Young talent shines at Lyric Opera

By Dan Hilborn
Published Feb. 15, 2006


When Andrew Greenwood was a 21-year-old rookie firefighter working in the northern B.C. town of Fort St. John, he sang in the local community choir in an attempt to keep himself busy during his off hours.

When he landed a job with the Vancouver Fire Department several years later, Greenwood also enrolled part-time at the Academy of Music and began taking small parts in a variety of local madrigal and other singing groups.

Quickly gaining recognition as one of the most talented male singers in the province, Greenwood had the opportunity of a lifetime when, in 2001, he was invited to perform two of the most beloved operas of all time - La Traviata and Carmen - with the Prague State Opera.

This month, Greenwood will play the male lead of Count Danilo in the rollicking Burnaby Lyric Opera production of The Merry Widow, running from Feb. 25 to March 4 at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.

Some might think that after two successful tours of Europe, including performances in Switzerland and Spain, that Greenwood might be finished with his work in small venues. But that would be just too easy, especially in the intriguing world of operatic production.

And that's exactly why Burnaby Lyric Opera exists, says Linda Marie James, the president of the board of directors of the small opera company that arrived at the Shadbolt Centre eight years ago.

"We are here to give young students the opportunity to sing opera," said James. "Our goal is to be a professional intermediate opera company. That means we fill the void after students graduate from UBC and before they move onto careers of their own."

This year, Burnaby Lyric Opera has chosen one of the most accessible, humorous and (in typical operetta fashion) ribald stories in the genre.

Franz Lehar's story, penned exactly 100 years ago, follows the trials and tribulations that beset the bureaucracy of the tiny fictitious European state of Pontevedro, after its richest widow makes plans to leave the country, taking her fortune with her.

Sheila Christie, who has performed in six operas since receiving her masters in musical performance from UBC, plays Hanna Glawari, the woman at the centre of the great controversy.

Greenwood, who has performed in five previous Burnaby Lyric Opera productions, said his work at the Shadbolt has been an invaluable aid to his singing career.

"Living in this part of the world, you can't do this (sing opera) full-time. You have to get out of town, or the very least have the flexibility to travel," said Greenwood, who counts himself fortunate to have an understanding employer.

"If this was Germany, a city the size of Burnaby would have its own opera house, and we'd be doing two operas a month, plus a ballet or an orchestral show," he said.

Professional singers in Europe typically get their start as contract employees of a local production company, meaning they work full-time on a variety of shows, complete with pension funds and other benefits.

Greenwood, whose wife Jennifer sings in the Vancouver Opera Company chorus, admits there was a time when he was tempted to move to Europe. "That was before we had the kids, of course," he said.

And James said that highlights another major difference between Burnaby Lyric Opera and the other, lesser known, small opera companies that occasionally pop up across the Lower Mainland.

"What we do is we pay them," said James, who volunteers her time so that others can earn money. "We hire equity singers and we pay them equity rates."

James said a single production can cost upwards of $60,000, meaning Burnaby Lyric Opera would not be able to operate without the assistance of the City of Burnaby and their staff at the Shadbolt Centre.

And the company has helped to propel several young opera singers into the North American limelight. Lambroula Maria Pappas, a Burnaby native, was a recent winner at the Metropolitan Opera Competition in New York, and played the title role in Pacific Opera Victoria's recent staging of The Cunning Little Vixen.

Last year, another Burnaby native, Ariana Sovernigo, won the lead role in Lyric Opera's well-reviewed production of The Marriage of Figaro.

And none of those careers would have come about without the assistance of a core group of volunteers, such as James, who devote their time and energy to the continuation and improvement of opera music in our midst.

"The reason I am so passionate about our young singers is that I was there once, and I know how difficult it is to have a career or to find the experience," James said. "It's about being able to work at your craft instead of having to work at the day job - the infamous day job."

The Merry Widow, starring Sheila Christie and Andrew Greenwood, runs at 8 p.m., Feb. 25, March 2 and 4, and at 2 p.m., Feb. 27 and March 1 at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. For tickets, call the Shadbolt box office at 604-205-3000.