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Apart from being an active performer on Canadian and international stages, Beste is also a licensed music development teacher for toddlers, and also has a master’s degree and research experience in developmental and music psychology.

During the pandemic, Beste has started a bilingual video podcast series with puppets called “Tunes and Tales with Beste The Mezzo”, oriented to young children who are stuck at home during the COVID-19 lockdowns. She creates most of the puppets herself and combines the stories with pieces/tunes from operas and children’s songs with relevant themes. The videos also include ‘parent education’ moments, providing the parents with some tips on how to best support their little one’s music and language development. The project has been featured by journals and blogs both in Turkey and Canada. The episodes in Turkish have been livestreamed by Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s online Library Project.

You can follow the series via Beste’s YouTube page or on Facebook: @sopranodanmasallar or  Instagram: @bestemezzo @sopranodanmasallar

Click here to view the video collection.

Online Performance from Beste Kalender, available on Tuesday, March 24th starting 8:30pm.

Beste Kalender, Mezzo soprano
Rachel Andrist, Pianist
Ryan Harper Recordings
Tuesday March 24th 8:30pm

Beste is uniting forces with pianist Rachel Andrist and Ryan Harper Recordings (www.ryanharper.ca) for this special event.

“We will be taking you to a “virtual” journey from beautiful Venice, where you can hear the captivating sounds of the canals and lend an ear to some passionate love stories. Then, we will follow the sweet breeze of the Mediterranean and sail to Anatolia/Turkey where you can hear some enchanting middle Eastern tunes set on folk tales of the people (Armenian, Persian, Azerbaijani, Greek and Turkish) who called Turkey/ Anatolia home for centuries. Hope you join us!”

The recital program will include works by F. Santoliquido, R. Hahn, G. Faure, H. Berlioz, Komitas and various Turkish composers.

The program will be available on YouTube at 8:30pm Toronto time
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQLJrNix3x_cY2iN52krHJQ

Lydia Perović talks music and more with rising Turkish-Canadian Beste Kalender Mezzo Soprano.

For the full interview: Beste Kalender: Mezzo Rising | The WholeNote

26th Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 – Les Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques results have been announced after a marathon of 4 concerts and various rehearsals in Montreal!

🌠 We are delighted to announce that Beste has been chosen as “Jeune Espoir Lyrique Canadien 2019” and awarded $5000 to support her future engagaments and auditons in Europe by Azrieli Foundation.

Beste has been also offered:

🌠 The title role in Carmen by Bizet in Sofia National Opera and Ballet(Bulgaria) for season 2020/2021

🌠 Concert engagament in January 2020 with Opera de San Miguel

🌠 Concert engagements with Opéra Angers Nantes (France) for season 2020/2021
🌠 Concert engagements with Shenzhen Poly Theatre (Chine) for season 2020/2021

For the 2019-20 season, Beste will be returning to Edmonton Opera, this time as the “very easily assimilated” Old Lady in Candide by L. Bernstein. She has recently debuted this role with Banff Centre’s production in collaboration with Against The Grain Theatre and the Canadian Opera Company. She is looking forward to be back in Edmonton and to give life to this brilliant character once again, this time under the guidance of director Joel Ivany and Maestro Peter Dala!

When:
March 14,17, 20 2020
Click here for more information

Beste will also be rejoining the Toronto Operetta Family with a role debut, Czipra in The Gypsy Baron by J. Strauss. The show will run during holidays under the baton of Maestro Derek Bate and General Director Guillermo Silva-Marin!

When:
December 28th- January 5th 2020

On concert stages, Beste will make her company debut with Sinfonia Toronto under the baton of Maestro Nurhan Arman with a concert titled: Musical Bridges. The concert will feature the world premier of songs by award winning Turkish composer Tahsin Incirci and will celebrate a great composer and the founder of Armenian School of Music: Komitas.

Clikc here for more information

For the detailed schedule and updates, please check the upcoming events section

Adam Fisher (Paris) and Beste Kalender (Helene) in TOT’s The Beautiful Helen. Photo: Gilbeto Prioste; Maestro: Peter Tiefenbach; Reggia: Guillermo Silva-Marin

Beste’s performance of title role in La belle Hélène by Offenbach was very well received by the critics and audiences:

“Turkish-Canadian mezzo Beste Kalender was every inch the glamorous diva, sang with luscious tone, and acted up a storm.” (Joseph So, Opera Canada)

“There are some very good performances, notably by Beste Kalender in the title role. In appearance she could have stepped straight out of a Minoan fresco and vocally she navigates Helen’s very tricky music with great facility and rather beautiful tone colours. She does “petulant” and “hissy fit” really well too.”( John Gilks, Operaramblings)

“La Belle Hélène, Offenbach’s most popular operetta after La Vie parisienne (1866) and Orphée aux enfers (1858), provides an excellent showcase for the talents of Beste Kalender in the title role. Kalender possesses a large, lustrous and rich mezzo-soprano. But she also has a delightful agility of technique and a sense for comedy that she shows off in a series of extended interpolated runs in Act 2. She has the full measure of the role playing Hélène as an faux-innocent victim of destiny as well as a young woman instantly attracted to the strapping young Paris who clearly outshines her aged husband. Kalender is wonderfully coy and flirtatious in “On me nomme Hélène” and brings out the beauty of the operetta’s most famous melody, “Va t’en, va t’en, mon amour te suivra”, a melody you will instantly recognize without knowing that this operetta is its source.” (Christopher Hoile, Stage Door)

• Nicole Cabell, Soprano
• Susanna Phillips, Soprano
• Isabel Leonard, Mezzo-Soprano
• Beste Kalender, Mezzo-Soprano
• Russell Thomas, Tenor
• Leonardo Capalbo, Tenor
• Lester Lynch, Baritone
• Edward Parks, Baritone
• Martin Katz, Piano
• Warren Jones, Piano

The Professional Development for Artists component of Explore and Create supports the career growth of Canadian artists and artistic groups by encouraging participation in a wide range of development opportunities. Grants fund activities that contribute to the professional advancement of Canadian artists working in all artistic disciplines.

“We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.

Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil a investi 153 millions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays.”