PODCAST · arts
Inside Vancouver Opera
by Vancouver Opera
Inside Vancouver Opera is a unique backstage glimpse into the world of Vancouver Opera. Join us as we chat with opera experts, artists, Vancouver Opera staff and others to explore the world of opera on and off the stage. This podcast offers an insider’s glimpse into the artistry, experiences, and perspectives of the talent involved in taking breathtaking opera productions from the page to the stage. Find out more at VancouverOpera.ca
Episodes
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Jacques Lacombe on Tosca, Puccini & the Art of Conducting
Maestro Jacques Lacombe has extended his tenure as Vancouver Opera’s Music Director for three more seasons. Ahead of Puccini’s Tosca, host Ashley Daniel Foot sits down with him to talk about power, listening and the music between the notes. Jacques remembers assisting Leonard Bernstein in Vienna…
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Marion Newman on The Work of Being a Good Person
Marion Newman is a mezzo-soprano, a teacher, and the voice you hear on CBC's Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. Kwagiulth and Stó:lō, born in Bella Coola and raised in Sooke, she spent more than twenty years in Toronto before coming home to teach voice at the University of Victoria, where she once...
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Jean Orr & Joshua Beamish: Canada's First Giselle
In February 1948, an eighteen-year-old Jean Orr danced Giselle in Ottawa — the first full production this country had ever seen, with a full orchestra in the pit. She went on to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and decades later became a founder and the first president of Ballet BC. Ashley Daniel Foot...
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The Hidden Art of Stage Management
Stage Manager Theresa Tsang celebrates 30 seasons with Vancouver Opera. Every performance you have ever seen at Vancouver Opera, every blackout, every curtain, every entrance, every burst of light exactly on the downbeat happened because one voice on a headset in the dark said a single word…
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Stanis Smith: The Mother Art
Stanis Smith has spent his career designing the spaces people move through — airports, terminals, thresholds. This September, he becomes Board Chair of Vancouver Opera. He's also a clarinettist who self-produced a chamber music album of Brahms and Nino Rota. He's the person who will tell you…
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Jonelle Sills & Her Mother Desiree | A Mother's Day Conversation
Soprano Jonelle Sills came into the world already steeped in music — her mother Desiree sang through her entire pregnancy. In this Mother's Day conversation, the two of them sit down together for the first time to talk about gospel choirs and opera stages, about coming to Canada with nothing…
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The Man Who's Sung Opera 168 Times
Today we're joined by a legendary member of the Vancouver Opera Chorus, Don Wright. We discuss his family's legacy, the life of a chorus singer, the importance of opera in education, and memorable moments from a lifetime in the art form. Full Article Episode Credits: Don Wright - Chorister,...
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The Woman Puccini Erased So You'd Cry Harder
Mimì is one of opera's most beloved heroines. Gentle. Luminous. Dying beautifully in a Parisian garret while the orchestra swells around her. She was also, in Henri Murger's source novel, a fickle, materialistic flirt her lover described as being "wedded to a thunderstorm." A gadabout.…
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Jonathan Darlington: What Happens Before the Downbeat
Maestro Jonathan Darlington on Puccini, broken batons, being mistaken for Richard Gere in Italian lifts, and why La Bohème will undo you — every time. Jonathan Darlington led Vancouver Opera for nearly twenty years. He's since conducted at the Vienna State Opera, the Semperoper Dresden, the Paris...
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The Instrument That Never Stops Ringing
Today we are joined by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra's Principal Harpist, Janelle Nadeau. In this episode we explore the versatile and ancient art of the harp, Janelle's journey with the instrument, and the unique beauty of live performance. Full Article Episode Credits: Janelle Nadeau…
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Rachel Fenlon: The Soprano Who Accompanies Herself
She walks onto the stage, acknowledges the audience, and gestures toward the piano. There is no one there. Soprano and pianist Rachel Fenlon has spent the last several years doing something almost unthinkable in classical music — accompanying herself. Singing and playing at once. Not as a…
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Nicole Lamb and the Invisible Art of Making Opera
Nicole Lamb is Vancouver Opera’s Director of Artistic and Production. For the last few seasons, she’s been one of the key people deciding what you see on stage and how it all comes together, from season planning and artistic teams to the thousand invisible choices about budget, time, and people...
