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OCTOBER 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 premieres a new production from acclaimed American director Christopher Alden 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). BaritonePhillip 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. 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.
FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE
October 1 – 28, 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.
October 1, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Jazz Series
New York Stories
Inspired by the song writing of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Stephen Sondheim, Canadian jazz and indie treasure Micah Barnes presents a romantic collection of original songs inspired by the Big Apple’s rich musical history, as well as Barnes’ own experience in the city that never sleeps.
October 6, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Alma Innamorata
Passionate love, faithful love, naive love and jealous love. Discover Italian baroque music of the 18th century through the dynamic young players of Ensemble Les Songes in a program of works by Handel, Corelli and Scarlatti.
October 8, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Piano Virtuoso Series
Between Carthage and Rome
Pianist/composer John Kameel Farah uses piano, synthesizer and computer to present a unique program that showcases his creative hybrid of improvisation, composition and electronics, mixing elements of early music, contemporary classical, Arabic music and forms of Electronic Dance Music.
October 13, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Dance Series
Artists and Lovers
Visionary choreographer and dancer Tom Brouillette presents a preview of his latest work, Artists and Lovers, a piece for six dancers set in 1920s Paris. Maurice Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano conjures the heady sensuality of the cafés, clubs and salons of Montparnasse.
October 15, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
The Art of the Prima Donna
UofT Opera presents a program of operatic gems by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and others, interposed with anecdotes from the great 19th-century prima donnas.
October 20, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Chamber Music Series
Ritmos Brasileiros
Campbell/Afiara unites the formidable talents of the Afiara String Quartet and versatile guitarist, composer and arranger Graham Campbell. This new fusion ensemble brings a lush chamber sound to jazz, the infectious sounds of Brazilian choro and new works.
October 22, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Jazz Series
Cross-Cultural Synthesis
Monsoon is an Indo-Jazz collective that combines elements of creative jazz and traditional Indian classical music into a rich cross-cultural expression. The group’s original compositions feature exotic Eastern melodies, worldly grooves and creative improvisations that, when combined, create a truly unique musical experience.
October 28, 2015
12 – 1 p.m.
Jazz Series
The MJO Sessions
The McGill Jazz Orchestra has earned a reputation as one of the finest University jazz ensembles anywhere. Led by jazz composer and trumpeter Joe Sullivan, the MJO performs traditional and contemporary jazz masterworks, taking on challenging new repertoire that embraces Canadian composers and music written by its own students.
TOUR THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE
FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
October 4, 18, 25, 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 October 4, 18 and 25, 2015 with 90-minute tours for the general public. These extensive tours include backstage access and are 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 tours are led by trained docents and include 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.
For more information, please contact:
Kristin McKinnon, Assistant Publicist, tel: 416-306-2383, e-mail: [email protected]
Jennifer Pugsley, Media Relations Manager, tel: 416-306-2303, e-mail: [email protected]
