Our production of The Magic Flute has officially begun, so we asked some of the opera's stars to tell us about their memories of this masterpiece. Click here if you missed the first part of this two-part blog exclusive!

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Kirsten MacKinnon – Pamina

"The Magic Flute was my very first opera. I sang as one of the three spirits with Vancouver Opera when I was 10 years old and had a blast. I can't believe what a dream it is that the very next time I get to perform The Magic Flute, it's with the COC and I'm now singing Pamina. I've always loved Mozart (he and I are pretty tight) but The Magic Flute is particularly special to me since it's the first opera I ever performed. Pamina is a pleasure to sing. Who wouldn't want to play a princess?

"Flute is a favourite not only because of the music. The characters really make the show. I'd go for Papageno alone. He can be such a quirky weirdo and I completely dig it!"

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Ambur Braid – Queen of the Night

"I first heard some of The Magic Flute in the movie Amadeus ​and it was captivating. 

​"Deep down, The Magic Flute is a very spiritual and human story about ​being a better individual in a crazy world. It's filled with advice like 'be steadfast, be patient, be silent' and opens with a large snake going after Tamino, the image most connected to achieving a higher state of consciousness. It's about self-improvement and morals. Who doesn't want their kids to learn about this stuff?! 

"There's something for everyone ​in The Magic Flute.  You can laugh, cry, and maybe even change the world. ​

​"Villains are appealing and the Queen of the Night is an incredible lady. Yes, she has some pretty famous high notes, but she's a woman who is obsessed with power and that can be pretty ugly. We all have that desire inside of us, so it's nice to play the dark characters to keep it in check. ​Mwa ha ha!"

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Joshua Hopkins – Papageno

"The first time I saw The Magic Flute I was transported. It was only the third live opera I had ever seen and I was lucky enough to watch my wife (then girlfriend) sing Second Lady in a Toronto-based young artist summer program. The production was set in, of all things, the Star Trek universe. Papageno's character was recast as Data, from the series Star Trek: The Next Generation, which I watched religiously growing up. I thought the concept really worked!

"Alongside some of Mozart's most glorious and tuneful music, the story is entertaining and enchanting. It is a fairy-tale that speaks to all ages, having characters to whom the audience can relate, like the character I play, Papageno, and his long-lost love, Pagagena, who keep the story grounded. The opera has adventure in foreign lands, the search for true love and plenty of laughs making it perfect for young audiences and first-time opera-goers.

"I love so many aspects of playing the role of Papageno. He is the only character in the opera who steadily 'breaks the fourth wall' and directly communicates with the audience. In most of the roles I sing in opera, I don't normally get scenes with dialogue so I relish the chance to exercise my acting chops and find my own comedic timing. Despite having performed in six different productions throughout my career, this is actually the first in which I will be speaking the dialogue in German!"

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Goran Jurić – Sarastro

"I first saw The Magic Flute performed at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb while I was still in high school. I remember I admired the Queen of the Night and her fantastic arias, but didn't pay that much attention to Sarastro. Some years later, when I was student of opera studies at the University of Zagreb, I sang my first Sarastro ever in the same production and was brought full circle.  

"The Magic Flute is like mille-feuille; it has a bit of everything for everyone. There is a fantastical side, where human beings talk to the animals and dragons; there are a few love stories; there is a huge story about the relationship between children and parents; and at least one, if not more, philosophical clashes. All of that through the stories of Papagena and Papageno, Pamina and Tamino, and the Queen of the Night and Sarastro. Mozart's music gives body and soul to Schikaneder's libretto. Almost every character has a hit aria, and all of these arias are different from each other; one cannot be bored listening to this opera. The frame-story of Papagena and Papageno and Pamina and Tamino are so popular, especially among young audiences, because they can relate to them and Mozart's marvelous music, with ear-worm arias delivering those stories in a super interesting way. There are so many well-connected layers in this opera.

"Sometimes the ambivalence of the characters to the Queen of the Night and Sarastro drives me crazy. I've sung this role so many times in different productions and I still don't have a clue who's positive and who's negative towards them. Every production gives me new answers to that question.

"I'm so sad that the Queen of the Night and Sarastro don't have a duet. Can you imagine what it would be like to listen to the two most extreme human voices, a coloratura soprano and a dark bass, clashing in a musical way? I hope one day some composer will add that number to this opera and I hope Wolfgang won't be mad."

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The Magic Flute is on stage at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts until February 24, 2017. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Photo credits (top - bottom): Charles Sy (left), Goran Jurić (centre), and Martin Gantner (far right) in The Magic Flute (COC, 2017), photo by Chris Hutcheson; Kirsten MacKinnon in The Magic Flute (COC, 2017), photo by Michael Cooper; Ambur Braid in The Magic Flute (COC, 2017), photo by Gary Beechey; Joshua Hopkins in The Magic Flute (COC, 2017), photo by Michael Cooper; Goran Jurić in The Magic Flute (COC, 2017), photo by Michael Cooper.