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Programming features new production of Macbeth and Pomegranate world premiere

Toronto – Single tickets are now on sale for all of the Canadian Opera Company’s 2022/2023 operas, as well as Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition. This season’s programming is proudly sponsored by BMO Financial Group, helping artists and creators to showcase the very best in Canadian opera.

Six productions will be performed at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, located at 145 Queen St. W.: Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, Bizet’s Carmen, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, R. Strauss’ Salome, Verdi’s Macbeth, and Puccini’s Tosca.

From the Canadian Opera Company Theatre, at 227 Front St. E., the company will host a world premiere presentation from composer Kye Marshall and librettist Amanda Hale: Pomegranate is a time-shifting, queer love story that brings audiences on a journey from ancient Pompeii to 1980s Toronto, told through the lens of an all-female creative team

The fall sees the return of one of the COC’s most exciting and important signature fundraisers, Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition on November 3, 2022. The annual vocal competition showcases the live, final round of national auditions for the chance to be invited to join the company’s prestigious career development program, the COC Ensemble Studio.

For full details on all productions and events, visit coc.ca.


AT THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner
October 7, 9, 13, 15, 19, 21, and 23, 2022
Sung in German with English SURTITLES^TM
A Canadian Opera Company production

The 22/23 season kicks off with Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, a visually arresting production based on the haunting sea legend that has captured the imagination of audiences for generations. The work is considered a masterpiece from one of the world’s greatest composers and will be conducted by COC Music Director Johannes Debus – a special milestone, as this is the first opera he conducted in Toronto after joining the Canadian Opera Company. Danish bass-baritone Johan Reuter stars in the title role, opposite American soprano Marjorie Owens as Senta.

Carmen by Georges Bizet
October 14, 16, 20, 22, 26, 28, 30, and November 4, 2022
Sung in French with English SURTITLES^TM
A Canadian Opera Company production

Two dazzling mezzo-sopranos star in this Bizet blockbuster, full of opera’s biggest and most recognizable numbers. Two-time Grammy Award-winner J’Nai Bridges makes her COC debut, sharing the title role of the fiercely independent woman with COC Ensemble Studio alumna Rihab Chaieb. The powerhouse cast also includes Argentine tenor Marcelo Puente as Don José, Juno-nominated Lebanese-Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury, rising Canadian soprano and Ensemble Studio alumna Anna-Sophie Neher as Micaëla, as well as Grammy Award-winning American baritone Lucas Meachem and Canadian baritone Gregory Dahl as Escamillo.

Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition
Thursday, November 3 from 5:30 – 9 p.m.

For this year’s event, themed An Evening in the Spotlight, Canada’s best emerging opera singers perform from the mainstage of the Four Seasons Centre in a concert of the art form’s most gorgeous melodies. All Competition Experience tickets include a selection of delicious canapés and refreshments specially curated by The Chase, as well as a celebratory post-show toast. With the Premium Spotlight Experience, attendees also enjoy a three-course dinner after the main event, presented in the stunning Henry N. R. Jackman Lounge, as well as dedicated time to meet and mingle with competition winners, finalists, and current Ensemble Studio artists.

The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
January 27, 29 / February 2, 4, 10, 12, 16, and 18, 2023
Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES^TM
A Canadian Opera Company production

Mozart’s great comic opera kicks off at the COC on the same day as the master composer’s birthday. The whirlwind story takes place over one crazy day as Figaro and Susanna prepare for their wedding, navigating twists, turns, and mistaken identities along the way. Luca Pisaroni stars as Figaro, a signature role for the Italian bass-baritone, alongside Canadian bass-baritone and Ensemble Studio alumnus Gordon Bintner, and South African soprano Johanni van Oostrum. This stylized production by director Claus Guth explores the subversive heart and psychological insights of Mozart’s opera in which beloved working class characters outwit their employers and love can be a blinding force.

Salome by Richard Strauss
February 3, 5, 9, 11, 17, 19, and 24, 2023
Sung in German with English SURTITLES^TM
A Canadian Opera Company production

Opera, theatre, and film unite in Salome, directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Atom Egoyan. The erotic thriller by Richard Strauss has been shocking audiences since its premiere 120 years ago, and stars Canadian soprano and Ensemble Studio alumna Ambur Braid in the title role, following a tour de force performance at Frankfurt Opera. The cast features the return of several other internationally renowned singers, including Canadian tenor Michael Schade as the lecherous Herod and Finnish soprano Karita Mattila as Herodias. COC Music Director Johannes Debus conducts the explosive, modernist score that redefined musical storytelling.

Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi
April 28, 30 / May 6, 12, 14, 17, and 20, 2023
Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES^TM
A new Canadian Opera Company co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago

Epic sets, costumes, and special effects provide the jaw-dropping backdrop for this gripping new co-production of Macbeth. Sir David McVicar returns to Toronto with a gritty take on the Shakespeare masterpiece, accompanied by many of the creative members who brought the COC’s much-loved Rusalka to life in 2019. Renowned Canadian-American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky and American baritone Quinn Kelsey star as one of literatures most ruthless power couples, alongside Canadian tenor and Ensemble Studio graduate Matthew Cairns as Macduff. Acclaimed Italian conductor Speranza Scappucci returns to the podium to lead the COC Orchestra.

Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
May 5, 7, 11, 13, 19, 21, 23, and 27, 2023
Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES^TM
A Canadian Opera Company production

Puccini’s fast-paced political thriller invites audiences on a rollercoaster drama that unfolds over the course of just 24 hours, as the famed singer Tosca is faced with a terrible ultimatum: submit to the desires of the corrupt local police chief, Scarpia, or watch her beloved die. One of the world’s most popular operas, Tosca sets big action and big emotions against an unforgettable soundtrack for the complete opera experience. Moldovan soprano Olga Busuioc and Italian tenor Stefano La Colla make their COC debut, together with Italian conductor Giuliano Carella. British baritone Roland Wood returns to the COC as Scarpia.


AT THE CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY THEATRE

Pomegranate by Kye Marshall and Amanda Hale
June 2, 3, and 4, 2023
Sung in English
A Canadian Opera Company World Premiere co-production with Vancouver Opera

Pomegranate is a queer love story that crosses the boundaries of time. The world premiere of a Canadian contemporary opera by composer Kye Marshall and librettist Amanda Hale follows Suzie and Cass from a fateful trip to the ruins of Pompeii, all the way to Toronto in the 1980s and the aftermath of the city’s infamous Bathhouse Raids. This intimate chamber production is directed by Jennifer Tarver and conducted by Rosemary Thomson, with Canadian soprano Danielle Buonaiuto and Canadian-Bulgarian mezzo-soprano Adanya Dunn starring as the lovers forced to confront the realities of their time. The cast is completed with mezzo-soprano Catherine Daniel as Mother Maria, baritone Peter Barrett as Uncle Salvatore, and soprano Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野 as Jules.

TICKET INFORMATION

Single tickets for The Flying Dutchman, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, Salome, Macbeth, and Tosca range from $35 – $250 for adults, with Grand Ring seats available at $290 and $350, and $22 tickets available for guests between the ages of 16 and 29 through the COC’s Opera Under 30 program. Single tickets for Pomegranate are $75 for adults and $35 for Opera Under 30 tickets.

2022/2023 season tickets can be purchased online at coc.ca or by calling the Four Seasons Centre Box Office at 416-363-8231. For more information on booking student groups, standing room, and rush tickets, as well as other specially priced tickets available to young people under the age of 15, please visit coc.ca.

Tickets for Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition range from $150 for The Competition Experience to $1000 for The Premium Spotlight Experience, which includes a three-course dinner, presented in the stunning Henry N. R. Jackman Lounge after the main event. For further details, please visit coc.ca/CentreStage.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Season Sponsor: BMO Financial Group

The Flying Dutchman is underwritten in part by:
Lisa Balfour Bowen and Family in memory of Walter Bowen and in honour of Alexander Neef

The Marriage of Figaro is underwritten in part by:
Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation in honour of Alexander Neef

The Marriage of Figaro was originally built by the Salzburg Festival in celebration of the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth.

Thank you to the entire COC community, including our COC Board of Directors, our Corporate Sponsors and Foundation Supporters, generous public funders, union partners, and — most critically — our audience. Your inspiring support ensures that opera flourishes, uniting global audiences and paving the way for a vibrant future.

ABOUT THE CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY
Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. General Director Perryn Leech joined the company in 2021, forming a leadership team with Music Director Johannes Debus and Deputy General Director Christie Darville. The COC enjoys a loyal audience, including a dedicated base of subscribers, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. Its diverse repertoire includes new commissions and productions, local and international collaborations with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracts the world’s foremost Canadian and international artists. The company is an incubator for the future of the art form, nurturing Canada’s new wave of opera performers and creators with customized training and support. The COC’s purpose-built opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, is hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world. For more information, visit coc.ca.
 

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For more information, please contact:
Avril Sequeira, Director of Public Relations, email: [email protected]
Davin Leivonen-Fok, Communications Coordinator, email: [email protected]