Artist of the Day | MERCURY OPERA
ARTIST OF THE DAY
15.09.2020
MERCURY OPERA
LOCATION
Edmonton, AB
GENRE
Opera meets Jazz and more!
CURRENT MEMBERS
Boris Derow - vocals
Darcia Parada - vocals
Allen Jacobson - trombone & vocals
Josh McHan - bass
Chris Evans - keys
With the current pandemic, the state of the music and touring industry has dramatically changed. Where were you when everything was brought to a halt?
We were in the midst of a production of Puccini's La Boheme at the Citadel's Rice Theatre that miraculously made it through before the gathering rules changed from 200 to 50 patrons. What's dramatically changed for us has been our way of presenting. Mercury Opera was primarily a production company with me, Darcia Parada, a performer whose past career turns back in the day include film soundtrack recordings, a compilation album with Jimmy Sommerville of The Communards fame produced by Michael Stipe, international opera and concert credits and soundtracks for movies at the helm. For the past decade I'd been mostly directing and producing and promoting the talent of others. The pandemic presented an opportunity to dust off my vocal cords, and make music at home during the lock down.
How has that affected your plans for the coming months? Did you have a tour planned, upcoming album release?
We were slated to take the La Boheme production to NYC Off Broadway, but that has been curtailed indefinitely. Not one to let grass grow underneath my feet, I began to transform our backyard (no pun intended) in McCauley into an outdoor venue for concerts. Our headquarters for these events are affectionately dubbed Casa Rosso, Chervona Hata, Maison Rouge, Rot Haus. The house is now painted red. In August we presented a physically distant but socially connected outdoor Lemonade concert series capped off with Drive In opera- centric movies with live pre-show entertainment in partnership with Bonnie Doon Mall.
We also decided to form our own band and fuse opera with jazz in a concert which sold out so we added a second show, also sold out. We were then presented as part of Downtown Live at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald. It was so much fun that we've decided to mount another series of genre melding concerts with multiple artists in September and October and to keep going with our new Mercury Opera meets Jazz band. So we're a bonafide band/act. We'll be playing an all new program in a concert on October 3rd at Red House. It may lead to recording again too. I had been wanting to make a Mercury Opera Holiday compilation album for a long time, but hadn't gotten around to it - life as a producer.
What have you been doing to fill/make the most of your new-found free time at home?
Mostly, transforming the exterior of our house and yard and making music, though I did also begin a side hustle baking bread which may continue into the fall and winter. Music and events have taken precedence for the past several weeks.
What was the first thing you did/place you went to now the country is starting to slowly re-open?
I've tried to support local businesses by ordering take out, spent time in friends', family, or cohorts backyards. Through staging outdoor performances within the AHS guidelines been trying to support other local artists and to spread joy to audiences who've been hungering for arts and culture because of all the festival cancellations.
Favourite Starlite Room Moment?
When Mercury Opera plays there. : )
Do you have a message for everyone at home reading this?
Love each other, be kind, be tolerant and spread joy. Support each other and if you value art and artists, support those whose survival depends on flourishing in a gig based economy which has been compromised due to the pandemic.
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