The Queen has feelings about being put on hold. In a pandemic-free time her tale WILL be told.  She was meant to be singing her high notes on stage. Instead empty theatres have thrown her into a rage! While we all learn to listen rather than chatter,  the Queen lends her soapbox to causes that matter. But THE QUEEN IN ME will prevail, never fear.  The show will go on as a 21/22 world premiere! September 2020 marks the time when THE QUEEN IN ME was meant to have its world premiere in Toronto.  Since its conception in 2017 at the Emerging Creators Unit at Buddies, the work h ..read more

AO Co-Founder, Aria Umezawa was invited to speak on a panel for OPERA America called "Managing the Challenges of the Inherited Repertoire". The following is a transcript of her response to the session prompt. PROMPT: “Opera houses have been filled for years with performances of the European repertoire inherited from the extended 19th century, from Mozart to Puccini. In the 21st century, these works are being re-examined through the lens of contemporary social norms, and many of them are found to revolve around stories that invoke harmful stereotypes, the mistreatment of women ..read more

Calling all IBPOC opera artists in Canada: we want to hear from you!      Amplified Opera, in partnership with Tapestry Opera, is inviting all IBPOC-identifying (Indigenous, Black, Person of Colour) opera artists in Canada to join them for a series of private discussions on: Tuesday, June 30 at 4:00 PM EDT; Saturday, July 5 at 2:00PM EDT; and Wednesday, July 8 at 7:00 PM EDT. The events will take place on ZOOM, and will be a place for artists to share their experiences in an open forum, and gather information to help us shape further action. The sessions will NOT b ..read more

  Amplified Opera Explores the Potential of Alternative Funding Models for the Arts by Launching New Initiative Called Tactical Creativity The independent opera company embarks on a business development project to explore the possibility of a hybrid organizational structure.  Amplified Opera announces the addition of soprano Jaclyn Grossman and pianist Rich Coburn to the team. The two will work with AO co-founder Aria Umezawa to develop and test a hypothetical hybrid business model for the arts organization. The World Economic Forum expressed that creativity is one of the most ..read more

Yo, wiksas, Art Credit: THE WITNESS BLANKET by Carey Newman The truth is, there are seldom moments when something difficult isn’t happening. Getting up and moving on anyway, knowing the truth of our shared history, is what Indigenous people have done and will continue to do. We continue to educate ourselves in new ways and the old, educate others, care for our families, reconnect to family that has been taken from us and found their way back, go to work, love, engage in our ceremonies, mourn, make peace daily with our positions of knowing truths that others will not believe, laugh, work towar ..read more

WE KEEP GETTING LOUDER! Please welcome the amazing Ryan Nauta (he/him), who has been helping and running Amplified Opera’s Holding Space program. We are incredibly honoured to have Ryan as a part of our team and feel he deserves to be amplified! He is a well rounded individual who believes that there is a need for social change, and that opera artists are able to facilitate this change. At AO we believe in acceptance, inclusion, diversity, and the creation of a safe space, which is why we are thrilled to have Ryan running Holding Space. He is an exceptional performer as well, and we want to hi ..read more

(L-R) Khadija Mbowe, Charlotte Siegel, and Kevin Mulligan, leaders of Marigold Music Program. It's not news to say that this past year has proven to be an extremely challenging time for the arts. However, the resulting socio-economic upheaval has given rise to calls for change, for society to do better, and to unite to empower voices that have so far been overlooked. Amplified Opera is excited to highlight organizations in the community working towards a more equitable future. Today we would like to introduce the Marigold Music Program (MMP), an organization committed to enriching the lives o ..read more

It’s time to turn up the volume! Amplified Opera is proud to join the Canadian Opera Company as their new Disruptor-in-Residence. “We are looking forward to this unique residency with the Canadian Opera company which will allow us to work together in a way that is slow and deliberate. By building a foundation of trust, we will navigate the difficult and challenging conversations that will be integral to interrupting the status quo and forging new, generative paths forward.” -- Amplified Opera Co-founders: Aria Umezawa, Marion Newman, Asitha Tennekoon, & Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 For the full ..read more

At Amplified Opera, we take pride in raising our voices when we feel there has been an oversight within the classical community, and this is something that continues to be worked upon within our society. In late November the Orchestre Classique de Montreal presented, As One, an opera by Laura Kaminsky with a libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, which follows the story about a Transgendered individual before and after transition. While we applaud this opera as a whole, as more of this content should be highlighted and performed, it felt odd that singers who identify as trans were not ca ..read more

Earlier this summer, Amplified Opera, in partnership with Tapestry Opera, hosted three Holding Space town halls for IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, Person of Colour)-identifying opera artists in Canada opera artists. Based on your feedback, we’re making these events a monthly occurrence from November 2020 to May 2021. All sessions will begin at 7:00 pm ET and run approximately 2 hours and take place on Zoom. Sign-up is through Eventbrite by “purchasing a free ticket”. A Zoom link will be sent via email the day of the event. Nov 18, 2020 Dec 16, 2020 Jan 20, 2021 Feb 17, 2021 Mar 17, 2021 ..read more