). Here we see the influence of Italian opera with its commedia dell’arte traditions blended with the Spanish emphasis on rhythm and form. The result is laughter and vocal acrobatics! The opera is sung in Italian with English subtitles.
Feb. 5 and 12, we look at the opera, Die Tote Stadt (The Dead City) written by the 23-year-old German exile, Erich Wolfgang Korngold. It is in the style of late romanticism and received its premiere in the wake of WWI. The opera represents a renewal of life and hope through the redemption of its conflicted anti-hero. The opera is sung in German with English subtitles.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are informal, entertaining, charming and educational in the best sense. They are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversation during the break.
Those interested in MOA travel far and wide: from St. Marys, Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Brantford, and even Toronto to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions. All are welcome. Entrance is $10 per session, or a $50 subscription for all six dates.
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Media Release, August 2018
Music & Opera Appreciation continues its 25th Season
For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea
― E. E. Cummings
For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea
― E. E. Cummings
Music & Opera Appreciation is pleased to announce the 2018 Fall Series created by Barbara Steed Young, our artistic leader. Barbara is Music Director Emeritus, along with Berthold Carrière, of the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. She is a 20-year veteran of the Stratford Festival as music consultant, composer, and teacher, and is a Music Festival adjudicator and coach.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
The Fall Series will commence October 16, 2018 with the theme of ELEMENTS OF NATURE: WATER. The works presented happen in and around water. With water, there is life. Water covers two-thirds of the Earth, and is what constitutes two-thirds of us. Not only does it bring life to this planet, but also teaches us the realities of life. It contains within itself the mixed feelings in our hearts, which make us relate to it in every step of our lives. The rush and anger in the waves of an ocean are like the ups and downs we face every day, but when, in the end, it touches the shore and our feet, a sense of calm fills our souls. The sound of water gushing towards us balances our discomfort and revives us to go on with our lives with a feeling of contentedness.
We start the series with Moby Dick by the American composer, Jake Heggie, on October 16 and 23. This is a new opera created in 2010 based on the Herman Melville novel. Water represents survival and symbolizes revenge. The musical style is easy to access with beautiful orchestrations.
October 30, we present a concert of Mark Dubois and Friends: The Art of the Tenor, accompanied by Kelly Walker. This will be a thrilling performance by one of Canada’s most experienced singers, who works in all song forms. We will hear opera, music theatre, and art songs – as well as a few surprises.
November 6, we will present the award winning Ji Won Baxter, a 16-year-old violinist who will improvise as we watch Oceania from BBC Earth, the Biography series.
November 13 and 20, we look at the opera, Billy Budd, taken from a short story by Melville and composed by Benjamin Britten in 1951. We focus on the human relationship to the sea, the human condition for jealousy and betrayal, and the price we pay for war. The action takes place in 1797 when England and France were at war.
Both operas are sung in English.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming, informal, entertaining and educational in the best sense. The afternoon presentations are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break.
MOA supporters are devoted. Many travel to Stratford from St. Marys, Kitchener, London and Brantford for the fall and winter sessions. All are welcome. Entrance is $10 per session ($20 for the Mark Dubois concert) or a $50 subscription to all six dates.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
The Fall Series will commence October 16, 2018 with the theme of ELEMENTS OF NATURE: WATER. The works presented happen in and around water. With water, there is life. Water covers two-thirds of the Earth, and is what constitutes two-thirds of us. Not only does it bring life to this planet, but also teaches us the realities of life. It contains within itself the mixed feelings in our hearts, which make us relate to it in every step of our lives. The rush and anger in the waves of an ocean are like the ups and downs we face every day, but when, in the end, it touches the shore and our feet, a sense of calm fills our souls. The sound of water gushing towards us balances our discomfort and revives us to go on with our lives with a feeling of contentedness.
We start the series with Moby Dick by the American composer, Jake Heggie, on October 16 and 23. This is a new opera created in 2010 based on the Herman Melville novel. Water represents survival and symbolizes revenge. The musical style is easy to access with beautiful orchestrations.
