The next generation of Canada’s talented opera singers were celebrated at the Canadian Opera Company’s inaugural “Centre Stage” gala on November 26, 2013. After 155 preliminary auditions across Canada, nine short-listed singers competed to win cash prizes and opera glory at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Accompanied by the COC orchestra and conducted by Music Director Johannes Debus, each singer gave their best performance in two arias each. Grammy-nominated and multi-Juno award winning Rufus Wainwright was a…
“Mad Hot Ballet: Dangerous Love,” the theme behind 2013’s annual fundraising gala hosted by the National Ballet of Canada, promised an evening of “Mad Hot” sizzle and drama on-and-off the stage… and the heat was certainly delivered. The evening was hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, kicking off in the amphitheatre with an incredible selection of one-night only short works hand-picked by the National Ballet’s Artistic Director, Karen Kain. This hour long performance featured a guest appearance by Svetlana Lunkina, former principal…