Roy Thomson Hall's 2010/11 International Vocal Recitals series ANGELA GHEORGHIU with Canadian Opera Company Orchestra Roy Thomson Hall (60 Simcoe St) / Toronto Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 8PM Tickets: $59.50 to $169.50 � ON SALE NOW For tickets call 416-872-4255, buy online roythomson.com Or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office (60 Simcoe St, Toronto, ON)
November 22, 2010 // Toronto, ON � The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall is thrilled to announce that renowned Romanian-born soprano Angela Gheorghiu will be joined by the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra with guest conductor Steven White, when she makes her long-awaited Toronto debut at Roy Thomson Hall on Thursday, April 7, 2011 as part of the 2010|11 International Vocal Recitals series.
The resident orchestra for the Toronto-based Canadian Opera Company will join soprano Angela Gheorghiu for a program of beloved opera arias (full details to be announced). "We are very pleased to showcase our wonderful COC Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall," said Alexander Neef, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company. "It's no secret that it is one of the best in the country, and we welcome every opportunity for the orchestra to perform on stage. To accompany Angela Gheorghiu, one of the world's great sopranos, is a privilege."
Ms. Gheorghiu is widely considered to be among the greatest singing actresses of our time. A mega-star at all the world's great opera houses, she is known for her electrifying performances as Violetta and Tosca, and for her many award-winning recordings and live telecasts from La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera.
Leading the COC Orchestra is American conductor Steven White, who recently made his highly successful Metropolitan Opera debut conducting two performances of Verdi's La Traviata, starring Angela Gheorghiu and Thomas Hampson.
"We are proud to present the great Angela Gheorghiu together with the COC Orchestra, our musical neighbour and a company for which we have great respect," commented Charles Cutts, President and CEO of The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. "With such outstanding, complementary conductor and orchestra, it's certain to be a memorable event."
Presented by Roy Thomson Hall Sponsored by RBC
For additional information on the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra or the COC, please contact: Jennifer Pugsley, Media Relations Manager, Canadian Opera Company jenniferp@coc.ca 416 306 2303
For additional information on Angela Gheorghiu and Steven White or for high-resolution photographs, artist biography, or for any specific requirements including artist interview and/or review ticket requests, please contact: The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall Stephen McGrath, Media Relations Manager stephen.mcgrath@rth-mh.com 416-593-4822, Ext. 318 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto, Canada M5J 2H5 MasseyHall.com / RoyThomson.com / Soundboard.ca
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Toronto, November 4, 2010 � On Friday, October 29, a new standard for charity balls was set at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts as the scene of Operanation VII, Cinderella: Rock the Ball unfolded with more than 1,000 guests - 140 of whom also attended the event's sold-out VIP dinner. The evening raised over $100,000 for the Canadian Opera Company's education and outreach programs.
With an impressive Cinderella-worthy carriage punctuating the promenade outside the Four Seasons Centre, guests arriving for the 9 p.m. exclusive cocktail reception, may have been tempted to think about whisking away before even entering. But, once inside and greeted by trumpeters to a magical setting, there was no thought of leaving before the stroke of midnight at this ball.
Well-known Canadian band, Broken Social Scene, along with rising young opera stars of the COC Ensemble Studio, Ambur Braid and Wallis Giunta, wowed guests with a rare performance that put an edgy-spin on opera classics-- the Queen of the Night aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute and the duet from Léo Delibes's opera Lakmé -- before moving into a set of Broken Social Scene crowd favourites, emphatically enhanced with powerful overlays sung by Braid and Giunta.
Keeping the fairy tale evening going was Canadian rising star and innovative singer Clara Venice, who took the stage at midnight wearing her second of three rocker-glam ensembles of the night, all provided for her from the Kingdom collection of Canadian fashion designer Evan Biddell, Project Runway Canada's first winner.
Venice turned up the heat with a sultry electro-pop-meets-cabaret-influenced set, as she playfully interacted with the crowd during her never-before-seen performance. Highlights included a lit parasol entry, a theremin - a first time exposure to the instrument for many - and provocative Lady Gaga-esque moves.
�One of the goals of Operanation is to make opera attractive, appealing and accessible to Toronto's up-and-coming arts crowd, and we certainly accomplished that with this, our seventh iteration of the event,� says Fayaz Dossa, COC Board Member and Operanation VII Co-Chair, along with Claire Kennedy. He adds, �It was thrilling to see such an impressive show of support for the Canadian Opera Company and the arts scene.�
There was no shortage of fashion statements at the event either. From new and re-purposed wedding dresses to the latest from the top designers' fall lookbooks, the crowd was certainly a well-attired one. Canada's own fashion queen, Fashion Television's Jeanne Beker, hosted the VIP dinner dressed as Cinderella's evil stepmother with an elaborate horned headpiece providing a twist on the fairytale villain's traditional garb.