October 30, we present a concert of Mark Dubois and Friends: The Art of the Tenor, accompanied by Kelly Walker. This will be a thrilling performance by one of Canada’s most experienced singers, who works in all song forms. We will hear opera, music theatre, and art songs – as well as a few surprises.
November 6, we will present the award winning Ji Won Baxter, a 16-year-old violinist who will improvise as we watch Oceania from BBC Earth, the Biography series.
November 13 and 20, we look at the opera, Billy Budd, taken from a short story by Melville and composed by Benjamin Britten in 1951. We focus on the human relationship to the sea, the human condition for jealousy and betrayal, and the price we pay for war. The action takes place in 1797 when England and France were at war.
Both operas are sung in English.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming, informal, entertaining and educational in the best sense. The afternoon presentations are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break.
MOA supporters are devoted. Many travel to Stratford from St. Marys, Kitchener, London and Brantford for the fall and winter sessions. All are welcome. Entrance is $10 per session ($20 for the Mark Dubois concert) or a $50 subscription to all six dates.
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Media Release, November 2017
Music & Opera Appreciation announces its 25th Season
“Reality is only a brief moment in time that you keep repeating.” A. Hicks
“Reality is only a brief moment in time that you keep repeating.” A. Hicks
Music & Opera Appreciation is pleased to announce the 2018 Winter Series created by Barbara Steed Young, our artistic leader. Barbara is Music Director Emeritus, along with Berthold Carrière, of the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. She is a 20 year veteran with the Stratford Festival as music consultant, composer and teacher, and is a Music Festival adjudicator.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
The Winter 2018 Series theme is Reality: works of art created from or for true stories.
On Jan.9 and 16 we begin with a DVD presentation of Giulio Cesare, an Italian opera by the German/English composer G.F.Handel, telling the story of Julius Caesar (101BC-44BC) and his relationship with Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy. This Baroque opera, full of gorgeous singing, is set in a Middle-Eastern international hotel and is directed by the unique Peter Sellars.
On Jan. 23 we present Requiem 9/11. This is a personal artistic response by Stratford’s late director and choreographer Brian Macdonald to the destruction of the twin towers in New York, set to Verdi’sRequiem.
Annette av Paul, Brian’s partner and muse, will be with us to introduce the work.
On Jan. 30 we present Má vlast by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. This cycle of 6 symphonic poems conjures up the spirit of Bohemia, reflected in its landscape. The Czech Philharmonic performs with passion and energy.
On Feb. 6 and 13 we finish our series with the ever- popular Aida, by the operatic genius, Giuseppe Verdi. Aida was commissioned for the opening of the Suez Canal in 1871 and premiered in Cairo. The story involves revenge, sacrifice and a love triangle.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming, informal, entertaining and educational in the best sense. The afternoon presentations are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break.
MOA supporters are devoted. Many travel to Stratford from St. Marys, Kitchener, London and Brantford for the fall and winter sessions. Our website has the details.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
The Winter 2018 Series theme is Reality: works of art created from or for true stories.
On Jan.9 and 16 we begin with a DVD presentation of Giulio Cesare, an Italian opera by the German/English composer G.F.Handel, telling the story of Julius Caesar (101BC-44BC) and his relationship with Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy. This Baroque opera, full of gorgeous singing, is set in a Middle-Eastern international hotel and is directed by the unique Peter Sellars.
On Jan. 23 we present Requiem 9/11. This is a personal artistic response by Stratford’s late director and choreographer Brian Macdonald to the destruction of the twin towers in New York, set to Verdi’sRequiem.
Annette av Paul, Brian’s partner and muse, will be with us to introduce the work.
On Jan. 30 we present Má vlast by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. This cycle of 6 symphonic poems conjures up the spirit of Bohemia, reflected in its landscape. The Czech Philharmonic performs with passion and energy.
