The Ministry of Canadian Heritage of the Government of Canada has awarded the Association for Opera in Canada $434,000 for training programs.

Canada Performing Arts Workers Resilience Fund provided the funding, which will allow AOC’s new Opera Artist Resilience Program to run two different streams of training.

The first stream offers 225 mini-mentorships that provide short opportunities for artists to gain skills and insights with an individual over the course of a few meetings. A second stream offers 100 earn-and-learn placements in which artists will be embedded in an organization or project. Among the participating organizations are Pacific Opera Victoria, re:Naissance Opera, Manitoba Opera, Opéra de Montréal, Boulev-Art Artists’ Management, and Opera on the Avalon.

“Since the start of the pandemic, AOC has expanded its reach to serve the needs of opera artists, those most disproportionately affected by cancellations and lockdowns. We are thrilled to launch The Opera Artist Resilience Program, the newest support program for artists, joining other new programs, the Opera Artist Relief Fund, Dues Relief for Artist Members, The RBC Fellowship/Mentorship Program, and the Azrieli Foundation–supported AOC Centering Artists Program, all introduced since March 2020 in response to the pandemic,” said Christina Loewen, Executive Director, Association for Opera in Canada, in an official press statement.

All opera artists will be eligible, regardless of their membership status with AOC.