Update browser for a secure Made experience

It looks like you may be using a web browser version that we don't support. Make sure you're using the most recent version of your browser, or try using of these supported browsers, to get the full Made experience: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.

Welcome to the Canadian Opera Company Media Centre.

This page contains resources for the media including media releases and downloadable photos of COC leadership and productions for publication where relevant. The images are available to members of the media for print and online promotion of the Canadian Opera Company and its events only.

For general inquiries, including interview requests, please contact:

Avril Sequeira, VP, Communications
AvrilS@coc.ca
416-306-2387

Davin Leivonen-Fok, Communications Coordinator
DavinLF@coc.ca
416-306-2330

View Image Gallery

Press Releases

HEAR THE ACCLAIMED CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY ORCHESTRA, LIVE IN CONCERT

Toronto – Classical music lovers now have two additional opportunities to hear the Canadian Opera Company’s renowned COC Orchestra in concerts taking place this fall in Toronto.

View full release as PDF.

THE CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY’S 2023/2024 SEASON HIGHLIGHTED BY AWARD-WINNING, ACCESSIBLE OPERA

Toronto – The Canadian Opera Company’s 2023/2024 season saw the company connecting with all new audiences through a critically acclaimed lineup of mainstage programming that included several sold-out performances and a multi-award-winning production of Cherubini’s Medea. In addition, the COC’s long-term audience development strategy was enhanced through several livestreamed concerts and events, as reported today by COC General Director David C. Ferguson at the company’s Annual General Meeting hosted from the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

View full release as PDF.

COC PARTNERS WITH MICHELIN-RECOMMENDED LUCIE AND THE SOCIAL CATERING & CO.

Toronto – The Canadian Opera Company is pleased to announce a new partnership with Michelin-recommended fine dining restaurant Lucie and The Social Catering & Co.

The Toronto French fine dining restaurant is named in memory of owner and restaurateur Yannick Bigourdan’s grandmother who played a very important role in his childhood growing up in the south of France. Exuding elegance, Lucie is the perfect combination of all the precious moments spent under the roof of his grandmother’s house, surrounded by her love and care.

View full release as PDF.

ARIANA MAUBACH AWARDED FIRST PRIZE IN COC’S 11TH ANNUAL CENTRE STAGE: ENSEMBLE STUDIO COMPETITION

Toronto Mezzo-soprano Ariana Maubach of Toronto took home First Prize and the Audience Choice Prize at the Canadian Opera Company’s 11th annual Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition on October 30, 2024 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The evening, hosted by television’s Emma Hunter (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Royal Canadian Air Farce, Letterkenny), marked the grand finale of a national search for Canada’s top young opera singers, all of whom were vying for cash prizes and the chance to be invited for a coveted spot in the company’s prestigious Ensemble Studio training program.

View full release as PDF.

SEVEN NATIONAL FINALISTS CHOSEN TO COMPETE IN COC’S CENTRE STAGE: ENSEMBLE STUDIO COMPETITION

Toronto – Seven of Canada’s most talented new opera singers have been named as finalists for the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition on October 30, 2024 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The annual fundraiser and vocal competition showcases the very best in emerging opera talent, with all proceeds supporting the COC’s prestigious artistic career development program, the Ensemble Studio.

View full release as PDF.

COC’S CELEBRATED FREE CONCERT SERIES RETURNS WITH AN EXCITING MIX OF CLASSIC AND GENRE-BENDING PERFORMANCES

Toronto – The Canadian Opera Company’s Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre Presented by TD Bank Group returns on September 25, 2024. The company’s “mind-blowingly free” (Toronto Star) programming features nearly 70 performances this season, providing an intimate platform for audiences to see their own stories reflected artistically through music, dance, poetry, and so much more in downtown Toronto.

View full release as PDF.

DANCE WITH THE DEVIL IN THE COC’S HAUNTING NEW FAUST

TorontoAudiences are in for a darkly decadent treat when a brand new production of Faust, by Charles Gounod, premieres at the Canadian Opera Company this fall. In the opera, the aging philosopher Faust has grown disenchanted with his lifelong quest for knowledge and leaps at the chance to trade his soul for eternal youth…getting much more than he bargained for along the way. Visionary stage director Amy Lane returns to Toronto with a delightfully Burtonesque twist on the classic tale. Faust runs for seven performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on October 11, 13, 16, 18, 24, 26, and November 2, 2024.

View full release as PDF.

COC’S FIRST-EVER NABUCCO HITS THE MAINSTAGE THIS FALL

TorontoThe Canadian Opera Company launches its 2024/2025 season with a sweeping saga never before performed in the company’s 74-year history. In a dramatic tale of ruthless ambition, a dangerous love triangle, and unwavering hope in the face of unthinkable odds, Verdi’s Nabucco taps into the fundamental human experience, all set to one of the greatest opera scores ever written. The incredible work of raw power and epic storytelling calls for a cast of more than 120 performers and hundreds of costumes, creating a theatrical feast for the eyes as well as the ears. Nabucco runs for seven performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on October 4, 6, 12, 17, 19, 23, and 25, 2024.

View full release as PDF.

THREE NEW SINGERS TO JOIN 2024/2025 ENSEMBLE STUDIO

Toronto The Canadian Opera Company welcomes three emerging Canadian artists who will join the company’s highly specialized development program for Canadian opera professionals in the 2024/2025 season: sopranos Emily Rocha and Gabrielle Turgeon, and bass Duncan Stenhouse. The talented young singers join six returning Ensemble Studio members: soprano Karoline Podolak, mezzo-soprano Queen Hezumuryango, tenor Wesley Harrison, baritone Korin Thomas-Smith, and pianist/coaches Brian Cho and Mattia Senesi.

 

View full release as PDF.

FIVE NEW PRODUCTIONS AND A COC FAVOURITE HEADLINE 2024/2025 SEASON

Lineup includes the first-ever COC staging of Verdi’s Nabucco and Toronto premiere of La Reine-garçon

Toronto The Canadian Opera Company announced its 2024/2025 season today with exciting programming comprised almost entirely of new-to-Toronto productions including the first-ever COC staging of Verdi’s Nabucco, the world premiere of a new production of Gounod’s Faust, and the Toronto premiere of La Reine-garçon, a new creation from Canadians Julien Bilodeau and Michel Marc Bouchard. Other featured operas include Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Berg’s Wozzeck and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, as well as a one-night-only concert presentation of Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana.

View full release as PDF.