“Houston Grand Opera has appointed Laura Canning to run its young-artist training program, Houston Grand Opera Studio, effective Aug. 1. She follows General Director and CEO Anthony Freud from the Welsh National Opera, where she has been artistic administrator for the last ten years.” [via musicalamerica.com] 

And who the fuck, you may ask, is Laura Canning?  Well, a quick Google search turned up this tidbit illustrating her prowess as a vocal mentor:

Laura Canning, artistic administrator for the Welsh National Opera, agrees that Paul [Potts] is right to be resting his voice.

“I am really pleased to see that he is taking this whole thing seriously and looking after himself,” she said.

“Paul has got very strong vocal cords, which is why it is so important to look after them.”

. . . . And she is delighted about his meteoric rise to fame.

“No matter what people think about shows like Britain’s Got Talent, it is fantastic that opera is being brought to a whole new audience and the fact he is from Wales makes it even better,” said Laura.

La Cieca

James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.

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