Parlando: The COC Blog

[This is a guest post from Caitlin Coull, Communications Manager, Special Initiatives]

Officially, this Wednesday is the fall equinox. However, we will be happily celebrating the first day of autumn a day earlier with the first free concert of the season on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at
12 p.m.

Named by an anonymous donor for the COC’s late general director, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre is a beautiful, airy space overlooking the busy intersection of Queen Street West and University Avenue. It’s the perfect place for an hour’s respite from the daily grind. Its namesake had a deep and abiding conviction that artistic excellence should be available to everyone, a principle that the COC continues to embrace.

Tuesday’s concert is an annual audience favourite. “Meet the Young Artists” features the members of the COC’s Ensemble Studio (our program for emerging artists) as they introduce themselves by singing arias of their choosing. This season marks the 31st anniversary of the Ensemble Studio program, which offers singers, coaches, directors and conductors valuable opportunities to develop professional performance skills. These artists are on the cusp of world-class careers, so the opportunity to experience them in performance now is something that should not be missed. This season we are excited to welcome new members Ambur Braid, Rihab Chaieb, Christopher Enns, and Jacqueline Woodley. We’re equally thrilled to have returning members back from their summer travels: Neil Craighead, Wallis Giunta, Adrian Kramer, Anne Larlee, Ileana Montalbetti, Simone Osborne, and Michael Uloth.

Concerts take place most Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon, with additional concerts on Wednesdays at noon and 5:30 p.m. spread out throughout the schedule (see the full schedule here). You can even sign up for e-mail updates that will arrive in your inbox on Mondays, alerting you to the upcoming concerts that week and providing links to concert programs and performers’ biographies!

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