November 4, 2009
For immediate release
Calgary Opera Opens Season with
Masterpiece of the French Repertoire
Calgary, AB – The grandeur and beauty of classic opera opens Calgary Opera’s 2009-2010 season with Manon by Jules Massenet – November 21, 25 & 27 at the Jubilee Auditorium. This is a rare opportunity to experience this celebrated opera in Calgary for the first time. Tickets available through Calgary Opera box office at (403) 262-7286 or online at www.calgaryopera.com.
“Manon is one of the most French of grand French operas. The lushness, the passion, the vibrant emotions, it’s all there,” says Stage Director Brian Deedrick. “This is more than a story that will simply touch your heart. It will make you question what you would do given the choices that Manon is presented with.”
Based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost, this conflicted story of a young woman torn between a life of luxury and her one true love gives a true portrait of the human condition.
“There’s a reason why of all the versions of Manon’s story that exist, Massenet’s is the one that has stood the test of time,” says Conductor Ty Paterson. “The music is soaring and beautiful and really sets the frame work for the journey we take with this young woman.”
The title role of the beautiful and naive Manon will be performed by Soprano Nathalie Paulin, who was last with Calgary Opera for Carmen (2005). Also starring alongside her is Tenor Richard Troxell as Chevalier Des Grieux, Baritone Etienne Dupuis as Lescaut, Bass Andrew Stewart as Comte Des Grieux, Tenor Michel Corbeil as Guillot de Morfontaine, Baritone Peter McGillivray as Bretigny as well as past Emerging Artists Soprano Michelle Minke and Mezzo-Soprano Dionne Sellinger, and current Emerging Artist Mezzo-Soprano Lauren Phillips as Pousette, Rosette and Javotte.
Calgary Opera acknowledges the support of Chorus Sponsor Suncor Energy and Season Sponsor The Calgary Herald. Manon is sung in French with English translations projected above the stage.
Scroll down for singer biographies.
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For further information, please contact: Alex Bonyun, Calgary Opera
403-802-3403, or abonyun@calgaryopera.com
Biographies (singers listed in order of appearance)
Ty Paterson Conductor
(Canada)
Born in Calgary, Tyrone Paterson has led numerous performances throughout Europe, USA, Asia and Canada. He is currently Artistic Director of Opera Lyra Ottawa and Music Advisor for Manitoba Opera. Recent engagements include Eugene Onegin featuring Russell Braun, Il trovatore featuring Richard Margison, Lucia di Lammermoor featuring Sumi Jo, Medea in Taormina, Italy, The Magic Flute in Beijing as well as concerts in San Remo, Italy; Krakow, Poland; and Macau, China. Upcoming engagements include Manon featuring Michael Schade as well as performances in Poland and Hawaii. Maestro Paterson last conducted Turandot (2005) for Calgary Opera.
Brian Deedrick Stage Director
(Canada)
Edmonton Opera Artistic Director Brian Deedrick, a longtime favourite of Calgary Opera, has directed past productions of The Magic Flute, Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Aida, La Bohème, and Lakmé. Mr. Deedrick has directed for numerous opera companies, including Edmonton Opera, Pacific Opera, Opera Arizona, Opera Carolina, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Baltimore Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Austin Lyric and Vancouver Opera. He also directed for the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv and Casalmaggiore, Italy, and “escapes” from opera every year by working as a city tour guide in Berlin. His most recent Calgary Opera production was Turandot (2005).
Baritone Peter McGillivray Bretigny
(Canada)
Baritone Peter McGillivray won First Prize in the CBC Young Performers Competition, Deuxième Prix at the Montréal International Competition, and the Silver Medal at the Queen Sonja Competition in Oslo. Recent credits include La Bohème and War & Peace (Canadian Opera Company), Duruflé Requiem (Vancouver Chamber Choir), Messiah (National Arts Centre Orchestra and Winnipeg Symphony), The Shadow (Tapestry), Die Fledermaus (Opera Hamilton) and Carmina Burana (Brott Festival). Upcoming: La Cenerentola (Pacific Opera Victoria), Messiah (Elmer Iseler Singers), and Opera to Go (Tapestry). He last performed with Calgary Opera in Carmen (2007).
Tenor Michel Corbeil Guillot de Morfontaine
(Canada)
One of Canada’s finest character tenors, Michel Corbeil distinguishes himself through his versatility, highly praised acting and comedic timing. His most notable roles include Der Hauptmann in Wozzeck, Goro in Madama Butterfly, Nick in La Fanciulla del West, Pong in Turandot, Don Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro, Tobias in Sweeney Todd, Sellem in The Rake’s Progress, Little Bat in Susannah, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, and The First Jew in Salome. From Montreal, he finished Musical studies at McGill University and trained at l’Atelier Lyrique de L’Opéra de Montréal. For Calgary Opera, he last performed in Ariadne auf Naxos.
Soprano Michelle Minke Pousette
(Canada)
Calgarian Soprano Michelle Minke is a graduate of The Royal Academy of Music opera school in London, England, and the University of Toronto. Alumnus of Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Development Program, she debuted as Film person 3 and covered the role of Anna in the world premiere of Frobisher. Other career highlights include British Youth Opera, Royal Academy Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, Opera NUOVA, the Georg Solti Accademia, and the Center for Opera studies in Italy. She has also performed in Calgary’s Mountainview Festival, The Anghiari Festival in Italy, The Spitalfields festival in London, and Toronto’s International Bach festival.
