Canadian Opera Company's April 2014 Listings Include HERCULES and More

APRIL 2014

OPERAS

Hercules

by George Frideric Handel

7 performances: April 5 (4:30 p.m.), 11, 15, 19, 24, 27 (2 p.m.), 30, 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

One of the most innovative and powerful forces in the performing arts world today, director Peter Sellars returns to the Canadian Opera Company with an already acclaimed new COC production of Handel's Hercules, based on Sophocles' timeless tragedy. Sellars propels the Greek myth of Hercules into the modern day, directing the same star-studded cast that premiered this production to unanimous praise at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2011: American bass-baritone Eric Owens as Hercules (COC debut); British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote as Hercules' wife Dejanira; American countertenor David Daniels as Hercules' trusted aide, Lichas; American tenor Richard Croft as Hercules' son, Hyllus; and British soprano Lucy Crowe as the princess Iole (COC debut). Internationally renowned Baroque specialist Harry Bicket leads the COC Orchestra and Chorus through Handel's glorious music. The ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles was also a war general who knew first-hand the devastating psychological traumas facing returning veterans. With Hercules Sellars creates a healing work in which the untold horrors of war and the unspoken complications of reunion find their voice.

Single tickets for Hercules are $12 - $332 (with specially priced $22 tickets available for people under the age of 30). To purchase, go tococ.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.

Roberto Devereux

by Gaetano Donizetti

7 performances: April 25, 29, May 3, 10 (4:30 p.m.), 15, 18 (2 p.m.), 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

Donizetti's powerful Tudor drama Roberto Devereux brings to life the intrigue of the Elizabethan court during the tumultuous final days of Queen Elizabeth I's reign. American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, one of the most sought-after sopranos in the world today, makes her role debut with the COC as Queen Elizabeth I. Celebrated Italian lyric tenor Giuseppe Filianoti makes his COC and role debut as the title character, Roberto Devereux, whose life hangs in the balance after betraying his queen's affections by falling in love with the wife of one of her courtiers. Rounding out the all-star cast, and also making role debuts, are Canadians baritone Russell Braun as the Duke of Nottingham and mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy as Sara, Duchess of Nottingham. From acclaimed British director Stephen Lawless, this production features lavish period costumes and a Shakespearean-inspired Globe Theatre setting. Italian conductor Corrado Rovaris leads the COC Orchestra and Chorus through Donizetti's show-stopping melodies.

Single tickets for Roberto Devereux 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

April 1 - 29, 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.

Date	Series		Artist
April 1, 2014 12 - 1 p.m.	Chamber Music Series		Chamber Connections: Corigliano Artists of The Glenn Gould School, under the direction of Brian Current, perform an exciting program of solo and chamber works featuring the music of acclaimed American composer John Corigliano.
April 3, 2014 12 - 1 p.m.	Vocal Series		Love Song Waltzes Artists of the COC Ensemble Studio (soprano Claire de Sévigné, mezzo-soprano Charlotte Burrage, tenor Andrew Haji, bass-baritone Gordon Bintner, and pianists Liz Upchurch and Michael Shannon) celebrate love, life and music in a performance of Brahms' tour-de-force for four voices and two pianos: Liebeslieder Walzer (Love Song Waltzes).
April 8, 2014 12 - 1 p.m.	Dance Series		Persée Hosted by co-artistic director Marshall Pynkoski, singers and dancers from Opera Atelier present excerpts from Lully's Persée, a lavish retelling of the classical myth in which the heroic Perseus battles the monstrous Medusa to rescue princess Andromeda from her terrible fate.
April 10, 2014 12 - 1 p.m.	Jazz Series		Up Jumped Spring Montreal's Norman Marshall Villeneuve leads an all-star quartet in an uplifting and fun-filled hour of swinging jazz standards, welcoming spring in true jazz form with "Up Jumped Spring" and other songs of the season. This quartet's bebop tempos will get your toes tapping and thinking of flowers in May.
April 15, 2014 12 - 1 p.m.	Piano Virtuoso Series		Music in the Time of War Pianist Philip Chiu presents a program of music composed during, and in response to, the two world wars: Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin, the second movement of Prokofiev's Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major and Chiu's own arrangement of the Suite for Oboe and Piano, Op. 17 by Pavel Haas.
April 17, 2014 12 - 1 p.m.	Chamber Music Series		Inspired by Bach In a rare Toronto performance, internationally acclaimed violinistMark Fewer embraces his reflective side in a program illustrating the connection between two remarkable works for solo violin written almost 300 years apart: Bach's Partita in D Minor for Solo Violin No. 2, BWV 1004 (1723) and Chris Paul Harman's Partita for Solo Violin (1995).
April 22, 2014 12 - 1 p.m.	World Music Series		Modicani nel Mondo With its intriguing mix of Sicilian folk music and the best elements of modern jazz, the Sicilian Jazz Project is a musical project like no other. The brainchild of Juno Award nominee Michael Occhipinti, the group features some of Canada's finest jazz musicians and Italian traditional vocalists, including Roberto Occhipinti, Dominic Mancuso, Louis Simão and Barry Romberg.
April 24, 2014 12 - 1 p.m.	Chamber Music Series WORLD PREMIERE		Polar Bears and Lullabies ArrayMusic's artistic director Rick Sacks displays his inimitable artistry and showmanship in an eclectic and entertaining hour of solo percussion music featuring the MalletKat, a 4-octave electronic percussion keyboard. The program features four of his own original works, including the world premiere of Necessary Outcome: A Meditation on Richard Dawkins.
April 29, 2014 12 - 1 p.m.	Jazz Series		Legendary Ladies Toronto vocalist Shannon Butcher and her powerhouse quartet celebrate the sophisticated ladies of song who brought swing and style to the golden age of jazz. Acclaimed for her sultry vocals and sassy sense of fun, Butcher's distinctive style is steeped in the great tradition of legendary ladies like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, yet possesses a contemporary sensibility and sophistication all her own.

TOUR THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

April 6, 13, 27, 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 April 6, 13 and 27, 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.