Alyson Spina played Columbine in MYOpera’s Triple Bill in April 2013.
Alyson Spina as Columbine in MYOpera’s Triple Bill, April 2013
Where are you from? Sudbury, Ontario.
Where do you currently live? New York City
What’s your favourite MYOpera memory? Playing a marionette! So fun. It hardly goes without saying, though I will say it (!), that the administrative staff at MYOpera were amazing with us. They were so supportive and encouraging wih the singers, and never hesitated to give us their attentions when we needed it. Not every company is like that.
What role did MYOpera play in your career/life? It was my first professional opera gig. I was fresh out my Master of Music degree in Opera Performance at the University of Toronto.
What have you been doing since MYOpera? I have since completed my Artist Diploma at the Aaron Copland School of Music here in New York, and have been going back and forth between Canada and the USA to sing for various shows and concerts since!
What’s your favourite opera (to watch/listen to)? Oo, that’s a hard one. I tend to like Mozart, comedies, lighter ltalian, some French.. I just saw a great production of Le Nozze di Figaro last night at Sarasota Opera. At risk of sounding cliche, since you’re hardly ever hard-pressed to find a place not performing Le Nozze, I’d still have to say it’s one of my all-time favourites.
What’s your guilty pleasure song (any genre)? Oldies, classic rock, jazz, Broadway. I just compiled a new playlist a few days ago called Happy Together. The Beach Boys, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Monkees, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald. I like feel-good music! Favourite song right now? Every Day, by Buddy Holly. Last week it was When The Ship Comes In, by Peter, Paul & Mary. Next week it’s going to be I Got You, Babe, by Sonny and a Cher.
Traveling is always an adventure! What’s your favourite/most memorable travel experience? I would have to say Switzerland. The hills are alive! I was there for the 2013 Verbier Music Festival. Incredible musical experience, and an unbelievable setting in which to have it. Hiking in the Swiss Alps was pretty surreal for me. One of the things I found so interesting is the fact that you’ll find water running in wider streams the further up you are, but as you progress downwards the water splits into smaller streams. These streams are all headed for their own town below. Each stream is the water supply for their own designated place below. So neat! An Eco ‘System’ for sure.
Do you have a signature dish/meal that you make? Tell us about it! I haven’t made it in awhile, but I do make a mean Thai green curry chicken. I’d say it use to be one of my big signature dishes. Of course, I am definitely capable of whipping up a classic Italian pasta dish (and variations of it)!
Singers/Artists are busy people! What’s your favourite snack when you’re on the go? A banana! Bananas are amazing in so many ways. If there’s a juice/smoothie bar nearby, that’s always my preference if I don’t have anything else packed! Super nutritious, packed with energy, and light as a feather.
