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NOVEMBER 2015
OPERAS
La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
11 performances: October 8, 13, 16, 17, 21,
24 (4:30 p.m.), 29, 30, November 1 (2 p.m.), 4, 6, 2015
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
Start time: 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted above
The Canadian Opera Company opens its 2015/2016 season with Verdi’s enduring masterpiece, La Traviata. This new COC production from renowned director Arin Arbus is set in the demimonde of glittering 1850s Paris, evoking the social realities, rhythms and debauchery of a rapidly changing society. Two of the most exciting young sopranos on the opera scene today, Russian Ekaterina Siurina in her COC debut and Canadian Joyce El-Khoury, sing the role of the courtesan Violetta. Her nobleman lover, Alfredo, is sung by one of the finest lyric tenors of his generation, American Charles Castronovo, and rising star Canadian tenor Andrew Haji of the COC Ensemble Studio. Internationally acclaimed baritones American Quinn Kelsey and Canadian James Westman share the role of Violetta’s disapproving father, Germont. Italian conductor Marco Guidarini returns to the COC to guide the company’s orchestra and chorus through Verdi’s glorious and popular melodies.
Regularly priced single tickets for La Traviata range from $50 – $435, with specially priced $22 tickets available for people under the age of 30. To purchase, go to coc.ca, call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or visit 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.
*WORLD PREMIERE*
Pyramus and Thisbe (with Lamento d’Arianna and Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda)
by Barbara Monk Feldman and
Claudio Monteverdi
7 performances: October 20, 23, 25 (2 p.m.), 28, November 5, 7 (4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.), 2015
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
Start time: 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted above
The Canadian Opera Company presents a new production that weaves together a new Canadian opera with two early Baroque classics: the world premiere of Barbara Monk Feldman’s Pyramus and Thisbe, along with Monteverdi’s Lamento d’Arianna and Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. Composed 400 years apart, the pieces draw upon mythology and history to illustrate the beauty of the human voice and the magic of musical storytelling. The all-Canadian cast is led by virtuosic Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, who sings the roles of Thisbe (Pyramus and Thisbe), Arianna (Lamento d’Arianna) and Clorinda (Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda). Baritone Phillip Addis sings the roles of Thisbe’s doomed lover Pyramus and Tancredi in Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. COC Ensemble Studio graduate, tenor Owen McCausland, is Testo, the narrator in Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. Acclaimed American Christopher Alden directs, while COC Music Director Johannes Debus conducts the COC Orchestra and Chorus through this bold new program of music.
Regularly priced single tickets for Pyramus and Thisbe (with Lamento d’Arianna and Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda) range from $50 – $435, with specially priced $22 tickets available for people under the age of 30. To purchase, go to coc.ca, call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or visit 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.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition
November 3, 2015
November 3, 2015
Cocktails: 5:30 p.m.; Competition: 6:30 p.m.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
On November 3, 2015, the Canadian Opera Company’s premier fundraiser, Centre Stage, returns to discover and celebrate the next generation of opera stars. The feature event is the Ensemble Studio Competition, an exhilarating vocal showcase of young Canadian singers selected from nationwide auditions, vying for cash prizes. They perform from the mainstage of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, accompanied by the acclaimed COC Orchestra led by COC Music Director Johannes Debus.
The evening kicks off with a cocktail reception for all attendees in the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room. Following the competition, Centre Stage dinner guests will enjoy an elegant formal dinner from the privileged vantage point of the Four Seasons Centre stage. They will be joined by competition finalists and notable COC artists, as well as key supporters of the company, comprising Canada’s business and philanthropic leaders. The culinary experience is from critically acclaimed chef David Lee of Nota Bene.
Tickets to Centre Stage are $100 for the cocktail reception and competition. Gala dinner tickets are $1,500. Tickets are available online at COCCentreStage.ca, by calling 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. Visit COCCentreStage.ca for more information.
