I’m back home after a quick couple of concerts in Canada! This past month was a little hectic to say the least! After finishing L’Orfeo in Zürich, I had a 24 hour trip back home to Paris… mostly to retrieve my gowns and suit for the upcoming concerts. I said “hello” to my apartment, gave it a quick clean, and was off to Canada for three weeks!

First stop: Concerts Lachine performing Sesto in Handel’s Giulio Cesare. Lachine is situated just outside of Montreal, Quebec. I had performed Messiaen’s Harawi there two years prior and was happy to return. Moreover, I was thrilled to perform with my partner, Jean-Philippe Mc Clish for the first time since we were university students 8 years ago! Our little dog, Tanji, was welcome to rehearsals so the whole family was there! Tanji amazes us every day with how well-behaved he is and these rehearsals were the proof! This 1 year old good-boi sat quietly in his carrier and slept the whole time! We’re always so grateful to work in dog-friendly companies and it gives him a great opportunity to be exposed to hectic rehearsal environments, in which he is thriving. 🐩

Ensemble Caprice was incredible to work with along with our conductor, Mattias Maute. Our rehearsal period was short (3 rehearsal days total), but it was easy to piece everything together since everyone knew their part so well. Despite preparing well, I ALWAYS feel impostor syndrome when it comes to early music (see my last blog). There are so many incredible musicians who dedicate their craft to this style and era. Handel always feels like foreign territory to me, even though I’ve performed it a number of times already. Perhaps it will take more time and growth to feel a sense of ownership. Time will tell…

The performance of Cesare went well! I love performing to engaged audiences and Lachine was with us the entire time! Mo. Maute was an engaging MC, our artistic director, Richard Turp, gave a great pre-performance lecture and our cast was beyond superb! In this show, I was especially chuffed to perform with my good friend, Rose Naggar-Tremblay, with whom I went to McGill. Despite having known one another for 10 years, we had never performed together! I have such great respect for her artistry, honesty and generosity. We sang one of my favourite duets of all time and it was a season highlight for me. You could say I was a happy lil’ mezzo. 😊

Overall, the performance went really well and the reception was fantastic. My only wish is that we could do it all again!

After saying our goodbyes in Lachine, I headed to Ontario for the Toronto Summer Music Festival. It was a quick turnaround from the Cesare, so I had to make sure my repertoire was memorised and prepared well before my trip to Canada began. The majority of this repertoire was soprano fach… I cannot stress enough how much practice it took to get these four songs into my voice comfortably! 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

This concert had a wide interpretation of Viennese music as it went from Mozart to Operetta (though not so far as to include Schoenberg and Webern). When in discussion with artistic director, Jonathan Crow, he wanted a chamber-like piece with small orchestra, piano or any variation between the two. I recalled something on my bucket-list that felt like the PERFECT fit for this program: “Ch’io mi scordi di te?” by Mozart. This is a 10-minute concert aria, best described as a stand-alone breakup song. Jonathan loved the idea and it was in the program! The rest of my set would be Viennese operetta by Lehar, Kalman and Strauss.

My goal with this performance was to have fun and spread joy. In the first half, I wore an emerald green gown to suit the Mozart. No gimmicks, just incredible playing from Jonathan Yam on solo piano and with Jonathan Crow leading the TSM Chamber Orchestra. The second section, however, I wanted to bring out the pizzazz! I dawned a flowy red gown, wore a mask, used a hairpiece so I could let my hair down quickly, and a borrowed a fan from some friends. I wanted to dance, go on the floor, sit with Jonathan Yam at the piano, and engage directly with people out in the audience. My dress was a perfect spinning dress, too… maybe too good… so good that my father graciously told me that I flashed the audience! 🤦‍♀️ I have no recollection of my undergarments that day! I have no idea what everyone saw… maybe it’s better that it remains a mystery to me… Ugh. That wasn’t the only mishap, either! My mask got caught in the hairpiece, so I had to let my hair down at the same time as taking off my mask making for a sub-par reveal!

All that said, it still remained to be such a fun concert with the dancing, storytelling and incredibly warm audience. I was thrilled to see so many familiar faces. My family later told me they spoke with audience members who had been following my career since they saw me in 2016 when I participated in the COC Studio Competition! I’m beyond grateful for such incredible support from a city that I love. 🥰

We encored with Strauss’ “Morgen”, which begins with an intimate violin solo. I’ve admired Jonathan Crow’s playing and this is a testament to his artistry: One of the privileges I have from concert halls stage is I can see when people start to wipe away tears. As soon as Jonathan began playing, I saw people begin wiping their tears. He is truly incredible. This marked the last year with him as artistic director of TSM and it felt like such an honour to be a part in one of his final performances of his tenure.

In summary, these past few weeks were very fast-paced but deeply fulfilling. I’m always thrilled to be back in Canada and love to reconnect with my home country! I’ve since come back my other home, Paris, and preparing the next three contracts that all fall within three weeks of each other: Adalgisa (Norma), Ugo D’Asti (Dalinda) and Dorabella (Cosí fan tutte)! Wish me luck!

Until next time!

~ Simone ❤️

Handel, Fans, and Gimmicks Galore!

My first little blog…