Canadian Opera Company
145 Queen Street West M5H 4G1 Toronto, ON, Canada

Get a preview of our upcoming Spring Break at the COC programming, happening April 12-16. Thanks, Opera Canada! Learn more at coc.ca/springbreak

Wigs. Make-up. Costumes. Explore it all during Spring Break at the COC! On Apr 15, Wigs & Make-up Supervisor Sharon Ryman and Costume Supervisor Sandra Corazza team up to preview the zombie character in Fantasma and share some backstage tips & tricks! coc.ca/springbreak

Calling all pianists! We're looking for a talented pianist-coach to join our 2021/2022 Ensemble Studio. Application details are available now at coc.ca/ensemble. Deadline to apply is April 11, 2021.... : Chris Hutcheson

Explore the playful world of props and set design during Spring Break at the COC! On April 14, COC Props Supervisor Wulf Higgins shows how a new production comes to life through the use of set dressing and handcrafted props. coc.ca/springbreak

This #WorldTheatreDay, we're thinking about all of the performing arts organizations across the country whose stages are dark right now. We're thinking about the thousands of artists, craftspeople, and administrators, eager to get back to doing what they love. And we're thinking about YOU, our audiences, who continue to support live theatre.... Thank you. We can't wait to see you all when we're able to open our doors again! : Chris Hutcheson

Treat yourself! Ahead of the Fine Wine Auction (Apr 19-23), our partners at Peller Estates Winery & Restaurant, Cheese Boutique & Champagne Perrier-Jouët have created gift hampers to encourage additional monetary donations in support of the COC Ensemble Studio. For more on our new perks this year, visit coc.ca/wine... : Gaetz Photography

In Ep. 2 of Key Change, acoustician Bob Essert shares how he tackled a unique architectural challenge: designing the Four Seasons Centre auditorium in a way that completely shuts out all the busy Toronto subway & street noise. Subscribe to Key Change, wherever you get your podcasts. podcasts.apple.com/.../key-change-a.../id1535655535... coc.ca/KeyChange

Yesterday, the COC held its first-ever virtual Annual General Meeting. See what the inspiring support of our community made possible during this unprecedented season coc.ca/AGM1920

Last week, we welcomed Why Not Theatre to our rehearsal and performance spaces at 227 Front St. E. to support the exciting development of a Sanskrit opera adaptation of the Bhagavad Gita, which will feature in their production of the Mahabharata. This creative residency is part of the COC’s ongoing Culture Hub project, which seeks to lift up emerging voices in opera through creative partnerships and access to our venue spaces. Why Not Theatre’s Founding Artistic Director, Rav...i Jain, will also join us for Episode 3 of our Key Change podcast to dive into what it’s like to adapt a famed historical epic for today’s opera audience. Learn more about their production >> http://whynot.theatre/work/mahabharata Key Change Episode 3 drops Tuesday, Nov. 24 Subscribe to Key Change, wherever you get your podcasts >> podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/key-change/id1535655535 coc.ca/KeyChange

Episode 1 of Key Change is out now! Our co-hosts Robyn Grant-Moran & Julie McIsaac chat with four special guests about their first experiences with opera - the good, the bad and the ugly. In our first interview, soprano Angel Blue talks about seeing her first opera at the age of four!... Listen to Ep. 1 now coc.ca/KeyChange : podcasts.apple.com/.../key-change-a.../id1535655535

Attending an opera used to be a very different affair. The lights were on - people drank, gossiped, gambled. In Ep. 2 of Key Change, musicologist Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley breaks it all down and explains how we got to the opera-going experience we know today. Subscribe to Key Change, wherever you get your podcasts. ... podcasts.apple.com//key-change-a-canadian-ope/id1535655535 coc.ca/KeyChange

Episode 1 of Key Change premieres tomorrow! Make sure you're subscribed, wherever you get your podcasts. In our first episode, co-hosts Robyn Grant-Moran and Julie McIsaac chat with four special guests from both inside and outside the opera world about their first experiences with the art form - the good, the bad and the ugly. You'll hear from acclaimed soprano Angel Blue, who saw her first opera at the age of four; Canadian visual artist Shary Boyle, who draws some amazing... comparisons between opera and thrash metal bands; the COC's own Music Director, Johannes Debus; and soprano Midori Marsh, a new member of the COC’s Ensemble Studio training program for Canada’s rising opera stars. Subscribe to Key Change, wherever you get your podcasts. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../key-change-a.../id1535655535 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zcXb8sYxUNniVniYdPOzg Learn more at coc.ca/KeyChange

