opera
iPhoto caption: Headshot of Njo Kong Kie. Photo by Tam Chi Chun.
For composer Njo Kong Kie 楊光奇, the word ‘artist’ is a complicated label
At the ping pong table, eating pastries that Njo had thoughtfully laid out, I listened as this artist reflected on the back and forth of a career that’s bounced between multiple genres and disciplines.
iPhoto caption: Iestyn Davies as Orfeo (right, facing away) in the Canadian Opera Company's production of Orfeo ed Euridice, 2025. Photo by Michael Cooper.
REVIEW: The COC’s Orfeo ed Euridice plunges starkly into its mythical dilemma
Though I won’t spoil it here, I will note that the twist subverts narrative and thematic expectations and reveals the production’s true emphasis: its desire to underscore the fact that, despite mortal weakness, love triumphs all.
iPhoto caption: 'Queen of the Night' promo photo courtesy of Luminato Festival.
REVIEW: Two site-specific Luminato concerts explore the significance of daily ritual
Grounded in a heightened sense of time and place, both Dawn Chorus and Queen of the Night Communion express curiosity about how art can disrupt patterns of living.
REVIEW: La Reine-garçon hits like an avalanche at the COC
This co-production between the Canadian Opera Company and the Opéra de Montréal is eminently watchable.