Last Saturday, we traveled to Vancouver to perform in Handel's Messiah at the Orpheum with the Vancouver Bach Choir and soloists Nancy Argenta, soprano, Anita Krause, mezzo, Nat Watson, baritone and Bruce Pullan conducting. It was a stellar Messiah. I forgot how much I loved the piece but I still think Bach's Christmas Oratorio should be done much more.

It was one of those trips that I tend to forget when I decide I want to move to Vancouver. It rained everyday, not hard but constantly. Not that I mind the rain but I don't think I could take week after week of it.

It was another chance to drink my favourite latte from Café Artigiano...mmm! Now, I'd put up with the rain just so I could have their lattes. Hmm, maybe I should move...

We're now in Maui enjoying some family time and relaxing. Next is H.M.S Pinafore with Edmonton Opera.

Once again, I ventured back into the freezing depths of Winnipeg to sing the Evangelist and tenor arias in Bach's Christmas Oratorio or the Weihnachts Oratorium, in the original German, with the Winnipeg Symphony. Around this time of year, Handel's Messiah is mostly done and the Christmas Oratorio hardly gets a chance to be heard. Probably because the intimacy of the language in the Messiah is what English speaking audiences gravitate to and it has been for so long been a tradition to go and hear "the Messiah". But nonetheless, the Christmas Oratorio is no slouch of a piece. It really is stunning and so cleverly written.

This show featured Anne Grimm, soprano, Elizabeth Turnbull, mezzo, Daniel Lichi, bass and Geoffrey Moull, conductor.

Now, it's off to Vancouver to sing with the Vancouver Bach Choir and wouldn't you guess it, Handel's Messiah!

Yesterday was the Aldeburgh Connection's recital entitled "Miroir brûlant" featuring the music of Francis Poulenc. It featured the soprano Martha Guth, the baritone Peter McGillivary, and myself. Both of my colleagues sang amazingly!! Peter is a long time friend from good old Newmarket, where I went to school and studied singing and I had met Martha at the Coaching Intensive with Carol Isaac in Vancouver this summer.

It's been such a busy weekend! After Friday night's opera in Winnipeg, we had a little drink and the most amazing cheeses at Jean Stilwell's apartment before catching a 3:30am cab to the airport for our 5am flight. Then straight from the airport, we headed to the university for the dress rehearsal for Sunday's concert. I was a bit groggy and not terribly focussed but managed to remember most of the pieces. After a good evenings rest, I felt so much better on Sunday for the concert!

I must say, singing the music of Poulenc is quite difficult not only because of the quick delivery required to sing some of the songs but also because of the range of the pieces - some written with low B's and B Flats up to high A's. Poulenc wrote many of his songs for his long time musical partner, Pierre Bernac. Bernac would be described as a 'baryton martin' - a baritone with an ease in the upper register. Thus most of the pieces I sang sat in the low part of my voice but did reach up to the top notes (well, not really the top for me). So, other than running words with Bruce and Stephen at the piano, I just didn't warm up...it worked out quite well!

It was really cool to hear how Poulenc used themes from his songs to create some of the themes of his opera 'Dialogues of the Carmelites'...I'd love to sing this opera one day!! Such stunning music.

I was amazed to see how many folks braved the terrible weather to hear the concert. It's a testament to Stephen and Bruce that people would venture out in such an ice storm as we had on Sunday to hear the music of this amazing and interesting composer.

I'm back to Winnipeg on tomorrow for Bach's Christmas Oratorio with the Winnipeg Symphony (am I a sucker for punishment or what?!). I'm doing the Evangelist and tenor arias. I just hope it's not -25 C like it was last week...

Last night was opening night for the world premiere of Victor Davies' Transit of Venus at Manitoba Opera. It was an auspicious occasion with the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba in attendance, CBC Radio 2 recording the whole event for broadcast on Dec 1, 2007 and also attending were representatives of all opera companies in Canada in town for the Opera.ca conference. The cast included Russell Braun, in the role of Le Gentil, Monica Huisman, as Celeste, Jean Stilwell, as her mother Margot, Judith Forst, as Le Gentil's mother, Mark Booden as Latour, myself as Demarais, Le Gentil's protege and James Meena conducting. It was directed by Manitoba Opera's General Director and CEO, Larry Desrocher.

