Toronto Operetta Theatre shall be mounting a manufacturing of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers. Performances happen on Feb. 28, Mar. 1 and a couple of on the St. Lawrence Centre.
“Our season this yr has been very rewarding artistically with a number of the biggest evaluations ever,” says TOT’s founder and Basic Director Guillermo Silva-Marin, “Equally thrilling is the rise in attendance. We reached our objective for Countess Maritza, and ticket gross sales for The Gondoliers have already exceeded our expectations.”
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers
Also referred to as The King of Barataria, the work is a Savoy Opera, a sort of comedian opera that premiered on the Savoy Theatre in London. It was an enormous success at its premiere in December 1889, and ran for 554 performances earlier than closing in 1891.
The story takes place in Venice, as two good-looking gondoliers select their wives from the native peasant ladies. It seems one in every of them is the inheritor to the throne of Barataria — however which one?
The 2 determine to rule collectively, however one other revelation throws a monkey wrench into their plans: one other woman was promised in childhood to change into the bride of the prince.
The libretto pokes enjoyable on the perks and perils of privilege with a lighthearted lens.
The Solid
The 2 titular gondoliers are performed by tenor Yanik Gosselin as Marco and baritone Sebastien Belcourt as Giuseppe. Gosselin is making his TOT debut with The Gondoliers. He’s initially from the Lake Temiskaming area in Ontario, now primarily based in Halifax. Yanik earned a BMus in Voice Efficiency from the College of Ottawa, adopted by an MMus in Opera and Voice from McGill College.
Sebastien Belcourt is a TOT favorite, and most just lately carried out as Popolescu in Countess Maritza. The Toronto-based baritone is a graduate of York College in Classical Voice, and his expertise consists of choral in addition to operatic work, together with performing with the Orpheus and Ottawa Bach Choirs. He toured Europe and China with the latter, and has carried out as a soloist in North America and Europe.
The contadini (peasant ladies) are carried out by soprano Brooke Mitchell as Giannetta, and mezzo soprano Lissy Meyerowitz as Tessa. Brooke gained rave evaluations as Kathie within the TOT’s The Pupil Prince. Based mostly in Toronto, Brooke is a graduate of Sheridan’s Music Theatre program, with credit that embody operatic roles like Queen of the Night time in Mozart’s The Magic Flute (No Strings Theatre/Opera By Request), together with Alice in Dangerous Hats Theatre’s Alice in Wonderland, amongst others.
Lissy Meyerowitz’s current roles embody Rosina in Barber of Seville for Highlands Opera and Niklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann for the Halifax Summer time Opera Competition. She’s a graduate of the College of Toronto Opera Grasp’s program, and served as a Sidgwick Scholar with the Orpheus Choir of Toronto from 2022-2023.
The Duchess and Duke of Plaza Toro are portrayed by mezzo Meghan Symon and baritone Gregory Finney. Sales space are veterans of TOT productions. Meghan earned a Grasp’s diploma on the College of Toronto, and has sung with firms and ensembles throughout Canada, together with Manitoba Opera, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Cathedral Bluffs Orchestra, Manitoba Underground Opera, The Theater of Early Music, Toronto Operetta Theater and Voicebox: Opera in Live performance, amongst others.
Identified for his comedic expertise in addition to his voice, Finney is a Dora Award winner (Messiah/Advanced by In opposition to the Grain Theatre), and has hosted AtG’s month-to-month opera pubs. His repertoire consists of all kinds of roles, and he’s additionally a director who has led productions Nozze di Figaro and Carmen.
Conductor Matheus Coelho, an alumnus of the São Paulo Symphony’s Academy of Music, and presently a UofT Doctoral candidate, makes their debut with Toronto Operetta Theatre.
TOT Basic Director Guillermo Silva-Marin directs, with Myra Malley as Stage Supervisor.
- Discover extra particulars concerning the performances, and tickets, [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is a Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an skilled freelance author, blogger and writing teacher.