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Blogging Mariposa: An update for our supporters

Well, it’s spring 2020, and all I can say is that I hope you and yours are safe.

I’m sure you’ve already guessed what happened chez Mariposa: in the midst of planning for This Is Me, our biggest, boldest May Benefit + Awareness Show ever, we suddenly had to halt the production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As you may already know, Mariposa is 100% run by women with chronic illnesses and disabilities – moreover, This Is Me was to have brought together a large cast of performers from all walks of life, including many with disabilities and health conditions of their own. With so many of us at high risk, and there was really no question in our minds that cancelling our event was the safest thing to do, not just for us, but for our audiences and our community.

At the same time, though, we know that the ME and FM community we fundraise for annually is now in more need of support than ever – especially since ME can often be triggered by viruses, including some coronaviruses. And the cause remains a personal one for us: both Jacqueline and Stephanie live with the effects of ME every day. If you’ve seen some of our May shows before, you might understand the depth and breadth of the impact this illness has on their daily lives. This year, though, we can’t share that message in the same profoundly personal way that Jacqui has been delivering before in knockout show after knockout show.

But that’s no reason not to raise our voices, in whatever way we can.

So this is what we’re doing instead: we’ve set up our first-ever online Benefit + Awareness fundraising campaign. From the safety of your home, you can donate to support the cause (or just share the campaign to help us raise awareness!), and enter to win some of the coolest prizes we’ve ever amassed while you're at it. (I'm particularly jazzed about the virtual photoshoot with Diamond’s Edge Photography – what a cool idea that is!). One lucky winner will even receive a personalized video e-telegram from a Mariposa artist to serenade you, so you get a mini-concert in your living room! Click here or text MARIPOSABENEFIT to 1-855-202-2100 for more info, and to support us! Now more than ever, we can and should come together to help the vulnerable among us, as we all work together to navigate these strange and turbulent times.

Like many arts organizations, we’re entering uncharted waters as we look towards the days ahead. When we'll be able to perform again, and in what capacity we may be able to present our work, aren’t things we can guarantee in the near future. Right now, though, we're focused on doing what we can to keep our communities safe and well, find ways to give back, and connect in new and inventive ways. We hope you’ll support our campaign, which will run from now until June 1st, and that you’ll share the news far and wide: Mariposites may be at home, but we haven't gone quiet!

In the meantime, I’ll sign off the way I’ve been doing with every COVID-19-related post I’ve made on Twitter and Instagram since this outbreak began: take care of yourself. Take care of each other. Just… take care.

We love you, and are so, so grateful for your continued support.

Robin Hahn Mariposa co-founder

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Blogging Mariposa: Falling for Italian opera with Puccini’s 'Gianni Schicchi'

Happy September, everyone! There's been lots of exciting news for Mariposa lately, and I hardly know where to begin. We're already in a flurry of preparation for our 2019-20 season, but before I share our plans, I should probably catch you up on our most recent goings-on.

I'd like to thank you all for supporting our last Benefit + Awareness show and 2018-19 season finale. I'm happy to say that The Impossible Dream was a hit, being met with an enthusiastic audience, rave reviews and widespread media attention (including a feature interview on CBC Radio). Thanks to our generous event sponsors, we gave away nearly $3,000 in raffle prizes, and the show itself raised over $17,000 for the ME|FM Society of BC. This brings Mariposa's charitable impact to over $80,000 in seven years - funds that are already making a difference in the lives of thousands of patients and their families throughout the province.

Over the summer, we spent our time lending a hand with other operatic projects. We sponsored the newest mainstage productions for two local companies: Heroic Opera's Macbeth and East Van Opera's world premiere production of Beauty's Beast, both of which featured Mariposa costumes and props (as well as many Mariposa alumni). We also provided support for Vancouver's inaugural Indie Opera Week, which featured new operatic works by members of the Indie Opera West collective. After that, we rounded out the summer with our own operatic celebration: Mariposa's Opera Bazaar, a fun-filled afternoon that combined opera-themed shopping with a lavishly costumed concert. Reviewers praised the "prodigious talents" and "stunning garments" on display (Review Vancouver), and likened the artists' voices to "[hearing] the angels sing" (Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver). The event was a great success raising funds for our fall opera production - which brings me to what's coming next for us.

This November, we’re kicking off our 2019-20 season with Puccini's Gianni Schicchi: a one-act masterpiece widely considered to be one of the funniest operas of all time. In this farcical family drama, the passing of old Buoso Donati sets off a frantic search for his last will and testament, as his greedy relatives compete to get their hands on his fortune at any cost. Our production will be stage directed by Jeanine Fynn and music directed by John Arsenault, best known as the dynamic duo between the award-winning DragonDiva Operatic Theatre. Both John and Jeanine have tackled this opera several times in the past, so we can't wait for them to bring their oodles of experience (and their zany sense of humour) to our production. Assistant directing will be Mariposa's very own co-founder Robin Hahn, while on piano, we'll be welcoming University of Toronto faculty member Maria Hwa Yeong Jung, who will be making her Mariposa debut.

Our cast is bursting with talent as well, with acclaimed and multi-award-winning artists joining us from across North America and beyond. Baritone Richard Petroski will be making his Mariposa debut in the title role of Gianni Schicchi, while soprano Sevan Kochkarian and tenor Jonathan Gagne will both be joining us from Montreal to perform as the young lovers Lauretta and Rinuccio. The rest of the cast is full of a great mix of Mariposa regulars and fantastic new talent, so I can't wait to work with such an incredible group of people!

In addition to Schicchi, our production will also include a costumed performance of Italian songs and scenes - so you won't want to miss your chance to enjoy an evening of Italian opera at its peak. Gianni Schicchi is playing on November 15, 16, 22, and 23 at St. Faith’s Anglican Church, and tickets are available now online or at 1-800-838-3006. I can't wait to share more as we get closer - I look forward to seeing you in the audience!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic director

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Blogging Mariposa: Dream ‘The Impossible Dream’ with us on May 18th!

Where do I even start? It feels like this season has flown by, and I have so much news to share. I'm happy to say that our fall opera was a hit. People took to our beach-themed Così fan tutte like ducks to water, and the show was met with packed houses and standing ovations. Audience members described it as “phenomenal” and “absolutely perfect”, while critics praised everything from the “over-the-top shenanigans”, “lively direction” and “glorious voices” to the “effective and fun” adaptation and the “excellent, even audacious, costuming” (Review Vancouver). It was a blast bringing this ridiculous show to the stage - so a huge thanks to our amazing cast and crew, and a big round of applause to everyone who helped make our production possible!

In other news, this season included a fun first for us: namely, the first time that Mariposa costumes have appeared in a fashion magazine. In the fall, winter and spring, Mariposa's hard-working wardrobe department was highlighted not once, but three times in published fashion editorials. If you enjoy opulent historical costumes, check out September's magazine spread 'The Blue Spirit' and December's 'Château de Versailles' in Elegant Magazine, and April's 'Sisters in Time' in Shuba Magazine. And if you feel the need to get our hands on some of your own operatic finery, be sure to get in touch with us!

Speaking of firsts, Mariposa was honoured to make our debut at the Vancouver Opera Festival this spring. On April 28th we presented Fantastic Songs and Where to Find Them: Mythic Music at Home and Abroad at the VOF Party on the Plaza. I took a turn on the stage myself, alongside tenor Lyndon Ladeur, baritone Cameron Killick and our wonderful pianist Angus Kellett. We were met by an enthusiastic audience, including many young operagoers, so it was a great treat to bring this costumed mini-concert to the crowd!

