Vancouver Opera Announces 2019-2020 Season

“I am excited to announce our 2019—2020 Vancouver Opera season,” said Kim Gaynor, Vancouver Opera General Director. “Never has there been a more exciting time for Vancouver Opera as we prepare to welcome traditional and new work to our stages along with a West Coast premiere. With this new season and festival Vancouver Opera fulfills its mission to create extraordinary experiences that engage, inspire and entertain. We will celebrate Canadian artists and emerging talent and through partnerships we will reach out to diverse audiences”.

The 2019—2020 season opens with a well-loved classic, La Traviata, in a sumptuous new production. Two other favourites—The Barber of Seville and Così fan tutte—are sure to please opera fans who appre­ciate the classics. Our 4th annual festival opens with Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera, based on the lyrics and music of Roger Waters. We will also present a new opera designed for young audiences; The Flight of the Hummingbird, which will be touring British Columbia from January to April 2020.

“Continuing with our Season and Festival format, I have carefully chosen these four mainstage works to appeal to traditional audiences as well as entice and engage new audiences,” adds Gaynor. “In addi­tion, our investment in opera for young audiences is central to our mission.”

Five emerging Canadian artists have been selected to participate in the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists program. They are Irina Medvedeva, soprano, born in Russia (Canadian citizen) living in Toronto, Gena Van Ousten, mezzo-soprano from Montreal, Daevyd Pepper, tenor and Nicholas Borg, baritone, both from Toronto, and Andrea Van Pelt, pianist from Burlington.

“We are committed to the development of young artists and helping them to launch their professional careers,” states Gaynor. “Our Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists program is a proven springboard for emerging Canadian singers and opera professionals”.

Current subscribers can lock in their reserved seats for the upcoming season from now until April 26, 2019 by calling into the VO Ticket Centre at 604 683 0222 or online at vancouveropera.ca. New subscriptions will be available beginning May 14, 2019. Single tickets will be available beginning July 2, 2019, and the VO 2019—2020 season brochure is available now for download from VO’s website.

Vancouver Opera has the continuing support of The Canada Council for the Arts, Government of Canada, the BC Arts Council and BC Provincial Government, the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Civic Theatres. The Vancouver Opera Honorary Festival Patron is Martha Lou Henley, C.M. Ticket Centre sponsor is Mission Hill Family Estate.

2019-2020 VANCOUVER OPERA SEASON & FESTIVAL 

La Traviata

La Traviata, a glorious work that deserves to be revisited time and again, was last performed eight years ago at Vancouver Opera. This perennial favourite has been given a brand-new look and features a terrific cast. In an unprecedented collaboration, five Canadian opera companies have joined forces to pro­duce lavish sets and costumes inspired by the decadent music hall scene of 1920s Paris. The production, directed by Alain Gauthier and designed by Christina Poddubiuk, has already made stops in Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Victoria and will go on to Montreal after Vancouver. The Vancouver Opera cast includes Canadian Emily Dorn as Violetta, a famous Parisian courtesan who is consumed both by love and a life-threatening illness. Tenor Andrew Haji, who delighted audiences as Nemorino in last year’s production of L’Elisir d’amore, is the love-struck Alfredo.

Canadian conductor Yves Abel, whose international career spans more than twenty years–including appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House and the Vienna State Opera–makes his Vancouver Opera debut.

The Barber of Seville

By Gioachino Rossini

Chase away the February blues with The Barber of Seville, a feast of frivolous fun. Enjoy Figaro’s mischie­vous escapades as he assists Count Almaviva in prising the beautiful Rosina away from her lecherous guard­ian, Dr. Bartolo. Rossini’s comic masterpiece fizzes with memorable melodies in an entertaining production that proves that the road to true love is paved with theft, lies, bribery, brawling – and wicked comedy. Canadian stage director Ashlie Corcoran– recently named Artistic Director of the Arts Club Theatre– makes her mainstage Vancouver Opera debut. Originally from White Rock, Ashlie is a theatre and opera director who has worked internationally and across Canada at companies such the Canadian Opera Company, the Citadel Theatre, the Shaw Festival and many more. The role of Rosina will be sung by French-Canadian mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne. Tenor Isaiah Bell, lauded for his performance in the new opera Hadrian at the Canadian Opera Company in 2018, sings the role of Count Almaviva. Sets were designed by Ken MacDonald and costumes by Dana Osborne. Making his Vancouver Opera debut is Canadian Conductor, Nathan Brock. Brock began his career in Montreal under the tutelage of Kent Nagano.

