Canadian Opera Company Announces October Highlights

The Canadian Opera Company opens its 2015/2016 season with Verdi's enduring masterpiece, La Traviata. This sumptuous new COC production is set in the demi-monde of glittering 1850s Paris, evoking the social realities, rhythms and debauchery of a rapidly changing society.

Russian Ekaterina Siurina, in her COC debut, and Canadian Joyce El-Khoury share the role of the opera's tragic heroine Violetta. Her nobleman lover, Alfredo, is sung by American Charles Castronovo, and rising star Canadian tenor Andrew Haji. Internationally acclaimed baritones American Quinn Kelsey and Canadian James Westman share the role of Violetta's father, Germont. Italian conductor Marco Guidarini guides the COC Orchestra and Chorus through Verdi's glorious and popular melodies.

11 performances: October 8, 13, 16, 17, 21, 24 (4:30 p.m.), 29, 30, November 1 (2 p.m.), 4, 6, 2015

All performances begin at 7:30 p.m., unless otherwise indicated.

La Traviata

By Giuseppe Verdi
*NEW COC PRODUCTION*

Ticket Information
All performances take place at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (145 Queen St. W., at University Ave.). Regularly priced single tickets range from $50 - $435, with specially priced $22 tickets available for people under the age of 30. To purchase tickets, go to coc.ca, call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or visit the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office (145 Queen St. W).

Pyramus and Thisbe (with Lamento d'Arianna and Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda)

By Barbara Monk Feldman and Claudio Monteverdi

*WORLD PREMIERE*

The Canadian Opera Company premieres a new production from acclaimed American director Christopher Alden that weaves together a new Canadian opera with two early Baroque classics: the world premiere of
Barbara Monk Feldman's Pyramus and Thisbe, along with Monteverdi's Lamento d'Arianna and Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda.

Composed 400 years apart, the pieces draw upon mythology and history to illustrate the beauty of the human voice and the magic of musical storytelling. The all-Canadian cast is led by virtuosic Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, and features baritone Phillip Addis and tenor Owen McCausland. COC Music Director Johannes Debus conducts the COC Orchestra and Chorus through this bold new program of music.

7 performances: October 20, 23, 25 (2 p.m.), 28, November 5, 7 (4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.), 2015

All performances begin at 7:30 p.m., unless otherwise indicated.

Ticket Information
All performances take place at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (145 Queen St. W., at University Ave.). Regularly priced single tickets range from $50 - $435, with specially priced $22 tickets available for people under the age of 30. To purchase tickets, go to coc.ca, call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or visit the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office (145 Queen St. W).

FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE

October 1 - 28, 2015
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.

Date
October 1, 2015 12 - 1 p.m.

October 6, 2015

12 - 1 p.m.

October 8, 2015

12 - 1 p.m.

October 13, 2015

12 - 1 p.m.

Series

Jazz Series

Vocal Series

Piano Virtuoso Series

Dance Series

Artist

New York Stories

Inspired by the song writing of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Stephen Sondheim, Canadian jazz and indie treasure Micah Barnes presents a romantic collection of original songs inspired by the Big Apple's rich musical history, as well as Barnes' own experience in the city that never sleeps.

Alma Innamorata

Passionate love, faithful love, naive love and jealous

love. Discover Italian baroque music of the 18th

century through the dynamic young artists of Ensemble Les

Songes in a program of works by Handel, Corelli a

Scarlatti

Between Carthage and Rome

Pianist/composer John Kameel Farah uses piano, synthesizer and computer to present a unique program that showcases his creative hybrid of improvisation, composition and electronics, mixing elements of early music, contemporary classical, Arabic music and forms of Electronic Dance Music.

Artists and Lovers

Visionary choreographer and dancer Tom Brouillette presents a preview of his latest work, Artists and Lovers, a piece for six dancers set in 1920s Paris. Maurice Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Piano conjures the heady sensuality of the cafés, clubs and salons of Montparnasse.

October 14, 2015

12 - 1 p.m.

October 15, 2015

12 - 1 p.m.

October 20, 2015

12 - 1 p.m.

October 22, 2015

12 - 1 p.m.

October 27, 2015

12 - 1 p.m.

October 28, 2015

12 - 1 p.m.

Chamber Music Series

V ocal Series

Chamber Music Series

Jazz Series

V ocal Series

Jazz Series

Cello Suites: Bach and Britten

Internationally acclaimed cellist Joseph Johnson (principal cello of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra) performs an intimate hour of solo cello works, including two masterful suites by Bach and Britten.

The Art of the Prima Donna

UofT Opera presents a program of operatic gems by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and others, interposed with anecdotes from the great 19th-century prima donnas.

Ritmos Brasileiros

Campbell/Afiara unites the formidable talents of the Afiara String Quartet and versatile guitarist, composer and arranger Graham Campbell. This new fusion ensemble brings a lush chamber sound to jazz, the infectious sounds of Brazilian choro and new works.

Cross-Cultural Synthesis

Monsoon is an Indo-Jazz collective that combines elements of creative jazz and traditional Indian classical music into
a rich cross-cultural expression. The group's
original compositions feature exotic Eastern

melodies, worldly grooves and creative improvisations that, when combined, create a truly unique musical experience.

Songs from the Heart

Acclaimed Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey, appearing as Giorgio Germont in the COC's production of La Traviata, presents a program of some of his favourite art songs and Lieder, including Vaughan Williams' Songs of Travel and Finzi's Let Us Garlands Bring.

The MJO Sessions

The McGill Jazz Orchestra has earned a reputation as one of the finest university jazz ensembles anywhere. Led by jazz composer and trumpeter Joe Sullivan, the MJO performs traditional and contemporary jazz masterworks, taking on challenging new repertoire that embraces Canadian composers and music written by its own students.

TOUR THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE

FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

October 4, 18, 25, 2015
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
October 4, 18 and 25, 2015 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., the tours are led by trained docents and include 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.