Canadian Opera Company

Now hiring! 🌟

The Canadian Opera Company is currently seeking a full-time Assistant Technical Director, responsible for directing and overseeing the technical elements of productions and other events.

Join our team at coc.ca/careers

We’re thrilled to be building our first new production in six years—and what better opera to conjure with than Gounod’s FAUST?

In the midst of a busy rehearsal schedule, internationally acclaimed director Amy Lane sat down with us to discuss the designs, desires, and devilish inspirations at the heart of this bold new take on a classic of French grand opera.

👉 Read on at coc.ca/AmyLaneQandA

Psst! Take a sneaky glimpse behind the scenes at some recently captured rehearsal photos with us… 👀👑

Our cast and crew are hard at work as they prepare to bring Verdi’s epic masterpiece NABUCCO to life on our stage for the first time in Canadian Opera Company history.

Tickets are selling fast, so be sure to book yours today!

👉 coc.ca/nabucco

One of Toronto’s beloved cultural treasures, the Free Concert Series returns next week! 🎉🌟

Boasting nearly 70 concerts across genres and artistic disciplines, including instrumental, vocal, jazz, and dance performances, our Free Concert Series offers the perfect chance to pause for a moment of musical inspiration in the middle of your busy day!

The Free Concert Series runs from September until May. For a full concert listing and details on group bookings, follow the link below.

👉 coc.ca/free-concert-series

📷: Karen E. Reeves, Stelth Ng

The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre is presented by The TD Ready Commitment.

Our 2024/2025 Ensemble Studio artists are ready for their close-up!✨

We’re delighted to present the hugely talented members of Canada’s leading professional development program for emerging opera artists, who recently glammed up for their first group photo.

From left to right: bass Duncan Stenhouse, soprano Emily Rocha, baritone Korin Thomas-Smith, pianist Mattia Senesi, mezzo-soprano Queen Hezumuryango, pianist Brian Cho, tenor Wesley Harrison, soprano Karoline Podolak.

See them at our Free Concert Series season opener on Wednesday, September 25, and throughout the season in performances on our mainstage and beyond!

👉 Learn more at coc.ca/ensemble

📸: Gaetz Photography

Congratulations to our Price Family Chorus Master Sandra Horst for being named one of this year's Opera Canada Ruby Award recipients!

Sandra joined the COC in 1993 as an apprentice coach in our Ensemble Studio. Since 1997 she has led our incredible COC Chorus through dozens of operas of all eras and styles. Sandra is also a busy conductor and juror throughout North America and serves as Head of Opera at the UofT Faculty of Music.

We are thrilled to see Sandra recognized in such prestigious fashion for her profound contributions to Canadian opera!

📸: Gaetz Photography

The Showcase Series returns this October for another exciting season celebrating the music of the Asian, African and Caribbean, and Latin American diasporas!

Join us next month for performances featuring Latin American classical guitar, Peruvian folklore, Cuban music and dance, and Latin American art song.

Entry is free but registration is strongly recommended. Follow the link for more information and to reserve your seat!

👉 coc.ca/showcaseseries

📸: Karen E. Reeves

Regretfully, soprano Tamara Wilson has been recently diagnosed with pneumonia and will need to withdraw from her role as Abigaille in our upcoming production of NABUCCO. The COC wishes Tamara all the very best for a full recovery and gratefully welcomes Mary Elizabeth Williams to our cast.

Williams has already gained international acclaim for her powerful portrayal of the Verdi anti-heroine at Welsh National Opera, a role for which The Independent declared she "stole the show…inhabiting with relish every clear, sensuous note.”

Single tickets for this year’s Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition start at just $50! 🤩👏

Don’t miss one of the most exciting nights of the year as Canada’s best young operatic talents compete live on stage at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts for a chance to join the COC’s prestigious Ensemble Studio.

Tickets are already selling fast—get yours today at coc.ca/centrestage

Feeling the love at NABUCCO rehearsals! 💘

With opening night just three weeks away, our world-class cast and creative team are preparing for our first ever staging of Verdi's sweeping historical epic.

👉 Join us for opening night at coc.ca/nabucco

Teen Council applications are now open! ✨

Our free leadership development program invites high school students interested in the performing arts to gain a deeper understanding of opera through exclusive access to COC artists, staff, mentorship, networking opportunities, and behind-the-scenes exploration.

