OPERA FOR A SUNDAY AFTERNOON
BURNABY LYRIC OPERA
and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts
present
“Behind the Curtain”
Catherine Thornsley, Taryn Plater, and Richard Epp
Burnaby Lyric Opera is proud to present soprano Catherine Thornsley and mezzo-soprano Taryn Plater, together with pianist Richard Epp in our Sunday Afternoon Concert Series. Join us for a musical afternoon deconstructing opera favourites as Catherine, Taryn, and Richard take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of dramatic motifs, vocal technique, and artistic interpretation.
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2025
3:00 PM
Tickets: $20
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts
Studio 103, 6450 Deer Lake Avenue, Deer Lake Park, Burnaby
BOX OFFICE: 604-205-3000We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.
Our Performances & Concerts
Each year in an opera season, Burnaby Lyric Opera produces one fully-staged, costumed opera and a Concert Series entitled, “Opera for a Sunday Afternoon”. There are four Concerts in a season and each of these Concerts are on a Sunday afternoon in October, November, April and June. The Concerts present “Highlights” from a specific opera. These “Highlights” are presented in a 75 to 80 minute version of the opera’s most memorable music, sung in the original language and interspersed with a spoken English narration. BLO also produces a touring show of free outdoor summer concerts sponsored by the City of Burnaby. These shows also present young operatic singers from British Columbia on the threshold of their careers.
PAST PERFORMANCES
Le Nozze di Figaro
From the opening notes, Mozart’s masterpiece is filled with lively characters meeting life’s unexpected twists and challenges with humour, grace and poignancy, all the while singing some of the most glorious music ever written. Stage Director Richard Berg and Music Director Richard Epp worked their magic on “Le Nozze di Figaro” (“The Marriage of Figaro”) together with the best of B.C.’s young professional opera singers and Burnaby Lyric Opera’s production team in Feb 2025.
La Bohème
La Bohème is a beloved classic and one of the brightest stars in Giacomo Puccini’s repertoire. This musical masterpiece is a timeless tale of love, loss, deception and heart-break, with glorious music as only Puccini could write. It stands the test of time as one of the most popular operas ever performed and came to life again with Burnaby Lyric Opera’s production team and the best of B.C.’s operatic talent in April 2024.
GIANNI SCHICCHI & PAGLIACCI
Two musical masterpieces came to life with Burnaby Lyric Opera’s production team and the best of B.C.’s young professional opera singers in March 2023. The first short opera features Puccini’s one-act comic tour de force, “Gianni Schicchi”; a story of greedy relatives fighting over the will of their recently deceased wealthy patriarch, Buoso Donatti, only to be tricked out of their inheritance by the ingenious scheming of Gianni Schicchi.
The second opera portrays the tragedy of “Pagliacci”, Leoncavallo’s celebrated and heartbreaking story of Canio, the clown who makes people laugh, while he himself is suffering.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
A tragic story of a beautiful young geisha, Cio-Cio-San who falls in love and marries B.F. Pinkerton, an American naval lieutenant. Shortly after their wedding Pinkerton returns to America, and three long years pass as Cio-Cio-San raises their son and faithfully awaits Pinkerton’s return. When he finally returns, it is to take his son back to America with him. Puccini’s magnificent music soars throughout this heartbreaking story of love, betrayal, and the clashing of two cultures in the late 1890’s. Madama Butterfly is one of the world’s most popular operas and has some of the most beautiful music ever written, including the famous aria “Un Bel Di” and the unforgettable Love Duet. Burnaby Lyric Opera’s production team and the best of BC’s young opera singers brought this “must see” opera to life at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in February, 2020.