It's been an unforgettable season so far, and it's not over yet. On Saturday, May 18th we're presenting our seventh annual charity event and season finale: The Impossible Dream: A Triumphant New Benefit and Awareness Show. As many people know, Mariposa has presented a Benefit & Awareness show every year since our company’s inception. This particular performance celebrates a special milestone, because it marks the tenth anniversary of my very first charity benefit performance (which I produced at age seventeen, before we even started Opera Mariposa).

In The Impossible Dream, I'll celebrate the last decade of performing by bringing some of my all-time favourite songs to the stage. Joined by pianist Karen Shumka, I'll be singing everything from opera to Broadway to Disney music. Every cent of the show proceeds will support the ME|FM Society of BC, a fantastic local charity that offers support and resources for patients and their families living with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) and FM (Fibromyalgia) - so it's all for a great cause!

As many longtime Mariposa fans know, I myself have lived with ME since age six, so I know firsthand how devastating this illness can be. I'm proud to support the essential work of the ME|FM Society of BC, and I'm happy to say that an amazing array of sponsors and community partners are joining us to do so. The Impossible Dream includes a raffle contest featuring amazing prizes from Choices Markets, City Opera Vancouver, Dancey Studios, Donald's Eye Chainmail Jewellery, East Van Opera, Heroic Opera, Suzann Kingston / Touch The Art!, United Players, the Vancouver Bach Choir, Vancouver Opera and the Vivaldi Chamber Choir. Meanwhile, the Evergreen Cultural Centre has joined us as an accessibility sponsor, providing over a hundred seat cushions to make sure all our audience members can enjoy the show in comfort. We're also offering a dessert buffet full of scrumptious goodies - so whether you're a fan of opera, musical theatre, charity work or just good food, you won't want to miss what the evening has in store!

Tickets for The Impossible Dream are on sale now, so check out the show details, then order your tickets online or at 1-800-838-3006. I’d better dash off now - I have a lot of rehearsing to do! - but I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on. I look forward to seeing you on May 18th, when we celebrate our season finale in style!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

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Blogging Mariposa: All aboard for our seventh season!

Hello everybody! Autumn is in the air, and you know what that means: opera season ahoy! I'm excited to share what's in store for Mariposa, but first, I should probably catch you up on the latest news.

I’d like to thank everyone who joined us for our 2017-18 season finale Toward Tomorrow. I’m happy to say that our annual charity benefit show was met with rave reviews, being hailed as "gripping", "heartfelt" and "an emotional journey" (Schmopera). Thanks to our generous event sponsors we gave away over $3,000 in raffle prizes, and the show itself raised $15,703.40 - which brings our charity fundraising total to over $66,000 in six years!

This year's beneficiary was the ME/FM Society of BC, a local organization dedicated to aiding patients and their families living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and Fibromyalgia (FM). The Society is using the funds from our show to launch their new Unmet Needs campaign, dedicated to helping ME and FM sufferers throughout British Columbia. We're incredibly honoured to support this essential work, so a huge round of applause to every donor, sponsor, audience member, artist and volunteer who made this possible!

Hard on the heels of Toward Tomorrow came another fundraising event: this one on Mariposa's own behalf, presented by our friends at The Opera Project. On June 29th, TOP's talented artists performed the gala concert Ecstatic Expression Through Song, singing a wonderful array of multicultural music in support of our future productions. The concert featured a number of Mariposa artists and alumni, as well as special appearances by internationally acclaimed soprano Heidi Klassen; Istanbul Opera contralto Arzu Semerci; and the Vancouver Turkish Choir orchestra. They raised $1,000 for our upcoming season, so we can't thank them enough for their generous support!

Of course, that brings me to the news about what's coming next for Opera Mariposa. We're kicking off our 2018-19 season with a sassy new take on Mozart's classic comedy Così fan tutte, featuring a double cast of acclaimed and award-winning artists from across North America and Europe. This opera has some of Mozart's most beautiful and beloved music - from sublime love duets to lightning-fast comedic patter - and it's been on our bucket list for quite some time, so we can't wait to finally bring it to the stage.

In true Mariposa fashion, we'll be doing our own unique take on this opera. Così fan tutte ("They all do it") is a classic of the operatic repertoire, but also one that offers certain challenges when presenting the work to a modern audience. The plot involves an old cynic who convinces two young men to test the affections of the women they love; the title refers to said cynic's assertion that the ladies will fall short of their lovers' idealized conception of them.

Our goal is to capture all the zany fun and sitcom-like shenanigans of the original opera, while bringing this period piece - and its satirical look at traditional gender roles - into the 21st century. To that end, I'm delighted to announce that our stage director will be Mariposa's own Robin Hahn, whose hilarious interpretation of the Baroque opera La serva padrona was hailed as "a masterpiece of controlled mayhem" (Review Vancouver) and whose sassy modern production of Don Pasquale was praised as "well-honed", "delightful", and "an excellent harbinger of more well-cast and well-directed operas to come" (Opera Canada magazine). Robin has decided to set our colourful Così at a beachside resort, introducing a tropical vibe; several cheeky modern touches; and the occasional plot twist. As well as her impressive credentials directing comic operas, Robin has a special connection with this particular work: she herself has performed the role of Despina in Così fan tutte three times, in Germany, the Netherlands, and right here in Vancouver.

Robin will be joined by assistant director Oliver Hebert, making his Mariposa debut, as well as music director Ian Dives, whom our audiences may remember from The Impresario, La serva padrona and Don Pasquale. Our amazing double cast includes award-winning sopranos Katrina Goh and Julia Rooney as Despina; mezzo-sopranos Shanté Van Horlick and Melissa Ratcliff as Dorabella; multi-award-winning tenor Lyndon Ladeur as Ferrando; baritone Cameron Killick as Guglielmo; and bass-baritones Michael MacKinnon and Alexander Adams-Leytes as Don Alfonso. I'll be taking the stage myself, doubling the amazing dramatic coloratura soprano Kathryn Nickford in the role of Fiordiligi. I can't wait to work with this phenomenal group of performers, as we reunite with familiar faces and welcome new talent aboard!

It's shaping up to be a great show, and the perfect way to launch into our seventh season. Così fan tutte will be playing on November 30 and December 1, 7 and 8 at Marpole United Church. You can find more information here, or order your tickets today from Brown Paper Tickets. I can't wait to share more about this production as it gets closer, and I look forward to seeing you at the show!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

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Blogging Mariposa: Our cup runneth over this spring

Happy spring, everybody! I can’t believe it’s already April. It feels like only yesterday that we were hard at work on our production of Un ballo in maschera. And what a production it was! Our first-ever partnership with Heroic Opera brought together two casts of performers from across five continents. It was an enormous undertaking, and I’m happy to say that all the hard work paid off. Critics described the show as “remarkable” for its “incredible voices, good staging and sumptuous costumes” (Entertainment Vancouver), saying that “one can’t help but get swept up in the performance” (Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver), and praising the singers as “flawless” (Opera Canada’s west coast correspondent Hilary Clark) and “a force of nature” (Review Vancouver). The show was met by packed houses and standing ovations – so thank you to every member of our talented artistic team, and to all the people who came out to support the show!

Verdi’s masked ball may be over, but there’s hardly been a moment to rest. Our wardrobe department has been inundated with requests by people who saw or heard about our production, which has led to our costumes gaining some international mileage of their own. California’s Livermore Valley Opera featured our ball outfits in their own production of Ballo, and our designs have also been making the rounds at local events, popping up in theatre productions, photo shoots, and even at a recent costume competition (which I’m happy to say our costumes won). Requests are still pouring in – so if you feel in need of your own operatic finery, visit our costume page to learn more!

In other news, Canada’s largest independent film distributor eOne Films recently invited us to attend an advance screening of their new movie. On March 14th, twenty members of the Mariposa family got to see the Golden Globe-nominated film The Leisure Seeker, starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland. It was a wonderful evening, so thank you to the fabulous folks at eOne for treating us! We’ve been overwhelmed by the recent outpouring of support for Mariposa in so many ways. Several people have made some very generous donations to our costume and prop collection – among them Suzann Kingston (previously an opera singer, now a painter and the creative mind behind Touch The Art!), our friends at Heroic Opera, the amazing New York hat company Whittall & Shon, and the estate of legendary local costume designer and set decorator Pat McLean. In addition, an amazing group of individuals and local businesses are coming together to support our season finale… but before I get into that, I’d better tell you about our next show!

This June, we’re excited to make our Whistler debut performing with the Whistler Chamber Music Society. On June 3rd, we’ll be presenting a concert of Mozart, Puccini and more at Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church – a gorgeous venue picturesquely located in the forest near Whistler Village. The show features soprano Kathryn Nickford, tenor Lyndon Ladeur, baritone Jason Cook and pianist Nikolai Maloff . Click here to learn more, and if you’ll be in the area, we hope you’ll join us for some Opera in the Woods!

After that, it’s on to our season finale. As long-time Mariposa fans may know, we present a charity benefit show every year, and for 2017-18 we’re continuing the tradition with Toward Tomorrow. Coming June 16th for one night only, Toward Tomorrow features opera, musical theatre and more in support of the ME/FM Society of BC. I’ll be performing some of my favourite songs alongside mezzo-soprano Brittony LeFever (whom you may recognize from Un ballo in maschera, Here I Stand, or Dido and Aeneas), tenor Lyndon Ladeur (who will be fresh off his appearance in Opera in the Woods), and collaborative pianist Nina Horvath (making her Mariposa debut!). In addition to some beautiful music, audience members will also be treated to a dessert buffet, as well as a raffle contest featuring over $2,000 in prizes. These prizes have been donated by an amazing array of local businesses and individuals – among them Choices Markets, City Opera Vancouver, Dancey Studios, Diamond’s Edge Photography, Suzann Kingston / Touch The Art!, The Opera Project, the Vancouver Bach Choir, and Vancouver Opera. Best of all, the proceeds will go towards aiding people affected by the systemic neuroimmune diseases Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and Fibromyalgia (FM), which affect over a million people in Canada.

We’ll be sharing more about Toward Tomorrow in the coming days, but in the meantime, tickets for the show are already on sale online or at 1-800-838-3006. It’s been a wild ride so far this season, and our last two performances are shaping up to be unforgettable. I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

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Blogging Mariposa: Costuming the masked ball

Verdi's Un ballo in maschera is a massive undertaking in many respects, but on the production end, one area in particular stands out: costumes! To celebrate Halloween, we've invited Mariposa's resident costume designer Stephanie Ko to join us as a guest blogger, taking us behind the scenes as she works to create the many lavish outfits for Verdi's legendary masquerade.

A dream production In many ways, Opera is the perfect genre for a costume designer. With a reputation for visual richness and heightened drama, as well as settings that span many historical time periods, the operatic world is basically a costume designer's playground. I'm sure that every designer has their own dream projects, but to me, Un ballo in maschera has to be near the top of the list.

The vision for the show No matter the show, costume design is first and foremost about helping to tell the story. Usually this is because the costumes help to reveal characterization, but in Ballo's case, it's far more literal: the costumes are a central element of the plot. As the title suggests, disguises and mistaken identity are a recurring theme throughout the opera. A woman veils herself to undertake a secret errand; a man wears a mantle to hide among a group of conspirators; a feckless king disguises himself as a fisherman, and his entire court decides to follow suit. It seems there isn't a character in the show who doesn't enjoy playing dress-up, until this drama of guises and disguises culminates in the spectacular masquerade for which the show is named.

With such a pivotal role in this opera - not to mention an enormous double cast - I knew that the costumes for Ballo would be a wonderful challenge. Luckily, our stage director is Adam Da Ros, with whom I'd previously worked on the Terrence McNally play Master Class. Adam is a wonderful director and a fantastic collaborator, and it's always a pleasure to design for him.

One of the first things Adam told me was that he wanted to visually code the different groups and social tiers within the Ballo universe. People tend to think of Ballo as a "party" show but its characters span the social hierarchy, from the beggars of the city slums to the members of the royal court. Even within the court, there are different factions - from the festive courtiers to the plotting conspirators - and they needed different colours and textures to identify them.

We decided to define the members of the royal court with jewel tones and lavish fabrics like satin, taffeta and venise lace. In contrast, the slum denizens are clothed in earth tones, using rougher textiles enhanced by heavy distressing. Even in the presence of the king, the conspirators are darker and plainer-looking than their fellow courtiers, as though they refuse to join in the prevailing air of revelry. We decided to set the opera in the 1700s, not only because Ballo was inspired by the life (and death) of a real 18th-century ruler, but because it was a time period when men's fashion was just as colourful and elaborate as women's clothing.

We carried the visual motifs from the different social groups into the designs for the principal characters. Gustavo the king dresses in velvet, which looks incredibly rich under stage lights and has a long historical association with the nobility. His primary colours are wine-red and metallic gold - hues that suggest royalty, gaiety, and his passionate nature. Renato, his best friend, wears more sober colours like black and deep blue - a sign of his more serious personality, but also the darkness of character that comes forth later in the opera. Renato's wife Amelia wears blue as well, but in lighter and richer tones like those of the Madonna. The goal was to make her look elegant but also somehow sorrowful - and, as the only woman who wears a pale gown, to single her out amidst the crowd. Amelia is the subject of Renato's jealousy as well as Gustavo's forbidden love, so we wanted to make her appear somehow pure and unattainable.

Oscar, the king's pageboy, echoes his master visually to some extent at the beginning of the show, before exploding into a pastel confection by the time he gets to the ball. Meanwhile, the fortune-teller Ulrica is completely different from the other lead characters. As a member of the lower class, Ulrica has a distinctive colour palette dominated by earth tones. Unlike the other peasant women though, she wears intense deep colours with hints of red, to heighten her design and draw focus onstage. In a stroke of luck, it turned out that one of the singers playing Ulrica had magnificent auburn hair, which perfectly fit with Ulrica's colour scheme. Sometimes the universe decides to give the costume department a wonderful gift!

The costume-making process As you can imagine, the planning process for costuming an opera is rigorous - especially for a production of this magnitude. At the same time however, it's also very organic. So many things affect the evolution of a design: from the way a performer looks and moves, to logistical issues like how a scene is staged and the swiftness of the costume changes. One of the biggest challenges is budget. Mariposa and Heroic are both small companies with limited resources; meanwhile, 18th-century costumes can easily involve ten or more pieces per outfit, and in our  show every character has multiple outfits.

It's a tall order, but we're blessed with an incredibly creative and hard-working team. In the weeks and months leading up to a show, our wardrobe department works around the clock - and from the stage manager to the copy editor to the singers themselves, it's amazing how many people will pitch in when it's crunch time. Mariposa is also fortunate enough to have stewardship of an ever-growing costume collection, which helps to fill in the gaps. On a recent "shopping trip" through the Mariposa costume stock, I found a large container of Venetian masks that haven't been onstage for years; it's as if they'd been waiting all this time for us to get around to this particular opera.