2020 Vancouver Opera Festival

April 23—May 3, 2020

Queen Elizabeth Theatre and Vancouver Playhouse

In April and May of 2020 Vancouver Opera will present the 4th annual Vancouver Opera Festival. Enjoy two mainstage operas, special events, speakers, family events, and more. Additional program­ming will be announced in spring 2020.

Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera

Vancouver Opera’s 4th annual Festival opens with the West Coast premiere of Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera, based on the lyrics and music of Roger Waters’ The Wall. Roger Waters was lyricist of the band, Pink Floyd and the opera is a psychological drama inspired by Waters’ life. A thrilling score by Quebec composer Julien Bilodeau transforms the iconic album into an operatic drama–perfect for oper­a goers and rock fans alike. Eye-popping video projections designed by Johnny Ranger complement the action on an over-sized video screen. The result is exquisite and hypnotic. The opera had its world pre­miere in Montreal and sold-out ten performances at Place des Arts. The Vancouver cast features Nathan Keoghan as Pink, and Caroline Bleau as The Wife. France Bellemare sings The Mother.

Così fan tutte

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Vancouver Playhouse

Così fan tutte, last produced by VO in 2005, is a sharply satirical take on relationships between men and women. Mozart’s opera about fidelity is an intriguing story set to music of impossible beauty. Two men disguise themselves as Albanians and attempt to seduce each other’s partners in an elaborate ruse to win a bet, at the urging of the cynical old philosopher Don Alfonso. Così fan tutte contains some of Mozart’s most beautiful arias and attractive ensembles and is packed with both pathos and humour. It was Mozart’s final collaboration with the Italian librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, who based his story on a variety of sources including Greek myths and Renaissance tales. Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist alumnus stage director, Brenna Corner (Hansel & Gretel) returns to direct this popular opera. Sets were designed by Drew Facey. Leslie Dala conducts an all-Canadian cast. (Fiordiligi: Lucia Cesaroni, Dorabella: Beste Kalender, Ferrando: Owen McCausland, Gugliel­mo: Iain MacNeil, Don Alphonso: John Fanning, Despina: Nathalie Paulin).

The Fight of the Hummingbird

World premiere

Vancouver Opera will present a new opera for young audiences in 2020. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by renowned Haida artist Michael Nicoll Yahugulanaas, The Flight of the Hummingbird addresses important contemporary issues of climate change and personal responsi­bility. The libretto and creative design are by Michael Nicoll Yahugulanaas and Barry Gilson. The original music is composed by French-Canadian composer Maxime Goulet and the opera will be performed with piano accompaniment. Stage direction is by BC-based actor and director Glynis Leyshon. The Flight of the Hummingbird is suitable for students in Kindergarten through Grade Nine and will be accompanied by a program of educational activities created by Indigenous educators and artists. The opera will be touring British Columbia schools from January to April 2020. This important new work will also be performed as part of the Vancouver Opera Festival 2020. The Flight of the Hummingbird is a co-production with Vancouver Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria with support from the Fulmer Foundation and the Vancouver Foundation

About Vancouver Opera

Founded in 1959, Vancouver Opera’s mission is to create extraordinary experiences that engage, inspire and entertain the community though voice, music and theatre. It is regarded worldwide for its fine mainstage productions; for its country-leading education programs, which have reached more than 1.6 million children and their families; for its innovative and award-winning community programs; and for forging ground-breaking cross-cultural creative partnerships that have brought opera to new generations of Canadians. The 2020—2021 season will be the 60th season of Vancouver Opera.

Visit vancouveropera.ca to find out more.

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Tickets are available exclusively through the Vancouver Opera Ticket Centre:

604 683 0222 or online at vancouveropera.ca

Details, programming and casting are subject to change.

Vancouver Opera has the continuing support of The Canada Council for the Arts, Government of Canada, the BC Arts Council and BC Provincial Government, the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Civic Theatres. The Vancouver Opera Honorary Festival Patron is Martha Lou Henley, C.M. Ticket Centre sponsor is Mission Hill Family Estate.