Toronto – Opera 5 is pleased to announce that we will be the next Company-in-Residence at the Canadian Opera Company. The two-year artistic residency will commence on July 1, 2025, with one of the major collaborations of the partnership being the creation of an operatic work slated for presentation at the Canadian Opera Company. The COC’s Company-in-Residence program has been in place since 2016; through it, the COC is able to offer support and industry guidance to local opera companies, helping to ensure a flourishing environment for the art form to evolve.
“The Opera 5 team is over the moon to be the next Company-in-Residence at the COC!” says Opera 5 General Director Rachel Krehm. “We are eager to maximize this life changing opportunity to be mentored by the COC so that we can grow, reach a larger audience, and create a greater impact with our work. We also hope this residency will allow us the opportunity to build and solidify our Toronto Opera Festival, a brand-new initiative which we want to be a platform for Canadian works and Canadian artists.”
Opera 5’s leadership team, comprised of General Director & Founding Member Rachel Krehm, Artistic Director Jessica Derventzis, Music Director Evan Mitchell, and Programs Manager Jaclyn Grossman will receive mentorship and guidance from leadership at the Canadian Opera Company during the Residency which will allow Opera 5 to continue to grow and establish a sustainable future and allow us to reach new audiences.
“At the heart of every COC residency is the unique opportunity for mutual learning,” says Roberto Mauro, COC Director of Artistic Operations & Planning. “We are deeply impressed by the creative work that Opera 5 has brought to life already and are keen to share insights and ideas over the course of our collaborative work ahead. Having more—and stronger—voices across Toronto’s opera community is a win for everyone, artists and audiences alike, and we are proud to support that vision.”
Since 2012, Opera 5 has offered a diverse range of programming including well known titles, forgotten gems, and new works. In 2024, Opera 5 won Opera America’s Digital Excellence Award (Noteworthy Project) for its nine-episode web-series called Threepenny Submarine which combined opera, puppetry, and animation to showcase the unique emotional storytelling power that opera holds. Opera 5 in partnership with Opera McGill formed the Portfolio Artist Internship in 2023 which allows emerging artists paid opportunities to perform with Opera 5 in Toronto as well as learning secondary skills in production, administration and/or design. The Residency with the Canadian Opera Company will allow Opera 5 the opportunity to deepen the impact of all of our programming.
“The Canadian Opera Company is proud to support fellow creators,” says COC General Director David Ferguson. “As a national performing arts organization, one of the COC’s foundational pillars is our commitment to leveraging our platform and resources to boost the profile of emerging opera artists and collectives. We are passionate about investing in the broader Canadian opera community and are looking forward to introducing more audiences to Opera 5 and their incredible work.”
On April 16, 2025, Opera 5 will be the featured in the COC’s Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Presented by TD Bank Group. The presentation is a sneak preview of the company’s brand-new chamber opera Come Closer by composer Ryan Trew and librettist Rachel Krehm, featuring Krehm in the role of Big Sister, and soprano Jacqueline Woodley in the role of Little Sister. The ensemble of pianist Trevor Chartrand, violinist Allene Chomyn, and cellist Rebecca Morton will be led by conductor Evan Mitchell. Come Closer is an arresting and deeply personal work that explores grief, reconnection, and healing after loss brought on by drug addiction and is set to premiere in Toronto this June. More information about Come Closer and its premiere at Opera 5’s inaugural Toronto Opera Festival at Factory Theatre in June 2025 can be found at www.opera5.ca/come-closer
More information on the Canadian Opera Company’s Company-in-Residence can be found on the COC website: www.coc.ca/about/people/company-in-residence and the Opera 5 website: https://www.opera5.ca/company-in-residence-coc
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. General Director David C. Ferguson joined the company in 2024, forming a leadership team alongside Music Director Johannes Debus. The COC enjoys a loyal audience, including a dedicated base of subscribers, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. Its diverse repertoire includes new commissions and productions, local and international collaborations with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracts the world’s foremost Canadian and international artists. The company is an incubator for the future of the art form, nurturing Canada’s new wave of opera performers and creators with customized training and support. The COC’s purpose-built opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, is hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world. For more information, visit coc.ca.
ABOUT OPERA 5
Opera 5 is an internationally award-winning independent opera company in Toronto with over a decade of producing experience, and is known for programming opera favourites in new fresh ways, bringing unknown operas which deserve to be heard to the stage, and commissioning new Canadian works. All this and more can be seen at our new Toronto Opera Festival! The leadership team of General Director Rachel Krehm, Artistic Director Jessica Derventzis, Music Director Evan Mitchell, and Programs Manager Jaclyn Grossman, are passionate about nurturing the next generation of opera goers through our dynamic programming, and training the next generation of Canadian Opera Artists through our Portfolio Artist Internship. Opera 5 is also known for our popular web series Opera Cheats, which deconstructs opera plots and opera-going rules with a humorous twist, and the Opera America Digital Excellence Award-winning web series Threepenny Submarine, which combines opera, puppetry, and animation in a whimsical way to appeal to the young and the young at heart.
For more information, visit www.opera5.ca
