threesixfive: may

my may photo mosaic here or on flickr.

enjoy.

summer begins now

my pretty awesome weekend in pictures...


dining with ze tres posh people in west vancouver. a million dollar waterfront view. and us in our t-shirts, jeans, sneaks, capris and ballet flats.


make way for the sunbathing geese of white pine beach. geese are so cute. oh, how they like to mingle with the kidlets.


next time we'll have to remember to bring the sunblock. but at least we brought our picnic.



it's not officially summer yet, but it's definitely in the air.

adventures. (mini) roadtrips. sanctuary. these words make me tingle inside.

can not wait for more days like these...

young & free in the sun

i don't like mangos, but i do like the song, mango tree, by australia's angus and julia stone.



the video is purr-fect because it's how i think of summer adventures from my little girl's mind's eye. languid, leisurely, folkie, romantic. fun in the sun. sunlight streaming through treetops. mini road trip adventures with your favourite person in the world.

the video reminds me of when my dad used to shoot videos of me and my brothers when we were kids running around outside playing. soundless film with that 70s colour-rific film. (i really must get my brother to find a bulb for the projector or get these reels of film transferred to dvd or something). lots of cute, goofy and i'm sure blackmailable footage that can be used against me today. it doesn't matter that these projector reels had no audio like today's digital videocams; it makes it that much more special and nostalgic somehow.

even just listening to the song, mango tree is beautifully simple and simply beautiful. it makes me want to lay on a hammock and gently sway from side to side whilst under the cover of leafy shade above.

it's going to be a wonderful summer.

Top 10 Fridays: Modern Opera Houses

sydney opera house is one of the most iconic and recognizable buildings in the world. the opera house, completed in 1973, broke the mold and paved the way for modern design principles now being applied to opera houses around the world.

just because opera is a "traditional" artform, that doesn't mean opera houses have to look neo-classical or baroque. no longer do opera houses have to have all the gilt, frescoed ceilings, chandeliers and other accoutrements.

it's okay to look progressive or futuristic. in fact, it absolutely rocks. why blend in when you can stand out?

to launch our first weekly top 10 feature, here's our picks for 10 modern opera houses (in no particular order).


"the armadillo" aka wales millenium centre
cardiff, wales


göteborgsoperan aka gothenburg opera
gothenburg, sweden


kansallisooppera aka the finnish national opera
helsinki, finland


opera de arame aka wire opera house
curitiba, brazil


el palau de les arts reina sofía aka queen sofia palace of the arts
valencia, spain


palace of peace and reconciliation
astana, kazakhstan


oslo opera house
oslo, norway


esplanade-theatres by the bay
singapore city, singapore


"the egg" aka national centre for the performing arts
beijing, china


operaen aka copenhagen opera house
copenhagen, denmark

so which modern opera house do you think rocks the most?

kaleidoscopic (eno) vation

record producer and visual artist brian eno has curated a multimedia festival in sydney, australia called luminous. the inaugural festival, which runs from may 26-june 14, will feature musical acts such as ladytron, workshops, art and light installations.



eno's masterpiece, 77 million paintings, will be projected on the sydney opera house's sails in the evenings.

"using 'self-generating' software, three hundred of eno's hand-drawn images are cut-up, rearranged and realigned to produce infinite variations. completely random, entirely original, constantly evolving, the results come to life on luminous screens in a brilliant display of colour, shape and form." - luminous

the mesmerizing and meditative light installation is to provoke "visual ecstasy" and "heightened calm".

it also serves as an important reminder for humans to hold onto our powers of imagination especially in times of global crisis and concerns.