Apply by September 25 at coc.ca/teencouncil

Congratulations, Roberto Mauro! 🌟

Our Director of Artistic Operations and Planning was named to this year's panel of expert judges at the prestigious Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) next spring!

Everyone here at the COC benefits daily from Roberto's knowledge and expertise—we're so thrilled to see even more young artists get the opportunity to learn from him.

👏 Bravo, Roberto! 👏

We’re so excited to welcome Amy Lane back to our mainstage to direct a brand-new production of Gounod’s FAUST this fall! ✨

As revival director of last season’s DON GIOVANNI at the COC, Amy Lane won the hearts of audiences and critics alike with a production hailed as “spectacular” (Bachtrack) and “superlative” (Ludwig van Toronto).

An opera director who has worked extensively in the UK with the Royal Opera House, Longborough Festival Opera, English National Opera, and Welsh National Opera, Amy has worked internationally with companies including Le Chȃtelet in Paris, Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen, and the Bregenz Festival in Austria. Amy was the Head Staff Director at The Royal Opera Covent Garden for five years and is currently the Artistic Director of the Copenhagen Opera Festival.

Don’t miss her genre-bending new vision for Gounod’s perfect dance with the devil!

👉 Get your tickets at coc.ca/faust

📸 (2): Michael Cooper

✨ FALL FLASH SALE! Save 20% off opera tickets! ✨

For two days only, shop and save on our exciting fall lineup—the Toronto premiere of the soaring historical epic, NABUCCO, and the world premiere of our spectacular new FAUST.

Use code FALLFLASH today!

👉 Get your tickets at coc.ca/tickets/calendar

Today we’re shining the spotlight on Katherine M. Carter, who returns to the COC this fall to direct our company premiere of Verdi’s NABUCCO! 💥

A stage director of theatre and opera based in New York City, Katherine M. Carter has worked on productions at opera houses including Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera. She is co-founder of The MITTEN Lab, a week-long residency in northern Michigan for emerging theatre artists.

Most recently at the COC in 2023, when she helmed our beloved production of LA BOHÈME as revival director, Katherine’s projects as an intimacy director last season included work on the Metropolitan Opera’s revival of LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK, as well as new productions of CHAMPION, DON GIOVANNI, and CARMEN.

👉 Tickets for NABUCCO are on sale now at coc.ca/nabucco

📸 (2): Corey Weaver

We're singing goodbye to this year's Summer Music Campers! 🌞

As the sun sets on another summer exploring music, opera, and the performing arts, we want to thank all of our amazing campers and artists!

Didn't join us this year? Stay tuned for next year by signing up for our Education email list.

👉 Learn more about camps at coc.ca/summercamp

👀 Sign up for our email list at coc.ca/community

📸: Karen E. Reeves

We love a COC collaboration! 🎉

Congratulations to Ensemble Studio graduate Emily D’Angelo on the release of her newest album for Deutsche Grammophon, FREEZING, featuring two works (“Silver” and “Snow”) by COC Composer-in-Residence Cecilia Livingston!

Excited for a first listen!

We love a COC collaboration! 🎉

Congratulations to Ensemble Studio graduate Emily D'Angelo on the release of her newest album for Deutsche Grammophon, FREEZING, featuring two works (“Silver” and “Snow”) by COC Composer-in-Residence Cecilia Livingston!

Excited for a first listen!

Canadian tenor and COC Ensemble Studio graduate Matthew Cairns returns to our stage this fall as Ismaele in Verdi’s NABUCCO! 👑

Winner of the CBC Music Young Artist Development Prize, Matthew made his Metropolitan Opera debut as the Messenger in Verdi’s AIDA and covered the role of Bob Boles in Britten’s PETER GRIMES while in his first year in the Lindemann Young Artists Program.

Matthew returned to the COC in 2023 to appear as Macduff in Verdi’s MACBETH in a performance hailed as “stunning” (The Globe and Mail) and last season made his debut in France as Nicias in Opéra de Toulon’s production of Massenet’s THAÏS.

See him shine when NABUCCO opens at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in October!

👉 Tickets at coc.ca/nabucco

📸: Gaetz Photography, Michael Cooper

Hey, Under-30s! Enjoy a glittering night out at the opera with tickets starting at just $22—or a chance to have your seats upgraded with Opera Under 30 Plus!

That’s right: elevate your opera-going experience for less than a trip to the movies!

Ticket buyers can also always bring a guest of any age for the same great price.

