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Toronto – The Canadian Opera Company’s Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre Presented by TD Bank Group returns on September 20, 2023. The company’s “mind-blowingly free” (Toronto Star) programming features nearly 70 performances this year, giving audiences a chance to experience a world of music, dance, poetry, and so much more right in the heart of Toronto.

The Free Concert Series runs from September to May and features multidisciplinary performances including lively choreography; opera and chamber ensemble performances that provide a sampler of featured composers from the classical sphere and beyond; and jazz performances from leading local and international legends.

This season, the series celebrates a diverse range of arts and culture with:

• boundary-breaking collaborations from across Toronto’s arts and culture ecosystem, including performances by Citadel + Compagnie and Fall for Dance North, Canadian Art Song Project, and Toronto Summer Music Festival.
• engaging and moving performances from COC favourites, including Jane Archibald, Josh Lovell, Simone McIntosh, and Simone Osborne, that shine a light on the technical and artistic side of their craft as well as the creative process;
• an exclusive and intimate preview of the company’s upcoming world premiere opera, Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White.

“The Free Concert Series provides a unique opportunity to engage with some of the best performing arts creators in the country in a welcoming environment and approachable format,” says Meaghan Froh Metcalf, Manager of the Free Concert Series. “At the same time, audiences have been eager to try something new and so we have put together an exciting performance roster that includes genre-defying partnerships with some of the leading arts organizations in Toronto and throughout Canada, as well as international artists.”

“During our first full season of live programming following lockdown, we also recognized that our audiences were hungry to connect on a deeper level with both our artists and the art that they create and perform,” continues Froh Metcalf. “And one of the most exciting things about this series is the way it allows for audiences to do exactly that. Our bright, open performance space creates more opportunities for reciprocal engagement and interaction in a way you don’t normally get in larger venues. Some of our artists have even built Q&A sessions or talkbacks into their performances because they want to hear from the public. It’s really a rare and wonderful thing for everyone involved.”

For a full calendar of events, please visit coc.ca/FreeConcerts.

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.

BMO Financial Group: Season Sponsor

TD Bank Group: Presenting Sponsor, Free Concert Series

Major Support for the COC Ensemble Studio Provided by:

The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Anne & Tony Arrell, Marjorie & Roy Linden, The Estate of Tom C. Logan A.R.C.T., The MacNeill Family Foundation, Wendy J. Thompson, The Azrieli Foundation, RBC Foundation, and Stingray, with additional support from ARIAS: Canadian Opera Student Development Fund, Marcia Lewis Brown, Neil & Blanche Carragher, Catherine Fauquier, George & Irene Hamilton, Patrick and Barbara Keenan Foundation, Joy Levine, Patricia & Frank Mills, and Brian Wilks. 

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.

Free Concert Series Media Sponsor: The New Classical 96.3 FM

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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.

ABOUT THE RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE
The Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre is a focal point of the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, with a striking glass wall that allows for natural lighting and a view of University Avenue. Linking Rings 3 and 4, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre provides seating for 100 patrons. Additional seating and standing locations on the walkway and the upper floor are also available for up to 130 patrons.

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