(Credit: Canadian Opera Company official website)

The Canadian Opera Company held an Annual General Meeting where it summarized the number of developments within the company in the last season.

“Conscientious decision-making with an eye to the wider fiscal picture not only enabled us to successfully weather a full season without live opera, it has also placed us in an excellent position on the road to industry recovery ahead. We cannot overstate our gratitude to the Government of Canada and Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries for its continued support of the arts throughout this time. In particular, we must thank the Department of Canadian Heritage for its significant investment to the future of Canadian opera through the Digital Infrastructure Enhancements Project. High-tech recording and broadcast technology installed this past summer is already enabling the creation of exciting new programs, accessible from coast to coast to coast and beyond,” said COC’s Board Chair Jonathan Morgan in a statement.

“We were also glad to officially welcome Perryn Leech as the COC’s new General Director in 2021. After an international search comprising over 100 candidates from Canada and beyond, the COC Succession Committee was most impressed with Perryn’s community-building initiatives, willingness to explore and experiment with new directions and ideas, and genuine desire to see more people love and experience opera,” added Morgan.

“Digital programming in 20-21 provided an unparalleled opportunity to connect with new audiences and we’ll be looking to continue building on this and deepening our community connections in 2021-2022. We’re working on bringing opera out of the opera house, performed and shared in a way that invites interaction, creative collaboration and, most of all, the curiosity to explore further,” said COC’s General Director Perryn Leech.

Despite the ongoing pandemic concerns, supporters rallied around the COC with 2,364 subscribers and donors donating their tickets back to the COC and 1,654 choosing a gift certificate over a refund.

The Canadian Opera Company welcomed four new young artists in 2020-2021 to the COC Ensemble Studio: soprano Midori Marsh, baritone Jonah Spungin, bass-baritone Alex Halliday, and pianist Frances Thielmann. Renowned opera singers such as Jane Archibald, Russell Braun, Gerald Finley, Adrianne Pieczonka, and Russell Thomas gave virtual masterclasses. Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky shared her thoughts about the future of opera through COC podcast.

Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America.