Opera for Toronto is a new initiative that invites Torontonians and visitors to experience opera in our city — for free!
In our inaugural season, we provided over 2000 complimentary tickets across 3 events:
Concert Samplers: We presented one-hour highlight concerts of Così fan tutte and La Bohème at the Imperial Oil Opera Theatre in the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre at 227 Front St. E.
The COC hosted local residents, businesses and community organizations from the city’s Corktown and St. Lawrence neighbourhoods, and. partnered with community arts organization Jamii to showcase the La Bohème-inspired work of four local Esplanade artists.
Mainstage Performance: We also showcased the next generation of Canadian opera stars at a fully-staged performance of La Bohème. Eight of the opera’s 11 main roles were performed by current members or graduates of the Ensemble Studio, a training program that helps up-and-coming Canadian artists reach their full potential. All of our mainstage performances include complimentary Pre-performance Opera Chats to enhance our audience’s experience of the opera; at this performance, we hosted an additional chat in Farsi for attendees joining us from the Persian community in North York.
We’re looking forward to creating more opportunities for our local communities to enjoy our unique art form.
Thank you to the artists and community members who made our first Opera for Toronto season possible!
La Bohème – May 17, 2019
Host Rachael Kerr
Marcello, a painter Andrzej Filończyk
Rodolfo, a poet Joshua Guerrero
Colline, a philosopher Önay Köse
Schaunard, a musician Joel Allison
Mimì, a seamstress Miriam Khalil
Musetta, a singer Danika Lorèn
Conductor Antonello Allemandi
Stage Manager Kate Porter
Lighting Designer Ella Wieckowski
Head Technician Scott Kircher
VIOLIN I
The Concertmaster’s chair has been endowed in perpetuity by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum
Concertmaster, Marie Bérard
Associate Concertmaster, Aaron Schwebel
Assistant Concertmaster, Jamie Kruspe
Anne Armstrong
Sandra Baron
Bethany Bergman
Nancy Kershaw
Dominique Laplante
Clara Lee
Yakov Lerner
Jayne Maddison
VIOLIN II
Principal, Paul Zevenhuizen
Assistant Principal, Csaba Koczó
James Aylesworth
Elizabeth Johnston
Aya Miyagawa
Louise Tardif
Joanna Zabrowarna
VIOLA
Principal, Keith Hamm
Assistant Principal, Joshua Greenlaw (leave of absence)
Acting Assistant Principal, Sheila Jaffé
Catherine Gray
Nicholaos Papadakis*
Beverley Spotton
Yosef Tamir
CELLO
Acting Principal*, Daniel Wachsmuth,
Assistant Principal, Acting Associate Principal, Paul Widner,
Acting Assistant Principal, Maurizio Baccante,
Olga Laktionova
Elaine Thompson (leave of absence)
BASS
Principal, Tony Flynt
Assistant Principal, Robert Speer
Tom Hazlitt (leave of absence)
Paul Langley
FLUTE
Principal, Douglas Stewart
Leslie Newman*
PICCOLO
Shelley Brown
OBOE
Principal, Mark Rogers
Jasper Hitchcock*
ENGLISH HORN
Lesley Young
CLARINET
Principal, Dominic Desautels
Michele Verheul*
BASS CLARINET
Colleen Cook
BASSOON
Principal, Eric Hall
Lisa Chisholm
HORN
Acting Principal, Martin Limoges
Janet Anderson
Bardhyl Gjevori
Gary Pattison
TRUMPET
Principal, Robert Weymouth
Brendan Cassin*
Luise Heyerhoff*
TROMBONE
Principal, Charles Benaroya
Ian Cowie
BASS TROMBONE
Herbert Poole
CIMBASSO
Principal, Scott Irvine (leave of absence)
Acting Principal*, Sasha Johnson
TIMPANI
Principal, Nicholas Stoup
PERCUSSION
Principal, Trevor Tureski
HARP
Principal, Sarah Davidson
MUSIC LIBRARIAN
Wayne Vogan
ASSISTANT MUSIC LIBRARIAN
Ondrej Golias
STAGE LIBRARIAN
Paul Langley
PERSONNEL MANAGER
Ian Cowie
*extra musician
La Bohème – May 8, 2019
Marcello, a painter Samuel Chan
Rodolfo, a poet Andrew Haji
Colline, a philosopher Neil Craighead
Schaunard, a musician Joel Allison
Benoît, their landlord Doug MacNaughton
Mimì, a seamstress Lauren Margison
Parpignol, an itinerant toy vendor Taras Chmil
Alcindoro, a state councilor and Musetta’s admirer Doug MacNaughton
Musetta, a singer Lauren Eberwein
Customs Officer Jan Vaculik
Customs House Sergeant Gene Wu
Conductor Paolo Carignani
Original Director John Caird
Revival Director Katherine M. Carter
Set and Costume Designer David Farley
Lighting Designer Michael James Clark
Associate Lighting Designer Davida Tkach
Price Family Chorus Master Sandra Horst