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Paul Wells on Journalism, Politics, and Why the Arts Matter
Veteran Canadian journalist Paul Wells joins Inside Vancouver Opera for a wide-ranging conversation about journalism, politics, and the role the arts play in shaping public life. For decades, Wells has been one of the country’s most thoughtful political writers, known for his long-form analysis…
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Brandon Thornhill on Ebony Roots and Black History in Vancouver
Brandon Thornhill joins Inside Vancouver Opera during Black History Month to discuss Ebony Roots, his concert celebrating 300 years of Black music. From spirituals to Soul, he reflects on identity, opera, representation, and what it means to sing Black history in Vancouver.
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How Dean Burry Makes Opera Belong to Children
Today we’re joined by Canadian composer Dean Burry, whose operas for young audiences have been performed across Canada and beyond. His works include The Brothers Grimm, The Hobbit, and today’s focus, The Brementown Musicians, an immersive opera created especially for elementary students. Full...
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Surviving Misogyny: Despina and the Women of Cosi fan tutte
In this special episode we delve into the intricate dynamics of Così fan tutte and its portrayal of women. We explore the role of Despina as a voice of realism amidst the comedic facade and how the opera reflects societal attitudes towards women and relationships during the Enlightenment era.…
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Behind the Costumes of Così fan tutte: A Conversation with Designer Donnie Tejani
A behind-the-scenes conversation with costume designer Donnie Tejani, who brings the world of Così fan tutte to life for Vancouver Opera. We explore how costumes shape character, how disguise functions in Mozart’s comedy, what happens inside a modern costume shop, and how designers balance...
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Tracy Dahl on How to Sing Mozart
Tracy Dahl discusses her illustrious career as coloratura soprano, her role as Despina in Così fan tutte, and evolution of vocal techniques. Full Article Episode Credits: Tracy Dahl - Guest Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera
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'Così' in the Age of Consent: A Deep Dive
In this episode we're joined by music journalist Kevin Ng and Vancouver Opera's Jane Potter to explore the complexities of Mozart's most dangerous comedy, Così fan tutte. Full Article Episode Credits: Kevin Ng - Guest Jane Potter - Guest Barry Ekko - Artwork Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside...
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People Are Like That: Inside Così fan tutte with Rob Herriot and Les Dala — laughter, honesty, and a Canadian reimagining
Mozart’s Così fan tutte is often described as light, mischievous, even trivial. But sit with it — really sit with it — and it reveals itself as one of opera’s most psychologically perceptive works. In this episode of Inside Vancouver Opera, host Ashley Daniel Foot is joined by stage director Rob...
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A Life in the Light: Bruce Munro Wright and the Philosophy of the Custodian
Some people shape culture from center stage, others shape it by showing up early, staying late, and standing just out of the light. Our guest today has built a life inside that second kind of work. Bruce Munro Wright is a former chair of Vancouver Opera, the Vancouver Opera Foundation, and the...
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What We Build When We Listen: Art & Advocacy in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
In this conversation, Amanda Burrows, Executive Director of First United and new Board Member of Vancouver Opera, discusses her journey through the arts and social justice. She emphasizes the interconnectedness of art and advocacy, the importance of community involvement, and the resilience of…
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Verdi: Freedom, Sacrifice, and the Price of Art
In this special episode, Jane Potter brings Verdi’s world to life through the story of Rigoletto, a work born out of controversy, courage, and the fight for artistic freedom. Learn More Episode Credits: Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack...
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Glynis Leyshon on Why Opera Still Matters—And Why It Might Just Save Us
Few artists have shaped Canadian theatre and opera as profoundly as Glynis Leyshon, who now brings her formidable imagination to Vancouver Opera’s new production of Rigoletto, re-set in Victorian London, a place where masks, privilege, and secrecy hold sway. Learn More Episode Credits: Ashley...
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“A Star Danced”: In conversation with Bard on the Beach Artistic Director Christopher Gaze
He's one of the city's greatest voices on stage, on air, and lately at City Hall. Today we're joined by Christopher Gaze, actor, advocate, and the visionary force behind Bard on the Beach. Learn More Episode Credits: Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer,...
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If You Can Speak, You Can Sing
Composer, producer, and traditional singer from the Lil’wat Nation, Russell Wallace speaks about the influence of his mother, the language inside his music, and why singing together gives him hope. Learn More Episode Credits: Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Tim Matheson - Cover...
