OPERA GOES DIGITAL
A celebration of Ukrainian song
When Spencer Mcknight took over as executive director of the Saskatoon Opera on an interim basis in August, he was taking the reins of an organization in a time of turmoil.
Now, as 2021 rolls ahead, Mcknight is finding new ways for the city to keep appreciating classical vocal music through smaller livestreamed shows.
“Personally, I don't think closing for a year ... serves anyone very well,” he said. “We make music for our patrons, so I think we should be doing that, even if it's harder to do.”
Mcknight is quite familiar with this sector of Saskatoon's music scene. An operatic tenor, he has performed with the Saskatoon Opera in various shows in the past, and as a guest singer with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. When former executive director Karen Reynaud and artistic director Barbara Montalbetti stepped down in 2020, Mcknight — a member of the opera's board — took the executive director position on an interim basis, with no decision as to length of term.
The first challenge, as Mcknight put it, was simply finding a way to continue having concerts during the pandemic, which put a halt to the majority of live shows throughout Saskatchewan and made the typical large-scale production put on by the opera each year nearly impossible. Mcknight turned to smaller and more intimate livestreamed concerts as a solution.
The first of the Saskatoon Opera's digital concerts in 2021 features music with a unique tie to Saskatchewan, even though most people may have never heard it before. The concert, Ukrainian Art Song on a Starlit Night, will take place Saturday by livestream, thanks to equipment and assistance from the SSO, which has been using it to stream its own concerts.
“Being able to partner with the symphony and using their audio and video equipment for livestreaming, that opens up things for us,” Mcknight said.
Soprano Kateryna Khartova and pianist Sophia Mycyk will take digital centre stage for a performance of both old and new Ukrainian songs, in a province with deep Ukrainian roots.
Khartova, who in the past studied music at the University of Saskatchewan and recently returned to Saskatoon from Toronto to be with her partner, said she was delighted to share this music with many for the first time.
“It's natural for me to be drawn to it,” she said. “In order to make something known, you have to step up and introduce it to people who may not have a chance, otherwise, to hear about it.”
Khartova said most people of Ukrainian heritage in Saskatchewan are probably much more familiar with traditional folk tunes than classical pieces, but she hopes to be able to change that. Ukrainian by birth, Khartova said she felt like an “ambassador” for this part of her culture.
The performing pair put a sizable amount of time and effort into selecting the program for the relatively short concert — expected to be under an hour in length — as they wanted to share pieces by both modern and historical Ukrainian composers.
“I really hope people behind the screen can enjoy some of the new pieces, but as well ... feel like they're at home with their parents and grandparents again,” Khartova said. “I want them to feel at home — familiar and welcomed.”
While the circumstances leading to the performing opportunity might not be ideal, Khartova admits it was a “secret dream” to be able to perform this music in a concert in Saskatoon. Her goal is to eventually have these songs take their place among the more commonly taught French and German art songs, and that starts with this kind of performance, despite the difficult times.
“This is such an opportunity to highlight gems that are just as worthy to be on a world stage as Schubert and Chopin and Faure and all those wonderful people we know more about,” she said.
Ukrainian Art Song on a Starlit Night will take place on Jan. 23 via livestream. Tickets can be purchased online.
This is such an opportunity to highlight gems that are just as worthy to be on a world stage as Schubert and Chopin and Faure.