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Toronto – Following a successful first season of supporting local artists with invaluable performance opportunities, the Canadian Opera Company is pleased to announce the return of The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre: City Sessions. Beginning November 22, 2022 and running through June 2023, one concert will be released every month, showcasing a new artist or ensemble filmed in the COC’s breathtaking, city-facing performance space.

“It’s exciting to be building on the artistic and community relationships forged since we released our first City Sessions,” says Meaghan Froh Metcalf, Manager of the Free Concert Series. “For 22/23, we’ve​ carefully selected a lineup of concerts that ​introduces new artists, showcases unique sounds, and highlights a range of work from historical to present.”

This season’s programming will feature performances from: JUNO-winning piano and violin ensemble Duo Concertante in a concert that features a work by former COC Composer-in-Residence Ian Cusson; Tokai String Quartet, a leading ensemble featuring musicians of the COC Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and National Ballet of Canada Orchestra; and the COC’s Ensemble Studio, gathering the best and brightest rising opera artists from across the country.

The digital concerts were first introduced in 2021 as a way for the popular public programming series to continue supporting and promoting local performers, amidst continued disruptions to live audience capacities. With generous support from TD Bank Group (TD), more audiences than ever were able to experience the vibrance and resilience of Toronto’s cultural ecosystem through recording and broadcast, allowing featured artists to share more widely the music and stories that resonate most with them. In total, the series received nearly 140,000 views across the COC’s social media platforms.

“At TD, we believe when people feel connected to their communities, good things happen. That’s why, through our corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, we’re delighted to support unique and inclusive experiences like the Free Concert Series: City Sessions,” says Alicia Rose, AVP Social Impact, Sustainability & Corporate Citizenship, TD Bank Group. “We’re proud to work with the Canadian Opera Company to increase public access to music and cultural events, amplify diverse voices, and help create opportunities for emerging artists to flourish.”

For more information on and latest schedule for The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre: City Sessions, Presented by TD Bank Group, please visit coc.ca/CitySessions.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre is supported by the Free Concert Series Endowment Fund established in honour of Richard Bradshaw by an anonymous donor.

Free Concert Series Presenting Sponsor: TD Ready Commitment

Free Concert Series Media Sponsor: The New Classical 96.3 FM

Season Sponsor: BMO Financial Group

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 COC Academy is an incubator for the future of the art form, nurturing Canada’s new wave of opera creators with customized training and support. 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. For more information, visit coc.ca. 

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