👉 Find your seat at coc.ca/ou30

📸: Henry Chan

COC Ensemble Studio graduate Alex Hetherington is our Siebel in this fall’s new production of Gounod’s FAUST!

Named one of CBC’s “30 hot classical musicians under 30” last year, the Canadian mezzo-soprano made her COC debut as Mercédès in CARMEN (2022) and most recently appeared on our mainstage this past spring as Second Handmaiden in MEDEA. She also won acclaim as the cover for Lapák the dog in THE CUNNING LITTLE V***N last winter, where “she was memorable for a lovely rich, warm sound” (Opera Canada).

See her in FAUST at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts this October—tickets are now on sale at coc.ca/faust

📸: Gaetz Photography, Michael Cooper

That's a wrap on this year's COC Summer Opera Intensive! 🤩

Another group of inspiring young artists experienced our packed, one-week program, receiving private coaching in voice or collaborative piano techniques, drama, performance kinetics, and lyric diction.

👏 Bravi tutti to these future opera stars! 👏

Applications for next year open January 2025! Sign up to our Education email list to receive a reminder at coc.ca/community

📸: Karen E. Reeves

Applications to audition for the COC’s Ensemble Studio close THIS THURSDAY, AUGUST 29! 🌟

Canada’s leading professional development program for emerging opera artists provides intensive coaching and unrivalled performance opportunities to the stars of tomorrow, and you could be one of them—but only if you apply in the next three days!

👉 Apply today at coc.ca/ensemble

📸: Scott Ramsay

Get the VIP treatment at this year’s Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition! Our new Cocktails and Competition ticket gets you exclusive access to our Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre where an open bar reception kicks things off ahead of the marquee competition.

Enjoy culinary treats and curated drinks from our partners at Lucie along with VIP access to this year’s surprise activations before heading to Ring 3 for an excellent view of the night’s main event.

With all proceeds supporting the COC’s Ensemble Studio for emerging artists, book your tickets today and party for a cause with us on October 30!

Tickets are priced at $250 and available through www.coc.ca/tickets/2425-season/centre-stage

📸: Ryan Emberley, Gaetz Photography

This week on CBC’s “This is My Music,” the COC’s own Liz Upchurch shares some of her all-time favourite compositions as well as tees up some of the Ensemble Studio events and concerts you won’t want to miss this season.

🔊 Hear the full interview at cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-382-this-is-my-music

Meet our Marguerites!🌼🌼

A regular guest at opera houses across Europe and North America, Chinese soprano Guanqun Yu stars in Gounod's FAUST having appeared last season in Los Angeles Opera's DON GIOVANNI and TURANDOT, as well as in IL TROVATORE as Leonora at Staatsoper Hamburg, where she “impressed with beautiful, lyrical coloratura” (Detsku’duse).

On November 2, COC Ensemble Studio graduate Ariane Cossette will step into the role of Faust’s beloved—her first appearance on our mainstage since appearing as Norina in DON PASQUALE this past spring. Prior to that, she appeared as Pepik and the Woodpecker in THE CUNNING LITTLE V***N. Of her 2022 appearance in CARMEN, My Entertainment World wrote that she “radiates with main character energy in the supporting role of Frasquita”. We can’t wait to see her shine again for this one-night-only appearance!

Tickets for FAUST are now on sale!

👉 Get your seats today at coc.ca/faust

We’re thrilled that mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb will be returning to the COC this fall as Fenena in Verdi’s NABUCCO!

Since graduating from the COC’s Ensemble Studio, Rihab has graced the stages of many of the world's leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Opéra national de Paris, and the Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

The Tunisian-Canadian singer—described as “a tour de force of singing and acting” (Bachtrack)—appeared this past season as Claire in Karlsson’s MELANCHOLIA at Royal Swedish Opera; Charlotte in Massenet’s WERTHER at Opernhaus Zürich; Dorabella in Mozart’s COSÌ FAN TUTTE at Seiji Ozawa Music Academy; and the title role in Bizet’s CARMEN at Glyndebourne.

👉 See Rihab in NABUCCO at coc.ca/nabucco

Only ten days remain to apply for the COC’s world-renowned Ensemble Studio!⏰

Don’t miss your chance to join Canada’s leading professional development program for emerging opera artists, which provides intensive coaching and unrivalled performance opportunities to the stars of tomorrow.

We’re accepting applications to audition until August 29, 2024!

👉 Apply today at coc.ca/ensemble

📸: Dahlia Katz