The opera is based on Maureen Hunter's play of the same title about the life of Guillaume le Gentil de la Galaisière, who lived in France in 1725-1792, who twice failed to chart the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. It's an event that only happens twice every 243 years with 8 years between each transit. The last transit was in 2004 and the next is in 2012! See you there.

It's done! John Greer's "Liebeslied-Lieder" are now recorded! After a very successful concert on Sunday, we recorded the cycle at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. You can hear a clip from the Cd on the On Disc page.

The recording process is quite an interesting one. Usually, about 5 minutes is spent getting levels and balances then you begin recording your first song. After the recording, you go and listen to it in the recording booth on some fantastic speakers - most certainly not the ones you have in your car or home stereo. Once you've heard the piece, you decide what needs to change, what notes need to be fixed, what words need more diction, where balance issues are etc. then head back into the hall to try it all over again. At this point, if there is an error in a 'take', it's better just to stop. No point in continuing recording when you know it can be better. That's the fun part - if you're not completely satisfied with something you scream out, "Stop, stop!" and everything grinds to a halt. "No, it's not good. I missed that note" or "I hated that". Then the announcement that always makes me feel like I'm in a film comes from the booth, "Song 5, Take 11". It's always more interesting when more people are involved. Getting 6 people to all get everything just the way they all like it is always a challenge. But, we did a great job on this recording and did the whole cycle in 4 hours! I'm not sure when it's going to be released but I'll post some information as soon as I know.

I'm off to Winnipeg next week to begin rehearsals for the 'Transit of Venus' with Manitoba Opera! It's a great cast - Russell Braun, Monica Whicher, Judith Forst, Jean Stilwell and myself.

Friday was a very busy day...it gave new meaning to the phrase "when it rains, it pours". We were invited for the third year to sing at the Markham Prayer Breakfast in which the community including local politicians, churches and leaders in the community come together to pray for the leaders of this country. It was an early morning as we were up at 6am to have our sound check at 6:45. We first led the 700+ crowd in singing "O Canada" - which I started way too low. It was quite funny to hear all those people singing down in the depths - myself included. But, it was 7 in the morning and who wants to sing high anyway? After breakfast, Rachel and I both sang a really beautiful version of "Amazing Grace" and then Rachel brought it home with "That name".

We quickly headed out as I had an 11am rehearsal with Stephen and Bruce of the Aldeburgh Connection for Sunday's concert. After finishing there at 2pm, we then zipped down to Queen and Carlaw St. for an audition for the Lake George Summer Festival in New York State - I later found out that I got the job! I'll be doing Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi" as Rinuccio and Frederick in G&S's "Pirates of Penzance".

Once again, we hit the road and it was off to Kitchener-Waterloo to sing for the Gideon's Banquet. We sang "The Prayer", made famous by Celine Dion and Andrea Boccelli, "Amazing Grace" and "The Lord's Prayer" and "That Name". It was a long day but we had so much fun!

It can only be described as raucous! I've never heard so much laughing in a recital before. The title of this opening recital for the Aldeburgh Connection's season was "New York Exotic" whose songs focussed on composers and literary figures who once all lived, at one time or another, in a house in New York City. It was an eclectic group of people including George Davis, Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, W.H. Auden, Paul Bowles, Gypsy Rose Lee (yes, the stripper), and had guests such as Salvador and Gala Dali, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein and Virgil Thomson.

The soloists for this concert were Monica Whicher, Elizabeth Turnbull, myself and Mark Pedrotti with Stephen Ralls and Bruce Ubukata on the piano. Also featured on the program was the group, Seka Rat Nadi, who performed on the gamelan - a Balanese instrument. There were songs by Aaron Copland, Virgil Thompson, Benjamin Britten, Paul Bowles, and the featured piece was John Greer's "Liebeslied-Lieder" - a group of 15 short poems set to various dance music. The poetry is hilarious, here's two:

Why blush, dear girl, pray tell my why?
You need not, I can prove it:
For though your garter met my eye,
My thoughts were far above it.


