Seasoned singers celebrate solstice at the Foster

Conrad Boyce

For many years now, Uxbridge audiences have had abundant opportunities to see a wide variety of musical theatre. This past season, the town’s two adult and two youth companies offered no fewer than six shows.

But audiences have rarely had the same chance to experience the excitement of the art form that gave rise to the modern musical - opera. Opera has thrilled crowds around the world for centuries, and contains all the elements that audiences have come to love on the musical stage: dramatic stories, glorious sets and costumes, often furious dance numbers, and above all, great music. Devotees can regularly take in full opera productions in Toronto - but not here.

One of the reasons that small communities rarely produce opera is that the music can be more demanding, requiring more “classical” training to master. And now, two Uxbridge natives - Christina Campsall and Leslie Higgins - who have met the challenges of that training and are now making a good living as classical singers, have joined forces to give Uxbridge a taste of great opera, and in a venue that was made for glorious music, the Thomas Foster Memorial.

Opera on the Solstice, presented by the Friends of the Foster, runs for two performances only, Saturday, June 22 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 at Blue Heron Books, with all proceeds going towards the upkeep of the Memorial.

Campsall, who now lives in Basel, Switzerland, and performs regularly on both the opera and concert stage across Europe, got her beginnings at the Uxbridge Music Hall, in productions such as “The Pirates of Penzance” and “Amadeus.”

Christina Campsall (in blue) as Flora in Verdi’s La Traviata, at the opera house in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Photo submitted by Christina Campsall

“Returning to perform in my hometown after eight years in Europe feels like a homecoming. It’s not just a concert; it’s a reunion with my roots, and I can’t wait to share that with the audience, who can expect a magical evening filled with passionate performances, exquisite melodies, and dramatic narratives.”

Leslie Higgins hasn’t been away from home as long, but long enough to get her undergrad from Western and a masters in vocal performance at the University of Toronto. She is now in demand as a soloist with choirs and orchestras all over Ontario. Like Campsall, she got her start in Uxbridge community theatre, with starring roles in shows like “Grease,” “Emily,” and “A Chorus Line.” And what draws her to opera?

Leslie Higgins as Johanna in a concert version of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. Photo submitted by Leslie Higgins

“Opera combines my love for classical singing and theatre. Choirs are where I discovered and fostered my love for classical music, and through school operatic repertoire, was a large part of my musical background, so bringing these pieces to the stage again is very exciting, especially with fantastic colleagues! Hans Christian Anderson said, “Where words fail, music speaks.” Opera seldom has spoken dialogue, it relies on music to convey powerful themes or emotions. These feelings are universal, and I'm confident everyone in attendance will be able to connect to them.”

Higgins and Campsall will be joined on the solstice by two of Higgins’ esteemed Toronto colleagues, tenor Ben Done and pianist Suzy Smith. The programme will include arias (solos), duets and trios by a wide variety of composers, from Monteverdi and Mozart to Puccini and Bizet.

“Whether you’re an opera aficionado or a first-time attendee,” says Campsall, “this concert promises an unforgettable experience. Come join us - it’s more than opera, it’s a shared experience that transcends time and distance.”