BIOGRAPHY

DANIE FRIESEN, soprano

ALEXANDER HAJEK, baritone

CLAIRE ELISE HARRIS, piano

 

Big voices. Bold ideas. Opera with its collar undone. Opera Revue is shaking up expectations of what opera can be, where it belongs and who gets to enjoy it. This independent Toronto company brings thrilling singing, sharp wit and theatrical mischief to neighbourhood bars, breweries and stages, inviting audiences to discover an art form that is passionate, playful and gloriously alive.

 

Driving the adventure is the Opera Revue “band”: soprano Danie Friesen, baritone Alexander Hajek and pianist Claire Elise Harris. Their chemistry fuels performances that move from emotional intensity to outrageous comedy, drawing listeners into the music and into the fun. Whether you know every aria or have never heard one, you are welcome here. Grab a drink. Cheer your favourite singer. Let yourself be surprised.

 

The company’s monthly Neighbourhood Shows have brought opera and art song to the Dakota Tavern, Castro’s Lounge, Granite Brewery and Reid’s Distillery. These intimate gatherings connect generations of music lovers, performers and curious newcomers, turning familiar local haunts into places of musical discovery. With the artists just feet away, audiences experience the expressive power of live singing up close.

 

Then there are the bigger, bolder collisions. Opera Revue’s crossover productions bring opera into conversation with circus, drag, burlesque, wine and even professional wrestling. Highlights include Ruckus! at the Redwood: The Circus Edition, Tasting Notes: Wine Meets Opera, Drag Me to the Opera and Risqué at the Rivoli, alongside a collaboration with Opera Atelier on Trills, Frills and Chills. With Junction City Wrestling, the company’s OperaMANIA productions send operatic drama into the ring, where vocal fireworks meet body slams and theatrical rivalries take on a whole new meaning.

 

Online, the company’s satirical videos give classical music a contemporary bite. Its viral Les MisérLoblaws parody channels familiar melodies into pointed social commentary, pairing musical ingenuity with a Canadian sense of humour.

 

From neighbourhood nights to Southern Ontario tours and audacious theatrical mashups, Opera Revue makes every performance an invitation to connect. The mission is clear: open the doors wider, spark curiosity and share opera’s extraordinary capacity to make people laugh, feel deeply and come back for more.

 

October 2026

PHOTOS

Opera Revue Photo

Noel Araquel

 

Click the image to download a hi-res version

TOURING PROJECT

OPERAMANIA III:
The Redemption

 

GRAND OPERA. BODY SLAMS.
ONE LEGENDARY SHOWDOWN.

 

Opera enters the ring—and the gloves come off! OperaMANIA III brings the powerhouse vocals of opera face-to-face with the high-flying action of professional wrestling in a wildly entertaining, family-friendly spectacle.

 

No opera experience. No wrestling knowledge. Just bring your cheering voice.

 

Meet “Dangerous” Danie, a fearless soprano with a Valkyrie’s spirit and her sights set on the legendary Championship Belt. Forged from enchanted gold, this is more than a trophy: it promises glory and extraordinary powers to whoever claims it.

 

But victory won’t come without a fight. Standing between Danie and her destiny? The biggest, baddest personalities of Junction City Wrestling.

 

Expect breathtaking arias, outrageous rivalries and spectacular athletic feats as a cast of world-class performers turns up the drama—Moonsaulting Mozart, Powerbombing Puccini and Bodyslamming Verdi. Every entrance is an overture. Every aria is a battle cry. And every showdown deserves a standing ovation.

 

Will Danie claim the belt and ascend to Valhalla—or meet her match before the final curtain?

 

Pick your champion. Raise the roof. Experience OperaMANIA III.