'No, no, for my Virginity,
When I lose that,' says Rose, 'I'll Die:'
'Behind the elms, last Night,' cried Dick,
'Rose, were you not extremely Sick?'

My favourite piece that I got to sing was Britten's Sonetto XXX - "Veggio co' bei vostri occhi" one of his most beautiful settings of this love poem. I'd love to record it one day!

We're going into the recording studio this week to record the Liebeslied-Lieder so it should be out by next year!

Recently, Rachel and I returned to Kitchener-Waterloo to sing a recital for the Gilbert & Sullivan Society. No, there wasn't very much of G&S's music but there were alot of really great songs. This was our third year giving recitals for them. This concert was a "By Request" recital. They gave us a list of songs that they would love to hear and we chose some of our favourites. We sang songs like "Danny Boy", "Tis the last rose of summer" and "Goin' Home". Emily Hamper was our fantastic pianist. It was a very enjoyable afternoon!

This summer, I took some time off to rest my voice and refresh. We were able to take a family vacation down to Myrtle Beach and enjoy the hot weather. Once my vocal vacation was over, I went to Vancouver to take part in Vancouver Opera's Young Artist Coaching Intensive. It was a week long program with Carol Isaac, a vocal coach. It was fantastic! We made amazing progress with my voice and I feel like I've been singing in a completely different way. I've also been preparing for the upcoming year. Since I don't have alot of time in between contracts to learn music, I'm learning it all now so that I'll be prepared for the year. Upcoming is a recital with the Aldeburgh Connection in Toronto with a CD to be recorded the following week, Manitoba Opera's World Premeire of "Transit of Venus", Bach's "Weihnachtsoratorium" with the Winnipeg Symphony, an Aldeburgh recital and Handel's "Messiah" with the Vancouver Bach Choir. It's going to be a great year!

I spent two weeks in Montreal doing Monteverdi's L'Orfeo with the Montreal Baroque Festival. The cast was spectacular - Charles Daniels as Orfeo, Monica Mauch as Musica, Speranza and Messagiera, Harry van der Kamp as Caronte, Nathaniel Watson as Plutone, Catherine Webster as Proserpine, Michiel Schrey, myself, and Matthew White as the Pastore along with the other singers making up the chorus as well. We rocked singing those Quintets! I can't wait to hear them. It was directed by Laurence Cotton and conducted by Eric Milnes. It was recorded by CBC Radio to be broadcast at a future date.

The rest of the festival was great too. We heard Buxtehude, Bach and Vivaldi at some of the other concerts which included Shannon Mercer and Isabelle Desrocher, a singer whom I worked with about 4 years ago. Great concerts!

I'm off for the summer now and next year is shaping up to be a VERY BUSY but exciting year! I've got some CD's coming out and some new ones to record, fantastic operas to sing in - including a world premiere, an Evangelist, Messiah and some great recitals. See you then!

I was nominateed for a Dora Award for my performance of Orphée in Gluck's Orphée et Euridice produced by Opera Atelier! Opera Atelier also was nominated for Best Production in he opera category. This is my second nomination for a Dora! The awards are on June 25th in Toronto.

I really enjoy every opportunity that I get to go to Vancouver. It seems that every time I'm there, it's perfect weather. I think it's trying to trick me into living there...but I know better. I know that it rains and rains and rains. But when the sun does come out, it's gorgeous! The mountains, the oceans, the beach, great sushi and a Starbucks on every corner - what more could you ask for? This time was no exception. From the day we landed until the day we left - other than a couple hours of rain here and there - it was amazing.

This time, I joined the Vancouver Symphony lead by the extraordinary conductor, Bramwell Tovey and soloists, Erin Wall, Anita Krause and Russell Braun in singing Beethoven's 9th Symphony. It was my first time singing the piece but not my first time with the Symphony. The last time I sang with them it was Orff's Carmina Burana...quite a different piece from the 9th! Sitting up on stage was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced! The sound from the orchestra was unbelievable and felt like I was sitting on a locomotive.

