Saskatchewan opera singer to tour with the Magic Flute

Clarence Logan has been intrigued by opera music since a very young age. When he was growing up in Biggar, his friends would listen to rock or pop while he would be listening to opera and classical music. At the age of 12 he began to learn to play the organ and to study voice.

After graduating from Biggar Composite high school, Logan went on to attain his bachelor's degree in music from the University of Regina, then moved to London, Ont. to attend the University of Western Ontario where he completed a masters degree in music.

All the years of study and practice have paid off for the 28-year-old bass-baritone, who is relocating to Vancouver where he will join the Vancouver Opera's new touring production of The Magic Flute: Quest for the Box of Shadows. Logan, a member of Moosomin First Nation, will perform the role of Sarastro in the production, a reworking of the Mozart opera that intertwines First Nations mythology into the original story. Logan is one of two Aboriginal singers in the five-member cas-Metis singer Melody Mercredi from Port Hardy, B.C. will be performing the roles of T'sonokwa and Papagena. The opera is scheduled to tour throughout British Columbia from October 2006 through to April 2007.

Joining the cast of The Magic Flute isn't Logan's only recent professional coup. Last summer he recorded a 20-minute long narration with music for CBC Radio One. His recording of Requiem for Wounded Knee, composed by Regina composer Elizabeth Raum, has been aired on the CBC but has yet to be commercially released. In May of this year, his musical successes were officially recognized by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, who bestowed on him a Circle of Honour Award.

When he's not performing, Clarence Logan enjoys reading and cooking. He also loves to listen to opera and classical music and has an extensive collection of CDs and DVDs, believing that as a professional opera singer he needs to be fluent with not only contemporary operas but also the operas of yesteryear.

"Opera is a fascinating profession to get into whether as a performer or a scholar because it combines all of the art forms, music, visual and movement. It has an extensive and rich history, it allows one to learn foreign languages, to travel, and it is very relevant to today's events. There have been operas written recently about terrorism and mid-east violence. Opera is all-encompassing. It is certainly the most vibrant and largest art form there is today," he said.

"I would encourage any Aboriginal student interested in music to consider opera. There are countless composers wanting to compose Aboriginal-based music for Aboriginals to perform.
Just as with Aboriginal art being much sought-after, so too are Aboriginal performers in classical music. Opera is a wonderful field to get into because it allows one to explore other cultures and to realize how much we all can learn from other cultures and to appreciate all cultures. There's a strong unifying quality in opera."

Logan would eventually like to become a resident artist of a large opera house like the Metropolitan Opera in New York or possibly an opera house in Europe. But, he said, wherever he is, as long as he's performing, he is happy.