Stage Manager Kate Porter
SURTITLES™ Producer John Sharpe
SURTITLES™ Writer Gunta Dreifelds
MUSIC STAFF
Ben Malensek Head Coach
Hyejin Kwon
Rachael Kerr Ensemble Studio Coach
Stéphane Mayer Ensemble Studio Coach
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Simone Luti
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Anna Theodosakis
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS
Michael Barrs
Jessica Severin
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER
Angeline St. Amour
VIOLIN I
The Concertmaster’s chair has been endowed in perpetuity by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum
Concertmaster, Marie Bérard (leave of absence)
Associate Concertmaster, Acting Concertmaster, Aaron Schwebel
Assistant Concertmaster, Acting Associate Concertmaster, Jamie Kruspe
Acting Assistant Concertmaster, Anne Armstrong
Sandra Baron
Bethany Bergman
Nancy Kershaw
Dominique Laplante
Clara Lee
Yakov Lerner
Jayne Maddison
VIOLIN II
Principal, Paul Zevenhuizen
Assistant Principal, Csaba Koczó
James Aylesworth
Elizabeth Johnston
Renée London*
Aya Miyagawa
Louise Tardif
Joanna Zabrowarna
VIOLA
Principal, Keith Hamm
Assistant Principal, Joshua Greenlaw
Catherine Gray
Sheila Jaffé
Beverley Spotton
Yosef Tamir
CELLO
Acting Principal*, Daniel Wachsmuth,
Assistant Principal, Acting Associate Principal, Paul Widner,
Acting Assistant Principal, Maurizio Baccante,
Olga Laktionova
Elaine Thompson (leave of absence)
BASS
Principal, Tony Flynt
Assistant Principal, Robert Speer
Tom Hazlitt (leave of absence)
Paul Langley
Robert Wolanski*
FLUTE
Principal, Douglas Stewart
Leslie Newman*
PICCOLO
Shelley Brown
OBOE
Principal, Mark Rogers
Jasper Hitchcock*
ENGLISH HORN
Lesley Young
CLARINET
Principal, Dominic Desautels
Michele Verheul*
BASS CLARINET
Colleen Cook
BASSOON
Principal, Eric Hall
Lisa Chisholm
HORN
Acting Principal, Martin Limoges
Janet Anderson
Bardhyl Gjevori
Gary Pattison
TRUMPET
Principal, Robert Weymouth
Brendan Cassin*
Luise Heyerhoff*
TROMBONE
Principal, Charles Benaroya
Ian Cowie
BASS TROMBONE
Herbert Poole
CIMBASSO
Principal, Scott Irvine (leave of absence)
Acting Principal*, Sasha Johnson
TIMPANI
Principal, Nicholas Stoup
PERCUSSION
Principal, Trevor Tureski
Chung Ling Lo*
Ryan Scott*
HARP
Principal, Sarah Davidson
BANDA
PICCOLO
Maria Pelletier*
Tristan Durie*
TRUMPETS
Andrew Dubelsten*
Michele Wylie*
DRUM
Michelle Colton*
MUSIC LIBRARIAN
Wayne Vogan
ASSISTANT MUSIC LIBRARIAN
Ondrej Golias
STAGE LIBRARIAN
Paul Langley
PERSONNEL MANAGER
Ian Cowie
*extra musician
Cosi fan tutte – February 19, 2019
Host Stéphane Mayer
Ferrando, Dorabella’s fiancé Ben Bliss
Guglielmo, Fiordiligi’s fiancé Johannes Kammler
Don Alfonso, an old Philosopher Russell Braun
Fiordiligi Lauren Margison
Dorabella, her sister Emily D’Angelo
Despina, maid to Fiordiligi and Dorabella Tracy Dahl
Conductor Bernard Labadie
Stage Manager Jenifer Kowal
Lighting Designer Daniele Guevara
Head Technician Scott Kitcher
VIOLIN I
The Concertmaster’s chair has been endowed in perpetuity by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum
Concertmaster, Marie Bérard
Associate Concertmaster, Aaron Schwebel
Assistant Concertmaster, Jamie Kruspe
Bethany Bergman
Anne Armstrong
Sandra Baron
Nancy Kershaw
Dominique Laplante
Yakov Lerner
Jayne Maddison
VIOLIN II
Principal, Paul Zevenhuizen
Assistant Principal, Csaba Koczó
James Aylesworth
Elizabeth Johnston
Aya Miyagawa
Louise Tardif
Joanna Zabrowarna
VIOLA
Principal, Keith Hamm
Assistant Principal, Joshua Greenlaw
Catherine Gray
Sheila Jaffé
Beverley Spotton
Yosef Tamir
CELLO
Acting Principal*, Guillaume Artus
Assistant Principal, Acting Associate Principal, Paul Widner
Acting Assistant Principal, Maurizio Baccante
Olga Laktionova
Elaine Thompson
BASS
Principal, Tony Flynt
Assistant Principal, Robert Speer
Tom Hazlitt (leave of absence)
Paul Langley
FLUTE
Principal, Douglas Stewart
Shelley Brown
OBOE
Principal, Mark Rogers
Lesley Young
CLARINET
Principal, Dominic Desautels
Colleen Cook
BASSOON
Principal, Eric Hall
Lisa Chisholm
HORN
Acting Principal*, Scott Wevers
Gary Pattison
TRUMPET
Principal, Robert Weymouth
Andrew Dubelsten*
TIMPANI
Principal, Nicholas Stoup
MUSIC LIBRARIAN
Wayne Vogan
ASSISTANT MUSIC LIBRARIAN
Ondrej Golias
STAGE LIBRARIAN
Paul Langley
PERSONNEL MANAGER
Ian Cowie
*extra musician
Phone: 416-363-8231
Toll Free: 1-800-250-4653