We were picked up at the airport by Harry Caine, one of the most funny and interesting men I have ever met. Within the first 10 minutes of the ride we were invited to his house for lunch and a tour of the area in which he lived. We also heard about his life (he was a pharmacist and he is about to open a seniors park which includes outdoor equipment for senoirs to work out on and benches and parks to stroll and chat in). We didn't get to see the park this time but have planned to go for lunch with him and see the park next time we're out there. What a great guy!

But, I must say, the highlight of the whole trip was being introduced to some new places one of which was Cafe Artigiano. I'm now addicted to their coffee and can't wait to get back and have some more. It's the best coffee I've ever had! Even better than when we were in Italy! I think there are two stores in Vancouver so if you're ever there, check them out!

Upcoming is L'Orfeo with the Montreal Baroque Festival on June 21st and 25th.

The wheel keeps turning. Shortly after my return from New York, I joined the Talisker Players and mezzo-soprano, Norine Burgess, for an evening of William Blake's poetry set to music in the intimate setting of Toronto's Trinity St. Paul's Church. My pieces were Violet Archer's "Two Songs for voice and clarinet", Vaughan Williams' "Ten Blake Songs" and Godfrey Ridout's "The Seasons" and of those, my favourite would have to have been the Vaughan Williams. He set the piece only with oboe and voice. It mixed poetry that saw the world with child-like innocence and poetry that saw it with cynicism. Really fun to sing! I sang another of Vaughan Williams' pieces, "On Wenlock Edge" with this same group a few years ago and it was also an amazing piece. Colin Eatock and Craig Galbraith were featured composers on this program, had two of their works fantastically sung by Norine and were there in attendence. How great it must be to work with the composer on a piece. I also really loved another piece she sang by Malcolm Arnold. I had never heard of him before but it was a really moving piece and performance by the group. Lots of great Canadian music featured in this concert! Go Canada!

We had two great shows of Castor et Pollux here in New York. The cast was fantastic and it was conducted by very talented and very busy Yves Abel. We had four Canadians in the show: Yves, Nikki Einfeld, myself and Catherine, our stage manager. Canada was well represented! The space we sang in was a very nice theatre on 59th Street...it was very dry to sing in but was a really nice theatre otherwise.

The opera itself is thought to be Rameau's masterpiece. It's the story of two brothers, Castor et Pollux, both in love with the same woman, Teliare. Teliare is to marry Pollux but Pollux seeing how much the other two are in love allows them to marry instead. On the day of the wedding, the town is attacked and Castor is killed. Pollux travels down to the Elysian Fields to take his brother's place so that he can return to life and be with Teliaire. Talk about sacrifice! Castor says he'll return to the Earth only to see Teliare one last time and then return to take his rightful place in Hades. You'll have to see the opera to see what happens next... or you can get the Naxos CD that I recorded of Castor et Pollux and listen to it.

The New York Times reviewer came and said this: "Colin Ainsworth, a lyric tenor, at first sounded light for the heroic Castor, but in the last two acts summoned the power and variety the role demands." My first NY Times review!

My next concert is with the Talikser Players and Norine Burgess at Trinity St. Pauls in Toronto on May 29 & 30th. Check it out!

I LOVE New York! I decided today that I was going to be a tourist - although, I did hide my camera in my bag and wore non-touristy clothing - and set out to see lower Manhattan, where I'd actually never been. I first headed to Union Square where I was told, was some good shopping. So, I headed down on the A Train, got off at 14th and walked over to Union Square. I found a DSW's and saw some wicked shoes on for 40% off! Then, I decided that I should do the really obvious touristy thing and see the World Trade Center site. Passing by it on the subway was eerie! You could see parts of the old stop near the WTC and some of the light coming in from outside (the stop was closed but we still passed through it). Above ground, the site is still quite bare and it's very strange to see such a gaping hole in a city where you feel the density of buildings all around you all the time - except, of course, in Central Park. Then, I was off to Battery Park just so I could see the Statue of Liberty off in the distance...took a quick picture of that too. Then, I went back up on the A Train to Times Square. It was a zoo! I thought I hated mall-walkers but now I hate Times-Square-on-a-Friday-night-walkers now too. I went over to the Toys 'R Us store just because I'd never seen inside it before. You could literally spend a lot of time in there. First, because there are so many people in there and second, because it's so much fun. They have everything to do with toys and a ferris wheel in the store. I'll have to bring Joshua there one day.