Bringing it all together I always love the moment when a performer tries on their costume and they start to transform into their character. (This is usually followed by a total break in character, as said performer starts taking selfies.) Once you see that costume up onstage though - enhancing the artist's movements, taking on new aspects under the stage lighting, becoming part of the larger picture the director is painting - that's what makes it all worth it. Right now, I'm buried under half-finished pieces of clothing; everyone in the costume department has fingertips resembling pincushions; and there's a peculiar smoky smell in the air that suggests one of the costume distressers has been at their work. (Pro tip: if you want to make velvet look particularly well-aged, a lighter or a mini-blowtorch does wonders.) The to-do list is expanding faster than it's shrinking, in some miracle of mathematics that sees ten items added for every one that's removed. Still, I wouldn't trade this process for anything. It's a mad rush, but we'll be celebrating at the end of it with the biggest party imaginable: a lavishly costumed masquerade, conceived by Giuseppe Verdi all the way back in 1857.

I hope you'll be able to join us at the ball!

Stephanie Ko is Opera Mariposa's communications director and head of costumes. As a costume designer for opera, theatre, musical theatre and film, a few of her most recent Mariposa credits include Terrence McNally's Master Class as well as the operas Hansel and Gretel, Dido and Aeneas, and La serva padrona. Her costumes have been described as “a feast for the eyes” (Social Butterfly Club), and have won a 2015 CTC Award for their appearance in Fighting Chance Productions' Into the Woods (designed by Lynn Wong). Click here to learn more about the Mariposa costume collection - or if you're a passionate sewer, click here to find out how you can get involved!

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Blogging Mariposa: Meet the heroines of Heroic Opera

Our November production of Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera is fast approaching, and we’ve finally found a moment to sit down and blog! This show is truly an enormous undertaking, and one of our most exciting projects to date: not only is it our biggest opera yet, but it also marks our first collaboration with the Heroic Opera Company.

Heroic Opera was founded just this year by award-winning soprano Sarah Templeton, whom Mariposa audiences may recognize as Angelica from 2014′s Suor Angelica or Dido from 2016′s Dido and Aeneas. Now, Sarah is taking on her most exciting role yet as an event producer at the helm of her own opera company. We sat down with Sarah and her co-producer Melissa Ratcliff to get their perspective on our upcoming co-production, so read on for the interview below...

Tell us a bit about Heroic Opera. Heroic Opera is Sarah’s brainchild. It’s a company that’s devoted to performance of Romantic-era operas, in particular the operas of Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi, and Richard Strauss.

What inspired you to start a new opera company, and why did you choose to focus on the works of these specific composers? There are lots of smaller opera companies in the Vancouver area - some of them focus on light opera, or lyric opera, or Gilbert and Sullivan, and those who don’t have a particular focus tend to gravitate towards lighter operas with smaller casts, as they’re easier to stage. As a Dramatic singer, it makes it harder to find shows that suit your voice, and since no one else was presenting these great works, the time seemed right to bring them to the stage.

Heroic Opera launched just this summer with Wagner's Die Walküre. What was it like to stage your first production, and what were your favourite parts, as well as the greatest challenges? Sarah’s reaction at the close of Walküre was, “I can’t believe we just did that.” Wagner, and particularly the Ring Cycle are notoriously difficult, both in size, length, and scope. We also had a very short rehearsal period - a little more than a week - and several cast members who had to drop out due to illness shortly before the performance, meaning their covers were called up. All of this led to a very hectic schedule, which may have been fortunate because it made us not realize the scale of the undertaking. The performance ended up being spectacular - the cast was rock solid and the crowds were enthusiastic and very receptive. We even had several people in the audience who were at the last Vancouver performance of Walküre in 1975!

What attracted you to Verdi's Un ballo in maschera? While Ballo is another big, epic Romantic opera, the story itself is very simple - a tragic love story that can never be, and the desire for revenge that can consume us all. It all takes place in the court of the King, ending in a beautiful masked ball, but the story is still just that of ordinary people and the struggles they face trying to find love and happiness.

Why did you decide to team up with Opera Mariposa on this show? Although Mariposa isn’t focused on a particular style like we are, our companies are very similar. We’re both devoted to presenting operas to new audiences, to promoting the careers and giving performance opportunities to up and coming singers, and to engaging with the local community. Opera Mariposa has been at it a lot longer, and is very well established in the Vancouver area, so we certainly have a lot to learn from them, and hope to continue collaborating with other local groups.

Going from Wagner to Verdi - how would you compare the two, and are there differences when you're working on operas by such different composers? Wagner is unusual in comparison to virtually all other composers because of his technique of “through-composition”. This means his music is written, not in standard song form with 1-3 verses and a chorus or bridge, but with text and music that is continuously changing. It’s like setting Homer’s Iliad to music - it’s a huge amount of text and music to learn, and nothing repeats, or rhymes. The German he uses is an older more formal version - like Shakespearean German, so that makes it harder still - and his operas are typically 4-6 hours long, whereas most operas are 2-3. Verdi’s style of writing is closer to what you expect musically and lyrically, and gives you places to “hang your hat” in terms of learning the music. After Wagner just about everything is smaller in scale, but even most of Verdi’s operas range in the 3+ hour range and takes a huge amount of physical effort and stamina to sing.

What has you most excited about Un ballo in maschera? Since our first production was only semi-staged, this will be our first fully staged, costumed production. And with the vast costume collection that Mariposa has, it should make the show even better. With dozens of cast members in uniforms, peasant clothing, ball gowns, and disguises, it makes it so much easier to bring the story to life, and we’re excited to see what the end product looks like!

Why should audiences come see this show? The voices! This cast is absolutely teeming with talent, so much so that we have two full casts of principals on offer. Some of the best up-and-coming singers in the Vancouver area and beyond, many of whom sing for sold out houses around the world, will be in this show - I think everyone will be amazed at the skill in this production.

What can we look forward to in the future from Heroic Opera? While there are no firm plans yet, we’re thinking of performing Elektra by Richard Strauss, either in concert or as a production, or maybe something else…. Stay tuned to our website or follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all the details!

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Blogging Mariposa: Our 2017-18 season is just around the corner!

So here we are, on the brink of another season! Before I dive into all the exciting things ahead, I should probably catch you up on the latest news. First of all, I'd like to thank every single person who came out to see our 2016-17 season finale Here I Stand, as well as every supporter and volunteer who helped make our show happen. I'm happy to say that our performance was met with a standing ovation and rave reviews. Critics hailed it as "passionate", "poignant" and "beautifully rendered" (Review Vancouver), describing the voices as "angelic" (Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver) and praising the show as "delightfully sweet and intimate, yet also powerful and raw" (Living Myth Magazine). Thanks to the support of our generous sponsors, we gave away over $3,000 in charity raffle prizes; our event also broke our previous fundraising records, raising over $15,000 for the ME/FM Society of BC. That means we've raised over $50,000 for charity in the last five years. Thank you so much, because we couldn't have done it without you!

As soon as Here I Stand wrapped, we dove straight into auditions and preparations for our next opera production. I'm excited to announce that 2017-18 will feature our biggest opera yet: Verdi's dramatic masterpiece Un ballo in maschera, or A Masked Ball. We'll be presenting this riveting tale of forbidden love and political intrigue in partnership with the Heroic Opera Company, a new group founded by award-winning soprano Sarah Templeton (known to Mariposa audiences as Angelica in Suor Angelica). Heroic Opera's mandate is to present works for big, dramatic voices, so we can't wait to team up with them to bring Verdi's lush and expansive music to life.

