Canadian Opera Company Announces Performances and Events for February 2011
By: Gabrielle Sierra Nov. 17, 2010
Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. The company enjoys an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation.
FEBRUARY 2011- OPERAS
12 performances: January 29, February 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 18, 20, 23, and 25, 2011
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)The Canadian Opera Company's 61st season continues with a new COC production of Mozart's beloved masterpiece The Magic Flute. Conducted by COC Music Director Johannes Debus and directed by Diane Paulus, The Magic Flute is a playful, sometimes profound exploration of the trials of growing up, seeking ideals and finding love. This delightful production for all ages features Canadian opera stars Michael Schade and Isabel Bayrakdarian in the roles of Tamino and Pamina. Sharing the roles with Mr. Schade and Ms Bayrakdarian are young Canadian singers, tenor Frédéric Antoun and COC Ensemble Studio member soprano Simone Osborne.Single tickets for The Magic Flute are $62 - $281 (specially-priced $22 tickets are available for people under the age of 30). Tickets are available online at coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at
416-363-8231, or in person at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Special Ensemble Studio performance
February 17, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)Experience the exciting young singers of the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio performing the lead roles in their own performance of The Magic Flute on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. Under the direction of the same creative team as the mainstage cast, the Ensemble Studio members also appear with the full COC Orchestra and Chorus. For casting information, please visit coc.caSingle tickets for the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute are $20 or $55. Tickets are available online at coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or in person at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Nixon in China by John Adams
8 performances: February 5, 9, 11, 13, 19, 22, 24, and 26, 2011
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
416-363-8231, or in person at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.*New this season - Standing Room tickets for only $12. Sixty spaces are available and tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. the morning of the performance at the Four Seasons Centre Box Office. Limit of two tickets per person. Subject to availability.
TOUR THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Saturdays at 12 p.m. (with some exceptions)
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
Tickets: $13 for adults; $7 for students, seniors and children 12 and under The COC invites the public to take a tour of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Public tours are an exciting opportunity to learn more about the opera house, its history, architecture and innovative acoustic design. Each hour-long tour is led by trained docents and includes background information and access to the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and R. Fraser Elliott Hall. Public tours are $13 for adults and $7 for students, seniors and children age 12 and under, and take place every Saturday at 12 p.m. (with some exceptions). Tickets for tours are available in person at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.For information about tour availability of the Four Seasons Centre, visit coc.ca or call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231.
FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE Richard Bradshaw AMPHITHEATRE
PRESENTED BY NATIONAL BANK
February 1 - February 24, 2011
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
Series
Artist
February 1, 2011
12 - 1 p.m.
Chamber Music Series
Franck and Poulenc Cello Sonatas
Two outstanding young Canadian musicians unite to perform two masterpieces of the French repertoire: the cello sonatas of César Franck and Francis Poulenc.February 2, 2011
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Songs with Strings
In a rare collaboration, artists of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio unite with members of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra to perform a series of songs with chamber accompaniment. February 3, 2011
12 - 1 p.m.
Piano Virtuoso Series
Masks of Astarte
A recent first-prize winner of the prestigious
Eckhardt-Gramatté competition, 20-year-old pianist Claudia Chan performs selections from the repertoire that garnered her this major prize. She juxtaposes Corigliano's Etude Fantasy with Chopin's
Polonaise-Fansaisie, Op. 61 and closes with Canadian composer Patrick Cardy's Masks of Astarte, a virtuoso showpiece inspired by the multi-faceted Assyrian goddess of love, fertility and war.February 8, 2011
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Songs from the Heart
Acclaimed for her remarkable agility and clarity, Canadian coloratura soprano Tracy Dahl (Madame Mao in the COC's Nixon in China) reunites with her cherished musical collaborator Liz Upchurch in a selection of her favourite art songs and arias.February 10, 2011
12 - 1 p.m.
Jazz Series
Post Bop Modernity
Hear the searing solo work of Humber's next generation of jazz artists, led by one of Toronto's all-time greats, Pat LaBarbera. February 15, 2011
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Masters and Servants
Already a regular on the stages of the great opera houses of the world, COC Ensemble Studio alumnus bass Robert Gleadow teams up with COC Chorus Master Sandra Horst to present a program of arias and art songs exploring the roles of masters and servants.February 17, 2011
12 - 1 p.m.
