Canadian Opera Company 2023/2024 Season Shines With New Productions And Star-Studded CENTRE STAGE

Single tickets are now on sale for all of the Canadian Opera Company's 2023/2024 operas, as well as Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition, a fast-paced and exciting night of opera in support of the country's very best emerging singing talent.

The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts will showcase six mainstage productions, including five that are brand new to Toronto:

• Beethoven's Fidelio: the Canadian premiere of a visually-stunning, political ode to freedom;
• Puccini's La Bohème: a timeless story of whirlwind romance and the struggles of big city life;
• Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen: a cautionary reflection on humanity's impact on nature;
• Mozart's Don Giovanni: stunning sets and projections transform this tale of a predator's epic downfall;
• Cherubini's Medea: a searing operatic saga, never before performed at the COC, and;
• Donizetti's Don Pasquale: a colourful comedy packed with sparkling arias.

This season, current and past members of the COC's Ensemble Studio will also perform a special additional performance of Don Pasquale, underscoring the company's commitment to rising young artists, as well as creating more accessible pathways to the opera house experience.

Then it's “Lights. Camera. Opera” for Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition on Thursday October 26, 2023. Television's Sangita Patel of Entertainment Tonight Canada hosts the COC's signature fundraiser, which is rolling out the red carpet for an entertaining night of vocal competition and prizes. The lively showcase also serves as the final round of national auditions for prizes and the chance to be invited to the company's prestigious career development program, the COC Ensemble Studio. Guest judges this year include Canadian star sopranos Adrianne Pieczonka and Measha Brueggergosman, as well as actor/director Thom Allison, whose acclaimed production of Rent is currently on stage at the Stratford Festival.

To close out the season, from June 14-16, 2023, the COC is proud to present the world premiere of Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White by librettist and director HAUI and composer and conductor Sean Mayes at the Canadian Opera Company Theatre. Nova Scotian contralto Portia White was the first Black Canadian concert performer to achieve international fame in the mid-20th century, yet her story has been largely erased from Canadians' memory.

"We are incredibly excited to share the history of Portia White that few people know about,” says HAUI. “To help celebrate the richness of Black culture, the musical experience that encompass Black artistic expression and Black musical royalty is truly a gift."

“Portia White's musical legacy of art and activism is one that all Canadians should culturally know and share in,” says Mayes. “It's an honour to have the chance to re-introduce her story and history to a new audience of music lovers and opera-goers, and to commemorate her life back to our public consciousness in an opportunity that was missed while she was alive.”