Breathe, Move, Sing!
A series of 3 free workshops on breath, relaxation, movement, and voice. Unlock tension in the body, become aware of your breathing patterns, move and explore the space around you, follow your impulses, build confidence, and free your voice. This class is open to all ages. We will be working on vocalization – speaking, humming, singing. Wear comfortable clothing as we’ll be moving about the room.
Marpole Neighbourhood House
8585 Hudson St at 70th Ave, Vancouver
July 24, August 7, and August 21
3 pm – 5 pm
Free!
Salon Social with guest singer, soprano, Tamar Simon – August 25th! Sold out!
Soprano Tamar Simon will be our next guest singer at the Fieldhouse for our 6th Salon Social with accompaniment by pianist Roger Parton.
Heralded for her “clear vibrant tone” (Opera Canada), Tamar Simon is an emerging Armenian-Canadian soprano embarking on a promising opera career. Based in Vancouver, Canada, Tamar was recently engaged with the Vancouver Opera Festival as the soprano soloist for their New Works Project. She also has sung with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as Valencienne in their Look of Love concert and with White Rock Concerts as Musetta in their production of La Bohème. In 2018, she also performed the role of Rosina in Burnaby Lyric Opera’s mainstage production of Il barbiere di Siviglia.
Tamar has also performed internationally, most recently as Zerlina in Hawaii Performing Arts Festival’s 2017 production of Don Giovanni. In 2016, Tamar continued her vocal and art song studies in Austria after receiving the Johann Strauss Foundation Scholarship, which sponsored study at the Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum under soprano Helen Donath and baritone Wolfgang Holzmair. Earlier that year, she traveled to Pilzen, Czech Republic and Nürnberg, Germany performing excerpts from La Bohème and Die Fledermaus
Tamar was a District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2016. She is a graduate of University of British Columbia’s Master of Music program in opera performance, studying under Patrick Raftery and Nancy Hermiston. At UBC, she performed many leading roles, most notably the role of Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro where she was described as “believable and engaging Susanna, passing from innocence to subtlety to assertion, always in control and always the unrecognized protagonist” (Opera Canada). She was also seen as Tytania in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ciboletta in Eine Nacht in Venedig, and The Foreign Woman in The Consul.
Free admission, snacks, and tea. Please email to reserve a seat: operaopulenza@gmail.com.
Sunday, August 25th
2pm – 3:30pm
Oak Park Fieldhouse
Email: operaopulenza@gmail.com
DVBIA Perch Program – August 29 Outdoor Concert
Please join us at Lot 19 for a special concert of opera favourites! This summer, Opera Opulenza has joined the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association’s outdoor Perch Program. We’ll be performing once each month throughout the summer at lunchtimes, alternating between Lot 19 and Cathedral Square. Each show will be different from the last. Watch this space for details of shows to come.
Guest singers are Mark Pepe, tenor, and Katie McCullough, soprano, Janessa Shae O’Hearn, mezzo, Thomas Lamont, Tenor, Andy Greenwood, baritone with piano accompaniment by Roger Parton
Thursday, August 29
12pm to 1:30pm
Lot 19 at 855 Hastings St, Vancouver
Free admission!
Rigoletto Read-through September 19
Join us for a fun-filled evening as we sing through Verdi’s opera “Rigoletto”. Some roles have already been filled: Rigoletto – Andy Greenwood, Gilda – Elaina Moreau, The Duke – Sunny Shams, Count Monterone – Pavol Simoncic, Maddalena – Melissa Howell, Borsa – Thomas Lamont, Sparafucile – Frantz de Rycke, Giovanna – Libby Donald, and our Community Opera Chorus. Please email operaopulenza@gmail.com if you’d like to sing a role. This will be a fun, casual setting with snacks. You are welcome to act out the parts and to join in with the chorus or just watch and listen. We are using the Schirmer edition of the score.
Thursday, September 19
7pm-10pm
Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre – 7646 Prince Albert St, Vancouver
Salon Social with Baritone Geoff Schellenberg – September 22!
Baritone Geoff Schellenberg will be our next guest singer at the Fieldhouse for our 7th Salon Social with accompaniment by pianist Roger Parton.
Praised for his “clarion tone” (Musical Toronto) and “impressive vocal colour” (Opera Canada), Canadian-American baritone Geoffrey Schellenberg is currently a Resident Artist with Portland Opera. In the 2018-19 season, he performed the roles of Marchese D’Obigny in La traviata, Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Nardo in La finta giardiniera with Portland Opera, as well as Schaunard in La bohème with Vancouver Opera. He was engaged with Calgary Opera for their 2017-18 season as part of their Emerging Artist Development Program, performing as the Sergeant in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Captain in Eugene Onegin, and Sciarrone in Tosca in their mainstage productions. He also recently sang Morales in Carmen (Opera Kelowna), Marcello in La bohème (White Rock Concerts), and Belcore in L’elisir d’amore (Music Academy of the West). In the 2019-20 season, he will perform as Harlekin in Highland Opera Studio’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos, Amantio in Pacific Opera Victoria’s production of Il trittico, and will return to Portland Opera to perform as Ben, David, and Doctor Gregg in An American Quartet and as Charlie in Three Decembers. Bio continues click here.
Free admission, snacks, and tea. Please email to reserve a seat: operaopulenza@gmail.com.
Sunday, September 22
2pm – 3:30pm
Oak Park Fieldhouse
Email: operaopulenza@gmail.com
DVBIA Perch Program – September 30th Outdoor Concert
Please join us at Cathedral Square for a special concert of opera favourites! This summer, Opera Opulenza has joined the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association’s outdoor Perch Program. We’ll be performing once each month throughout the summer at lunchtimes, alternating between Lot 19 and Cathedral Square. Each show will be different from the last. Watch this space for details of shows to come.
Guest singers are Tamar Simon, soprano, Pavol Simoncic, baritone, TBA, tenor, TBA, mezzo, and the Opulenza Community Opera Chorus with piano accompaniment by Roger Parton
Monday, September 30th
12pm to 1:30pm
Cathedral Square – 566 Richards St, Vancouver
Free admission!
Opera Concert with Tamar Simon and Geoff Schellenberg – November 7th at 7:30pm
Please join us for a special end-of-season concert with soprano, Tamar Simon, and baritone, Geoff Schellenberg. This will be a fun and fancy evening with refreshments at intermission. Best of all, it’s free!
Thursday, November 7th
7:30pm (doors open at 7pm)
Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre – 7646 Prince Albert St, Vancouver
Free admission!
Email to reserve a seat: operaopulenza@gmail.com
On-going
Community Opera Chorus
Saturdays 11am-12pm at the Oak Park Fieldhouse
Come join our Community Opera Chorus! There’s no experience necessary and no membership fee. We are building a chorus from the ground up! We will help you with group breathing and singing exercises, movement and score reading. It’s like choir, but eventually you’ll be in costume and acting as well as singing! If you love to sing and to be part of a group come join us! Saturdays 11am-12pm at the Oak Park Fieldhouse on Fremlin Street. To register email: operaopulenza@gmail.com with “Community Opera Chorus” in the subject line. We will be working on repertoire from “The Tales of Hoffmann”, “Rigoletto”, “Don Carlo”, “Tosca”, and “Carmen”.