You only had to check the Twitter postings (@Operanation) as buzzing proof that everything from performers in drag as the �ugly stepsisters�, to the Diego Bros. spinning can't-stop-the-dancing tunes, to �The Glass Slipper� signature cocktail kept spirits high. Culinary highlights by Rose Reisman Catering -- cupcake ball gowns and carving stations with beef hips, to name a few -- added to the all-round success, amplified by successful live and silent auctions.
Beyond Broken Social Scene and the COC opera singers, a long line of recognizable television, film, fashion and music scene faces were among party guests, including: Lindsey Ames (The Vow); Glen Baxter (Fashion Television); designers Evan Biddell and Marika Brose; Natalie Brown (CBC, Sophie); Jian Ghomeshi (CBC, Q); Daniel Johnson (Stereos); Athena Karkanis (The Border); David Paetkau (Flashpoint); Tara Spencer-Nairn (Corner Gas); Aliya-Jasmine Sovani (MTV); and many members of the Rookie Blue cast.
Proving that the fairy tale continues long after midnight, guests made their way to an after-party at the Thompson Hotel rooftop terrace where they partied the way Cinderella may have had she not had a curfew; that is, well into the wee hours.
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Toronto, Ontario � The Canadian Opera Company (COC) revealed today that its previously announced 2010 Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour trip has added two new destinations that will take it further north than it has ever been before: the communities of Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq in northern Québec.� These Inuit communities in the Nunavik region are located near Xstrata Nickel's Raglan mine.� The COC will perform its school-friendly production of Cinderella, a combination of Jules Massenet's and Rossini's musical scores, for students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 in each community, on November 16 and 17, 2010.
�This tour is a remarkable opportunity for the COC.� Xstrata has been absolutely indispensible in allowing the COC's school tour to travel further than we ever have in our history,� says Alexander Neef, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company.� �The company is extremely excited that our Ensemble Studio singers will be performing opera for children in these remote communities, and we are equally honoured to be given the opportunity to learn as much as we can about their culture from them.� If the children's response is anything like that of the reaction the tour receives in Ontario, they will be completely enchanted with the performances.�
Xstrata, Title Sponsor of the COC's school tour, will host the COC artists and staff at its Raglan mine.� As Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq are only accessible by air, the COC team will be flown into each community from the tour's home base at Raglan: on November 16 to Pigiurvik School in Salluit, and on November 17 to Arsaniq School in Kangiqsujuaq.
Both performance days begin with workshops led by the COC's Senior Manager of Education and Outreach, Katherine Semcesen, with the participation of the singers and pianist.� A 50-minute performance of Cinderella, a mix of Rossini's and Massenet's music sung in both English and French, will follow and include a question-and-answer period.� In addition to school performances, the COC Ensemble artists will present a short program of operatic arias for the employees at Raglan mine on the evening of November 17.
�It is important to Xstrata that we expand the tour's reach north to the communities in which we operate,� says Michael Welch, Vice President, Raglan Mine.� �We strive for our Raglan operations to provide more than just jobs to our local communities � we want to create sustainable value.� This can take many forms, including art and culture, and education.� The Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour combines these two elements in a unique way and introduces opera to children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to be exposed to this art form.�
Cinderella is also traveling to northern Ontario cities of Sudbury and Timmins as part of Xstrata's continuing goal to provide cultural and educational value to those communities in which they work.� Cinderella performs in Sudbury and Timmins the week of November 8, 2010, and in schools across the Greater Toronto Area, from November 22 � December 5, 2010.� The Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour production of Isis and the Seven Scorpions, by Canadian composer Dean Burry, performs across Ontario from November 8 � December 5, 2010.� The COC's annual Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour reaches over 16,000 students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 across Ontario and displays the talents of professional singers from the renowned COC Ensemble Studio training program.� (A complete tour schedule is available upon request.)
For many children, the Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour is their first experience with opera, and it allows them to discover a new and exciting art form. �You made us very, very, very happy� the music was beautiful� we really enjoyed the show,� stated a letter from a Grade 3 student from Secord Elementary School in Toronto.� The tour also appeals to educators who appreciate the educational value of the performances.� �I wish you could have seen the enraptured look on the face of one of our Senior Kindergarten students,� said a teacher from Prince Charles Elementary School, in Brantford, Ont., after seeing The Barber of Seville in the fall of 2009.� �I know that many children are now huge fans of opera and will undoubtedly be predisposed to attend more as adults as a result of this early exposure.�
COC 2010 XSTRATA ENSEMBLE STUDIO SCHOOL TOUR TO NUNAVIK, QUEBEC, November 16 and 17
Cinderella by Gioacchino Rossini and Jules Massenet
Cast and Artistic Team Musical Director: Andrea Grant Director: Ashlie Corcoran Designer: Robin Fisher Stage Manager: Michael Lewandowski Cinderella: Rihab Chaieb Clorinda: Ambur Braid Tisbe: Heather Jewson The Prince: Michael Barrett The King/Narrator: Michael Uloth
The COC's Ensemble Studio is Canada's premier training program for young opera professionals and provides advanced instruction, hands-on experience and career development opportunities.� The Ensemble Studio is generously supported by the Government of Canada through the department of Canadian Heritage, RBC Foundation and additional donors.