On Feb. 6 and 13 we finish our series with the ever- popular Aida, by the operatic genius, Giuseppe Verdi. Aida was commissioned for the opening of the Suez Canal in 1871 and premiered in Cairo. The story involves revenge, sacrifice and a love triangle.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming, informal, entertaining and educational in the best sense. The afternoon presentations are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break.
MOA supporters are devoted. Many travel to Stratford from St. Marys, Kitchener, London and Brantford for the fall and winter sessions. Our website has the details.
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Media Release, July 2017
Music & Opera Appreciation announces its 24th Fall Series
“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.
It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.” Dr. Seuss
“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.
It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.” Dr. Seuss
Music & Opera Appreciation is pleased to announce the 2017 Fall Series created by
Barbara Steed Young, our Artistic Leader. Barbara is also Music Director Emeritus, along with Berthold Carrière, of the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. She is a 20-year veteran of the Stratford Festival as music consultant, composer and teacher, and is a music festival adjudicator.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
Our Fall 2017 Series theme is Fantasy. In each story we will explore the characters use of magic and fantasy to get what they want….but there is always a price.
On October 17 and 24 we begin our series with a DVD presentation of Der Freischütz, a German opera by Carl Maria von Weber. It tells the German legend of magic bullets, betrayed friendship and just how great a risk we are prepared to take to get what we want … in this case, the love of a woman.
This is considered the first Romantic German opera and it influenced all future German operas.
On October 31 we present the first act on DVD of Into the Woods, an American musical by Stephen Sondheim. This musical is filled with fantasy as several fairy tales and their characters collide as they go into the woods to get what they want, in this case a baby. The plot centres around a wicked witch … perfect for Halloween.
On November 7 we present Theodore Baerg in Concert. He will sing selections from the great baritone repertoire in opera and other music genres. Theodore Baerg has enjoyed a critically acclaimed opera and concert career with appearances in North America, Europe and Asia. He began his singing/acting career at the Stratford Festival, to which he later returned to perform the role of Emile in the Festival’s production of South Pacific. Ted has sung over 85 operas and now spends his time as a performer and as a Professor of Voice and Coordinator/Director of the Opera Program at The University of Western Ontario. This is a concert not to be missed!
On November 14 and 21 we finish our series with the French Grand Opera Faust based on the Goethe story and composed by Charles Gounod. Dr. Faust uses magic and fantasy to get what he wants: eternal youth. This very popular opera is full of beautiful singing.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming in their informality, educational in the best sense, entertaining, and are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break.
MOA supporters are devoted. Many travel to Stratford from St. Marys, Kitchener, London and Brantford for the fall and winter sessions. Our website has the details
Barbara Steed Young, our Artistic Leader. Barbara is also Music Director Emeritus, along with Berthold Carrière, of the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. She is a 20-year veteran of the Stratford Festival as music consultant, composer and teacher, and is a music festival adjudicator.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
Our Fall 2017 Series theme is Fantasy. In each story we will explore the characters use of magic and fantasy to get what they want….but there is always a price.
On October 17 and 24 we begin our series with a DVD presentation of Der Freischütz, a German opera by Carl Maria von Weber. It tells the German legend of magic bullets, betrayed friendship and just how great a risk we are prepared to take to get what we want … in this case, the love of a woman.
This is considered the first Romantic German opera and it influenced all future German operas.
On October 31 we present the first act on DVD of Into the Woods, an American musical by Stephen Sondheim. This musical is filled with fantasy as several fairy tales and their characters collide as they go into the woods to get what they want, in this case a baby. The plot centres around a wicked witch … perfect for Halloween.
On November 7 we present Theodore Baerg in Concert. He will sing selections from the great baritone repertoire in opera and other music genres. Theodore Baerg has enjoyed a critically acclaimed opera and concert career with appearances in North America, Europe and Asia. He began his singing/acting career at the Stratford Festival, to which he later returned to perform the role of Emile in the Festival’s production of South Pacific. Ted has sung over 85 operas and now spends his time as a performer and as a Professor of Voice and Coordinator/Director of the Opera Program at The University of Western Ontario. This is a concert not to be missed!
On November 14 and 21 we finish our series with the French Grand Opera Faust based on the Goethe story and composed by Charles Gounod. Dr. Faust uses magic and fantasy to get what he wants: eternal youth. This very popular opera is full of beautiful singing.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming in their informality, educational in the best sense, entertaining, and are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break.
MOA supporters are devoted. Many travel to Stratford from St. Marys, Kitchener, London and Brantford for the fall and winter sessions. Our website has the details
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Media Release, November 2016
Music & Opera Appreciation announces its 23rd Season
“There is no great genius without some touch of madness.”
Aristotle
“There is no great genius without some touch of madness.”
Aristotle
Music & Opera Appreciation is pleased to announce the 2017 Winter Series created by Barbara Steed Young, our artistic leader. Barbara is Music Director Emeritus, along with Berthold Carrière, of the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. She is a 20-year veteran with the Stratford Festival as music consultant, composer and teacher, and is a Music Festival adjudicator.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
The 2017 Winter Series theme is MADNESS.
On Jan.10 and 17 we begin with a DVD presentation of Lucia di Lammermoor, an Italian opera by Gaetano Donizetti telling the story, written by Sir Walter Scott, of feuding families and religions, a corrupt brother and a wronged Lucia, all leading to her complete madness. This Italian bel canto opera, with gorgeous singing and text, is set in Scotland.
On Jan. 24 we present Adieu Robert Schumann. This is a Canadian work by R. Murray Schafer based on the music and life of Robert Schumann, a brilliant Romantic composer who suffered from mental illness. This work premiered with the great Canadian mezzo soprano, Maureen Forrester. It looks at the relationship of Robert and Clara Schumann, told through music and ballet, choreographed by Stratford’s Brian Macdonald. The featured dancer is Annette av Paul, who will be with us to introduce the work.
On Jan. 31 we present Suor Angelica, a one-act opera by Giacomo Puccini. This verismo opera tells the story of a mysterious nun with a shameful past and the price she pays for that past. Needless to say, madness is involved.
On Feb. 7 and 14 we finish our series with an opera seria, Idomeneo, from the 25 year-old W.A. Mozart. It is considered his first mature operatic masterpiece. It is based on the tale of Homer’s Odyssey. Crete is the setting for a drama of young love thwarted, jealous rivalry and a timely surprise.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming, informal, entertaining and educational in the best sense. The afternoon presentations are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break.
Many of those interested in MOA travel to Stratford from far and wide for the fall and winter sessions: from St. Marys, Kitchener, Waterloo, London and Brantford. All are welcome. Entrance is $10 per session or a $50 subscription to all six dates.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 in the Guthrie Room at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
The 2017 Winter Series theme is MADNESS.
On Jan.10 and 17 we begin with a DVD presentation of Lucia di Lammermoor, an Italian opera by Gaetano Donizetti telling the story, written by Sir Walter Scott, of feuding families and religions, a corrupt brother and a wronged Lucia, all leading to her complete madness. This Italian bel canto opera, with gorgeous singing and text, is set in Scotland.
On Jan. 24 we present Adieu Robert Schumann. This is a Canadian work by R. Murray Schafer based on the music and life of Robert Schumann, a brilliant Romantic composer who suffered from mental illness. This work premiered with the great Canadian mezzo soprano, Maureen Forrester. It looks at the relationship of Robert and Clara Schumann, told through music and ballet, choreographed by Stratford’s Brian Macdonald. The featured dancer is Annette av Paul, who will be with us to introduce the work.
On Jan. 31 we present Suor Angelica, a one-act opera by Giacomo Puccini. This verismo opera tells the story of a mysterious nun with a shameful past and the price she pays for that past. Needless to say, madness is involved.
