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Tickets now on sale for all operas and special events

Toronto – Single tickets are now on sale for the Canadian Opera Company’s exciting slate of 2023/2024 operas, as well as Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition, a fast-paced and exciting night of opera in support of the country’s very best emerging singing talent.

The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts will showcase six mainstage operas, including five productions being shown in Toronto for the first time:

• Beethoven’s Fidelio: the Canadian premiere of a visually-stunning, political ode to freedom;
• Puccini’s La Bohème: a timeless story of whirlwind romance and the struggles of big city life;
• Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen: a cautionary reflection on humanity’s impact on nature;
• Mozart’s Don Giovanni: stunning sets and projections transform this tale of a predator’s epic downfall;
• Cherubini’s Medea: a searing operatic saga, never before performed at the COC, and;
• Donizetti’s Don Pasquale: a colourful comedy packed with sparkling arias.

This season, current and past members of the COC’s Ensemble Studio will also perform a special additional performance of Don Pasquale, underscoring the company’s commitment to rising young artists, as well as creating more accessible pathways to the opera house experience.

Then it’s “Lights. Camera. Opera” for Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition on Thursday October 26, 2023. Television’s Sangita Patel of Entertainment Tonight Canada hosts the COC’s signature fundraiser, which is rolling out the red carpet for an entertaining night of vocal competition and prizes. The lively showcase also serves as the final round of national auditions for prizes and the chance to be invited to the company’s prestigious career development program, the COC Ensemble Studio. Guest judges this year include Canadian star sopranos Adrianne Pieczonka and Measha Brueggergosman, as well as actor/director Thom Allison, whose acclaimed production of Rent is currently on stage at the Stratford Festival.

To close out the season, from June 14-16, 2023, the COC is proud to present the world premiere of Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White by librettist and director HAUI and composer and conductor Sean Mayes at the Canadian Opera Company Theatre. Nova Scotian contralto Portia White was the first Black Canadian concert performer to achieve international fame in the mid-20th century, yet her story has been largely erased from Canadians’ memory.

"We are incredibly excited to share the history of Portia White that few people know about,” says HAUI. “To help celebrate the richness of Black culture, the musical experience that encompass Black artistic expression and Black musical royalty is truly a gift."

“Portia White’s musical legacy of art and activism is one that all Canadians should culturally know and share in,” says Mayes. “It’s an honour to have the chance to re-introduce her story and history to a new audience of music lovers and opera-goers, and to commemorate her life back to our public consciousness in an opportunity that was missed while she was alive.”

Read on for more information, and for full details on all productions and events, visit coc.ca. To download high-res photography from the COC’s Media Gallery, please visit coc.ca/press (username: cocpress, password: mediapix).


AT THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Fidelio by Ludwig Van Beethoven
September 29, October 1, 7, 12, 14, 18, and 20, 2023
Beethoven’s only opera follows the story of Leonore, a woman who disguises herself as a man to access the very prison where she suspects her husband is being held as a political prisoner. As she descends deeper into the facility’s cells, she uncovers a sinister plot of abuse and oppression in a cautionary tale of power that is as relevant today as it was more than 200 years ago.

La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini
October 6, 8, 11, 13, 19, 21, 22, and 28, 2023
From a cold but charming apartment in the Latin Quarter to bustling street scenes at the Café Momus, the opera follows the poet Rodolfo and his seamstress neighbour Mimì, struggling artists searching for love and life along with their band of hopelessly optimistic friends in Bohemian Paris. Married in real-life, tenor Pene Pati and soprano Amina Edris star as the show’s young lovers.

The Cunning Little Vixen by Leoš Janáček 
January 26, 28, February 3, 8, 10, 14, and 16, 2024
When a forest gamekeeper traps a fox and attempts to domesticate her, their encounter leads to a poignant reflection on our interactions with the planet. This colourful opera invites audiences on a fantastical adventure that poses important questions about natural resources, precious habitats, and human activity.

Don Giovanni by Wolfgang A. Mozart
February 2, 4, 7, 9, 15, 17, and 24, 2024
Mozart's dark, twisted masterpiece is presented as never before in this breathtaking production led by UK director Amy Lane. The show features spectacular sets combined with ingenious video projections, plunging audiences into an Escher-like web of rotating rooms that revolve with the rhythms of Don Giovanni’s infernal drama.

Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti
April 26, May 2, 4, 8, 10, 12, 14*, and 18, 2024
The aging Pasquale refuses to let his love-struck nephew Ernesto marry, but decides to get married himself. However, the woman he’s chosen as his bride-to-be is secretly his nephew's beloved, setting up a riotous clash of generations. Set in 1960s Rome, this colourful new production marks the first appearance of Don Pasquale at the COC in 30 years.

*Don Pasquale – Ensemble Studio Performance
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 – Tickets from $35!
Support the exceptional talents of current artists of the COC Ensemble Studio, as well as program graduates, as they perform Don Pasquale in a one-night-only performance!

Medea by Luigi Cherubini
May 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, and 17, 2024
Never before seen at the COC and seldom performed anywhere in the world, Medea features one of the most challenging roles in opera history. Based on the ancient Greek myth of betrayal and vengeance, the opera follows the title sorceress on a chilling rampage of destruction as Medea seeks payback for her lover’s abandonment.


AT THE CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY THEATRE

Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White by HAUI x Sean Mayes
June 14, 15, and 16, 2024
A world premiere opera
This bold, new Black opera sets out to reclaim the story of Nova Scotian contralto Portia White, evoking memories of the past as a form of political resistance. Spoken word, rap, folk songs, hip-hop, R&B, and classic opera repertoire collide in an explosive score that seeks to break down musical silos and unite artistic and cultural communities.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition
October 26, 2023
The thrilling power of the human voice and chance to launch a star career collide in the annual Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition, where finalists from all across the country perform one aria each for a live audience and judging panel. For most of these emerging talents, the night is a pivotal opportunity, representing their biggest artistic accomplishment to date—and a potentially life-changing experience. For audiences, the fundraiser is one of the most exciting evenings of the year, full of opera’s most popular selections, all while supporting local Canadian artists.


TICKET INFORMATION
Single tickets for Fidelio, La Bohème, The Cunning Little Vixen, Don Giovanni, Medea, and Don Pasquale range from $35 – $250 for adults, with Grand Ring seats available at $290 and $350 and Opera Under 30 tickets priced at $22 for patrons under the age of 30.

Single tickets for the Ensemble Studio performance of Don Pasquale range from $35-$75.

Single tickets for Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White are $75 for adults and $35 for Opera Under 30 tickets.

Tickets for Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition range from $60-$150 with Opera Under 30 tickets priced at $35 anywhere in the auditorium. For further details, please visit coc.ca/CentreStage.

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.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Season Sponsor: BMO Financial Group

Production of La Bohème originally made possible by Jerry & Geraldine Heffernan.

Production of Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White produced by the Canadian Opera Company, in association with the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council.

Sondra Radvanovsky is generously sponsored by an anonymous donor.

Sandra Horst and the COC Chorus are generously underwritten by Tim & Frances Price.

The COC Orchestra is generously sponsored, in part, by W. Bruce C. Bailey, in honour of Christie Darville, COC Deputy General Director, and Johannes Debus, COC Music Director, and, in part, by The Schulich Foundation.

Johannes Debus is generously sponsored by George & Kathy Dembroski.

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]