Canadian Opera Company Cancels Fall Season

By Francisco Salazar

The Canadian Opera Company has announced the cancellation of its in-person performances and programming through the fall of its 2020-21 season.

In a press statement, Alexander Neef said, “Since the cancellation of our spring season back in March, we have been actively exploring every option regarding what our return to the stage might look like in our current reality. There was much to consider. Opera gathers talent from all around the world to work together in close quarters, requires an extensive rehearsal schedule, plenty of advance planning, and – to remain economically viable – an auditorium full of people, without whom no live performance is complete. Taking all of these factors into account, plus the many unknowns around public health guidelines in the fall, this was the only viable course of action to ensure the continued safety of our artists, staff, and audiences.”

The remainder of the COC’s 2020-21 season is scheduled to proceed as planned with Bizet’s “Carmen,” Janáček’s “Katya Kabanova,” Verdi’s “La Traviata,” and Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice.”

The company also announced that the COC Ensemble Studio will continue developing the country’s top young opera artists and working remotely as required.

The Canadian Opera Company also announced that it will be rescheduling Wagner’s “Parsifal” for the fall of 2022. Neef noted, “This production caps a decade-long, community-led effort to stage Wagner’s final work here, and we are so thankful for the ongoing support of our donors. The passion and commitment of our Monumental Campaign supporters has ensured that we can bring ‘Parsifal’ to our stage, and it is thanks to them that we can still share this magnificent opera with Canadian audiences in the near future.”

 

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