Piano Virtuoso Series
American Berserk: The Solo Piano Music of John Adams
Contemporary specialist Adam Sherkin performs the complete solo piano works of John Adams: Phrygian Gates, China Gates and American Berserk as well as an original composition, Daycurrents, inspired by Adams.February 22, 2011
12 - 1 p.m.
World Music Series
Silk Road Strings
Three master string players (Wendy Wen Zhao, pipa; Lucas Harris, lute; and Bassam Bishara, oud) perform individually and collectively, introducing their own instruments and highlighting the similarities, differences and influences between these centuries-old traditions as they evolved across history's greatest cultural exchange route, the Silk Road. February 24, 2010
12 - 1 p.m.Chamber Music Series
Suites for Solo Cello
Canadian cellist Winona Zelenka showcases her beautiful, lyrical tone and probing musicality in three powerful works of the solo cello canon: the unaccompanied suites of Paul Hindemith, Benjamin Britten and Gaspar Cassadó.
EDUCATION EVENTSThe Opera Exchange Series
Nixon in China: Giving Voice to Our Own History
February 13, 2011 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
Target: University Students/Adults
Tickets: $20The Opera Exchange Series provides an in-depth look at three operas performed by the Canadian Opera Company over the course of the 2010/2011 season. On February 13, 2010 local and international academics will lead explorations and analysis on the themes and music of John Adams' Nixon in China. Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased at coc.ca or by contacting COC Ticket Services at
416-363-8231. Discounts are available for UofT students and faculty. The Opera Exchange Series is presented in collaboration with the Munk Centre for International Studies and the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto.
Living Opera
The Magic Flute: February 1, 3, 8, 10, 16, 18, 23, and 25, 2011
Nixon in China: February 9, 11, 22, and 24, 2011
2 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. on select performance days
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (145 Queen St. W.) / Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre (227 Front St. E.)
Target: Students grades 7 - 12
Cost: $14 per student (minimum 20, maximum 30)Guided by a theatre specialist and an opera singer, each Living Opera workshop allows students to explore creativity and self-expression through the performing arts. The workshop finishes with a backstage tour of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts or the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre. To book a Living Opera workshop, call 416-306-2392, or request a program online at coc.ca.REGISTRATIONSMarch Break at the COC
March 17, 2011 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Target: Children 7 - 9
March 18, 2011 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Target: Children 10 - 12
Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre (227 Front St. E.)
$35 per day, additional $5 for early drop off. Create an opera in a day with March Break at the COC. Drawing inspiration from the themes and music of popular children's operas, participants invent their own operatic adventure and put on a workshop showcase for family and friends at the end of the day. The March Break opera camps are being held on March 17, 2011, for children aged 7 to 9, and on March 18, 2011, for children aged 10 to 12. No previous experience with opera or the performing arts is required.Registration for March Break at the COC opens on Monday, February 7, 2011 at 10 a.m., online at coc.ca and in person at the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre, located at 227 Front St. E. For more information, contact education@coc.ca.
Summer Youth Intensive
July 4 - 8, 2011
Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre (227 Front St. E.)
Target: Youth 14 - 18
Tuition: $175 per week (some bursaries available)
The Summer Youth Intensive offers youth interested in theatrical production and the performing arts a week-long immersion in the world of opera. Participants in Summer Youth Intensive choose from one of two focuses: performance or production, for their study, and take part in a series of exciting workshops led by professional artist-educators from the world of opera. No previous experience with opera or the performing arts is required
Registration for Summer Youth Intensive opens on Monday, February 7, 2011 at 10 a.m., online at coc.ca or in person at the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre, located at 227 Front St. E. For more information, contact education@coc.ca.Summer Opera CampJuly 11 - 15, 2011, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Target: Children 7 - 9
July 18 - 22, 2011, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Target: Children 10 - 12
Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre (227 Front St. E.)
Tuition: $175 per week (some bursaries available)Explore opera at the COC's Summer Opera Camp. During each week-long camp session, participants take part in daily music, drama, design and movement sessions, and create their own version of a classic opera from the COC's 2011/2012 season. No previous experience with opera or the performing arts is required.Registration for Summer Opera Camp opens on Monday, February 7, 2011 at 10 a.m. online at coc.ca and in person at the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre, located at 227 Front St. E. For more information, contact education@coc.ca.
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