OPERA FOR FAMILIES:
Glencore Ensemble Studio School Tour
The Bremen Town Musicians and Operation Superpower
November 14, 2015
November 14, 2015
Start Times: 11 a.m. (The Bremen Town Musicians) and 1:30 p.m. (Operation Superpower)
Imperial Oil Opera Theatre, Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre, 227 Front St. E. (at Berkeley St.)
Admission: $15 per opera (adults/seniors); $10 per opera (children, ages 15 and under)
Target: Children, aged three to 12
Join the COC for two engaging operas for families! On Saturday, November 14, 2015, the Canadian Opera Company’s Glencore Ensemble Studio School Tour presents the only public performances of its 2015 productions, The Bremen Town Musicians and Operation Superpower. Starring the young artists of the COC Ensemble Studio, both operas have been created specifically for young people ages three to 12. Inspired by the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale, The Bremen Town Musicians follows the quest of a singing band of animals searching for a better life and is by acclaimed Canadian composer Dean Burry. Operation Superpower, created by singers Tobias Greenhalgh and John Brancy with composer Armand Ranjbaran, is an interactive adventure that inspires young audience members to discover their own inner superpower. Each opera is 45 minutes in length, followed by a 15-minute Q&A with the cast and crew. One hour before each performance, audience members are invited to take part in hands-on activities related to each opera.
Admission to each performance is $15 for adults/seniors and $10 for children under the age of 15. Tickets are available online at coc.ca, by calling 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. For details about the Glencore Ensemble Studio School Tour, visit coc.ca/SchoolTour.
FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE
November 5 – 26, 2015
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre is a unique opportunity to experience diverse artistic programming in what has become one of Toronto’s most exciting cultural hubs. Six inspiring series offer concerts, dance performances and engaging presentations that feature both up-and-coming young artists and established international stars. All performances are FREE to the public, with admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early as late seating is not available.
November 5, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Chamber Music Series
Haydn the Master
Members of the COC Orchestra perform some of Franz Josef Haydn’s earliest works, contrasting his pieces as a bright young composer with some of his final compositions from Opus No. 77, written when Haydn was one of the most celebrated composers in Europe.
November 12, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Chamber Music Series
String Trio Gems
Canada’s acclaimed Trio Arkel (Marie Bérard, violin; Teng Li, viola; Winona Zelenka, cello) presents some of its favourite pieces from the string trio repertoire, including works by Beethoven, Kodály and Sofia Gubaidulina.
November 17, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Chamber Music Series
Intimate Harmonies
Young artists from The Glenn Gould School perform an intimate hour of stirring and innovative chamber works.
November 18, 2015
12 – 1p.m.
Jazz Series
Contempo
Led by Canadian jazz great Kirk MacDonald, the Humber Contemporary Jazz Ensemble showcases its inventiveness and red-hot talent in a program of cutting-edge contemporary jazz.
November 24, 2015
12 – 1p.m.
World Music Series
Different Shades of Blue
Toronto’s Kalabash is a contemporary jazz sextet that experiments with the layering of rich jazz harmonies over the folk and popular rhythms of the Caribbean, from Reggae, Son and Salsa in the north to Calypso, Soca, Rapso and Zouk from the Eastern Caribbean.
November 26, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Jazz Series
Keys to the Future
A rising star pianist from the illustrious Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists at The Royal Conservatory of Music performs a program of cherished piano gems.
TOUR THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
November 1, 2015
Start time: 10:30 a.m.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)
Cost: $20/adults; $15/seniors and students
The Canadian Opera Company opens the doors of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on November 1, 2015 with a 90-minute tour for the general public. This extensive tour includes backstage access and is an exciting opportunity to learn more about the first purpose-built opera house in Canada, its history, architecture and innovative acoustic design. Starting at 10:30 a.m., the tour is led by a trained docent and includes information and access to the magnificent Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and R. Fraser Elliott Hall, as well as backstage areas like wig rooms and dressing rooms, the orchestra pit, and other spaces that only a stage door pass could unlock.
Tickets for public tours are $20/adults and $15/seniors and students, and can be purchased in advance at coc.ca or 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. Tickets will also be available on the morning of the tour starting at 10 a.m. at the welcome desk located in the main lobby.