"this is the time for imagining and the way we learn to imagine, one of the ways we learn to imagine, is through the experience of art. the human ability to imagine made people capable of surviving." - eno

so applause to this innovator and visionary. this is the ultimate feel-good outdoor party lightshow. this is why ipods were invented. just put those buds in your ears and press play.

the 3 Fs: friendship, football and fashion

another british movie that i'll just have to wait patiently for to be released in north america:



based on the cult novel by kevin sampson, awaydays was released in the uk on may 22. a rite-of-passage movie set in 1979 liverpool, it follows 2 teenagers as they try to escape the daily drudgery of their lives through sex, drugs, rock n roll, nightclubs, fashion, football and hooliganism.


Awaydays Trailer

the gang, otherwise known as the pack, dressed in adidas trainers and windbreakers, duffel coats, fred perry shirts and drainpipe jeans with floppy wedge haircuts. the look became the "casual" movement of the 80s.



the adidas website compares awaydays as quadrophenia meets control. trainspotting meets stand by me. with endorsement like that, how can one not want to watch it?

especially when it's accompanied by a soundtrack of echo and the bunnymen, the cure, joy division, human league and ultra-vox.

and the fashion. ah, yes, ALWAYS the fashion.

operamania 101: a three hour tour

just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip...

when i was in grade school, i used to run home after school to watch re-runs of the ultimate trifecta in comedies: happy days, three's company and gilligan's island.

i especially enjoyed the absurd antics of the seven castaways who had packed way too much for a 3 hour pleasure cruise, who seemed to enjoy a never-ending supply of coconut or banana cream pies and of how the professor can build or invent anything yet didn't come up with a way to construct a raft to get off the island.

the episode, the producer, was selected by tv guide as one of the 100 greatest tv episodes of all time. in the episode, the castaways try to impress a hollywood producer by performing hamlet set to bizet's habanera and toreador from carmen as well as offenbach's barcarolle from the tales of hoffman.



below the real mccoy. a triple whammy treat for your wednesday's operamania 101.







although watching gilligan's island required you to check your brain at the door, it was a show enjoyed by millions and as it's found a place in syndication, future generations can learn of shakespeare, bizet and offenbach as children.

now that it's all coming back to you, i dare you not to sing hamlet's "soliliquy" to habanera. ear worm, much?

geek love

quite the nerdy move when geeks decided to christen may 25 annually as geek pride day; a day in which to honor star wars hitting the silver screen in 1977.

geek pride day officially started in spain in 2006 and this year, canada has jumped on the geekwagon. course being a geek myself, i consider every day to be geek pride day. it's hip to be square.

so to celebrate the geek that is you, watch more sci-fi, listen to more nerd rock/nerdcore, play more video games and read more comics/manga today!

i myself will probably go rent can't buy me love with full-on geek who blossomed into the hottie mcneurosurgeon patrick dempsey. a blast from my high school past, i love this nerd-wins-all movie. and what's not to love with lines such as "cards with the 'tards, who could beat a night of cards, chips, dips and dorks? and look, its' the nerd herd!"

course who can forget the scene where everyone gets in on following the geek and unknowingly dances to the african anteater ritual?



other endearing geek/nerd-tastic movies i think are pretty awesome: back to the future, never been kissed, office space, napolean dynamite, some kind of wonderful, sixteen candles, breakfast club, 40 year old virgin and superbad.

i'm proud of being a giant geek. i take it as a compliment when someone points out or jests about my nerdy activities and obsessions. i love computers, electronics, gadgets. i collect kabuki comics and american mcgee alice in wonderland dolls. i wear black rimmed glasses (with yellow tints) but still manage to bump into things, all uncoordinated-like. i'm content spending a couple of hours between the stacks of a bookstore.

geeks, nerds, dorks or whatever term of endearment you prefer start off as the underdogs. (and i've always had a soft spot for underdogs) but they grow into their faces, succeed through hard work, beats the odds and pretty much have the capacity to take over the world. (hello, president obama?) it is the time of the geek.



have you hugged your geek today?

let's find some puddles to jump in

it doesn't matter that you don't understand a word of what is being sung when you listen to iceland's sigur ros. rather, it's the melodies and the way singer jónsi birgisson passionately sings in his falsetto voice that translates to their devoted fan base. their dreamy songs certainly knows how to transport you to another world.



when i first saw the hopipolla video for their movie heima, i just about jumped on a plane to iceland. i've always wanted to go to reykjavik but this video with its amazing cinematography of the natural splendour of iceland is like a tourism video. magnificent.



and the red kites against the blue sky with white fluffy clouds makes the little girl in me smile wistfully from ear to ear. indeed my favourite sigur ros song & video.

sigur ros will always occupy a special space in my heart because of another big sigur ros fan. for it is because of their music that got sean and i chattering away that one evening that started it all. and the conversation and the mutual love for sigur ros has continued ever since.

x

wanna take it outside?

the weekly archery classes are winding down. during the summer months there'll only be 2 classes per month (one for newbies and one for regular archers), so i'm trying to get in as many shoots as i can.


tonight's two bulls eyes at 18m

and some goofball pictures courtesy of rina:


rina told everyone to drop down on the floor NOW and make like we're hit. unfortch for me i had no where to lie down


right after we got off the floor and finished wiping the baffling off our backs and butts

anyhoo, i found out more on outdoor archery that takes place at another club.

outdoor archery offers 2 shooting distances. one at 50m and one at 90m. in the states and uk, the first set of people shoot from 50m away. after everyone has a go, the targets are then moved further away another 40m, so that the people who want to shoot at 90m can shoot next on the same line.

apparently, we in canada opt to do things differently here. instead of making the targets move, archers can choose to stand and shoot at the 50m or the 90m distance away from the target. the 50m line shoots first. and then the 90m line shoots right afterwards. with the 50m people staying right where they are.

hmmm. an accident waiting to happen?

i mean, isn't there that worry that some idjit behind you at the 90m gets a last second twitch or something causing the arrow to fly off on a tangent and say, hit someone at the 50m in the ass or worse? i mean, depending on the weight of your bow, you have enough pounds of pressure to really send that arrow flying at a fast speed. and that's not counting compound bows.

apparently, there hasn't been any fatalities or serious injuries that we know of because the people at 50m and 90m are staggered, so they're never shooting directly behind you. imagine if you're all on the same line, they'd be approximately 10 feet on either side of you (and 40m behind you)

wow, i was psyched at the thought of outdoor archery, but now armed with this tidbit, do i have enough trust in those archers behind me? i've seen enough of my group hit WAY off their intended target.

when i was younger and feeling quite "bring it on" invincible, i would've enjoyed that feeling of "living on the edge" to hear arrows whizzing by me, but now i kinda like the thought of my body in one piece, thank you very much.

course then again, i am just curious enough to give outdoor archery a try. because really, how many of us could even shoot at 90m when we've only been shooting at the furthest indoor regulation line of 18m?

olympic hopefuls we're not. although, i for one, have been eating my wheaties.

operamania 101: power to the fifth

what do you get when you mix bruce willis in his usual malcontent hero role, milla jovovich as "the perfect being" and madonna's blond ambition tour costume designer jean paul gaultier?

you get the outrageous intergalactic action-comedy extravaganza called the fifth element by french director luc besson. and did i mention the cotton ball hairstyle of chris tucker too? this cult classic movie is definitely a guilty pleasure.

but amidst the fighting for the survival of man storyline and the 900+ out-of-this-world costumes comes one of the most memorable scenes of the movie. and it involves opera.



diva plavalaguna, a blue skinned alien with 2 tentacular appendages on her head, performed for the transfixed audience on the luxury space liner at fhloston paradise or if you've been there already, you'll recognize it to be the royal opera house in covent garden, london.

she sang il dolce suono from gaetano donizetti's lucia di lammermoor, first classically then more up-tempo until she's out and out rocking the house.

soprano inva mula tchako provided the actual vocals for actress maïwenn le besco.

the song is originally from act III, scene 1 of lucia di lammermoor and often referred to as "the mad scene", an enactment of going off the deep end in an opera.



a visual and aural assault on the senses, the fifth element is definitely a space opera. who would've thought you'd learn opera from a sci-fi movie?

the kills killin' it

The Kills - Crazy Patsy Cline cover (Live @ Commodore Ballroom) from Daryl Nguyen on Vimeo.

fellow vancouverite daryl recorded ms mosshart singing crazy at the fab concert at the commodore on saturday night.

ms mosshart absolutely slayed the crowd with her cover. well done.

spring in my step

i've been looking for this song forever and i found it today!

Ms. Stacey Watson, Stepney Green - Woodpigeon

this song by canadian band, woodpigeon is the purr-fect song for walking around the park with the sunshine filtering down from tree branches. or walking along green grassy hills and taking in the view. or being on the open highway in search of adventure.

i don't give a hoot about suntanning, but i do love it when it's bright outside. like superman drawing his strength from the sun, my vitality grows ten fold when it's light and breezy outside.

here's to you, spring. you're my favorite season of the year.

the jet (black) set

sounds like the kills and the horrors should be a double fun thrill ride at some schlocky amusement park on halloween night, doesn't it?

rather it was a brit band double bill tonight at the commodore.

i'd seen the horrors play at the luna lounge in new york but they were a lot less shockabilly/horror punk tonight then they were a few years ago. with their sophomore album, primary colours, recently released and a different turn in direction of their music, their performances and onstage presence looks to have matured as well. still it was fun watching these spindly legged boys play to the vancouver crowd. unfortunately, as the horrors were the opening band, their set was only 7 songs long but they did end with my current fave song from them, sea within a sea.



i hadn't seen the kills play live yet. all i knew about the kills were a handful of songs i liked and of jamie hince as kate moss' consort. at first i thought it may be hype over substance when the kills first started playing. i had no idea it would just be alison mosshart and jamie hince on the stage. just two live guitars and a drum kit off stage that was providing the backing beats. but the songs got better as the set got underway and alison mosshart's vocals much clearer. the two obviously have chemistry together and played off singing to and at each other. click here for flickr pics.



the kills set list:
01. u.r.a. fever
02. pull a u
03. sour cherry
04. tape song
05. no wow
06. alphabet pony
07. last day of magic
08. kissy kissy
09. hook and line
10. crazy (patsy cline / willie nelson cover)
11. getting down
12. cheap and cheerful
13. fried my little brains
---encore---
14. goodnight bad morning
15. i put a spell on you (screamin' jay hawkins cover)
16. dropout boogie (captain beefheart cover)

mosshart commanded the stage and the audience's adoration, while hince proved a complimentary albeit endearingly goofy foil. and all around me the barely legals were lapping it up. i felt genuinely old in this crowd, although i am closer to the band's age then these kids were. most of the kids were probably half the age of hince who is forty.

guys as rock stars are a dime a dozen, but a woman as the focal point in a band? one that is quite riveting to watch? not too common. i was more interested in watching mosshart with her long bangs rock out then hince, even with his celebrity relationship. (and i dig kate moss)

i may even have to check her out with her newly formed side project, the dead weather, alongside jack white of white stripes/the raconteurs. they'll be coming to play commodore august 21 & 22.

mosshart especially had my attention rapt when she took centre stage to sing her cover of patsy cline's crazy. besides doing a great cover vision, this song got me wistful.

it reminded me of the lovely spring day driving and talking about appreciating vintage country music (cline, johnny cash, tammy wynette) vs today's not so awesome country music (i would rather listen to silence than to today's country)

and of course with my guy away in whistler today, it indeed added more wist to my wistfulness. so much so that i had to stop off at a 7-11 on my way home and grab a slurpee. (and i don't even really drink pop).

ah, the power of music as a trigger.

archer girl

photo courtesy of rina

so i found out when i went to archery tonight that the club will only be able to shoot at the gallery once a month during the summer. mainly because the indoor range breaks during the summer. however, there is an outdoor shooting range that opens up in the summer. but the sucky thing is that you need to have your own equipment.

so whilst archery may be on hiatus for me during the hot months, i may try something else. i've been thinking of perhaps indoor rock climbing! i've always wanted to try.

after what feels like a lifetime away (it's been since end of march) and an hour and half into a rather shiteous session, one little tip from the supervisor, in the form of moving my back leg a couple of inches behind me can land me 2 bulls-eyes within a couple of turns. that smidgen of a movement in form was all the difference to help turn my upper body more in line with the target.


first bulls-eye of the night (1/2 hour before closing)


second bulls-eye a couple of ends later

i don't know what tripped me out more: that fact that i was able to nail that bullseye so effortlessly with such a minor adjustment in my stance or that i was so easily read.

fly me to the stars

it's no secret that i love sweeping movie scores. i am a TOTAL movie soundtrack geek.

i'm working at my desk, listening to the soundtrack of gattaca and dreaming of space exploration.



...of course they say every atom in our body was once a part of a star...

a stylish movie about overcoming any obstacles through sheer force of will, spirit, passion and dreams. the beautifully tailored clothes. ah, the clothes. the look of it all. it worked so purr-fectly together.

operamania 101: fly the friendly skies

think this graph sums up your knowledge of opera?

well then, class is now in session.

actually, you, me and everyone we know knows more about opera than we may originally thought. if you've grown up watching cartoons, movies, commercials or are a pop culture addict, you've been exposed to opera and may not even realized it.

so to prep you for a BIG surprise we have planned for next season, we'll ease you into some (P)OPera Culture 101 and turn you from an operaphobe into an operaphile.

in 1989 british airways became "the world's favourite airline" with their saatchi & saatchi produced commercial, featuring "aria", based on "flower duet" from french opera lakmé by léo delibes. what was doubly cool was this re-worked version was produced by malcolm mcclaren of the sex pistols fame and yanni. yes, yanni who incidentally picked up the grammy that year for this cover version.



course yanni would not have won ANY grammy had there not been the original song.



crank it to 11.

positively all a-twitter

the twitter effect panel i was a part of got reviewed by techvibes! read it here.

my name in lights. sorta.

i was flattered to be asked by cossette west to take part on a panel on the twitter effect for convergence 09 which took place at the newly fandangled gajillion dollar vancouver convention & exhibition centre yesterday.

convergence is a yearly event that attracts digital savvy marketers and social media evangelists, leaders and influencers as well as anyone and everyone who is curious or interested in being a part of this digital landscape.

for a non-profit arts organization, vancouver opera has been leading the way the past year with using social media tools. we have been noticed and picked up on by newspapers, radio and now conferences. again, for me to be asked to participate among such heavy hitting digital luminaries, flattered is too small a word.



the highlight of the day was the morning keynote speaker: david plouffe, obama for america's campaign manager. talk about the big "get."

five hundred people came out to see plouffe speak about the importance of marrying technology and human 2 human contact. plouffe revealed some of the strategies, tactics and thinking that propelled obama into the presidency. it was quite inspiring to listen to obama's "unsung hero."

then it was my panel. surprisingly, i wasn't at all nervous even as i saw the doors swing open and in floods 250-275 people interested in our session. we had expected 225 people but it quickly became standing room only. we were sitting on leather couches "oprah style" on the raised platform with moderator brianna tompkinson, nowpublic's michael tippett and starbucks official tweeter brad nelson. there was a jumbo-tron sized tv and we were even mic'd so that even the person at the far back of the room can see and hear us.

the hour long session flew by just like that. i was thoroughly enjoying the discussion and gained alot of insight in listening to my co-panellists' experiences with and thoughts on twitter. and it was fun fielding questions from the audience and twitterers who were following online.

i got some great comment and compliments afterwards and was happy to know that people got something out of our panel.

i think my fear of public speaking has been effectively squashed. although the real test will be if i can speak alone on stage.

the rest of the day i sat in on the other break out panels and got to meet a few people whom i've only known online. cossette provided lunch to all the attendees and were even thoughtful enough to have a vegetarian option: tomato and bocconcini sub with greek salad and chocolate chip cookie plus drinks.

as a thank you gift, all the panellists were gifted with a kodak easyshare digital frame. and all attendees were given flash drives as a thank you for attending.

we also got from one of the sponsors and panelists, nature's path, 4 boxes of organic cereals, a box of granola bars and a box of hot oatmeal! not that i ever had a problem with irregularity, but now more reasons not to.

this educational and networking day fired up the pistons inside my head with its ideas, strategies and advice. i'm looking forward to attending convergence '10 and absolutely recommend it.

definitely two thumbs up.

a drink at the milkbar

Blur - The Universal
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being a complete anglophile, one could not escape the invariable question in the 90s of which camp was one on in the great blur vs oasis debate. (as opposed to the aniston vs jolie camp question of the naughties)

both bands delivered great songs in spades and both had legions of fans. i myself think both bands are talented as heck, but blur was always a little bit more innovative and experimental both musically and visually, so if i had to side with one, it would've most definitely been blur. AND they were super-cute, stylish and the kind of guys i would've gone out with.

just check out the best of blur and there'll be many songs that i like. one that stands out, however, in both song and video is the universal. inspired by stanley kubrick's 2001: a space odyssey and a clockwork orange, blur is dressed up like alex de large and his droogs, eyeliner and all.

i love this song for the musical orchestration and sweeping arrangements. (natch) but now everytime i hear the song or watch the video, i'm reminded of a certain photo of a droog laying on the grass while cherry blossom petals are shaken from the branches above to fall down on him.

this is dedicated to my favourite droog.

so good we had to bring her back

tonight is not only the final performance of salome but when it wraps, it'll be the 3rd salome that vancouver opera has produced in its 49 year history. fortunately, each time the same opera is performed, the look and direction are always different, thus ensuring a different experience for opera-going audiences.

curious to see what the other salome productions looked like, i scoured vo's old binders with the hundreds of slides of past shows (this was obviously before digital cameras)

in 1991, glynis leyshon, who most recently directed rigoletto this season, helmed vancouver opera's first salome. salome's look was inspired by marilyn monroe with her billowy pleated white skirt.



six years later, vancouver opera would mount canada's provocative filmmaker atom egoyan's vision of salome. this 1997 version proved controversial because of egoyan's use of multimedia techniques in the visually stunning but minimalist set. (although i would say egoyan's vision was ahead for its time) for example, herod would spy on salome using video cameras and what the audience would see are images of salome projected on screens.



the majority of the cast would wear antiseptic white uniforms in a medical-like setting and that combined with the stark lightning, would result in double shadows.



with overtones of voyeurism, this daring production also gave some insight into salome's childhood, including abuse and gang rape. filmed projections of a young salome included her swinging on a swing set and walking through a primordial forest blindfolded. for her dance of the seven veils, it was done behind a thinly veiled scrim.



egoyan's version has been called part art exhibit, modern dance production and classical concert. and i would've loved to have seen this one.



and although each production is different from each other, there are a few small factoids that link them all together:

benoit boucher played narraboth in the first and second salome.
judith forst would play herodias in 1997 and 2009's salome.
the 1997 and 2009 production of salome both have raked (slanted) stages, symbolizing the dysfunctional family.

however the most common thread in every vo production of salome remains: the opera audiences losing their minds over strauss' music and also the need to engage in conversation of one of the most disturbing yet compelling operas of all time.

i wonder what the next vision of salome may look like. it might be years from now but our girl salome will never really be far away.

cuz everybody knows, you can't keep a bad girl down.

photos by tim matheson

editors note: Salome 2009 is the 4th time Vancouver Opera produced Strauss' opera. The very first one was in 1969. Unfortunately, there does not exist any pictures in our archives from that production. Thanks to the Director of Marketing for the correction.

work it!

dear hip young things,

thanks for dressing up to the nines for salome! you guys make us look GOOD!

i know i couldn't get around to all of you (as there was no intermission at salome and so many of you fashionistas), but i will definitely snap your pic next season.

we can't wait to see what you PYTs come up with in the fall!

sincerely yours,

the operazzi

a peek behind vancouver opera's salome

enjoy.

on the air

selina and i got interviewed by the arts report on citr radio at work today. the university (UBC) radio station wanted to find out about vancouver opera's social media campaign, how it came about and if it was successful. it was quite fun; the double teaming. and i think a lot less boring than if either one of us was interviewed solo for 10-15 minutes. especially for an irreverent uni radio station. the last thing i'd ever want to do is come off sounding like joe corporate to their audience.

listen here if you want to know what my voice sounds like on the radio. our interview is roughly before the halfway point of the show.

my first official on air interview. and thankfully, i didn't suck, fall victim to dead air or pull a billy bob thornton.

surprise delivery

a special thanks not to mention a bear hug too to kimli for her most fantabulous surprise that i received this past monday. kimli as you may know is one of our guest bloggers at the opera and all around adorable person whom i've been lucky to befriend this year.

i had taken a day off to move after our weekend opening and was running errands when i got a text from the office telling me i best get my buttinski down there as i got a mondo surprise. a big edible one to boot.

when i rolled into the office, my jaw dropped. it was an edible arrangements of mutant sized strawberries and chocolate dipped strawberries, heart-shaped pineapple chunks and grapes the size of broaches. wowzers!

so how much fruit was there? between 2 of us eating it pre and post dinner, as well as breakfast the next day, it looked like we hardly made a dent in it.

and all this as a thank you for inviting her to participate in our blogger nights at the opera. silly girl - it was absolutely my pleasure!

thank you again for the funtastic prezzie!

i can't wait for the scooter workshop!

editor's note: i've been thigh-high and elbow deep in moving, unpacking and cleaning the past few days. this entry should've been posted on monday but i'm afraid my fingers were just too sticky sweet with all this fruity goodness and i just could not get to my keyboard.

baby did a bad bad thing

looks like everyone is losing their minds over vancouver opera's salome. despite the beheading. and the incest. and the necrophilia.

OR maybe because of that.


video by: bombshelter productions & mike mckinlay

"voluptuous and electrifying." - vancouver sun

"a simple story with stupendous singing." - globe and mail

"finale reaches such mad heights." - georgia straight

"a musical masterpiece." - beyond robson

"seductive orchestration." - review vancouver



this just goes to show: everyone's a little twisted on the inside.

and we love it.

(doesn't the awesome video just make you want to see salome?)

under the blade

exactly who is this colourful character who piqued the curiosity of all the attendees at the salome backstage party and what is his connection to vancouver opera?



meet our man who executes salome. milford kemp is a trained dancer, former professional boxer and fashion designer (i pimp clothes, not "hos") from montreal. part jimmy hendrix and part bootsy collins, you would never know from his physique and wearing a leather thong onstage that kemp is 54 years young.

vo company manager adrianne wurz explained that she found out about kemp from a supernumerary when she was casting rigoletto. wurz' criteria for the role of the executioner: someone who was comfortable with their body, someone who could wear a thong and little else and someone who could perform onstage in front of 2600+ people.

we found the right man it seems and the feeling's mutual. kemp who's never been to vancouver or to an opera before (much less perform in one) is so impressed with vancouver, its people and the art of opera that he may very well bring his flavour and style and make vancouver his next home.

vo can chalk up another opera convert.