Opera becomes a genuine laboratory, where music, theatre and teamwork come together.
For Christiane Riel, professor and co-ordinator of the opera course, this dynamic is key to the learning enterprise. “The whole performance section springs into action to tell a story together,” she says.
Every year, students enrolled in the opera course work alongside musicians of the University of Ottawa Orchestra and various vocal ensembles. This exercise is more than a collaboration. It immerses students in professional-like conditions, where listening and teamwork are an integral part of the process.
A program that develops on stage... and in a team
At the University of Ottawa, opera isn’t just learning to sing. Rehearsals become a real laboratory where essential skills are developed: listening, adaptability, artistic risk taking and the ability to react to on-stage partners.
“Students must come to rehearsals without preconceptions, and keep an open mind. Otherwise impulses and reactions are biased, frozen, in both the acting and the vocal interpretation,” says Riel.
Training takes a holistic view of performance. Vocal work is closely tied to stage acting, movement and, depending on the project, dance. On stage, these practices aren’t simply added one to another — they influence, adjust to and transform each other through interaction.
Dialogue and trust have a key role in the creative process. “You have to learn to be able to easily say ‘I don’t understand’ and not keep it to yourself. Otherwise, you’ll get nowhere,” says Riel. In this collaborative setting, artistic inspiration often comes from exchanges and by accident.
Exploring creativity and the art instinct
Program productions become spaces for exploration where trainees take on varied repertoires and develop their creativity. Through these on-stage projects, they learn to work with music, text, movement and theatrical performance.
“When we accept the unexpected on stage, the art instinct is awoken,” says Riel.
“We prepare artists who can reinvent themselves, who have learned to work with others and to be present for what may emerge on stage or elsewhere.”
Christiane Riel
— Professor and co-ordinator of the opera course
This process of artistic exploration helps students better understand their vocal instrument, their on-stage presence and their relationship with the other performers. The experience trains artists able to adapt and evolve in various creative settings.
Paths that continue beyond university
Experience with the Opera Ensemble often supports graduates well beyond their time in school.
Over the years, many program alumni have pursued careers on operatic stages nationally and internationally. Soprano Joyce El Khoury, for example, now has an international career, while Miriam Khalil and Pascale Beaudin are known for their highly creative artistic paths, particularly in the vocal and baroque musical repertoire.
Other graduates have appeared on major stages and with well-known companies. Joel Allison has sung with the Canadian Opera Company and the Deutsche Oper Berlin, while Tessa Fackelmann has been involved with prestigious programming from the likes of the Santa Fe Opera, the Wolf Trap Opera and the Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique. More recently, James Coole-Stevenson was named a Rebanks Family fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School, and has done well in national competitions.
The program doesn’t only lead to the opera stage. Some graduates choose musical theatre, like Alyssa Curto, who has taken part in many productions in Canada.
Jordanne Erichsen established one of the leading vocal schools in Montreal, Express Voice Studio. Valérie Poisson is a founder of the Opéra de Trois-Rivières. Meanwhile, Emili Losier has combined an active singing career with community engagement as executive director of the Ottawa Children’s Choir.
For Riel, these careers are a good illustration of the program’s goal: to train artists who can function in varied settings and contribute to musical and cultural life. “We prepare artists who can reinvent themselves, who have learned to work with others and to be present for what may emerge on stage or elsewhere.”
