Edmonton Opera has announced its 2023-24 season celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Opera 

The season will open with Bizet’s “Carmen“ featuring mezzo-soprano Rose Naggar-Tremblay in the title role and her company debut. She will be joined by tenor Adam Luther, baritone Lester Lynch, and two Rumbold Vocal Prize winners, soprano Lauren Margison and tenor Spencer Britten.

Performance Dates: Oct. 19, 21, 24, 2023

The next season will open with Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” directed by Joel Ivany. This semi-staged opera will captivate both seasoned and new audiences, introducing a new English libretto by Joel himself which sets the opera in 2023. The stellar cast includes baritone Elliot Madore, John Tessier, Miriam Khalil, and Justin Welsh.

Performance Dates: Feb. 1 & 3, 2024

Edmonton Opera will present a company premiere: “Identity.” Originally commissioned as a film for Against the Grain Theatre in Toronto, “Identity” tells the story of baritone Elliot Madore’s struggles with his personal identity as a bi-racial person. Award-winning writer Shauntay Grant and composer Dinuk Wijeratne transformed the film into a live performance that will be presented at the Westbury Theatre.

Performance Dates: Feb. 23 & 24, 2024

The season will close with Wagner’s “Das Rheingold.” The opera will be the first of the Wagner tetralogy and will be the first time the epic Ring Cycle is performed in Edmonton. The Jonathan Dove reduced version, defined as “Wagner re-imagined,” was critically acclaimed in England as
“imaginatively fresh” and “capturing the mighty essence of Wagner’s masterpiece.”

Performance Dates: May 28, 29, 31 & June 1, 2024

The season will welcome Simon Rivard, one of the most sought-after conductors on the Canadian music scene to join the company as its first-ever Music Director. He will lead The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the podium this season.

Concerts 

Opera al Fresco will be presented at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden.

Performance Date: August 18, 2023

The Rumbold Vocal Prize will be presented at the Jubilee Auditorium

Performance Date: Oct. 23, 2023

Home for the Holidays will present holiday tunes at the Jubilee Auditorium. The showcase will feature a performance of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” featuring Ellie Morrison in the title role and Julie Lumsden as his mother. Then comes a segment of Christmas carols and sing-alongs featuring the Edmonton Opera Chorus under conductor Simon Rivard.

Performance Date: Dec. 11, 2023