Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 21, 2026

Opera School

Opera School is a 1952 dramatized short documentary film, directed by Gudrun Parker for the National Film Board of Canada.

Last revised
Jul 21, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
297 w
Citations
7
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Opera School
Directed byGudrun Parker
Written byLister Sinclair
Produced byGuy Glover
StarringMarguerite Gignac
CinematographyDenis Gillson
Music byLouis Applebaum
Production
company
Distributed byNational Film Board of Canada
Release date
  • 1952 (1952)
Running time
35 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Opera School (La Classe d'opéra) is a 1952 dramatized short documentary film, directed by Gudrun Parker for the National Film Board of Canada.1

The film traces the education of opera singer Marie Burton (Marguerite Gignac), who is studying at Toronto's The Royal Conservatory of Music. The climax is her debut singing the role of Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro.2

Together with other films of the period that focus on music and theatre, including Music Professor by Gil LaRoche,3 and two other Parker films–A Musician in the Family4 and Children's Concert, it reflects Canadians' growing concern for Canadian art and culture.5

The film won the Canadian Film Award for Best Theatrical Short Film at the 4th Canadian Film Awards in 19526 and third place in the Cultural category at the Yorkton Film Festival.7

References

References

  1. Wyndham Wise, "Gudrun Bjerring Parker". The Canadian Encyclopedia, October 8, 2009.
  2. Ezra Schabas, There's Music In These Walls: A History of the Royal Conservatory of Music. Dundurn Press, 2005. ISBN 9781459712508. p. 113.
  3. "Music Professor". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  4. "A Musician in the Family". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  5. Morris, Peter. "Opera School". cfe.tiff.net. Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  6. Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-7737-3238-1. pp. 17-19.
  7. "Opera School". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
External links

Opera School in the NFB collection catalog