COSI FAN TUTTE, Tours & More Set for COC's February 2014 Lineup

The Canadian Opera Company has announed its 2014 productions - check out full details below!

FEBRUARY 2014
OPERAS

Così fan tutte
by W. A. Mozart
9 performances: January 18, 24, 29, February 1 (4:30 p.m.), 6, 7 (Ensemble Studio performance), 9 (2 p.m.), 15, 18, 21, 2014
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
Start time: 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted above

The Canadian Opera Company opens its winter season with Così fan tutte, Mozart's wry comedy about two couples gambling with one another's fidelity and desire. This new COC production is directed by Canadian film and stage director Atom Egoyan, who takes inspiration from the opera's subtitle, The School for Lovers, and sets the action in an academy where love is examined, dissected and manipulated to illuminate the struggles of constancy and temptation. COC Music Director Johannes conducts the COC Orchestra and a cast of up-and-coming talent alongside distinguished veterans. Cast as the sisters are two Canadians: soprano Layla Claire (COC debut) as Fiordiligi and Ensemble Studio graduate mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta as Dorabella. Singing the roles of the sisters' two suitors are American tenor Paul Appleby (COC debut) as Ferrando and COC Ensemble graduate bass-baritone Robert Gleadow as Guglielmo. World-renowned Canadian soprano Tracy Dahl makes a highly anticipated return to the COC stage after a 19-year absence, in the role of the conniving Despina. Sir Thomas Allen, one of the finest lyric baritones on the world stage, makes his COC debut as the wily Don Alfonso.

Single tickets for Così fan tutte are $12 - $332 (with specially priced $22 tickets available for people under the age of 30). To purchase, go to coc.ca, call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or visit the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Ensemble Studio Performance of Così fan tutte by W.A. Mozart
Friday, February 7, 2014
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
Start time: 7:30 p.m.

The rising young stars of the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio take to the mainstage of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on February 7, 2014 in the COC's new production of Mozart's sublime Così fan tutte, from renowned stage and screen director Atom Egoyan. This wry comedy about two couples gambling with fidelity and desire is one of the greatest works ever written about human relationships.

Four exciting young singers share the roles of the opera's two sisters: sopranos Aviva Fortunata and Sasha Djihanian perform the role of Fiordiligi, while mezzo-sopranos Charlotte Burrage and Danielle MacMillan sing the role of Dorabella. The sisters' two suitors are sung by baritones Clarence Frazer and Cameron McPhail, sharing the role of Guglielmo, and tenors Andrew Haji and Owen McCausland sing Ferrando. Soprano Claire de Sévigné sings the role of the conniving Despina and bass-baritone Gordon Bintner portrays the wily Don Alfonso. The young artists perform with the full COC Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of COC Music Director Johannes Debus.

Since 1980, the Ensemble Studio has fostered the development of opera in Canada as the country's premier training program for young opera professionals. Its many graduates include some of today's most esteemed performers, including Ben Heppner, Isabel Bayrakdarian and Joseph Kaiser.

Tickets for the Ensemble Studio performance of Così fan tutte are accessibly priced at $25 and $55 per person and are available online at coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or in person at the

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Un ballo in maschera
by Giuseppe Verdi
8 performances: February 2 (2 p.m.), 5, 8, 11, 14, 16 (2 p.m.), 20, 22 (4:30 p.m.), 2014
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
Start time: 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted above

The Canadian Opera Company presents Un ballo in maschera, Verdi's bittersweet opera of forbidden passion amidst dramatic political machinations and turmoil. An all-star cast features great Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka and American tenor Dimitri Pittas in role debuts as the opera's two lovers, Amelia and Riccardo, embroiled in political intrigue beyond their control. Russian mezzo-soprano Elena Manistina returns to the COC as the mysterious fortune teller Ulrica and Ensemble Studio graduate Canadian soprano Simone Osborne is the saucy page, Oscar. Stephen Lord, one of North America's most distinguished conductors, leads the COC Orchestra and Chorus through Verdi's thrilling score. This stunning production from directors Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito sets the action in an invented reality that draws on American culture, mythology and visuals from the heightened Kennedy-era politics of the 1960s to the red carpet pageantry of awards shows in the new millennium. Striking period sets and costumes evoke the television series Mad Men, full of the colour, optimism and vitality of the early 1960s, along with the occasional more contemporary detail.

Single tickets for Un ballo in maschera are $12 - $332 (with specially priced $22 tickets available for people under the age of 30). To purchase, go to coc.ca, call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or visit the

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE
February 4 - 26, 2014
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre is a unique opportunity to experience diverse artistic programming in what has become one of Toronto's most exciting cultural hubs. Six inspiring series offer concerts, dance performances and engaging presentations that feature both up-and-coming young artists and established international stars. All performances are FREE to the public, with admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early as late seating is not available.

