COC Media Releases

Toronto, Ontario � The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is proud to be invited to perform the U.S. premiere of its spectacular production of Robert Lepage's The Nightingale and Other Short Fables at the world-renowned Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in March, 2011. The opera, set to the music of Stravinsky, is directed by Robert Lepage and will be conducted by COC Music Director Johannes Debus. This is the only U.S. engagement to date, and is scheduled at the Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, NY) for only four performances on March 1, 3, 4, and 6, 2011

�We are incredibly honoured to have been invited to take part in BAM's fantastic spring season, and to present such a beautiful and original production at the festival,� says Alexander Neef, General Director of the COC. �The COC was last at BAM in 1993 with Robert Lepage's production of Bluebeard's Castle/Erwartung, and we are so glad to be back with another new Lepage creation.�

Read more...

Toronto, Ontario � Popular Canadian rockers Broken Social Scene will add an indie twist as musical guests at the Canadian Opera Company's annual fundraising party, Operanation VII, Cinderella: Rock the Ball taking place on Friday, October 29, 2010. Held in the crystalline Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, this must-attend event of the year brings together classic culture and young urban professionals from diverse career, social, and business circles, who share a passion for the arts. This year's exclusive cocktail reception celebrates Rossini's opera, La Cenerentola, and puts a very modern spin on the traditional Opera Ball. Guests of Operanation VII, Cinderella: Rock the Ball will enjoy a night of dancing, rousing live entertainment, specialty cocktails and fine cuisine catered by Rose Reisman Catering.

Performing opera mash-ups with members of the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio, Broken Social Scene headlines the live entertainment at Operanation VII, Cinderella: Rock the Ball, giving indie rock makeovers to well-known opera favourites. At the stroke of midnight, guests will be treated to a performance by rising Canadian star and innovative singer Clara Venice.

Guests can participate in a silent auction, bidding on luxury and specialty items such as: a seven-day stay at a villa in Provence; a weekend at the Ritz-Carlton, Toronto; a year-long rental of a Steinway & Sons baby grand piano; a Bulgari stainless steel watch; four tickets to a Toronto Maple Leafs game; restaurant and theatre packages; and much more.

Operanation VII, Cinderella: Rock the Ball begins at 9 p.m. and tickets are $150 per person. The VIP dinner and early bird tickets are already sold out, and tickets to the cocktail reception are selling quickly. Tickets can be purchased online at operanation.ca or by calling 416-306-2364.

Previous COC Operanation events have attracted over 4,000 attendees and have raised almost $400,000 with all proceeds benefiting the Canadian Opera Company and its Education and Outreach Programs.

Presenting sponsor for Operanation VII: TD Canada Trust

Official Fragrance Sponsor for Operanation VII: COTY

About the Canadian Opera Company
Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the five largest in North America. The COC enjoys a loyal audience support-base and one of the highest attendance and subscription rates in North America. The COC celebrates its 61st anniversary during the 2010/2011 season. Under its new leadership team of General Director Alexander Neef and Music Director Johannes Debus, the COC is increasingly capturing the opera world's attention. The COC maintains its international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation by creating new productions within its diverse repertoire, collaborating with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracting the world's foremost Canadian and international artists. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world. Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects, the Four Seasons Centre opened in 2006, and is also the performance venue for The National Ballet of Canada. For more information on the Canadian Opera Company, please visit its award-winning website, coc.ca.

Toronto, Ontario � The Canadian Opera Company is pleased to participate in Culture Days, Canada's first nation-wide arts advocacy initiative, on September 24 and September 25, 2010. The COC invites the public to attend these interactive, fun and informal initiatives designed to give the public the chance to see what happens behind the scenes at the COC. The events include a free concert featuring artists of the COC and a rehearsal of the COC's upcoming production of Verdi's Aida. Both events take place at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West. (at University Avenue)

Friday, September 24, 2010: 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. � Doors open at 7 p.m.
Free Concert featuring artists of the COC and Music Director Johannes Debus
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre
The COC presents a one-hour concert of opera favourites featuring artists of the COC. At the end of the concert, Music Director Johannes Debus will lead the audience in a sing-along of two famous operatic choruses: Va pensiero from Verdi's opera Nabucco, and the Anvil Chorus from Verdi's Il Trovatore. Audience members are invited to experience what it is like to be an opera singer and the work that goes into learning an operatic score by visiting coc.ca/ExploreAndLearn.aspx to make use of various online learning tools including links to free versions of piano vocal scores, an audio recording of the Italian texts, pronunciation guides, and links to YouTube clips of the choruses. No singing experience required. Seating is limited and is first-come, first-served.

Saturday, September 25, 2010: 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. � Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Orchestra Rehearsal of Aida with pre-rehearsal chat at 6:45 p.m.
R. Fraser Elliott Hall
Up to 500 members of the public are invited to an orchestra rehearsal of the COC's new production of Verdi's Aida. This is the final rehearsal before the dress rehearsal which gives audience members the chance to catch a glimpse of the rehearsal process and is an opportunity that has never before been made available to the public. A pre-rehearsal chat in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre gives audience members insight into the opera and the rehearsal process. Tickets to Rings 3 and 4 of R. Fraser Elliott Hall will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limit of one ticket per person upon entry to the event. Tickets are not available in advance.

Culture Days is a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement happening September 24, 25, 26, 2010 to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. For more information on Culture Days please visit www.culturedays.ca or to learn more about the COC's participation, please visit coc.ca/ExploreAndLearn.aspx or call Education and Outreach Assistant Gillian Story at 416-306-2392.