Soprano Zoe McCormick of Ponoka, Alberta, won first prize at the Canadian Opera Company’s 13th annual Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition, held Oct. 22 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. McCormick received $12,500 for her performance of “Adieu, notre petite table” from Massenet’s “Manon.” She is a member of Calgary Opera’s McPhee Artist Development Program {…}
The Canadian Opera Company will present “Bravissimo! New Year’s at the Opera” on Dec. 31, 2026, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, with the COC Orchestra led by Music Director Johannes Debus. The concert, which is co-presented by Glatz Loft Concerts, features selections from Puccini’s “Turandot,” Bizet’s “Carmen,” Verdi’s “La Traviata,” and Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville,” among other works. {…}
The Canadian Opera Company (COC) has named seven finalists for its Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition, which will take place Oct. 22, 2026 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. The finalists are tenor Gabriel Chona Rueda of Barichara, Colombia; bass baritone Nicholas Gryniewski of Mississauga, Ontario; soprano Katie Kirkpatrick of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; soprano Camille Labonté {…}
Canadian Opera Company will host its annual “Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition & Gala” fundraiser on Oct. 22, 2026, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. The evening, themed around the “Art of Opera,” benefits the company’s Ensemble Studio program for emerging artists and pairs a vocal competition with an onstage gala dinner. The event is {…}
Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata” is set to return to the Canadian Opera Company for 10 performances from Sept. 18 to Oct. 17, 2026 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The opera will be revived by Mo Zhou and conducted by Paolo Carignani. Soprano Kathryn Lewek makes her Canadian Opera Company debut as Violetta Valéry and will share the {…}
The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced the recipients for the 46th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards presented by the Romano D’Andrea Foundation. This year there were 221 nominations across 44 gender-inclusive award categories within seven divisions, reflecting the 2025-2026 season. The Awards were presented on June 29 at at Meridian Hall, hosted by actor Amaka Umeh. Below {…}
(photo by: Nadya Kwandibens/Red Works Photography) The Canadian Opera Company has named Anishinaabe multidisciplinary artist, muralist, and cultural educator Que Rock (Quentin Commanda) as the next artist collaborator in its Land Acknowledgement Commissioning Program. The company initiative invites Indigenous artists to reimagine land acknowledgement through artistic creation and community engagement. Commanda, who is from Nipissing First Nation, will create a {…}
(Photo: Michael Cooper) The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts has announced nominations for the 46th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Canadian Opera Company’s productions of “Orfeo ed Euridice” and “Rigoletto,” each received nods in Outstanding Production, Outstanding Performance by an Individual, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble, and Outstanding Achievement in Design. Tapestry Opera’s “LOL: Laughing Out Lonely” earned nominations {…}
The Canadian Opera Company (COC) will host a one-night-only concert on Sept. 17, 2026 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. “A Concert Celebration: 20 Years at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts” will feature the COC Orchestra and COC Chorus under Music Director Johannes Debus, with the COC {…}
(Photo: Michael Cooper) French operas of the nineteenth century were once among the most popular works in the repertoire, but in the last half century, they’ve fallen out of fashion. One reason is the loss of national singing schools, especially the French, in a now globalized opera world. Without an understanding of the French style, and without the required elegance {…}
The Canadian Opera Company has announced that David C. Ferguson will be conferred the title of General Director Emeritus at the conclusion of his current term as General Director. The COC Board Chair Marcia Lewis Brown said, “We are delighted to honor David’s lasting impact on the Canadian Opera Company through his exceptional contributions to its artistic and institutional legacy. {…}