Some of that will no doubt include the company’s devotion to developing Canadian talent and offering world or Canadian premieres of ambitious new works.

In 2018, he was appointed honorary chairman of Calgary Opera’s Legacy Society, which encourages patrons to donate significant financial gifts to the organization during their lifetimes or in their wills.įor the anniversary concert, Heppner will be highlighting some of the milestones in Calgary Opera’s first half-century. But he did perform an intimate recital in 1997 at the Jack Singer Concert Hall that was presented by Calgary Opera. Other than the Moby-Dick production, Heppner’s history with the company is somewhat limited. 22 at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium when he hosts Calgary Opera’s 50th Anniversary Concert. While he no longer sings, he says he does accept the odd hosting gig to “trot out the old vocal cords and use my radio chops.” That is what he will be doing on Sept. Just over a year ago, he also hung up his headphones after spending eight years hosting the CBC’s Saturday Afternoon At The Opera and Backstage with Ben Heppner. Heppner would retire from the stage two years later. Heggie composed the music while Gene Scheer miraculously whittled down Herman Melville’s sprawling novel to a 2,200-word libretto. “Kudos to Calgary for having some very innovative programming in their history.”

“He was an amazing advocate for new works,” says Heppner, in an interview from his home in Toronto. Of the five companies that partnered to create Moby-Dick - the others beingĭallas Opera, San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera and the State Opera of Southern Australia - Calgary was easily the smallest.īut under the guidance of the late Bob McPhee, it had earned a reputation for punching above its weight when it came to producing ambitious new works. It was also the Canadian premiere of the piece. For one, it was Heppner’s first performance in a Canadian opera in 16 years. It was a notable production for a number of reasons. Ahab that had been created by American composer Jack Heggie with the renowned tenor in mind.

In 2012, Ben Heppner appeared in a Calgary Opera production of Moby-Dick, offering a version of the obsessive Capt.

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