Toronto, Ontario – The fate of the top five finalists of the Canadian Opera Company's Cinderella Outfit Challenge is now in the hands of the contest's celebrity judges: Jeanne Beker (host of CTV's Fashion Television), Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman (hosts of Steven & Chris on CBC TV), David McCaffrey (creative director and designer of McCaffrey Haute Couture) and COC General Director Alexander Neef.
Public voting on the 60 submitted Cinderella-inspired hand-crafted costumes closed at the stroke of midnight on April 6, 2011, with 3,888 votes having been cast via the COC's Facebook page, facebook.com/canadianoperacompany. The top five designs, entitled "Golden Cinderella," "Fashionably Late," "Paperella," "Made from Magic" and "A Classic Fairy Tale," were the most popular, earning a combined total of 1,205 votes. Five very unique designs are represented in the final selection, featuring gowns classic in style to dresses with a distinctly fashion-forward look. Materials used in the creation of these designs range from traditional cloths and ribbon to multi-coloured slips of cupcake wrappers.
The winner of the design challenge will be announced on the COC's website, coc.ca, on April 15, and will receive an opera prize pack worth more than $3,000, including four tickets to the opening night performance of the COC's Cinderella on April 23 and overnight accommodation at the Hilton Toronto. The top five entries will also be on display at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts during performances of the COC's Cinderella on April 23, 28, May 1, 7, 10, 13, 19, 22 and 25, 2011.
The Cinderella Outfit Challenge was inspired by the crocheted dress-wearing doll image used in the creative campaign of the COC's production of Cinderella. The Cinderella Outfit Challenge ran from March 15 – April 3, 2011, during which time contest participants created an original clothing design and submitted a photo of a doll wearing the Cinderella-inspired garment to the facebook.com/canadianoperacompany. Entries were judged by the general public from March 15 – April 6, 2011, with the five designs with the most votes moving on for final review.
All entries to the Cinderella Outfit Challenge, including the top five finalists, are still available for viewing by visiting facebook.com/canadianoperacompany and selecting “Cinderella Outfit Challenge.”
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Toronto, Ontario – The power of love takes centre stage at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts this May when the Canadian Opera Company premieres its first production of an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck – the masterpiece Orfeo ed Euridice. Canadian Robert Carsen, one of the most prominent names in the international opera scene today, makes his much-anticipated return to the COC to direct his highly-acclaimed production. Carsen is joined by renowned opera and concert conductor Harry Bicket and opera stars American countertenor Lawrence Zazzo and Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian. Orfeo ed Euridice is sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™, and runs for eight performances on May 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 24, 26 and 28, 2011.
Orfeo has lost his wife Euridice and goes – literally – to hell and back to find her in this operatic adaptation of the Greek myth. When Orfeo is granted permission by the god of love to lead Euridice out of the underworld, it is with one stipulation: he cannot look back upon his beloved's face until they reach Earth. The resulting tale in which love confounds death, set to a score of unsurpassed beauty, is one of opera's greatest masterpieces. Equally momentous is the production that brings Orfeo ed Euridice to the COC. Carsen's staging has been described as "magical" and a "revelation on several levels" (Chicago Sun-Times) as well as "a vivid demonstration of why this exquisite work has endured in the international repertory for centuries"(Opera News) at its Lyric Opera of Chicago premiere in 2006.
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Toronto, Ontario –The Canadian Opera Company’s 12th annual Fine Wine Auction brings 300 enthusiasts together to bid on almost a quarter of a million dollars worth of hard-to-find fine wines on Thursday, April 7, 2011 at the trendy Crush Wine Bar (455 King St. W.) in Toronto.
CTV reporter Paul Bliss hosts this year’s lavish, libatious event which features an impressive assortment of wines that have a total value of more than $212,000. A pre-auction cocktail at 6 p.m. begins the April 7th festivities and the live auction starts at 7 p.m. Leading the charge will be Stephen Ranger, Toronto’s best known auctioneer, negotiating the bidding over these exquisite wines from private collections including:
In addition to bidding on exclusive wines, guests can indulge in an irresistible array of culinary delicacies, chocolates, cheeses and tasting wines, and can participate in a silent auction featuring items such as theatre experiences, restaurant gift certificates, winery tours, hotel accommodations, a helicopter tour of Niagara, a Christian Louboutin clutch, a private Mombacho Cigar tasting and a session with one of Canada’s leading portrait photographers, V. Tony Hauser.
The annual wine auction is a great night out for wine aficionados and novices alike, with desirable selections for those adding to already-established wine cellars as well as those just starting their collections. Tickets to the wine auction are $85 and can be purchased online at coc.ca or by calling 416-363-8231. All proceeds benefit the COC.
The COC’s 12th annual Fine Wine Auction is presented in part by Crush Wine Bar and Restaurant, Stephen Ranger Fine Art Valuation and Consultancy, The Cheese Boutique and Rheo Thomson Candies as well as CTV and The Globe and Mail.