Inside Vancouver Opera
Inside Vancouver Opera is a unique backstage glimpse into the world of Vancouver Opera. Join us as we chat with opera experts, artists, Vancouver Opera staff and others to explore the world of opera on and off the stage. This podcast offers an insider’s glimpse into the artistry, experiences, and perspectives of the talent involved in taking breathtaking opera productions from the page to the stage. Add us on these popular services! New episodes can be found on Anchor.fm, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Deezer, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, and Listen Notes. For those listening from the US, we’re also available now on Pandora! New episodes are posted as they release on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter; so continue the discussion on social media with our hashtag #InsideVO!
Latest Episodes
May 1, 2026 | Episode 94
The Man Who's Sung Opera 168 Times
Today we're joined by a legendary member of the Vancouver Opera Chorus, Don Wright. We discuss his family's legacy, the life of a chorus singer, the importance of opera in education, and memorable moments from a lifetime in the art form.
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Don Wright - Chorister, Vancouver Opera Chorus Ashley Daniel Foot - Host & Creator, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Apr 25, 2026 | Episode 93
The Woman Puccini Erased So You'd Cry Harder
Mimì is one of opera's most beloved heroines. Gentle. Luminous. Dying beautifully in a Parisian garret while the orchestra swells around her. She was also, in Henri Murger's source novel, a fickle, materialistic flirt her lover described as being "wedded to a thunderstorm." A gadabout. Complicated. Inconvenient. Not particularly easy to mourn. Puccini made a decision. You've been feeling the consequences ever since. In this episode, host Ashley Daniel Foot sits down with Vancouver Opera's researcher and editor Jane Potter — the creative force behind our composer series for the past three years — to pull apart the opera everyone thinks they know. They cover the missing act that explains Rodolfo's jealous rage. The real woman Puccini erased to create his heroine. The two source characters — Francine and Mademoiselle Mimì — whose DNA got merged into the figure we recognize. The Viscount nobody talks about. They also go deep on Kevin Ng's essay Beautiful Deaths: How La Bohème Transformed Tuberculosis into Art — tracking how consumption went from epidemic catastrophe to aristocratic beauty standard, from Lord Byron to Rent to Moulin Rouge!, and how Puccini wrote the disease's physical reality directly into the music itself. Plus: the 1896 premiere critics who called it "a momentary error" and suggested Puccini return to the straight road before further damage was done. The audience that sold out 24 performances that same month. And Benjamin Britten, who in 1951 delivered the greatest backhanded opera critique of the 20th century. La Bohème runs April 25 through May 3 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets at vancouveropera.ca. Kevin Ng's essay Beautiful Deaths is available now on the Inside Vancouver Opera Substack.
Apr 20, 2026 | Episode 92
Jonathan Darlington: What Happens Before the Downbeat
Maestro Jonathan Darlington on Puccini, broken batons, being mistaken for Richard Gere in elevators, and why La Bohème will undo you — every time. Learn More
Mar 31, 2026 | Episode 91
The Instrument That Never Stops Ringing
Today we are joined by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra's Principal Harpist, Janelle Nadeau. In this episode we explore the versatile and ancient art of the harp, Janelle's journey with the instrument, and the unique beauty of live performance.
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Janelle Nadeau - Principal Harpist, Vancouver Opera Orchestra Ashley Daniel Foot - Host & Creator, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Mar 28, 2026 | Episode 90
Rachel Fenlon: The Soprano Who Accompanies Herself
She walks onto the stage, acknowledges the audience, and gestures toward the piano. There is no one there. Soprano and pianist Rachel Fenlon has spent the last several years doing something almost unthinkable in classical music — accompanying herself. Singing and playing at once. Not as a gimmick, but as a complete artistic philosophy that has taken her from Vancouver to Berlin to the stages of Europe, and to a debut album — Winterreise — that became the first self-accompanied recording of Schubert's cycle. It was named Album of the Week by both CBC Canada and BBC Radio 3. Critics called it extraordinary. And it started with grief, isolation, and a very quiet voice she decided to follow. Now she's coming home — to the Kay Meek Arts Centre in West Vancouver on April 12 — and we sat down with her to talk about solitude, risk, what it costs to hold everything yourself, and what it feels like when it finally disappears. Rachel Fenlon performs at the Kay Meek Arts Centre, April 12. Tickets here. Learn More
Mar 6, 2026 | Episode 89
Nicole Lamb and the Invisible Art of Making Opera
Nicole Lamb is Vancouver Opera’s Director of Artistic and Production. For the last few seasons, she’s been one of the key people deciding what you see on stage and how it all comes together, from season planning and artistic teams to the thousand invisible choices about budget, time, and people that make an opera actually happen.
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Nicole Lamb - Guest, Director of Artistic and Production at Vancouver Opera Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Mar 4, 2026 | Episode 88
Paul Wells on Journalism, Politics, and Why the Arts Matter
Veteran Canadian journalist Paul Wells joins Inside Vancouver Opera for a wide-ranging conversation about journalism, politics, and the role the arts play in shaping public life. For decades, Wells has been one of the country’s most thoughtful political writers, known for his long-form analysis and deep historical perspective on Canadian politics. In this conversation, he reflects on his early days writing about jazz, his years covering Parliament Hill, and his move to independent journalism on Substack. Wells also discusses the origins of The Paul Wells Road Show, a live event that brings together politics, culture, and conversation. On March 20, the Road Show arrives in Vancouver in partnership with Vancouver Opera, featuring BC Premier David Eby, journalist Richard Zussman, former federal minister James Moore, CBC political podcaster Rachel Siegel, and renowned forest ecologist Suzanne Simard. Along the way, Wells shares why he believes the arts are essential to civic life and why culture often reveals more about society than politics alone.