I'll be sharing more about Un ballo in maschera in the coming days, but if you want a little taste of what we're working on, you can join us this month for a sneak peek. On August 20th, we're presenting an encore performance of December's gala concert Go For Opera! - back by popular demand, and now featuring an exclusive preview of our fall opera production. Once again, Frankfurt-based sopranos Heidi Muendel and Nancy Hasiuk will grace the Mariposa stage alongside our managing director Robin Hahn and pianist Angus Kellett. This time though, they'll be joined by members of the Ballo cast, including multi-award-winning dramatic mezzo-soprano Melissa Ratcliff; tenor and Vancouver Opera favourite Mark Pepe; and acclaimed baritone Wiliam Liu, whom Mariposa audiences may remember as Herr Buff from The Impresario, our very first opera. These magnificent artists will perform not only some of the most beautiful music from their repertoire, but songs and scenes from Un ballo in maschera. Ticket sales will support our fall opera production, so whether or not you managed to catch Go For Opera! the first time 'round, you won't want to miss this show!

Go For Opera! is a very special event for one more reason: it will mark Robin Hahn's public farewell to Vancouver audiences. As I mentioned in my last post, Mariposa's amazing co-founder and managing director is moving to Germany this fall to pursue her operatic career in Europe, which means this is the last chance to see her in concert before she heads overseas. I can't believe that Robin and I have been running Mariposa together for six years now - I hope you'll join me in wishing Robin an epic bon voyage as she heads off to take the international opera scene by storm!

I'll look forward to seeing you in the audience at Go For Opera! - it's shaping up to be a night to remember!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

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Blogging Mariposa: Big changes ahead - as well as an exciting season finale

Happy spring, everybody! I can’t believe how time flies. It seems like only yesterday we were gearing up to present Go For Opera!, our holiday concert featuring sopranos Heidi Muendel and Nancy Hasiuk, joining us all the way from Europe. Despite some seasonally appropriate weather, an enthusiastic audience braved the snow to catch Heidi, Nancy, pianist Angus Kellett, baritone Andrew Greenwood and soprano Robin Hahn (aka Mariposa's managing director Robin Eder-Warren performing under her new stage name) in an evening of sumptuous opera highlights. We're happy to say that due to popular demand, we'll be staging an encore presentation of Go For Opera! after our official season finale - so for those who weren't able to join us the first time 'round, we'll look forward to seeing you in the summer!

Go For Opera! wasn't just about making music, though - we also made an important announcement at the show. Robin, Mariposa's co-founder and my perennial partner-in-crime, has been offered a position at the Life-Sound-Studio in Frankfurt, Germany and has decided to accept. After this season, she'll be moving to Europe to pursue her operatic career - which means big changes ahead for her, and for the whole Mariposa team.

There will be more on this in the coming days, but for now, what we can say is: Mariposa will still be based in the Lower Mainland, and we'll continue to present operas and other shows. Our format may change, but we're excited to embrace these changes and to welcome new people onboard even as our co-founder prepares to set out on her European adventures. Mariposa's mission has always been to support emerging artists in launching their careers, and we're thrilled to see Robin's taking off!

We'll keep you posted, both through our newsletter and right here on this blog. In the meantime, though: our season isn't over yet, and any fond farewells (or frantic packing) will have to wait until after our 2016-17 finale. As longtime Mariposa fans may know, we've presented a charity benefit performance every May since our company's inception. This year, we're continuing the tradition with Here I Stand, a benefit and awareness concert on May 13th - so fasten your seatbelts for our one-night-only season closer.

Here I Stand will be a gala concert, as well as an extremely personal show for me. Although Mariposa is in our fifth season, I've never performed a solo concert for the company, and to some extent that's what this will be. Joined by pianist Angus Kellett - as well as some fabulous guest artists - I'll be taking a journey across the musical spectrum: from pop to opera, from The Tales of Hoffmann to the hit musical Hamilton. I'll also be raising my voice in support of a great cause. Here I Stand will honour the May 12th International Awareness Day for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (ME/CFS & FM), and a portion of every ticket sale will support the ME/FM Society of BC, a wonderful local charity.

This cause is very close to my heart, because I’ve lived with ME/CFS since the age of six. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, sometimes referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is a systemic neuro-immune disease. It's an illness that has a dizzying array of symptoms, all of which are worsened by even minimal exertion (and by exertion, I don't mean going for a jog; I mean having a conversation or watching TV). Some patients, like me, are lucky enough to appear healthy to the casual observer, at least for short periods of time. Many others (including me in the past) are completely confined to bed, with disabilities comparable to congestive heart failure or late-stage cancer. 

It's a life-altering and often lifelong disease - and understanding of it is still severely lacking. ME affects around 28 million people worldwide, yet it's seldom taught in medical schools and reports suggest that up to 91% of cases aren't even diagnosed. These numbers are shocking, and to me, that's what makes it essential to raise awareness - because so many other ME sufferers aren't physically able to do so.

Here I Stand isn't just a collection of songs that are close to my heart - it's also my way of telling my story through music. I'll be performing pieces that are deeply relevant to my personal journey, both as a performer and as someone with ME. In addition to sharing some of my favourite songs, there are lots of other treats in store: the concert will be followed by a reception with lots of snacks, plus we'll be giving away over $2,000 in raffle prizes. The latter wouldn't be possible without the support of our generous community sponsors - so a big shout out to A Thousand Words Cards, Choices Markets, Dancey Studios, Diamond’s Edge Photography, East Van Opera, Fighting Chance Productions, Finlandia Pharmacy & Natural Health Centre, Heroic Opera, Jasmine Sanchez-Ziller, Kathryn Nickford Photography, North Shore Light Opera Society, Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs, and Vancouver Opera. 

Tickets for Here I Stand are already on sale, so check out the show details, then order your tickets online or at 1-800-838-3006. I'd better run now - I have a lot of rehearsing to do! - but I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on. Here's to seeing you all in the audience on May 13th!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

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Blogging Mariposa: The game's afoot for an operatic autumn!

Where did the summer go? I can't believe it's already September… the hazards of tackling our first summer co-production, I guess. I'm happy to say that our recent collaboration with the West Coast Opera Studio was a resounding success. Thanks to your support, we were able to give the opera students of WCOS the chance to sing alongside fabulous young artists (including several familiar Mariposa faces) in Dido and Aeneas + La serva padrona. Reviewers described the production as "phenomenal" (SAD Mag), so congratulations to all of these emerging performers, and a huge round of applause to everyone who contributed their time and effort to this unique production! 

This summer also included another special event for Mariposa: namely, an invitation from Canada’s largest independent film distributor Entertainment One Films to attend an advance screening of the movie Florence Foster Jenkins. On August 10th, nearly eighty Mariposites enjoyed a special sneak preview of this heartwarming film featuring Meryl Streep as the famous (and famously awful) aspiring opera singer. It was a wonderful way for Mariposa’s performers, crew members and loyal supporters to celebrate the end of summer, so thank you to the fabulous folks at eOne for the treat!

As we head into fall, we’re pleased to announce that Opera Mariposa has been invited back to Richmond's historic Minoru Chapel to take part in the beloved Minoru Chapel Opera series. We first performed at Minoru in our 2014-15 season, and we’re excited to return to this beautiful heritage site on October 5th to present Prima Donna: A Celebration of Women in Opera. The show has two performances only – one at 2pm and one at 7pm – so be sure to grab your tickets before they're gone! Prima Donna will be a one-of-a-kind tribute to opera's leading ladies, featuring four award-winning sopranos as well as recurring Mariposa pianist Angus Kellett. I’m excited to say that both I and Mariposa managing director Robin Eder-Warren will be taking the stage, joined by the immensely talented Allison Cociani and Kathryn Nickford.

