Happy National Opera Week

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Ten Questions With... Tenor Marcus Haddock Believes in the Geneva Conventions and Rocks Out to Whitesnake

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I'm in awe of opera singers. Being tone deaf and born with a lousy voice, unable to act or follow simple directions, I'm amazed by what they do on stage. And then they do it over and over again, night after night, city after city, with a new cast, new audience and new orchestra. I'm also surprised how they can be contradictions of sorts and I remember a singer we had a few seasons back -- quite excellent and world renowned -- who confided in me they hated opera, and then proceeded to give me his best Homer Simpson snoring-on-the-couch impression. It was quite good. While I don't exactly share his sentiments, it was suprising to hear this. Enter tenor Marcus Haddock . Marcus makes his Company debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca next season. Marcus isn't your stereotypical opera singer although he loves to sing. He also loves to ride his motorcycle. And he listens to Whitesnake (yes, that's them above -- back in the day when rock was big and hair was even bigger). I li...
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The Birdcatcher Yes I Am

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We here at Aria Serious love irony. Even more so when it is delicious irony. So we love the new Red Bull commercial although we're just as surprised as you are that we used delicious and Red Bull in the same paragraph. This commercial consists of a cat licking his chops and flossing his gums while Mozart's "Der Vogelfanger Bin Ich Ja " from The Magic Flute plays in the background. This is Papageno's (the bird catcher) aria, a fact lost to probably 99% of the people who've seen this commercial. Of course, I personally think Papageno is one of the creepiest characters in all of opera so I like to think the cat has eaten Papageno, which makes the commercial even more delightful for me. Enjoy! - Edward
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Pop Star to Opera Star

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We here at Aria Serious are torn by the news that ITV in the UK is filming a new reality series called "Pop Star to Opera Star" where pop stars will tackle the operatic repertoire while being mentored by Katherine Jenkins and Rolando Villazon. While we here at Aria Serious love to see our favorite art form on prime time TV, we're also concerned that this lowers the artistic standard. In a Company that prides itself in attracting the best talent possible, do shows like this undermine our work or is it a much needed breath of fresh air? One thing the show has going for it - Meatloaf (the singer, not the leftovers in your fridge) will be a judge. You can read about it here .
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