On Feb. 7 and 14 we finish our series with an opera seria, Idomeneo, from the 25 year-old W.A. Mozart. It is considered his first mature operatic masterpiece. It is based on the tale of Homer’s Odyssey. Crete is the setting for a drama of young love thwarted, jealous rivalry and a timely surprise.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming, informal, entertaining and educational in the best sense. The afternoon presentations are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break.
Many of those interested in MOA travel to Stratford from far and wide for the fall and winter sessions: from St. Marys, Kitchener, Waterloo, London and Brantford. All are welcome. Entrance is $10 per session or a $50 subscription to all six dates.
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Media Release, September 2016
Music & Opera Appreciation continues its 22nd Season
"Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.”
Ludwig van Beethoven
"Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.”
Ludwig van Beethoven
Music & Opera Appreciation is pleased to announce that Barbara Steed Young begins her second series as Artistic Leader in October. Barbara is Music Director Emeritus, along with Bertholde Carriere, of the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. She is a 20 year veteran with the Stratford Festival as music consultant, composer and teacher, and is a Music Festival adjudicator.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons, 1:30 to 3:30 at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
Our Fall Series theme is REVENGE.
On Oct. 18 and 25 we begin our series with a DVD presentation of Rigoletto, an opera by Giuseppe Verdi telling the story of a father’s curse, a corrupt duke and an innocent daughter sacrificed for revenge.
Some of the most beautiful music in all opera repertoire is in this work.
Nov.1 Andrew McDonald, a Stratford specialist on the composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, will present The Last Prodigy, a look at the rich legacy from this Austrian composer who came to Hollywood in the 1930’s and raised the standards of film scores.
Nov. 8 we welcome back to Stratford Aggie Elliot, a former star of the Stratford Festival’s operettas. She will be presenting a concert of Music in Transition featuring works by Mozart, Gilbert & Sullivan, Bernstein and Rogers & Hammerstein as she takes us on a journey of the differences between Opera, Operetta and Music Theatre.
Nov. 15 and 22 we finish our series by honouring the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with a DVD presentation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream where the three worlds, the Fairies, the Royalty and the Mechanicals collide in this diverse score by Benjamin Britten.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming in their informality, educational in the best sense, and are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break.
MOA supporters are a devoted community. Many travel from St. Mary’s, Kitchener, London and Brantford to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions.
Come share the warmth of great music, opera and fellowship in our Fall 2016 series.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons, 1:30 to 3:30 at the Festival Inn in Stratford.
Our Fall Series theme is REVENGE.
On Oct. 18 and 25 we begin our series with a DVD presentation of Rigoletto, an opera by Giuseppe Verdi telling the story of a father’s curse, a corrupt duke and an innocent daughter sacrificed for revenge.
Some of the most beautiful music in all opera repertoire is in this work.
Nov.1 Andrew McDonald, a Stratford specialist on the composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, will present The Last Prodigy, a look at the rich legacy from this Austrian composer who came to Hollywood in the 1930’s and raised the standards of film scores.
Nov. 8 we welcome back to Stratford Aggie Elliot, a former star of the Stratford Festival’s operettas. She will be presenting a concert of Music in Transition featuring works by Mozart, Gilbert & Sullivan, Bernstein and Rogers & Hammerstein as she takes us on a journey of the differences between Opera, Operetta and Music Theatre.
Nov. 15 and 22 we finish our series by honouring the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with a DVD presentation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream where the three worlds, the Fairies, the Royalty and the Mechanicals collide in this diverse score by Benjamin Britten.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming in their informality, educational in the best sense, and are enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break.
MOA supporters are a devoted community. Many travel from St. Mary’s, Kitchener, London and Brantford to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions.
Come share the warmth of great music, opera and fellowship in our Fall 2016 series.
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Media Release, December 2015
Music & Opera Appreciation announces its 22nd Season
"To send light into the darkness of Mankind’s heart - such is the duty of the artist."