Regular operagoers may remember Allison from our original 2013 production of La serva padrona, where she was “a delight to watch and hear” (Review Vancouver) as the sassy Serpina. She returned to the Mariposa stage the following season to star in Menotti’s The Telephone, and we’re delighted that she’ll be joining us for a third time in Prima Donna. A gifted composer as well as an acclaimed soprano, Allison will be performing a highlight from her first opera Alma, making its world premiere June 2017. We’ve been lucky enough to watch (and hear) the progress of this amazing work for a while now, and all we can say is: if you’d like to discover some of the loveliest, most melodic and evocative new classical music we’ve heard in a long time, then you won’t want to miss this special preview performance!

While we’re on the topic of multi-talented women: Kathryn Nickford is probably most familiar to Mariposa audiences as the brilliant photographer whose work has appeared on many of our posters, most recently for Master Class. However, she’s also a fabulous dramatic coloratura who has received numerous accolades and trained under such internationally acclaimed sopranos as Tracy Dahl and Heidi Klassen. Kathryn first emerged from behind the lens to perform with us in the opening concert of 2014’s Suor Angelica, and we’re delighted to feature her magnificent voice even more prominently in Prima Donna, as she takes on music from Mozart to Puccini and more.

I feel so privileged to be performing alongside such wonderful artists – not least, my perennial partner-in-crime (and Metropolitan Opera Competition award-winner) Robin Eder-Warren. Looking ahead, there’s a lot more in store for all us Mariposites: everything from private performances to planning for our May charity benefit show, to some exciting changes ahead for the Mariposa organization. I’ll write soon with more about all that, but in the meantime – I’d better get back to rehearsing, and I’ll look forward to seeing all of you when we return to Minoru Chapel!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

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Blogging Mariposa: Celebrate summer with two operas in one!

Whew, it's been a bit! Where do I even begin? First of all, I'd like to thank every single person who came out to support Mariposa's benefit and awareness show People Like Us. The performance was met by a packed house and critical acclaim, with Review Vancouver hailing the show as "poignant," "impassioned" and "delightfully camp" by turns. Thanks to our generous sponsors we gave away over $1,600 in raffle prizes, and I'm pleased to announce that the evening raised $4,400 for the National ME/FM Action Network and chronic neuro-immune disease awareness. That brings our charity fundraising total to over $35,000 in just four years – so a huge round of applause to everyone who made this show possible, from our great audience members and dedicated volunteers to our uber-talented cast and crew!

Now it's on to our next project, which marks an exciting first for the Mariposa team. At People Like Us we announced our first-ever co-production: a double bill of the operas Dido and Aeneas and La serva padrona, which we're presenting this month in cooperation with the West Coast Opera Studio. WCOS is the brainchild of my fellow Mariposa exec Robin Eder-Warren. It's a studio program aimed at creating performance opportunities for opera students whose underfunded university programs or personal situations have kept them from the stage. Dido + Serva is WCOS' first production, playing for only two nights on July 29th and 30th at the Metro Theatre Vancouver. I myself will be taking the stage alongside a fabulous cast of talented young artists, so I can't wait to show you what we've been working on!

For those of you who've been following Mariposa for a while, you'll know that we first performed Pergolesi's La serva padrona (a.k.a. The Maid Turned Mistress) back in 2013. In this Italian comic gem, the put-upon Uberto hatches a plot to get rid of his bossy serving maid Serpina, only to find that the clever maid is more than a match for him. Mariposa's production was hailed by critics as "an evening of delight" and "a masterpiece of controlled mayhem". We're excited to be reviving the show with an all-new cast, including multi-award-winning young soprano Katrina Goh as Serpina and bass Lars Klotz as Uberto.

Alongside Serva we're bringing audiences an all-new production of Dido and Aeneas, one of the pinnacles of Early Music opera. Written by the English composer Henry Purcell and based on the famous Roman epic, Dido and Aeneas tells the story of two royal lovers torn apart by fate. Featuring a passionate love story, political intrigue, sorcerous enchantments and some of the most beautiful music ever written, this opera truly has something for everyone. Our production features two great casts, including Danielle Cyr and Sarah Templeton as Dido and Lyndon Jhuty and Andelius Chen as Aeneas.

Tickets are on sale now for our operatic double bill - and with only two performances, you'll want to grab your seats before they're gone! If you'd like to support the production in other ways, you can also check out WCOS' Indiegogo campaign here. Contributors can nab lots of cool perks, including everything from free show tickets to custom concerts - and best of all, you'll be helping create more opportunities for a new generation of singers!

It's shaping up to be an exciting summer full of glorious music (not to mention lots of rehearsals). I've got to dash now, but I'll look forward to seeing you soon in the theatre!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

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Blogging Mariposa: Fasten your seatbelts for PEOPLE LIKE US!

Wow! Where do I even start? It seems like only yesterday we were gearing up to tackle Mariposa's biggest expansion yet: the official launch of the Mariposa Theatre Wing. With an Indiegogo fundraising campaign, Mariposa's first-ever play, and media coverage by everyone from the Georgia Straight to BroadwayWorld.com, it's been a crazy couple of months getting all of this off the ground - but happily, all the hard work has paid off!

Thanks to enthusiastic arts lovers from as far away as Singapore, Germany and the UK, our Indiegogo campaign raised over $2,500. Meanwhile, MTW's launch production Master Class garnered rave reviews, standing ovations and repeat audience members. Review Vancouver hailed the "tour de force" performance of Laura Di Cicco in the lead role, praising the way she "masterfully assumes the huge personality" of Maria Callas. My Van City described the production as "riveting," "mesmerizing" and "poignant," while audience members declared that the show was "flawless," an "amazing production from top to bottom" and "the best thing I've ever seen."

It was an incredible experience working alongside the talented artists of Master Class, and I can't think of a more perfect show to inaugurate our theatre wing. Of course, we don't have time to rest on our laurels. Mariposa's next production is on May 14th, when we'll continue a cherished Mariposa tradition with our fourth annual benefit show People Like Us. In this musical theatre revue, we're weaving together hit songs from shows like Rent, Follies and Company to tell an all-new story. The production features a multi-award-winning cast of performers from across the Lower Mainland, and best of all, a portion of every ticket sale will go to support the National ME/FM Action Network.

As many of you know, Mariposa's fundraising performances hold a special place in my heart. People Like Us honours the May 12th International Awareness Day for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (ME/CFS & FM), and I’ve lived with ME/CFS since the age of six. This disease affects more than twenty-eight million people worldwide, and studies report that it can be more debilitating than diabetes, multiple sclerosis or congestive heart failure. Over the past three years, we've raised over $30,000 to help people living with life-altering illnesses like this; with People Like Us, we look forward to doing even more for this important cause.

You can get all the show details here, and grab your tickets here. There are special rates for students, seniors, groups, and those on disability benefits - and even if you can’t see the show, you can always support our fundraiser with a donation! Thanks to our generous sponsors - including BilleeVanillee Scents, Choices Markets, City Opera Vancouver, Dancey Studios, Karina Conquers Cakes and More, Kathryn Nickford Photography, Michelle Doherty Photography and the Phoenix Chamber Choir - we’ll be giving away over $2,000 in raffle prizes at the performance. The evening will also include a reception with delicious edibles for those who wish to stay.