The trains are another adventure, to say the least. My ride usually lasts about 25 minutes and everyday is different. My favourite ride is when these two Spanish guitar/singing guys get on the train and sing to you between stops. They're actually not bad and it makes the ride a bit more exciting. (Better than reading the "Do you have problem skin" advertisement for the 30th time or pretending not to read the person's paper beside you.) The two that I don't like are the guys that come on with bongo drums and hammer out a very persisant beat in the tiny, packed, subway car, usually at the end of the day when you're tired and not really in the mood for bongo drums. They don't even sing anything...

Yesterday on the train, I got on my normal Express A Train, sat down and noticed that the guy across from me looked a bit stoned or drunk and was loudy mumbling something unintelligible. I just ignored him as he was pretty harmless. About 3 minutes into the ride, the guy next to him taps the drunk guy on the arm and says, "Yeah, you're alright", shakes his hand and then proceeds to tell him and the rest of us how the next time he sees "that guy" that he won't f#@% with him anymore and that he's gonna kick his A%@. That went on for a while...meanwhile, the drunk guy is still mumbling nothing and not really looking too aware of what is going on. The guy beside me and myself tried not to make eye contact with the loud guy and just kept nodding to whatever he was ranting about. Then, the loud guy says to the drunk guy, "Dude, I don't what the hell you are saying but you just gotta chill out". Then, in a stroke of luck, both the drunk guy and the loud guy got off at the next stop together. The guy beside me and I had a good laugh at their expense all the way to my stop. Two of a pair...There is certainly never a dull moment in New York City!

I just finished my performances of Gluck's Paris version of Orphee et Euridice, the same role I performed in Athens. It was such a beautiful show - although, since I was on stage the whole time, I didn't get to see it but I heard it was beautiful. Now talk about a roller coaster! I caught some kind of virus at the opening night party and had to sing the matinee the next day with a fever. It went well regardless. I had to go down to New York straight after the matinee for two days of rehearsals of Castor et Pollux with Opera Francais de New York. Well, I got worse. My fever turned into the chills and sweats, my throat was sore and my ears hurt. It was awful! I flew back to TO on Tuesday night and tried to sleep it off but all that travelling made it even worse. I woke up Wednesday with no voice and a performance that evening! I phoned Dr. Hands, an ear, nose, and throat specialist who works with many singers here in TO. He told me to come into his office - fast! (He's so fantastic, by the way! He was at his grandson's house when I called him and then called me to check up on me a few days after) He gave me some medication and told me to take it around 6:40 and that it would kick into effect 30-45 min later. Well, I paced in my dressing room until about 7:20 and suddenly my voice came back. What relief! The show started at 7:30. It wasn't my normal standard of singing but I gave it my all! By the next two performances, my voice was starting to be it's old self and we received standing ovations. What a thrill to be part of a great show with a fantastic group of people. Peggy Kriha Dye was Euridice and Jennie Such as Amor - both sang so beautifully. I really hope I get to do the role again. It's such a fantastic opera and role!

Yesterday, I did my first St. Matthew Passion by Bach with the Elora Festival Singers, Noel Edison conducting. What a fantastic piece! It's quite a long piece - about 3 1/2 hours long...so if you have comfortable seats to sit in, it's not that bad. Too bad the church we were performing in (St. Georges Anglican, Guelph) had the most uncomfortable seats in the world. They were low to the ground (very uncomfortable for tall people), having a back to bum ratio at a very strict 90 degree angle and the hardest seats you've ever sat in. Why the Anglicans never thought of comfortable chairs in church, I'll never understand. Why not be at least a bit comfortable while listening to the pastor. Why not have recliners? That way, if you're going to fall asleep, you'll at least be comfortable too. But I digress...Fantastic soloists for the Passion! Suzie LeBlanc - soprano, Sheila Dietrich - soprano, Lawrence Wiliford - Evangelist, Nat Watson - Jesus, and yours truly singing the arias. The choir was fantastic and the orchestra was really spectacular! Cudos to the concert master, Ruth, and first cello, John, for fantastic solos.