R. Schumann
"To send light into the darkness of Mankind’s heart - such is the duty of the artist."
R. Schumann
Music & Opera Appreciation is pleased to announce that Barbara Steed Young begins her term as Artistic Leader in January. Highlights of Barbara’s work in the community include 3 years as co-music director of the Stratford Symphony Orchestra, 20 years with the Stratford Festival as music consultant, composer and teacher and as a Music Festival adjudicator. She also has wide experience in other parts of Canada and abroad. Barbara currently runs a successful voice studio in Stratford.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at the Festival Inn in Stratford. Our 2016 winter series theme is SACRIFICE
On January 12 we begin with a DVD presentation of Amahl and the Night Visitors, an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti telling the story of the visit of the three Kings to a small village near Bethlehem. The sacrifice of a young boy presents the Christmas story in a unique way. Canadian Teresa Stratas sings the Mother in this production.
January 19 and 26 feature Turandot, an Italian opera set in China, an epic fairy tale filled with drama, comedy, tragedy and the glorious music of G. Puccini. Our DVD is from the 1999 Beijing production, the first performance of Turandot in China after being banned for 75 years. The sacrifice made by a slave girl leads to a happy ending.
February 2 and 9 we return to Canada as our setting for the Canadian opera Louis Riel, written for Canada’s centennial in 1967 with music by Harry Somers. It focuses on the 19th century Métis leader from Manitoba and how his rebellions and sacrifice shaped Canada. Perhaps the power of this opera finds resonance in the questions Canadians continue to ask about the nature of our country, our historical conflicts and the challenges we face as we construct our Canada of the 21st century.
On February 16 we welcome guest artist Anne Lederman, Canada’s leading expert on Métis music and fiddling in particular. Anne will perform songs written by Louis Riel as well as other works from our Canadian folk song tradition.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming in their informality, educational in the best sense, entertaining and enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break. MOA supporters are devoted - many travel from St. Mary’s, Kitchener, London and Brantford to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions.
Come share the warmth of great music, opera and fellowship in our 2016 Winter Series.
Audiences can expect six weeks of stimulating programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at the Festival Inn in Stratford. Our 2016 winter series theme is SACRIFICE
On January 12 we begin with a DVD presentation of Amahl and the Night Visitors, an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti telling the story of the visit of the three Kings to a small village near Bethlehem. The sacrifice of a young boy presents the Christmas story in a unique way. Canadian Teresa Stratas sings the Mother in this production.
January 19 and 26 feature Turandot, an Italian opera set in China, an epic fairy tale filled with drama, comedy, tragedy and the glorious music of G. Puccini. Our DVD is from the 1999 Beijing production, the first performance of Turandot in China after being banned for 75 years. The sacrifice made by a slave girl leads to a happy ending.
February 2 and 9 we return to Canada as our setting for the Canadian opera Louis Riel, written for Canada’s centennial in 1967 with music by Harry Somers. It focuses on the 19th century Métis leader from Manitoba and how his rebellions and sacrifice shaped Canada. Perhaps the power of this opera finds resonance in the questions Canadians continue to ask about the nature of our country, our historical conflicts and the challenges we face as we construct our Canada of the 21st century.
On February 16 we welcome guest artist Anne Lederman, Canada’s leading expert on Métis music and fiddling in particular. Anne will perform songs written by Louis Riel as well as other works from our Canadian folk song tradition.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming in their informality, educational in the best sense, entertaining and enhanced by refreshments and congenial conversations during the break. MOA supporters are devoted - many travel from St. Mary’s, Kitchener, London and Brantford to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions.
Come share the warmth of great music, opera and fellowship in our 2016 Winter Series.
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Fall Series Final Session Features Two Gifted Young Singers, 24 November 2015
Among many highlights of the Fall Series was Gwenlynn Little's program on Hansel and Gretel in which two singers performed live as Gretel, their arias inserted at the appropriate places during the screening of the opera. Ruairidh Shalley, at 13 already a seasoned performer in musicals, was making her operatic debut! Katherine Napiwotzki has already launched a promising professional career. Carol Smith provided keyboard accompaniment.
