Richard Bradshaw News

Given continued restrictions on large public gatherings in Toronto due to ongoing precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Canadian Opera Company will be cancelling all in-person performances, programming, and events through the fall of its 2020/2021 season.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada today announced the 2019/20 season lineup of Cannon Dolls for The Nutcracker. 2019 NBA Champion Toronto Raptors' Guard Kyle Lowry makes his debut as a Cannon Doll in The Nutcracker on December 19 at 7:00 pm.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for The Nutcracker. This season, First Soloist Koto Ishihara makes her debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy. The holiday favourite is onstage December 12 - January 4, 2020 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. #TheNutcrackerNBC

Award Winning Country Artist, Dani-Elle Kleha, announces her new partnership with the Ronald McDonald House of Scranton as she kicks off the new season of her Positive Youth Tour in Pennsylvania with a performance at West Scranton High School in Scranton, PA on October 15 in celebration with “Ronald McDonald House Day.” Support the mission of the Ronald McDonald House with hashtag #ShowYourStripes on social media. 

The Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, Canada's premier training program for young opera professionals, welcomes four new artists for the 2019/2020 season: tenor Matthew Cairns, bass-baritone Vartan Gabrielian, mezzo-soprano Jamie Groote, and Alex Soloway as a pianist and intern coach. The four will join the Ensemble Studio in August 2019 and become part of a program that has launched the careers of over 230 Canadian opera professionals.

The Canadian Opera Company Orchestra Academy welcomes five student musicians to join its sixth annual training intensive, taking place January 6 - 26, 2019. Led by COC Music Director Johannes Debus, and in collaboration with The Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Schulich School of Music of McGill University and the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music, the program offers its student musicians one-on-one mentorship and practical experience in their pursuit of a career in an opera orchestra.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for The Nutcracker. First Soloist Jack Bertinshaw makes his debut this season as Peter/The Nutcracker. Corps de Ballet Member Ethan Watts will debut as Uncle Nikolai.  

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for Frederick Ashton's The Dream and Guillaume Cote's Being and Nothingness. The mixed programme is onstage November 21 - 25, 2018 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. #TheDreamNBC #BeingandNothingnessNBC

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for the North American premiere of John Neumeier's Anna Karenina. The first co-operation between The National Ballet of Canada, The Hamburg Ballet and The Bolshoi Ballet, Anna Karenina is inspired by Leo Tolstoy's great masterpiece and opens the National Ballet's 2018/19 season November 10 - 18, 2018 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. #AnnaKareninaNBC

This Today evening, October 26th, Silence proudly presents Justin Gray & Synthesis, a contemporary world-jazz ensemble that explores a captivating cross-cultural blend of Indian and western music. The ensemble features Justin Gray on Bass Veena & Electric Bass, Ted Quinlan on guitar, Drew Jurecka on Violin, Ed Hanley on tabla and Derek Gray on drums, percussion & Tibetan singing bowls. Bandleader Justin Gray is an award-winning bassist, composer and producer based out of Toronto, Canada. In 2010, he designed and co-created the bass veena, a multi-stringed instrument, which combines the fretless bass with elements inspired by various Indian stringed instruments. Justin is the first artist to perform on this instrument worldwide.

The Canadian Opera Company's 2017/2018 season marked a year in which the organization made significant progress on key goals of its COC365 Strategic Plan by presenting boundary-pushing productions; deepening its commitment to public engagement and relationship-building with diverse communities; and laying the foundation for the exciting revitalization of 227 Front St. E., as reported today at the COC's Annual General Meeting by COC Board Chair Justin Linden and COC General Director Alexander Neef.

This Friday evening, October 26th, Silence proudly presents Justin Gray & Synthesis, a contemporary world-jazz ensemble that explores a captivating cross-cultural blend of Indian and western music. The ensemble features Justin Gray on Bass Veena & Electric Bass, Ted Quinlan on guitar, Drew Jurecka on Violin, Ed Hanley on tabla and Derek Gray on drums, percussion & Tibetan singing bowls. Bandleader Justin Gray is an award-winning bassist, composer and producer based out of Toronto, Canada. In 2010, he designed and co-created the bass veena, a multi-stringed instrument, which combines the fretless bass with elements inspired by various Indian stringed instruments. Justin is the first artist to perform on this instrument worldwide.

Shining the spotlight on emerging Canadian female and female-identified composers and librettists who demonstrate extraordinary promise in opera creation, winners for the first-ever Mecenat Musica Prix 3 Femmes have been announced in Montreal.

The city's best all-access cultural programming returns this fall when the Canadian Opera Company's Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre kicks off its 13th season on September 25, 2018. Over 400 emerging and established artists, spanning a broad spectrum of artistic and cultural traditions, will perform in 72 concerts from September to May.

The winners of the 47th annual George London Foundation Awards Competition for young American and Canadian opera singers were announced at the conclusion of the competition's final round this evening, which took place before an enthusiastic audience at Gilder Lehrman Hall at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City.

The month of March at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) abounds with anticipated events including a performance by piano virtuoso Lang Lang with his protege Maxim Lando, the 14th New Creations Festival, and Jaws in Concert. Appearances by pianist Lars Vogt and guest conductor Stephane Deneve, a concert by the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and Classical Kids: Gershwin's Magic Key add to the buzz.

The Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, Canada's premier training program for young opera professionals, welcomes four new artists for the 2018/2019 season: bass-baritone Joel Allison, mezzo-soprano Simona Genga, and sopranos Lauren Margison and Anna-Sophie Neher. The four singers join the Ensemble Studio in August 2018 and become part of a program that, since its inception in 1980, has launched the careers of over 230 Canadian singers, opera coaches, mainstage directors and conductors.

The stunt performers and coordinators from Wonder Woman and Game of Thrones are this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards honorees for Outstanding Action Performances by Film and Television Stunt Ensembles, it was announced today from the 24th Annual SAG Awards red carpet by SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and SAG Awards Committee Chair JoBeth Williams.

The Canadian Opera Company Orchestra Academy welcomes five student musicians to join its fifth annual training intensive, taking place January 7 26, 2018. Led by COC Music Director Johannes Debus, and in collaboration with The Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Schulich School of Music at McGill University and the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music, the program offers its student musicians one-on-one mentorship and practical experience in their pursuit of a career in an opera orchestra.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for The Nutcracker. Choreographed by James Kudelka, the National Ballet's production is Toronto's favourite holiday tradition and was sold-out for the past two seasons. The Nutcracker is onstage December 9 30, 2017 and tickets are selling fast.