People Like Us is shaping up to be our biggest benefit show yet. I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on - I’ll look forward to seeing you in the theatre!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

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Blogging Mariposa: Meet the director of MASTER CLASS

Mariposa’s production of Master Class is fast approaching! As the show comes together, we sat down with stage director Adam Da Ros to get to know him better and discuss the play in depth. Read on for the interview...

So Adam, tell us a little about your background. I grew up in Dawson Creek, B.C., where I have been involved in opera and musical theatre since I was a child. I moved to Vancouver in 2005 to take a science degree at UBC, and ended up getting involved in the choirs and the opera ensemble. From there, I went on to complete a degree in Opera Performance, as well as a Master’s in Opera with a focus in directing and opera production. I currently do freelance work as a pianist, coach, musical director, and stage director in opera and musical theatre.

What first attracted you to working on Terrence McNally's Master Class? I first encountered the work when I attended the Arts Club production in 2012. I went to see a colleague perform and was immediately struck by the power of the work, as well as its relevance to those of us working in opera. When Mariposa announced their season and I saw it on the bill, I knew I had to seize the opportunity to work on this piece!

How do you think your musical experience informs your interpretation of Master Class, a play that's set in the operatic world? Approaching the work from a background in music, I would say that there are a lot of things that McNally gets right. There is a reason he has chosen these particular arias for the singers to present, and while they do each represent a certain stereotype in some ways, there is a lot of realism in their characters. For audience members not involved in opera, I think it gives a nice glimpse into our world while also telling a very meaningful story about a real-life celebrity in our industry. I think it would be completely possible to stage the work without paying too much attention to the parallels between the arias and Maria’s own life, but for me that presents such a deliberate choice on the part of the writer that it begs to be explored.

Master Class is based on a series of real-life masterclasses that the famous soprano Maria Callas held in the 1970s. What sort of research did you do to prepare? Fortunately for us, there is a large body of work available on Callas. In addition to the dozens of interviews and huge amount of tabloid coverage, the bulk of which centres around her personality and personal life, we also have glorious recordings of her in so many of her famous roles. Even the master classes the play is based on were extensively documented, and you can listen to them or read the transcripts to hear the advice she gave to the singers. Obviously this means we want to portray Callas in a way which is consistent with the real person, as McNally has tried to do, while taking certain liberties for the sake of the story. My hope is that people come out of the show wanting to look up information on Callas, hear her sing, and find out more about this fascinating personality.

Maria Callas was one of the most renowned and influential singers of the 20th century. What were some of the challenges in casting such an iconic role, and what were you looking for in your own Maria? We definitely wanted to have as believable a Callas as possible, especially since she is such a well-known, inspiring, and controversial figure in the opera world. The role requires someone able to convey this same power and presence, while also being quite sarcastic and funny. We are blessed to have Laura Di Cicco playing our Maria. We could tell from the moment she walked into the room that she would do an amazing job, and that has certainly proven to be true.

Master Class isn't an opera – it's a play about opera. How is music used in the show? And how would you say that directing a play with musical elements differs from directing a musical or an opera? The show’s music is used both to replicate a music class setting and to trigger Maria’s memories of past moments in her life. We have great singers presenting incredible arias, but a master class setting is obviously very different than if the arias were presented in context. In a musical or opera, the rehearsal period is divided between musical preparation and staging, with the latter often occurring only after the music has been extensively rehearsed and memorized. A play comes together in a very different way, with the actors able to make different decisions on how to deliver the lines based on their colleagues, and the final product developing over the course of repetition in rehearsal. This same organic process takes place in opera and musical theatre staging to a certain extent, but the music informs a lot of what happens on stage.

What has you most excited about this production? The most exciting part for me is working with these incredibly talented people. This process allows me to continue to grow and develop as a director and as a person, all the while presenting an incredibly moving work with some fantastic music! Can’t wait to see it up on its feet!

Why should audiences come see this show? I really believe that this show has something for everyone. It is witty, inspiring, heartbreaking, and informative all at the same time. Opera singers, coaches, and directors will find themselves in a familiar setting, but everyone can identify with the universal themes of love, loss, sacrifice, hard work, and a search for meaning that will have you both laughing and in tears by the end of the work.

What else are you working on right now? I am currently music director for Fighting Chance Productions’ presentation of CATS by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which is playing both in White Rock and Vancouver, January 27th to March 12th. After that, I will be going back home to do some teaching. Several other projects in the works, but nothing that can be officially announced yet!

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Blogging Mariposa: Here we Indiegogo!

Hello world! I have a very exciting announcement to make today, but first, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fabulous round of auditions we just held. On November 21st, our panel saw (and heard) a wonderful array of actors, opera singers and musical theatre artists for our 2015-16 season. It was incredibly exciting to have what was essentially a many-hours-long private concert with some of the best talent the Lower Mainland has to offer. Callbacks for Master Class on the 30th were even more spectacular, and everyone made the decisions extremely hard; nevertheless, we’ll soon be ready to make our cast announcements, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, we have some other great news to share. As you know, we’re opening the Mariposa Theatre Wing in February, and to help make Opera Mariposa’s expansion a success we’ve decided to launch our first-ever Indiegogo campaign. In case you’re not familiar with Indiegogo, it’s an online fundraising platform that allows artists, inventors and humanitarians present their ideas directly to the public. Contributors from around the world donate to the best projects, and past Indiegogo campaigns have succeeded in raising millions of dollars for great causes.

Our campaign is launching today, and you can check it out by clicking here. To get our Theatre Wing off to a good start, we’ve set a funding goal of $5,000, with a stretch goal of $10,000 if we’re able to raise enough momentum. Compared to opera, the world of theatre has a lot of additional expenses: for example, most plays and musicals are still under copyright, so companies need to pay for performance rights and score rentals. $5k will help us cover the performance licence and scripts for Master Class, as well as the longer venue/tech rental period we need for a theatrical show run. If we’re able to reach our stretch goal of $10k, the additional funds will support our first MTW production in other ways, going towards things like costumes, props and publicity expenses.

As a thank-you to our Indiegogo supporters, we’re giving away all sorts of perks for donating. The goodies on offer include complimentary show tickets, autographed posters, free costume rentals, and even custom concerts by Mariposa performers! A number of these perks are limited-edition, so you’ll want to grab them before they’re gone – and if you know other people who’d be interested in our campaign (or in the nifty campaign video we just finished filming), be sure to spread the word!

We feel so blessed that Opera Mariposa has been able to grow year after year, and that so many generous individuals and organizations have lent their support to our productions. We’re thrilled to be embarking on this exciting expansion, and we look forward to seeing you in the audience at Master Class – and maybe online somewhere, supporting our Indiegogo campaign!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

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Blogging Mariposa: Awards, auditions and other exciting developments!

So much exciting news – where do I start? Since our last blog post, Mariposa artists have been honoured with amazing good fortune. We had a clean sweep at the Community Theatre Coalition Awards, with recurring OM baritone Jason Cook being named Best Actor in a Musical for Fighting Chance Productions’ Into the Woods and our managing director Robin Eder-Warren winning Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for FCP’s Little Women. Mariposa’s costumes earned a CTC Award for Into the Woods as well, and both Jason and Robin wowed the audience by performing at the awards ceremony. The excitement didn’t end there – just this month, Robin competed in the famous Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and walked away with the Met’s Encouragement Award. I couldn’t be more thrilled for my partner-in-crime, and we’d like to extend our congratulations to all the other winners!