Started rehearsing for Gluck's Orphée et Euridice with Opera Atelier today. We start performing on April 28th to May 5th so check out their website for details - www.operaatelier.com. It's going to be amazing!!

Canadian composer, John Beckwith celebrated his 80th birthday today at Walter Hall with a concert organized by his son, Larry Beckwith. The concert featured Beckwith's solo songs, choral, and chamber music. I was honoured to be asked to sing a two songs from his "Young Man from Canada" cycle - 'Young Man from Canada' and 'Le Roulier'. My good friend, Amanda Johnston, whom I have collaborated with many times, played the piano. John gave me the cycle a few years ago and asked if I would look at it. Amanda and I gave a recital in the Heliconian Hall in January 2006 and featured many Canadian composers like Beckwith, Patenaude, and Glick and we performed the cycle. It features songs in French, English, Gaelic and Hungarian...poetry from all parts of the country. It's a great cycle! If you've never heard John's music there's a CD coming out featuring his music...let's support this fantastic composer! Happy Birthday John!

I joined the Bach Elgar Choir and three other soloists, Charlene Pauls, Iasmina Pataca, Jason Nedecky, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra performing music of Mozart and Michael Haydn. This choir is over a century old and has just invited Howard Dyck to be their conductor this season. The Mozart piece, Vesperae solennes de Dominica, is an interesting piece - not typical Mozart to my ears but nice nonetheless. The Haydn piece, Missa in honorem Sanctae Ursulae, is a fantastic piece that bubbles along - full of interesting melodies and harmonies. I hope we get to hear more of this composer in the near future.

Yesterday, Stephen Ralls and I spent about 3 1/2 hours recording a cycle of songs written for us by Canadian composer, Derek Holman called "The Heart Mislaid". We recorded it in the CBC's Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. It's a fantastic space for doing recordings. The CD also features Adrianne Pieczonka, Monika Whicher, both singing Canadian music and a cycle by John Greer. It should be released next year sometime. Last October, I recorded a duet and trio for the Aldeburgh Connection's Schubert CD for another disk which just was released this week. It features Gillian Keith, Michael Schade, myself and Gerald Finley. (The picture shows Gerald, Stephen, Bruce, Gillian and myself at the recording.) The CD has been released on the Marquis label and you can find it in HMV or Atelier Gregorian downtown. Once again, Stephen and Bruce supporting Canadian singers and fantastic Canadian music! We should be proud to have them!

On Sunday, I took part in a concert at the University of Toronto's MacMillan Theatre which was part of the Aldeburgh Connection's season. This concert was their 25th Anniversary concert. What a blast! It featured Mary Lou Fallis as the host, Tersicore, Monica Whicher, Norine Burgess, myself and Russell Braun (singing Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes, as well as other solo songs), Virginia Hatfield, Catherine Robbin, Benjamin Butterfield, and Mark Pedrotti as the special surprise guests. The rehearsal for this concert was one of the most amusing rehearsals I've ever been at. Mary Lou's ad libs were hilarious and at the concert she knew how to work a crowd. At one point in rehearsals, I happened to say the wrong words for "Ein kleiner, hübscher Vogel" and Russell took my lead and said my exact wrong words. We all broke up laughing...how can you sing after that? Congratulations to Stephen and Bruce for 25 years of fantastic concerts and for supporting Canadian singers all the while!

I just spent 10 weeks in Athens, Greece doing Gluck's Paris version of Orphée et Euridice to sold-out audiences for the National Greek Opera. What an experience! Living 30 minutes away from the Acropolis (pictured) and the old city was fantastic. It's chaos in Athens - cars honk incessantly, people yell at each other, they bump into you constantly with no apology, they smoke more than anybody and there are thousands of cars on tiny little streets. But, it has such character and one does really fall in love with it. It's most certainly a place to visit...maybe not for 10 weeks though. Not only was it culturally different the weather was a balmy 40 degrees warmer than it was in Canada! Now that I'm home, I have to say, I love the snow and the cold. I actually enjoyed shovelling the snow off my front steps.