February 4, 2014
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Songs from the Heart

Acclaimed for her remarkable agility, clarity and a sound "filled with sunshine, rainbows and laser light" (Opera), Canadian coloratura soprano Tracy Dahl (Despina in the COC's production of Così fan tutte) teams up with pianist Liz Upchurch in a selection of her favourite art songs and arias.

February 5, 2014
12 - 1 p.m.
Jazz Series
These Things

Praised for capturing "the true essence of what the best piano/bass duos are all about: elegance, economy, precision, fluidity, style, intimacy, grace, and that magical, intangible chemistry - the simpatico" (The Wholenote), pianist Mark Kieswetter and bassist Ross MacIntyre present selections from their latest album, These Things.

February 6, 2014
12 - 1 p.m.
Dance Series
A Soldier's Tale

Acclaimed Canadian choreographer/director Michael Greyeyes offers a sneak preview of his powerful new dance theatre work portraying the lives of soldiers and their families in the aftermath of war. Written by Tara Beagan, artistic director of Native Earth Performing Arts, with music by John Gzowski, A Soldier's Tale loudly echoes George Santayana's soliloquy: only the dead have seen the end of war.

February 11, 2014
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
The Art of Song

A recent graduate of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Program and one of the most inspiring new voices of his generation, tenor Paul Appleby (Ferrando in the COC's production of Così fan tutte) performs a varied program of art song spanning several continents and centuries.

February 13, 2014
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Songs of the Sea

Internationally acclaimed baritone Sir Thomas Allen (Don Alfonso in the COC's production of Così fan tutte) teams up with pianist Rachel Andrist in a bittersweet program of folk songs, art songs and arias by Haydn, Schubert, Mahler and Britten.

February 18, 2014
12 - 1 p.m.
Piano Virtuoso Series
Women in the Powerhouse

Award-winning young American pianist and new music advocate Kara Huber pays tribute to some of the leading female composers of our day, including Sofia Gubaidulina, Alexina Louie, Joan Tower and the world premiere of a new work by emerging American composer Natalie Draper.

February 19, 2014
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Jazz Series
The Universe of John Lennon

Acclaimed guitarist and arranger Michael Occhipinti is joined by an all-star band Shine On and one of Canada's most distinctive jazz vocalists, Elizabeth Shepherd, as they explore "The Universe of John Lennon." Their strikingly new and imaginative reinterpretations of John Lennon's cherished tunes are sure to surprise and delight Beatles fans of all ages.

February 20, 2014
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Collaborations

Singers from the young artist programs of the Canadian Opera Company and l'Opéra de Montréal join forces in a program of arias and ensembles.

February 25, 2014
12 - 1 p.m.
Dance Series
Dance Through Time

Ballet Jörgen Canada presents a diverse program of classical and contemporary ballet that showcases the company's trademark innovation, warmth, humour and beauty. This one-hour program features gems from the repertoire, including excerpts from Romeo and Juliet and other great classics, a peek at Robert Desrosiers's new creation, Bouffonia, and intimate dance pieces capturing the beauty of life.

February 26, 2014
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Gagliano's La Dafne

Capella Intima and the Toronto Continuo Collective join forces to present La Dafne, a rarely performed masterpiece of the early Baroque. Premiered in 1608, Ottavio Rinuccini's colourful libretto is masterfully set by composer Marco da Gagliano. An ensemble of dramatic voices accompanied by lutes, theorbos, harpsichord, and viola da gamba bring Ovid's ancient tale of Apollo and Daphne to vivid life.

TOUR THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
February 9 and 16, 2014
Start time: 10:30 a.m.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
Cost: $20/adults; $15/seniors and students

The Canadian Opera Company opens the doors of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on February 9 and 16, 2014, with 90-minute tours for the general public. These extensive tours include backstage access and are an exciting opportunity to learn more about the first purpose-built opera house in Canada, its history, architecture and innovative acoustic design. Starting at 10:30 a.m., each tour is led by trained docents and includes information and access to the magnificent Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and R. Fraser Elliott Hall, as well as backstage areas like wig rooms and dressing rooms, the orchestra pit, and other spaces that only a stage door pass could unlock.

Tickets for public tours are $20/adults and $15/seniors and students, and can be purchased in advance at coc.ca or at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets will also be available on the morning of the tour starting at 10 a.m. at the welcome desk located in the main lobby.