Canadian Opera Company’s CENTRE STAGE: ENSEMBLE STUDIO COMPETITION & GALA Tickets On Sale Now

The Canadian Opera Company (COC) has announced that tickets are now on sale for its Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition & Gala, a marquee fundraising event celebrating the country’s most promising emerging opera talent.

This year’s event will return to the COC’s mainstage at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, offering guests a glamorous evening of fine dining, live music, and high-stakes vocal competition—all while enjoying a rare, performer’s-eye view of the iconic venue.

The evening begins with The Ensemble Studio Competition, the final round of the COC’s national audition tour. Finalists will perform for a distinguished panel of judges and a live audience—both in the theatre and online—accompanied by the acclaimed COC Orchestra under the baton of COC Music Director Johannes Debus.

Emma Hunter (CTV’s The Beaverton, CBC’s Mr. D) returns as host, with a jury that includes Morgan Reid (Dean Artists), Roberto Mauro (COC Director of Artistic Planning & Operations), Dorian Cox (Director of The Ensemble Studio), and Liz Upchurch (Head of Music, Ensemble Studio). At stake are significant cash prizes and the chance to join the COC’s renowned Ensemble Studio training program.

Guests who opt for the full Centre Stage Gala package begin their evening with a VIP reception, enjoy premium seating for the competition, and are then treated to a spectacular candlelit dinner served on the mainstage following the announcement of the winners.

This year’s theme, “For the Love of Opera,” draws visual inspiration from the romantic aesthetic of the COC’s fall production of Roméo et Juliette, evoking the Gilded Age with deep velvety hues and gold detailing.

TICKET INFORMATION

• Competition-only tickets: $100–$150

• Opera Under 30 pricing: $35 or $75

• Gala experience tickets: $1,500 each; tables from $15,000