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Opera Atelier's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute. Photo: Bruce Zinger

Opera Atelier Announces 2025/2026 Season

By Newswire on 6 February 2025 Classical Music, Dance, Newswire, Opera, Toronto, Vocal

Toronto, ON — Opera Atelier celebrates its landmark 40th year with two significant productions: the company’s iconic production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, on stage October 15, 16, 18 and 19, 2025 at the Elgin Theatre, and the world premiere of Debussy’s surrealist opera, Pelléas et Mélisande, on stage April 15, 16, 18 and 19 2026 at Koerner Hall TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. “We’re thrilled to open our season in Toronto’s historic Elgin Theatre with the company’s period production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, part of our 40th anniversary celebrations,” says Opera Atelier Founding Co-artistic Director Marshall Pynkoski. “Opera Atelier’s Magic Flute remains North America’s first and only period production of the Opera and has proven to…

Vancouver Opera Announces 2025-2026 Season

By Newswire on 4 February 2025 Canadian Music, Classical Music, Newswire, Opera, Orchestral, Vancouver, Vocal

FEBRUARY 4, 2025, VANCOUVER, B.C. / Traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations – Vancouver Opera announces an exciting and audience-inspired 2025–2026 season with three classic opera productions. The 2025-2026 season begins in October with Verdi’s eternally thrilling Rigoletto, followed by Mozart’s light-hearted Così fan tutte in February 2026. La Bohème, Puccini’s enduring love story, closes the season in blockbuster style with a five-show run in April/May 2026. “For our 66th season, we’re bringing operas by the art form’s greatest composers to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre stage,” said Tom Wright, Vancouver Opera General Director. “These…

The CMIM announces 24 singers selected for Voice 2025

By Newswire on 4 February 2025 Arts Industry, Choral, Classical Music, Montreal, Music Competition, Newswire, Vocal

Montreal, February 4, 2025 – The Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) is proud to announce the names of the singers chosen to participate in the Voice 2025 edition. This 23rd edition of the CMIM brings together some of the most outstanding classical singers of the new generation. Under the expert eye of a prestigious jury, the 24 selected artists gather in Montreal from May 25 to June 6, 2025, for an exceptional experience and the chance to make their mark on the international scene. This year, the CMIM once again received applications of superior quality from around the world,…

La Scena’s Singing Valentines: Back for its 15th Edition to Spread the Love

By La Scena Musicale Team on 4 February 2025 Vocal

Last year, we decided to offer 100 free Singing Valentines serenades for seniors 65-plus and the feedback we received from the recipients was amazing. So this year we continue to show love to our community by repeating the offer.

Kirsten MacKinnon as Christine in COC's La Reine-garçon. Photo: Michael Cooper

Review | Outsider as symbol in under-characterized COC La Reine-garçon

By Gianmarco Segato on 2 February 2025 City, Classical Music, Concert Reviews, La Scena Online, Opera, Toronto, Vocal

Composer Julien Bilodeau and librettist Michel Marc Bouchard’s La Reine-garçon represents a milestone as the first co-production of a new “mainstage” opera between two of Canada’s major opera companies. Premiered at Opéra de Montréal almost exactly one year ago, it made its Canadian Opera Company debut on Jan. 31st. Taking iconoclast 17th-century monarch Queen Christine of Sweden as its subject, the new work ambitiously grapples with big topics like the emergence of free will, the rationalist philosophy of René Descartes, religious freedom and unconventional sexual desire. With an evocative score and poetic libretto, La Reine-garçon succeeds on many levels, but…

2025 Macina Voice Competition Finalists Announced

By Newswire on 31 January 2025 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Opera, Toronto

Toronto, ON – Toronto City Opera (TCO) is thrilled to announce the eight finalists selected for the second annual Macina Voice Competition. The highly anticipated event, set for February 22, 2025, will feature some of Canada’s most promising young opera singers as they compete in front of a live audience for cash prizes and future performance opportunities. This year’s competition saw a record-breaking 110 video submissions from talented vocalists across the country. After careful deliberation, the TCO artistic staff has chosen the following finalists to perform in the live competition: Alex Hetherington – Mezzo-Soprano Matthew Li – Bass Lauren Margison…

Choral Calendar

By Marie-Claire Fafard-Blais on 31 January 2025 Canadian Music, Choral, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Vocal

MONTREAL Destinées March 22 at 7:30 p.m. – Maison symphonique The Chœur St-Laurent, directed by Philippe Bourque, in collaboration with the Chœur de l’Université de Montréal, presents William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, a monumental work for baritone, choir and orchestra. The program will be completed by Edward Elgar’s The Music Makers, performed by contralto Rose Naggar-Tremblay. www.choeur.qc.ca Edelweiss March 29 at 3 p.m. – Maison symphonique Ensemble ArtChoral, conducted by Matthias Maute, presents a springtime concert featuring some of the most beautiful works celebrating spring: Richard Rodgers’s Edelweiss; excerpts from Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen; Edward Elgar’s Lux Aeterna; and Léo Delibes’s…

Review | It’s the Band that Shines in Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Hollywood Rocks

By Madeline Boldt on 28 January 2025 Movie soundtrack music, Musical Theatre, Orchestral, Popular Music, Vancouver, Vocal

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra brought Tinseltown glitz and glamour to the Orpheum stage this weekend with Hollywood Rocks, a carefully curated collection of iconic songs from your favourite movies and TV shows. The orchestra was led by Maestro Stuart Chafetz, with Broadway stars Julie Reiber and Bryce Ryness lending their incredible voices. From the moment Chafetz set foot on stage, the tone for the evening was set: lighthearted, energetic, and, above all else, fun. “Tonight’s show is guaranteed to bring back memories, put a smile on your face, and, hopefully, create some new memories” he prefaced, encouraging the audience to…

A scene from the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Madama Butterfly, 2025. Photo: Michael Cooper

Review | COC’s Madama Butterfly a Profound Emotional Journey

By Denise Lai on 28 January 2025 Newswire, Opera, Toronto

With its epic music and heartbreaking story, it is no surprise that Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly remains one of the most popular and beloved operas of all times. It has been over 10 years since Madama Butterfly was last staged by the Canadian Opera Company after the pandemic forced the cancellation of its mainstage performances in 2022. This opera has also struggled with many controversies related to western imperialism, along with cultural and gender stereotypes. In this production (seen Jan. 26), COC has at least in part addressed them by foregoing the traditional geisha makeup, and by having an all-Asian…

Tickets now on sale for Opera 5’s Toronto Opera Festival

By Newswire on 28 January 2025 Chamber Music, Classical, Newswire, Opera, Toronto, Vocal

TORONTO, ON – Tickets are now on sale for Opera 5’s first-ever Toronto Opera Festival, running from June 12-21, 2025 at Factory Theatre. The festival features a series of performances, including the world premiere of Come Closer by Canadian Composer Ryan Trew and with a libretto by Opera 5’s General Director Rachel Krehm, Opera 5’s first musical theatre production, Elegies: A Song Cycle by William Finn, and a Gala Performance – featuring the Portfolio Artist Interns. The Toronto Opera Festival is currently Toronto’s only professional opera festival dedicated to celebrating opera, musical theatre, and new Canadian works. It will also showcase homegrown talent while training the next generation of portfolio artists. Rooted in…

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