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Doug Tuck on Why Opera Belongs to Everyone
For nearly two decades, Doug Tuck was the voice of Vancouver Opera. Not just as Director of Marketing, but as the friendly presence who greeted audiences in the lobby and guided them through curtain speeches and pre-show chats. In this episode, Doug shares stories from La Bohème to Stickboy—and…
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A Voice Becoming: Soprano Sarah Dufresne on Gilda, Growth, and the Power of Story
Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne joins host Ashley Daniel Foot to talk about her journey from Niagara Falls to the world’s great stages — and her debut as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto at Vancouver Opera. From childhood competitions where she sometimes sang “against herself,” to major roles at the...
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The Book of Records: Madeleine Thien, Memory, and the Music of Time
Our conversation today is with Madeleine Thien, Giller Prize-winning author of the novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing, as well as librettist of the opera Chinatown. Madeleine's newest novel, The Book of Records, is a sweeping and time-bending, deeply humane work that weaves together lives across...
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Born in the Philippines. Sung in Canada. Felt Everywhere.
Blending Tagalog and English, film and song, Liham gives voice to the Filipino-Canadian experience. Today we are joined by two members of the team behind Liham, producer and mezzo-soprano Renee Fajardo, and baritone Danlie Rae Acebuque. Learn More Liham is a digital art song cycle that explores...
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When Two Butterflies Meet
Today we're joined by two extraordinary sopranos, Karen Chia-ling Ho. and Yasko Sato. Karen and Yasko are double cast in the role of Cio-Cio San in our upcoming production of Madama Butterfly, running April 26th to May 4th at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Learn More Credits: Karen Chia-ling Ho -...
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Un bel dì, A Life Begins: The World of Puccini
Today we’re stepping into the world of one of opera’s most passionate, enduring, and beloved composers. His name is synonymous with soaring arias, impossible love stories, and music that grabs you by the heart and doesn’t let go. This is the story of Giacomo Puccini. Inside Vancouver Opera...
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Reclaiming Madama Butterfly
In this conversation, we explore how director Mo Zhou has re-imagined Madama Butterfly for today. In her Canadian directorial debut, Mo Zhou brings this fresh vision to Vancouver Opera from April 26 to May 4, a production that honours Puccini’s masterwork while offering audiences a chance to see...
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Music That Remembers Us: Together with Amica Senior Lifestyles
Together with Amica Senior Lifestyles, Vancouver Opera shares the power of live music to inspire connection, joy, and reflection in senior living. Amica Senior Lifestyles is one of Vancouver Opera's wonderful sponsors, and today Tabitha Brasso-Ernst is joined by Ashley Sumler, the Director of...
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Support Sisters: Celebrating International Women’s Day with Perri Lo, Emma Parkinson, & Tabitha Brasso-Ernst
In this special International Women's Day episode, host Tabitha Brasso-Ernst is joined by two powerhouses in classical music – pianist Perri Lo, and mezzo-soprano Emma Parkinson. Read the full article. Credits: Perri Lo - Pianist Emma Parkinson - Mezzo-Soprano Tabitha Brasso-Ernst - Host Mack...
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Les Dala and Morris Panych on the Power of 'Flight'
Today we’re thrilled to spotlight Flight, once again, Jonathan Dove’s groundbreaking opera. Leading today’s conversation is Flight’s conductor, and Vancouver Opera’s Head of Music/Associate Conductor, Les Dala. Joining him is Flight’s acclaimed Director, Morris Panych, whose vision is bringing…
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Canadian Theatre Legends Morris Panych and Ken MacDonald take "Flight"
Today’s special video-edition of Inside Vancouver Opera features two of Canada's most celebrated creative minds, Director Morris Panych and Set Designer Ken MacDonald. Partners in both life and art, their extraordinary collaboration has shaped some of the most memorable moments in Canadian…
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Composer Jonathan Dove on 'Flight'
Today we'll explore how composer Jonathan Dove turned an airport terminal into a mythic space of drama, humor, and humanity - transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. As Vancouver Opera prepares to take Flight from February 8th to 16th at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, today we're thrilled...
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The Stories They Didn't Tell Me
Sxwíxwtn (Wilson Williams) on discovering his parent's untold pain and the legacy of resilience it left behind. Sxwíxwtn (Wilson Williams) is a Vancouver Opera board member, elected Councillor and spokesperson for Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (the Squamish Nation). Today we explore Wilson's journey,...