 In between competitions and awards ceremonies, the Mariposites have been hard at work on our next two shows. We had a wonderful round of interviews with potential stage directors, and we’re excited to announce that our production of Master Class will be helmed by Adam Da Ros. Adam, who has directed for Burnaby Lyric Opera, the Halifax Summer Opera Festival and UBC, comes to us with a background rich in both opera and musical theatre. Some of his past projects include Madama Butterfly, The Marriage of Figaro, Fame, Rent, A Chorus Line and Singin’ In the Rain to name but a few. He’s currently working on two different Broadway shows in addition to Master Class, so we’re very lucky to have him on board!

Adam isn't the only director who's making his Mariposa debut this season. Writer, actor and director Dominique Wakeland will join us for our Broadway revue show People Like Us in May. Dominique’s diverse background includes oodles of experience in devised theatre, which will be a fantastic asset in bringing our own original show to life. Most recently Dom co-wrote, directed and performed in Tavey the Barefoot Knight, a new musical with the Burnaby Arts Council Summer Theatre Group. We can’t wait to see what this talented lady does with People Like Us!

Now that we’ve found the captains for our ships, we’re ready to sign up the crew. I’m pleased to announce that Opera Mariposa’s 2015-16 auditions will be on Saturday, November 21st. This year, we’re not only looking for opera singers, but actors and musical theatre artists as well. Of all the roles on offer, my personal favourite is probably Maria Callas in Master Class. This formidable, tempestuous, drop-dead funny character – based on the iconic real-life opera diva – has been brought to life by such stars such as Faye Dunaway, Tyne Daly, Zoe Caldwell and Patti LuPone. If you’re interested in Maria or any of the other roles, click here to learn more, and be sure to submit your headshot and resume to us by November 18th!

If you’re more of a theatre fan than a performer, remember that tickets are on sale now to both Master Class and People Like Us - and for the first time, we’re offering season passes. I have to dash now, but stay tuned for further developments. I can’t wait to meet all the amazing people who come out for our auditions – and then to share their talents with our audience!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

ABOUT | SCHEDULE | TICKETS | ARTISTS | PAST SHOWS | AUDITION | SUPPORT | COSTUMES | CONTACT

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Blogging Mariposa: Announcing our 2015-16 season!

Hello everyone! Here we are, on the brink of our fourth season – but before I announce our 2015-16 lineup, I’d like to offer special congratulations to a couple Mariposa artists. Repertory Concert Artist Jason Cook – known to Mariposa audiences as Dr. Malatesta from Don Pasquale (2013) and stage director for The Telephone (2014) – has just been nominated for the Community Theatre Coalition Award “Best Lead Actor in a Musical.” The nomination recognizes his dual role as Prince Charming and The Wolf in Into the Woods with Fighting Chance Productions. Meanwhile, our very own managing director Robin Eder-Warren is in the running for “Best Supporting Actress in a Musical” as Meg from FCP’s Little Women, while the Mariposa costume collection is being recognized with a “Best Costumes” nod for FCP’s Into the Woods. (Want to rent your own operatic finery? Click here to find out how.) The winners will be announced on September 19th, so keep your fingers crossed for our performers!

Now, onto the big news – namely, our upcoming season. For 2015-16, we’re thrilled to announce not only some great new productions, but an exciting expansion to Mariposa itself. This season, we are officially opening the Mariposa Theatre Wing. Running parallel with Opera Mariposa, the Mariposa Theatre Wing (MTW) will present plays and musicals with operatic themes, vibes or styles, highlighting more of the Pacific Northwest’s spectacular singers in wonderful new ways. Of course, we’ll still be presenting lots of opera – and in fact, our first-ever MTW production is nothing less than a theatrical tribute to the operatic life!

MTW will launch in February with ‪Master Class by Terrence McNally. This Tony Award-winning play centres on the legendary opera diva Maria Callas, and features music by Verdi, Puccini and Bellini. The show has been hailed by critics as a “total triumph” (New York Post) that “will be talked about for years to come whenever people point to theater experiences that genuinely deserve to be labeled by the overused word ‘great’” (The Hollywood Reporter). We can’t wait to bring this modern classic to Mariposa audiences, so click here to learn more, and stay tuned for further details about our production!‬‬‬

In May 2016, we will return to our annual charity event for chronic neuro-immune diseases with People Like Us‬. This original revue show frames modern musical theatre songs in an innovative new setting, as multiple characters (and Broadway shows) intersect on a single night in New York City. People Like Us will feature hit music performed by some of the Lower Mainland’s most exciting Broadway artists, and best of all, a portion of every ticket sale will benefit treatment and research for devastating chronic illnesses like Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.

Tickets for both shows are on sale now, and for the first time, we’re excited to offer season passes. Priced at only $35 each, a season ticket allows you to enjoy both Master Class and People Like Us for one low price – so grab your passes now to save up to 30% on admission, or visit the Mariposa ticket webpage to order individual tickets while there are still seats left.

2015-16 is shaping up to be a truly unforgettable season. I can’t wait to see you in the audience!

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director

ABOUT | SCHEDULE | TICKETS | ARTISTS | PAST SHOWS | AUDITION | SUPPORT | COSTUMES | CONTACT

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Blogging Mariposa: Thank you all for a fabulous third season!

How time flies! It’s been a busy spring, with many exciting firsts for Opera Mariposa. In March we made our debut with the City of Richmond’s Minoru Chapel Opera series, kicking off their spring season with our costumed concert From Wolfgang to Wagner. In April, we launched our new Repertory Concert Artist Program with a performance at the German Canadian Care Home – more on that later – and from there, we dived straight into Tour de Force, our season finale of Broadway showstoppers. 

As most of you know, Opera Mariposa has performed an annual charity show since our very first season. Tour de Force was a benefit for the National ME/FM Action Network, but more than that, it was a rollercoaster ride through some of musical theatre’s most epic, scene-stealing moments. Review Vancouver hailed the performance as “spell-binding,” “awe-inspiring” and “phenomenal,” and the show was greeted with a packed house and a standing ovation. It was fantastic to see so many people join us in honour of chronic neuro-immune disease awareness, and we can’t thank everyone enough for supporting the show!

Besides the efforts of our fabulous cast and crew – not to mention Mariposa’s indefatigable volunteers – we were lucky enough to receive the assistance of local companies such as Brown Paper Tickets, Choices Markets, Colour Time, Dancey Studios, Fighting Chance Productions, Mark 1 Hair Fashions & Aesthetics, Michelle Doherty Photography, Neetu Sahota Professional Makeup Artistry, the Phoenix Chamber Choir, The Opera Project and more. Thanks to them, we were able to give away more than two thousand dollars in raffle prizes to Tour de Force audience members, and the show succeeded in raising over $7,600 for the National ME/FM Action Network. That brings our charity fundraising total to over $30,000 in the last three years – something that would never have been possible without the time, talents and generosity of so many people!

It was an unforgettable way to conclude our third season. At the end of the show, we were proud to announce our newest endeavour: the Repertory Concert Artist Program, an expansion to Opera Mariposa’s array of opportunities for emerging artists. The RCA Program brings talented young performers out into the community for a year-round array of commissioned concerts. The program kicked off in April with Opera Spectacular, a masquerade-themed evening of opera classics for the residents of the German Canadian Care Home. We already have more concerts lined up – and if you want to find out how to book your very own Mariposa performance, be sure to get in touch!

Besides our RCA events, we’ll spend the summer preparing for our fourth season. Our costumes and props departments will be hard at work creating beautiful costumes – which are now available for rent, by the way! – while we work on the exciting shows we have planned for 2015/16. Stay tuned for the official season announcement – and until then, huge thanks from the Mariposa team for helping to make our third year such a success! 

Jacqueline Ko Artistic Director