Canadian Opera Company's EVENING WITH ENSEMBLE STUDIO Charts Long Journey Of Opera Star, Feb. 23

On Thursday, February 23, 2017, Canada's next generation of opera stars takes over the mainstage of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts for An Evening with the Ensemble Studio: Music of Handel and Mozart. This one-night-only event showcases the young artists of the COC Ensemble Studio, the Canadian Opera Company's prestigious training program, in a selection of arias and ensembles from Mozart's La finta giardiniera and Handel's Ariodante.

The COC Ensemble Studio is Canada's premier training program for young opera professionals. For more than 35 years, it has helped launch the careers of over 220 Canadian artists, many of whom have gone on to enjoy worldwide success. An Evening with the Ensemble Studio puts the intensive training of the artists into practice as they perform extended scenes from notable works in the operatic canon on the mainstage of the Four Seasons Centre, accompanied by the acclaimed COC Orchestra, led by COC Music Director Johannes Debus.

"I am constantly impressed by the quality of talent rising through the ranks of Canada's flourishing opera community and we're fortunate to have 10 of this country's most promising young artists as part of our Ensemble Studio this season," says COC General Director Alexander Neef. "An Evening with the Ensemble Studio is an important step in the training of our young artists, giving them a chance to sing major repertoire in their own performance from the mainstage of our opera house. The experiences they gain through the Ensemble Studio, and this mainstage showcase, will serve them well as they go on to establish their careers and represent the COC on an international stage."

The evening's program begins with scenes from the first act of Mozart's charming and whimsical early comedy, La finta giardiniera, and continues with highlights from the third act of Handel's Baroque masterpiece, Ariodante. For some of the singers, the Ariodante scenes provide a rare opportunity to perform the roles that they understudied when the COC presented this opera in the fall of 2016.

All 10 artists of the 2016/2017 Ensemble Studio perform in this special concert. For graduating artists, tenors Charles Sy and Aaron Sheppard, An Evening with the Ensemble Studio marks one of their final appearances on the Four Seasons Centre stage as members of the program. Sy, who has been praised for his "pleasing, sweet timbre, and innate musicality" (Musical Toronto), sings the roles of the Podestà (the Mayor) in La finta giardiniera and Odoardo in Ariodante. Sheppard sings the role of Lurcanio in Ariodante.

First-year Ensemble Studio artists, mezzo-sopranos Emily D'Angelo and Lauren Eberwein, sing the roles they understudied in the COC's fall production of Ariodante. Praised by The New York Times for her "voice hued like polished teak," D'Angelo sings the title role, while Eberwein, who possesses a "soulful, dusky mezzo and engrossing depth of tone"(Philadelphia Inquirer), is Ariodante's rival Polinesso. Eberwein also appears as Ramiro in La finta giardiniera.

Soprano Danika Lorèn, whose voice has been descibed as "bright with both polish and promise" (Saskatoon Star Phoenix), is Ariodante's love Ginevra, and sings the role of Sandrina in La finta giardiniera. Also appearing in scenes from both Ariodante and La finta giardiniera is baritone Bruno Roy as the King of Scotland and Nardo, respectively.

Rounding out the line-up of singers are soprano Samantha Pickett and mezzo-soprano Megan Quick who make up the chorus for Ariodante and will sing a duet from Bellini's Norma.

Ensemble Studio alumna, soprano Mireille Asselin, returns to the COC to sing the roles of Serpetta in La finta giardiniera and Dalinda in Ariodante.

Intern coaches Hyejin Kwon and Stéphane Mayer join the COC Orchestra on stage where they perform the harpsichord continuo in Ariodante and La finta giardiniera, respectively.

ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE STUDIO

The COC Ensemble Studio is Canada's premier training program for young opera professionals. Since the inception of the program in 1980, over 220 young professional Canadian singers, opera coaches, stage directors and conductors have acquired their first major professional operatic experience through the Ensemble Studio. Former members include Ben Heppner, Isabel Bayrakdarian, John Fanning, Wendy Nielsen, Joseph Kaiser, David Pomeroy, Allyson McHardy, and Krisztina Szabó.

The members of the Ensemble Studio are the COC's resident artists and important ambassadors for the company. They receive a blend of advanced study and practical experience through an individually tailored, multi-year program, involving understudying and performing mainstage roles, intensive vocal coaching, language and acting studies, and career skills development, as well as participation in masterclasses with internationally renowned opera professionals.

TICKET INFORMATION

All tickets for An Evening with the Ensemble Studio are $35 and may be purchased 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 Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Standing Room tickets are available for $12 at 11 a.m. the morning of the performance, in person only at the Four Seasons Centre Box Office. Standing room tickets are limited to two tickets per person and subject to availability.

About the Canadian Opera Company
Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. The COC enjoys a loyal audience support-base and one of the highest attendance and subscription rates in North America. Under its leadership team of General Director Alexander Neef and Music Director Johannes Debus, the COC is increasingly capturing the opera world's attention. The COC maintains its international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation by creating new productions within its diverse repertoire, collaborating with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracting the world's foremost Canadian and International Artists. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the Four Seasons Centre opened in 2006. For more information on the COC, visit coc.ca.

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