Mezzo-Soprano Lauren Phillips Javotte
(Canada)
Born in Ottawa, Lauren Phillips has a Masters of Music (University of Western Ontario), and studied with Anita Krause- Weibe. Roles include L’enfant in L’enfant et les sortilèges, the Mother/Grandmother in Barab’s Little Red Riding Hood, Dorabella, and Nancy in Albert Herring. In April 2009 she toured Europe, including Paris, performing Love Songs (Ana Sokolovic) with Queen of Puddings Music Theatre. Reviews of Love Songs have described her singing as “incantatory” (Tamara Bernstein, Globe and Mail), and her as a “truly phenomenal performer” (Zagreb, Croatia review). Ms. Phillips is a member of the Emerging Artist ensemble.
Mezzo-Soprano Dionne Sellinger Rosette
(Canada)
Mezzo-Soprano Dionne Sellinger was a member of Calgary Opera’s inaugural Emerging Artist Development Program. Highlights of the year included the world premiere of John Estacio’s Frobisher, and a tour of the children’s opera The Brothers Grimm. In fall of 2008, Ms. Sellinger toured the role of Rosie in The Barber of Barkerville with V.O.I.S., and joined with the Calgary Opera Emerging Artists as Maman in Ravels’s L’enfant et les sortilèges. She sang Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, with Burnaby Lyric Opera and the title role in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe with Dragon Divas Opera.
Baritone Matthew Cassils Innkeeper
(Canada)
Matthew Cassils‘ opera roles include both Don Giovanni and Masetto in Don Giovanni, Figaro and Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and Guglielmo in Cosi Fan Tutte. He has sung Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus on tour with Jeunesses Musicales, Somnus in Semele, Antinoo in Monteverdi’s Ulysses and Second Artisan in the Opus award-winning production of Wozzeck conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The recipient of many prizes and scholarships, Matthew Cassils obtained his Bachelor of Music from McGill University and an Artist Diploma from The Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto.
Baritone Etienne Dupuis Lescaut
(Canada)
Mr. Dupuis’ repertoire includes the roles of Lescaut in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut with the New Israeli Opera, Bob in The Old Maid and the Thief with I Musici de Montreal, Marcello with l’Opéra de Québec, Mercutio with Quebec andHawaii Opera, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with l’Opéra de Marseille, Papageno with l’Opéra de Tours and Vancouver Opera, Silvano in Un ballo in Maschera with l’Opéra de Paris, Johnny Rockfort in Starmania with l’Opéra de Québec and Montréal. Upcoming engagements include Silvio with l’Opéra de Montréal, Marcello with Hawaii Opera, Schaunard with Monte-Carlo Opera, Enrico of Lucia di Lamermoor with l’Opéra de Québec.
Soprano Nathalie Paulin Manon
(Canada)
Soprano Nathalie Paulin has established herself in the United States, Canada, and Europe as an interpretive artist of the very first rank. Winner of the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Opera Performance, she has collaborated with conductors Sir Roger Norrington, Jonathan Darlington, Jane Glover, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Robert Spano, David Agler, Antony Walker, Bernard Labadie, Andrew Litton and Yoav Talmi for both concerts and opera. Recently: Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society, Atlanta Symphony, Washington Concert Opera. Upcoming: Manon – Opera Lyra Ottawa, Rodelinda – Pacific Opera Victoria, Gluck’s Armide – Opera Lafayette, Rotterdam Philharmonic. Her most recent Calgary Opera role was Michaela in Carmen (2007).
Tenor Richard Troxell Chevalier Des Grieux
(Canada)
Richard Troxell’s beautiful lyric voice has thrilled audiences on stages around the world. Recent roles include Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly in a sold out début with l’Opéra de Montréal, a role in which he was also recorded by the Sony label and performed for Calgary Opera in 2001, Christian in Cyrano de Bergerc for Opéra de Monte Carlo, and the title role in Zampa at Opéra Comique in Paris. 2009-10 highlights include Pinkerton with Theater Basel, Carmina Burana with Philadelphia Ballet, and La Rondine for the Spoleto Festival USA. In 2010-11 he debuts Opera Colorado as Rodolfo in La Bohème and returns to Opera Ontario for Verdi’s Rigoletto.
Bass Andrew Stewart Comte Des Grieux
(Canada)
Known for his “powerful voice” and “formidable stage presence,” Bass Andrew Stewart has performed a wide range of operatic bass and bass-baritone repertoire. Most recently, Mr. Stewart performed Nourabad in Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles with Edmonton Opera. Other recent engagements included Commendatore in Gazzaniga’s Don Giovanni, the Ram in Stravinsky’s Renard, Angelotti in Puccini’s Tosca, Chekunov in Janacek’s House of the Dead and Antonio in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro for the Canadian Opera Company. Upcoming engagements include Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro and The Bonze in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly for Vancouver Opera. This is Mr. Stewart’s first time performing with Calgary Opera.
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