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The Art of Letting Go: Mireille Lebel's Fearless Approach to Opera
On today's episode, we're proud to welcome the Canadian mezzo-soprano, Mireille Lebel, who's known for her captivating performances across the globe in operas such as Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Barber of Seville. And currently, she's starring as Count Orlofsky in our production of…
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The Plot Unmasked: Pranks and Revelry in Die Fledermaus
We are celebrating Vancouver Opera’s 65th anniversary with a truly fabulous season. The season opens with Johann Strauss II’s beloved operetta Die Fledermaus. This charming comedy relies almost entirely on a series of pranks, trickery and disguise as plot devices to illuminate the themes of...
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Pride Special: Presenting Authentically, without Fear
A candid conversation about identity, queerness, and joy with UBC voice professor and baritone J. Patrick Raftery and his former student and tenor Spencer Britten. Patrick is about to launch his all-queer reimagining of Maurice Ravel's L'heure espagnole as A Spanish Hour? with two performances on...
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Interweaving Histories: Henry Heng Lu on Vancouver’s Cultural Landscape
In honour of Asian Heritage Month, we are in conversation with curator, writer, public art consultant and the newly appointed executive director of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Henry Heng Lu. Henry shares insight on art, heritage, and the power of cultural collaboration to…
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Meet the mother and daughter who sing together in the Vancouver Opera Chorus
We always say that Vancouver Opera is a family, but today's guests actually are family. Eve-Lyn de la Haye and Clara Griesdale are real life mother and daughter, and they're both in our upcoming production of Carmen. For tickets and more information visit VancouverOpera.ca. Read the full article...
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Georges Bizet: Life and Times (Rebroadcast)
In anticipation of our upcoming production of Carmen we are rebroadcasting our 7-part series on the composer’s life as one episode. Originally aired in October of 2022 ahead of our production of The Pearl Fishers. Vancouver Opera presents Carmen at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from April 27th to…
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Finding Voice, Passing the Torch
Canadian opera icon Judith Forst and Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Simran Claire share the experiences of being a mezzo-soprano and wearing the pants onstage. Read the full article here. Credits: Simran Claire - Guest Judith Forst - Guest Ashley Daniel Foot - Host Tabitha Brasso-Ernst - Associate...
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Bringing the Pieces Together: Jim Wright on engaging community, making tough calls, and advocating for the audience
In a rollicking and candid conversation, Jim Wright reflects on his storied career and his 17 years leading Vancouver Opera and spills the beans on long-held desire to be a senator from Indiana. Read the full story here. Credits Ashley Daniel Foot - Host Jim Wright - Guest Mack McGillivray -...
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Singing Pictures: The Musical Lives of Jim and Sheila Johnson
Vancouver Opera honours Black History Month with a special audio documentary about BC Choral legend and music educator Jim Johnson and his wife, choral conductor and teacher Sheila Johnson. Recorded, edited and produced by Ashley Daniel Foot Music performed by The Concenti Singers and the…
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Gaetano Donizetti: King of the Bel Canto Age
A profile on of one of the kings of the bel canto age, Gaetano Donizetti, the composer of Don Pasquale, on stage at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre February 10th to 18th. Get your tickets and more information at VancouverOpera.ca. Full Article Credits: Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator Ashley Daniel...
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Air is Everything: Baritone Gregory Dahl on Lessons from Opera's Biggest Roles
Today, we're talking with baritone extraordinaire, Gregory Dahl. Audiences from Vancouver will remember him last season as the lead role in The Flying Dutchman. And he's back in Vancouver for as the titular role in Don Pasquale, from February 10th to 18th at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Inside Vancouver Opera is a unique backstage glimpse into the world of Vancouver Opera. Join us as we chat with opera experts, artists, Vancouver Opera staff and others to explore the world of opera on and off the stage. This podcast offers an insider’s glimpse into the artistry, experiences, and perspectives of the talent involved in taking breathtaking opera productions from the page to the stage. Find out more at VancouverOpera.ca
HOSTED BY
Vancouver Opera
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Inside Vancouver Opera have?
Inside Vancouver Opera currently has 108 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Inside Vancouver Opera about?
Inside Vancouver Opera is a unique backstage glimpse into the world of Vancouver Opera. Join us as we chat with opera experts, artists, Vancouver Opera staff and others to explore the world of opera on and off the stage. This podcast offers an insider’s glimpse into the artistry, experiences, and...
How often does Inside Vancouver Opera release new episodes?
Inside Vancouver Opera publishes regularly with 108 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Inside Vancouver Opera?
You can listen to Inside Vancouver Opera on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Inside Vancouver Opera?
Inside Vancouver Opera is created and hosted by Vancouver Opera.
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