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🎙 Hosted by Ashley Daniel Foot, Director of Engagement and Civic Practice at Vancouver Opera. Learn More
Feb 16, 2026 | Episode 87
Brandon Thornhill on Ebony Roots and Black History in Vancouver
Brandon Thornhill joins Inside Vancouver Opera during Black History Month to discuss Ebony Roots, his concert celebrating 300 years of Black music. From spirituals to Soul, he reflects on identity, opera, representation, and what it means to sing Black history in Vancouver.
Feb 14, 2026 | Episode 86
How Dean Burry Makes Opera Belong to Children
Today we’re joined by Canadian composer Dean Burry, whose operas for young audiences have been performed across Canada and beyond. His works include The Brothers Grimm, The Hobbit, and today’s focus, The Bremen Town Musicians, an immersive opera created especially for elementary students.
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Dean Burry - Guest Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Feb 5, 2026 | Episode 85
Surviving Misogyny: Despina and the Women of Così fan tutte
In this special episode we delve into the intricate dynamics of Così fan tutte and its portrayal of women. We explore the role of Despina as a voice of realism amidst the comedic facade and how the opera reflects societal attitudes towards women and relationships during the Enlightenment era.
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Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator Mack McGillivray - Audio Editor Ashley Daniel Foot - Producer Barry Ekko - Cover Illustration Learn More
Jan 31, 2026 | Episode 84
Behind the Costumes of Così fan tutte: A Conversation with Designer Donnie Tejani
A behind-the-scenes conversation with costume designer Donnie Tejani, who brings the world of Così fan tutte to life for Vancouver Opera. We explore how costumes shape character, how disguise functions in Mozart’s comedy, what happens inside a modern costume shop, and how designers balance artistry, budgets, and practicality in today’s opera landscape. Learn More
Jan 28, 2026 | Episode 83
Tracy Dahl on How to Sing Mozart
Tracy Dahl discusses her illustrious career as coloratura soprano, her role as Despina in Così fan tutte, and evolution of vocal techniques.
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Tracy Dahl - Guest Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Jan 18, 2026 | Episode 82
'Così fan tutte' in the Age of Consent
In this episode we're joined by music journalist Kevin Ng and Vancouver Opera's Jane Potter to explore the complexities of Mozart's most dangerous comedy, Così fan tutte.
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Kevin Ng - Guest Jane Potter - Guest Barry Ekko - Artwork Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Jan 8, 2026 | Episode 81
People Are Like That
Inside Così fan tutte with Rob Herriot and Les Dala — laughter, honesty, and a Canadian reimagining.
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Host: Ashley Daniel Foot Guests: Rob Herriot, Les Dala Podcast: Inside Vancouver Opera Produced by: Vancouver Opera Music excerpts courtesy of Vancouver Opera Audio editing by Mack McGillivray Learn More
Dec 20, 2025 | Episode 80
A Life in the Light: Bruce Munro Wright and the Philosophy of the Custodian
Some people shape culture from center stage, others shape it by showing up early, staying late, and standing just out of the light. Our guest today has built a life inside that second kind of work. Bruce Munro Wright is a former chair of Vancouver Opera, the Vancouver Opera Foundation, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. He is a nationally important collector of Canadian art and a recipient of the Order of British Columbia.
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Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Nov 25, 2025 | Episode 79
What We Build When We Listen
Amanda Burrows, Executive Director of First United, on why art and advocacy are “so intertwined” in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
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Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Oct 16, 2025 | Episode 78
Verdi: Freedom, Sacrifice, and the Price of Art
In this special episode, Jane Potter brings Verdi’s world to life through the story of Rigoletto, a work born out of controversy, courage, and the fight for artistic freedom.
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Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Lyndon Ladeur - Voice of Gioachino Rossini Mihnea Nitu - Voice of Giuseppe Verdi Richard Wolfe - Voice of Victor Hugo Learn More
Oct 9, 2025 | Episode 77
Glynis Leyshon on Why Opera Still Matters—And Why It Might Just Save Us
Few artists have shaped Canadian theatre and opera as profoundly as Glynis Leyshon, who now brings her formidable imagination to Vancouver Opera’s new production of Rigoletto, re-set in Victorian London, a place where masks, privilege, and secrecy hold sway.
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Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Oct 6, 2025 | Episode 76
“A Star Danced”: In conversation with Bard on the Beach Artistic Director Christopher Gaze
He's one of the city's greatest voices on stage, on air, and lately at City Hall. Today we're joined by Christopher Gaze, actor, advocate, and the visionary force behind Bard on the Beach.
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Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Sept 27, 2025 | Episode 75
“If You Can Speak, You Can Sing”
Composer, producer, and traditional singer from the Lil’wat Nation, Russell Wallace speaks about the influence of his mother, the language inside his music, and why singing together gives him hope.
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Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera Tim Matheson - Cover Photo Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera Learn More
Series Overview:
Credits
Vancouver Opera Offstage Host & Co-Producer: Leslie Dala Vancouver Opera Co-Producer & Editor: Vincent Wong Vancouver Opera Offstage logo design: Annie Mack Season 01 | Episode 30 Episode Recorded: Tuesday, July 12, 2021 Episode interviews are recorded entirely remotely using Zoom and hosted on Anchor.fm (Originally on Buzzsprout). Cover photo by Matt Botsford on Unsplash Podcast opening and closing music: “Habanera” from Carmen. Sung by Jenny Lee Mitchell. Habanera Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
