Empire of Wild Workshop
Empire of Wild bursts onto the operatic stage with a story as haunting as it is heart-pounding. A fusion of myth, mystery, and raw human emotion, this new Canadian opera plunges audiences into a world where love, loss, and legend collide.
Based on Cherie Dimaline’s bestselling novel, Empire of Wild unfolds against the landscape of Georgian Bay, where a woman searches for her missing husband—all the while treading a delicate line between their small-town life and the eerie allure of the spirit world.
Music Director Johannes Debus leads the COC Orchestra through composer Ian Cusson’s electric score, which thrillingly evokes the myth of the rogarou, a Métis werewolf-like figure that stalks both the forest and the human heart.
European Debut: The Edinburgh International Festival
Voices of Canada
ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE MONTRÉAL
Rediscover Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, alongside new vocal works paying tribute to Canada’s Indigenous peoples and work by Gabriela Ortiz.
Canadian sopranos Emma Pennell and Elisabeth St-Gelais join the orchestra for two powerful new vocal works confronting history, memory and the lived experience of Indigenous communities in Canada today.
La Traviata - Verdi
ANNINA - COC MAIN STAGE
La Traviata returns to our stage in a production that captures the glamour and heartbreak of one of opera’s most beloved works.
Verdi’s timeless story of impossible romance has lost none of its urgency: the courtesan Violetta’s struggle for dignity and love is a heart-rending portrait of humanity at its most fragile.
Director Arin Arbus presents an opulent spectacle with moments of quiet despair in what The Globe and Mail calls “a piece of intimate theatre.” One of the most acclaimed maestros of his generation, Paoli Carignani conducts an unforgettable score brimming with lyrical beauty, from the exuberance of the “Brindisi” to the opera’s heartbreaking finale.
Tickets on sale Monday, July 20!
Brott Opera - Hamilton
LA BOHEME
Forever Young. Forever In Love
Fall in love. Lose your heart. Feel everything. Puccini’s La bohème returns in a fully staged production that captures the passion, joy, and heartbreak of youth. With some of the most beautiful music ever written, this timeless story of love and loss continues to move audiences around the world. This is the opera that stays with you.
Canuck Cantatas - Against The Grain Theatre
Canuck Cantatas
Three world premieres…six visionary artists…one inventive night of Canadian opera!
Composers: Sonny-Ray Day Rider, Sarah Slean, and Danika Lorèn
Librettists: Royce Vavrek, Emma Pennell, Vern Thiessen
Canuck Cantatas presents a triptych of bold new mini-operas from some of Canada’s most exciting creative talents: composers Sonny-Ray Day Rider, Sarah Slean and Danika Lorèn join forces with librettists Emma Pennell, AtG Artistic Director Royce Vavrek, and Vern Thiessen to bring to life vivid snapshots of fictional Canadian characters, each one a carefully crafted stone in the ever-evolving mosaic of Canadian identity.
Additional Credits
Producer: Heather Slater
Stage Manager: Lesley Abarquez Bradley
Rossini's The Barber of Seville
Rossini’s The Barber of Seville comes to life for students this February in a special Student Performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts!
This special presentation will feature the talented artists of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. The opera has been thoughtfully trimmed to 90 minutes (plus intermission) to best suit student audiences and fit the school day.
The performance will be sung in Italian with English and French SURTITLES™ and is ideal for students in Grades 6–12.
Tickets are now available to a limited number of public ticket buyers!
The Glenn Gould School Spring Opera -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Zauberflöte
The annual staged opera in Koerner Hall will be Mozart’s popular Magic Flute, conducted by Jennifer Tung and directed by Allison Grant. In this masterful comedy about love, truth, and the pursuit of enlightenment, prince Tamino sets off to rescue Pamina, the beautiful daughter of the Queen of the Night, from the mysterious Sarastro. But with the help of the bird catcher Papageno and three Spirits as their guide, Tamino discovers an even bigger adventure, and is united with his love along the way. Sung in German with English surtitles.
Cinderella’s Mother in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods
Into the Woods in Concert
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Lapine
Directed by Richard Ouzounian
Conducted by Paul Sportelli
One of Sondheim’s most popular works, this Tony Award-winning musical takes everyone’s favourite storybook characters and brings them together for a timeless yet relevant modern classic.
The story follows a Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse. Everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results.
ARTISTIC TEAM
Richard Ouzounian, Director
Paul Sportelli, Music Director
Arun Srinivasan, Designer
Genny Sermonia, Choreographer
Kevin Bowers, Stage Manager
David Atkinson, Assistant Conductor
Stephan Ermel, Rehearsal Pianist
INTO THE WOODS
Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI)
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI
The Glenn Gould School Chamber Opera
Students from The Glenn Gould School’s vocal program present The Glenn Gould School Chamber Opera on two evenings in November. This season’s offering will be a double bill of Maurice Ravel’s L'enfant et les sortilèges in a chamber reduction of piano four hands, flute, and cello, and Claude Debussy’s L’enfant prodigue in a chamber reduction for nine instrumentalists and piano with a new libretto, sung in English. Conducted by Connor O’Kane and directed by Mabel Wonnacott.
Commemorate the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
with Tanya Tagaq, Emma Pennell, and others
To commemorate the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Indigenous artists gather to reflect, pay respect, and to give hope to survivors of residential schools. Headlined by the internationally celebrated Inuit singer Tanya Tagaq performing with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra conducted by Jennifer Tung, the evening will include healing laughter, storytellers, testimony, traditional drum and dance, performances by the Manitou Mkwa Singers, The Glenn Gould School soprano Emma Pennell, and others. Hosted by CBC’s Falen Johnson and curated by Denise Bolduc.
The evening may trigger unpleasant feelings or thoughts of past abuse. Please contact the 24-hour Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 if you require emotional support.