Our friends at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre are currently accepting submissions for their Emerging Creators Unit, a process-focused opportunity for queer and trans creators to develop their creative practice and hone producing skills. This year's cohort will be led by theatre artist, performer, and director Tawiah M'Carthy, with associate director Philip Geller. The program will include bi-weekly virtual meetings, masterclasses and mentorship opportunities, and dedicated tim...e and space to develop your piece. Find out more at one of their information sessions on November 13 and 20.

#WorldOperaDay It's always fun to peek inside the rehearsal room. Here's a clip of soprano Angel Blue rehearsing for LA BOHÈME In 2019! Angel is also a guest on the first episode of our new podcast, Key Change, premiering October 27 >> coc.ca/KeyChange

In this week's edition of Alexander's Playlist, General Director Alexander Neef features French Romantic composer Ernest Chausson.

#WorldOperaDay Over 100 children from five community choirs across Toronto took to the stage for last winter's Opera for Young Audiences production. For most, it was their first performance in an opera house! Take a look at their journey.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. Today, at 11 a.m., we pause in reflection and remembrance of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and those who continue to serve. #LestWeForget

#WorldOperaDay The COC Orchestra is the oldest opera orchestra in Canada, excelling in a wide variety of repertoire and achieving "almost otherworldly perfection" (The Globe and Mail). : COC Music Director Johannes Debus conducts this excerpt from Wagner's PARSIFAL. PARSIFAL has been rescheduled for our 2022/2023 season. Learn more at coc.ca/Parsifal.... The extraordinary generosity of our subscribers and donors has made this first PARSIFAL possible. See how you can play a part at coc.ca/Monumental.

#WorldOperaDay This fall, our Opera Makers program partnered with local organizations to provide weekly online opera workshops. Sistema Toronto, West Neighbourhood House & Heydon Park Secondary School are working with our COC Teaching Artists to bring opera creation to young people across Toronto. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the year as these young Opera Makers continue to work on their original operas!

#WorldOperaDay The COC Academy aims to create a vibrant community of Canadian artists through a series of early career development programs like the Ensemble Studio. Here is #COCEnsemble grad Emily D'Angelo performing "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's THE BARBER OF SEVILLE. Learn more about the COC Academy: coc.ca/about-the-coc/COCAcademy Support the future of opera: coc.ca/support

#WorldOperaDay We love this clip of our fabulous COC Chorus with tenor Russell Thomas as Otello in our 2019 production of Verdi's OTELLO.

#WorldOperaDay has us thinking back to our Virtual Choir project this past spring. We're still amazed and inspired that over 200 music lovers from around the world united to learn and perform this virtual rendition of Verdi's "Anvil Chorus" from IL TROVATORE.

Happy #WorldOperaDay an opportunity for our international community to share the beauty and power of opera at a time when we need it most. Throughout the day we'll be sharing your favourite clips from our popular #OperaAtHome series, while also exploring the ways that opera can make a positive impact in our local communities. : Gary Beechey

CBC Music will be remembering soprano Erin Wall with a re-broadcast of Erin's "This Is My Music" tomorrow (Oct. 24) from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET. You can tune in at cbc.ca/listen/live-radio Learn more about Erin's accomplishments: coc.ca/COC-news1?EntryID=22306... Erin's family established the Erin Wall Tribute Fund at the COC. In lieu of flowers, friends and family are asked to make a donation to the COC to provide vital support to the future of opera and in memory of Erin’s life through this fund. Visit coc.ca/ErinWallTributeFund : Erin Wall as Arabella (COC, 2017), photo: Michael Cooper

For our French-speaking audience: Learn more about the COC's Opera Everywhere programming, including our Key Change podcast (premieres Oct. 27), in this radio interview with Julie McIsaac, the COC's Director/Dramaturg-in-Residence.

"Instead of bombast and showmanship, Son captivates by making us hear the inner materials of Chopin with new ears." Dive into Chopin with pianist Dang Thai Son in this week's edition of Alexander's Playlist.