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.

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 Brementown Musicians, an immersive opera created especially for elementary students.

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Episode Credits:

Dean Burry - Guest

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera

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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Episode Credits:

Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator

Mack McGillivray - Audio Editor

Ashley Daniel Foot - Producer

Barry Ekko - Cover Illustration

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.

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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Episode Credits:

Tracy Dahl - Guest

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera

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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Episode Credits:

Kevin Ng - Guest

Jane Potter - Guest

Barry Ekko - Artwork

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mozart’s Così fan tutte is often described as light, mischievous, even trivial. But sit with it — really sit with it — and it reveals itself as one of opera’s most psychologically perceptive works.

In this episode of Inside Vancouver Opera, host Ashley Daniel Foot is joined by stage director Rob Herriot and Vancouver Opera’s Associate Music Director and conductor Les Dala to explore a distinctly Canadian production of Così fan tutte, originally created at Manitoba Opera and now remounted in Vancouver.

Set in the early 1930s at an elegant hotel on the edge of the Canadian wilderness, this staging features Mounties, waltzing log drivers, and a visual world inspired by Canadian film and National Film Board imagery. But beneath the wit and theatrical charm lies something deeper: Mozart’s refusal to lie. Even when his characters disguise themselves, role-play, or betray one another, the music tells the truth.

Rob and Les reflect on trusting the score, the humanity of the characters, the generosity — and ambiguity — of the opera’s ending, and why Così fan tutte remains one of the most honest works Mozart ever wrote. It’s an episode about laughter, contradiction, and what it means to recognize ourselves in the mess.

• Why Così fan tutte may be Mozart’s most human opera

• How this Canadian production originated at Manitoba Opera

• Trusting the music as psychological truth

• Reframing Così beyond its controversial title

• Why the ending sounds forgiving — even when nothing is fully resolved

• How humour becomes a gateway for new audiences

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

Vancouver Opera presents Così fan tutte

📅 February 7, 12 & 15

📍 Queen Elizabeth Theatre

🎟 Tickets & info: Vancouver Opera

What You’ll Hear in This EpisodeProduction & CreditsTickets & More

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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Episode Credits:

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera