When you think “opera,” what do you imagine? Some might see velvet curtains, formalwear and a hear-a-pin-drop atmosphere.
However, if you’ve been to an Opera Pub, you might see yourself enjoying a drink in a cozy bar, laughing out loud at a comical aria being sung just a few feet away.
If you’ve never heard of it, Opera Pub is—get ready—opera, in a pub! It’s three sets of arias, accompanied by piano. The pieces are chosen by the performers so it’s always a wide range of music.
Opera still holds stereotypes for many, says Joel Ivany, Edmonton Opera’s artistic director. “That you have to be rich to go see it, you have to dress a certain way, if you even breathe it’s a faux pas. Whereas it can be so much more.”
Ivany first encountered the concept of opera in a pub in Oslo, Norway, 14 years ago. Inspired, he and Against The Grain Theatre, which he co-founded, staged one in Banff and then began setting up regular Opera Pub events in Toronto, Vancouver, then Edmonton.
“Opera can be in a place where you can feel more comfortable and at ease,” he says. “You can drink and laugh and clap and just experience opera in a whole different way.”
The overall vibe is joyful and relaxed. Respect for the music is the one rule.
“You’re encouraged, if you like what you hear, to applaud or to hoot and holler as long as you’re focused on what’s going on,” says Ivany.
Otherwise, people can come and go and a pin dropping would definitely go unnoticed among the regular pub sounds.
“You inevitably get some people where they’re just there for a drink or some food and they’re like, ‘what the heck is going on?’ And they end up staying, which is very cool,” Ivany says.
Another benefit of Opera Pub is that it brings the audience and the performers very close together.
“You are a part of it instead of this vastness between performer and audience,” says Ivany. “You get it a connection.”
One of Ivany’s favourite Opera Pub moments is when a singer handed their iPad—with the sheet music on it—to the pianist. (Note: part of the fun is that singer and pianist do not rehearse together beforehand.) The two began the piece when suddenly the iPad locked, obscuring the music. The pianist didn’t know the code and the singer, of course, was in the midst of singing.
“He hit this one high note, a long, held note, and still singing, he walked over to the piano, unlocked the iPad and they just kept going. It’s that fun thing of ‘anything can happen.’”
Opera Pub is an Edmonton Opera event, in collaboration with Against the Grain Theatre. There are two upcoming dates in Edmonton, at the Blue Chair Café: March 27 and April 24. Details here.
Learn more about the Opera Pub concept:
