Rising stars on the opera scene are taking to the stage at Bard on the Beach once again for Opera & Arias.
Opera & Arias: Verdi and More! is on at the Bard mainstage on Monday, Aug. 26 and Monday, Sept. 2, with matinees at 2 p.m. and evening shows at 7:30 p.m.
The UBC Opera Ensemble will join members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra in a concert of music from well-loved operas. They’ll be joined by special guest, acclaimed soprano (and UBC Opera alumna) Simone Osborne, for all four concerts.
“I’m so pleased to bring some of the most beautiful music from the best-loved operas to our audience,” said Bard on the Beach artistic director Christopher Gaze in a press release. “I remember Simone when she was a teenager in one of our Young Shakespearean workshops – she has now become one of Canada’s finest opera singers and loved and respected far and wide. We look forward to having her back on the Bard stage with the tremendous talent of the UBC Opera Ensemble and the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. This is a concert you won’t want to miss.”
The UBC Opera Ensemble, which draws from advanced students in the UBC School of Music, includes Andrea Wyllie, Ian McCloy, Dae Hyun Justin Cho, Thomas Lamont, Iorwerth Lewis, Alyssa Samson, Carleigh Ross, Philip Wing, Liam Robertson, Benson Temple, Rafael Laurindo, Sodam Lee, Sydney Frelick, Magdalena How, Luka Kawabata, Hyum Seung Son, Turgut Akmete, Ian Cleary, Irem Ince, Yenny Lee, Kurt Ward-Theiss, Taryn Plater, Hope Nelson, Tessa Waddell, Amanda Na, Julia Johnstone, Nia Lewis, Maya Goell, Christopher Nakatani, Sarah Sum, Juliana Cook, Leila Kirves, Sarah Anderson-Caulfield, Marina Agasian, Abigail Ayala, Alanah Ellsworth, and Justin Chen.
(Yes, New Westminster residents will note a local favourite in that list: tenor Thomas Lamont, who has appeared with Royal City Musical Theatre, the New Westminster Symphony Orchestra and others.)
Tickets begin at $26. Check out www.bardonthebeach.org for all the details and to book tickets, or call the box office at 604-739-0559.
