In this episode we're joined by music journalist Kevin Ng and Vancouver Opera's Jane Potter to explore the complexities of Mozart's most dangerous comedy, Così fan tutte.

Full Article

Episode Credits:

Kevin Ng - Guest

Jane Potter - Guest

Barry Ekko - Artwork

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mozart’s Così fan tutte is often described as light, mischievous, even trivial. But sit with it — really sit with it — and it reveals itself as one of opera’s most psychologically perceptive works.

In this episode of Inside Vancouver Opera, host Ashley Daniel Foot is joined by stage director Rob Herriot and Vancouver Opera’s Associate Music Director and conductor Les Dala to explore a distinctly Canadian production of Così fan tutte, originally created at Manitoba Opera and now remounted in Vancouver.

Set in the early 1930s at an elegant hotel on the edge of the Canadian wilderness, this staging features Mounties, waltzing log drivers, and a visual world inspired by Canadian film and National Film Board imagery. But beneath the wit and theatrical charm lies something deeper: Mozart’s refusal to lie. Even when his characters disguise themselves, role-play, or betray one another, the music tells the truth.

Rob and Les reflect on trusting the score, the humanity of the characters, the generosity — and ambiguity — of the opera’s ending, and why Così fan tutte remains one of the most honest works Mozart ever wrote. It’s an episode about laughter, contradiction, and what it means to recognize ourselves in the mess.

• Why Così fan tutte may be Mozart’s most human opera

• How this Canadian production originated at Manitoba Opera

• Trusting the music as psychological truth

• Reframing Così beyond its controversial title

• Why the ending sounds forgiving — even when nothing is fully resolved

• How humour becomes a gateway for new audiences

Host: Ashley Daniel Foot

Guests: Rob Herriot, Les Dala

Podcast: Inside Vancouver Opera

Produced by: Vancouver Opera

Music excerpts courtesy of Vancouver Opera

Audio editing by Mack McGillivray

Vancouver Opera presents Così fan tutte

📅 February 7, 12 & 15

📍 Queen Elizabeth Theatre

🎟 Tickets & info: Vancouver Opera

What You’ll Hear in This EpisodeProduction & CreditsTickets & More

Some people shape culture from center stage, others shape it by showing up early, staying late, and standing just out of the light. Our guest today has built a life inside that second kind of work. Bruce Munro Wright is a former chair of Vancouver Opera, the Vancouver Opera Foundation, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. He is a nationally important collector of Canadian art and a recipient of the Order of British Columbia.

Learn More

Episode Credits:

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera

In this conversation, Amanda Burrows, Executive Director of First United and new Board Member of Vancouver Opera, discusses her journey through the arts and social justice. She emphasizes the interconnectedness of art and advocacy, the importance of community involvement, and the resilience of the Downtown Eastside.

Learn More

Episode Credits:

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera

In this special episode, Jane Potter brings Verdi’s world to life through the story of Rigoletto, a work born out of controversy, courage, and the fight for artistic freedom.

Learn More

Episode Credits:

Jane Potter - Writer and Narrator

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera

Lyndon Ladeur - Voice of Giachino Rossini

Mihnea Nitu - Voice of Guiseppe Verdi

Richard Wolfe - Voice of Victor Hugo

Few artists have shaped Canadian theatre and opera as profoundly as Glynis Leyshon, who now brings her formidable imagination to Vancouver Opera’s new production of Rigoletto, re-set in Victorian London, a place where masks, privilege, and secrecy hold sway.

Learn More

Episode Credits:

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera

He's one of the city's greatest voices on stage, on air, and lately at City Hall. Today we're joined by Christopher Gaze, actor, advocate, and the visionary force behind Bard on the Beach.

Learn More

Episode Credits:

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera

Composer, producer, and traditional singer from the Lil’wat Nation, Russell Wallace speaks about the influence of his mother, the language inside his music, and why singing together gives him hope.

Learn More

Episode Credits:

Ashley Daniel Foot - Host, Inside Vancouver Opera

Tim Matheson - Cover Photo

Mack McGillivray - Producer, Inside Vancouver Opera