- Words by Sean McIntyre Photography by Lia Crowe

Isaiah Bell is hard pressed to pick a single opera that can summarize the tumult of 2020. The year certainly featured plenty of tragedy with many unexpected twists and even a smattering of farce tossed into the mix. Instead of being epitomized by a single work, however, the year has been one of unprecedented operatic proportions, summarizes the Victoria-based opera singer. The year 2020 was genre-defining, he says, and no other form91裸聊视频攂e it ballet, theatre, even spoken word91裸聊视频攃ould capture the year in quite the same way as opera.

91裸聊视频淎ll opera is a dumpster fire, and that91裸聊视频檚 why we love it,91裸聊视频� Isaiah explained in a December interview from his home, which took place ahead of the launch of his solo show, The Book of My Shames, performed with Opera Kelowna and directed by Sean Guist.

With news of prolonged restrictions to rein in the spread of COVID-19 swirling amid headlines about a rollout of vaccination campaigns, Isaiah91裸聊视频檚 day-to-day life in the performing arts was still far from being devoid of drama. The dumpster fire was still out of control.

Regardless, plans to bring The Book of My Shames to Okanagan audiences must continue. Following a sold-out premiere with Tapestry Opera, as part of Toronto Pride 2019, Isaiah91裸聊视频檚 one-man, semi-autobiographical show returned home to British Columbia in 2020. As of December, performances with Opera Kelowna were scheduled for January 28 to 30, 2020.

Isaiah describes the show as a fusion of music and monologues that delve into the universal inner human tension between our individual struggles and our roles in a broader society91裸聊视频攖he battle between who we are and who we are supposed to be.

It91裸聊视频檚 a story about going through the world while apologizing for one91裸聊视频檚 existence. It may sound dark, but the story is one of catharsis and healing, with a good supply of humour along the way. Like him, Isaiah says, the performance is a living document that changes ever so slightly with each performance.

91裸聊视频淭he concept is that issues can dissipate if you are open about lovingly confronting them,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淭he show is about people thinking about their own experiences.91裸聊视频�

Isaiah91裸聊视频檚 sojourn to the Okanagan represents a kind of return to his earlier days in opera. It was Rosemary Thomson, Kelowna Opera91裸聊视频檚 music director, who conducted Isaiah91裸聊视频檚 very first solo performance in an opera. Isaiah, who was participating in a summer opera program for aspiring performers, says he91裸聊视频檇 expected to remain among the chorus, until Thomson called him up for a solo in a Czech opera. A bundle of nerves with no idea what to do, Isaiah still vividly recalls the role of a carnival barker that left him chewing on a stream of hard Eastern European consonants.

Regardless of his nerves and not knowing what to do, Isaiah didn91裸聊视频檛 flee the scene. He performed, and the experience has followed him on a career that has seen him grow from the member of a small-town choir in Fort St. John to star in operatic performances around the world, including Vancouver, Toronto, New York and Edinburgh.

The roles are equally impressive. Isaiah has taken on Marlow in Heart of Darkness, sung Schubert91裸聊视频檚 Winterreise (twice), performed in Handel91裸聊视频檚 Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and played the role of Almaviva in The Barber of Seville. A recent highlight was starring in the 2018 world premiere of Rufus Wainwright91裸聊视频檚 production of Hadrian for the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto. Reviews from the New York Times summarized Isaiah91裸聊视频檚 performance as 91裸聊视频渟weet-voiced91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频渄aring.91裸聊视频� He91裸聊视频檚 also channeled his creative spark into writing no fewer than four of his own operas. All this and he91裸聊视频檚 still in his mid-30s.

Restrictions on gathering places such as theatres have seen Isaiah shift from major operatic productions and the physical stage to solo shows and social media platforms.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e been one of the lucky ones,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 busier than I91裸聊视频檝e ever been.91裸聊视频�

Isaiah91裸聊视频檚 creative spirit is epitomized by the sheer volume of ideas he91裸聊视频檚 able to generate along with the broad range of interests that he doesn91裸聊视频檛 recoil from taking on. During the interview, for example, Isaiah noted that he had just uploaded his 206th consecutive Instagram post for a project he91裸聊视频檇 begun at the start of the lockdown. In the project, Isaiah creates a short video or song inspired by a different haiku each day, posting it for his followers to see.

Perhaps it all began by playing the Czech carnival hustler or finding his way as a young gay man growing up in rural BC. Maybe it was a combination of successive challenges, each intermingling with one another in the performance of life. Whatever it might have been, it has ensured Isaiah is not afraid to approach his roles with a gravitas that defies his youth.

Yet it isn91裸聊视频檛 the international accolades and track record of major performances that stand out for Isaiah, who recently took up a teaching position at the University of Victoria and remains actively committed to helping new and aspiring performers meet their personal shames face first. The former are certainly worthy of pride and are a great measure of success, but it is his work with community groups as an advocate for queer youth and the performing arts in the smaller towns and cities that he visits along the way that stand out the most.

91裸聊视频淚 always thought it was the most prestigious gigs, but it91裸聊视频檚 really about the people you meet along the way,91裸聊视频� he says.

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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