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Media Release, 17 June 2015
Music & Opera Appreciation continues its 21st season
“If music be the food of love, play on". And so it shall.
“If music be the food of love, play on". And so it shall.
Stratford and area music and opera lovers will be dazzled with the lineup announced for the 2015 fall season of Music & Opera Appreciation (MOA). Audiences can expect six weeks of transformative programming presented on Tuesday afternoons at the Festival Inn. The upcoming series will be enriched by the inclusion of young music students in some of the sessions, where patrons will experience the time-tested formula of master and apprentice in the music and opera world.
On October 20 James Colbeck will kick off the series with a DVD presentation of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana; October 27 will feature a live opera recital by Heather Jewson, formerly of St. Marys, Ontario. Ms. Jewson has specialized in the music of Britten, Offenbach and Rossini among other composers. First-hand insights about The Sleeping Beauty, scored by Tchaikovsky, will be presented by former principal ballerina with the Royal Swedish Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Annette av Paul on November 3. Having just completed the COC's run of La Traviata in the role of Germont, on November 10 James Westman will present excerpts from this opera with voice students from Laurier University. Well-known for her local afternoon music programs, Ann Reynolds will present a DVD production of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci on November 17. The final program on November 24 will feature excerpts from Humperdink's Hansel and Gretel presented by soprano Gwenlynn Little, her voice students and soprano Katherine Napiwotski.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming in their informality, educational in the best sense, and offered in a welcoming performance area, enhanced by coffee, cookies and congenial conversations during the break. MOA supporters are devoted – many travel from St. Marys, Kitchener, and Brantford to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions.
MOA is also honored to announce Barbara Steed Young as its recently appointed Artistic Leader, beginning with the 2016 Winter Series. Barbara brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and energy to her new role; she has a long-standing professional involvement in the musical and dramatic arts in Stratford, along with wide experience in other parts of Canada and abroad.
Visit our website for details at www.musicandopera.weebly.com
Tickets to the 2015 Fall Series ($50 for the series of 6 sessions or $10 per session) may be purchased by contacting MOA President Joanne McArthur at [email protected].
On October 20 James Colbeck will kick off the series with a DVD presentation of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana; October 27 will feature a live opera recital by Heather Jewson, formerly of St. Marys, Ontario. Ms. Jewson has specialized in the music of Britten, Offenbach and Rossini among other composers. First-hand insights about The Sleeping Beauty, scored by Tchaikovsky, will be presented by former principal ballerina with the Royal Swedish Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Annette av Paul on November 3. Having just completed the COC's run of La Traviata in the role of Germont, on November 10 James Westman will present excerpts from this opera with voice students from Laurier University. Well-known for her local afternoon music programs, Ann Reynolds will present a DVD production of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci on November 17. The final program on November 24 will feature excerpts from Humperdink's Hansel and Gretel presented by soprano Gwenlynn Little, her voice students and soprano Katherine Napiwotski.
These engaging, stimulating afternoon programs are charming in their informality, educational in the best sense, and offered in a welcoming performance area, enhanced by coffee, cookies and congenial conversations during the break. MOA supporters are devoted – many travel from St. Marys, Kitchener, and Brantford to Stratford for the fall and winter sessions.
MOA is also honored to announce Barbara Steed Young as its recently appointed Artistic Leader, beginning with the 2016 Winter Series. Barbara brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and energy to her new role; she has a long-standing professional involvement in the musical and dramatic arts in Stratford, along with wide experience in other parts of Canada and abroad.
Visit our website for details at www.musicandopera.weebly.com
Tickets to the 2015 Fall Series ($50 for the series of 6 sessions or $10 per session) may be purchased by contacting MOA President Joanne McArthur at [email protected].
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