a masked ball - Canadian Opera Company

Transcrição

Performance
CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY
Winter 2014
A MASKED
BALL
CONTENTS
4
SIR THOMAS ALLEN:
A MUSICAL LIFETIME WITH COSÌ
BY GIANMARCO SEGATO
18 TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT VERDI'S
A MASKED BALL
BY NIKITA GOURSKI
22 THE COC IS THRILLED TO PRESENT
OUR 2014/2015 SEASON
Discover our six operas on the following pages:
Falstaff, pg. 22
Madama Butterfly, pg. 24
Don Giovanni, pg. 26
Die Walküre, pg. 27
The Barber of Seville, pg. 28
Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung, pg. 29
Top: A Masked Ball (Berlin Staatsoper,
2008). Photo: Ruth Walz
Bottom: Preliminary costume sketch
for the COC's new production of
Così fan tutte by set and costume
designer Debra Hanson
Performance
CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY
Winter 2014
n CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY EDITORS: Gianna Wichelow, Senior Manager, Creative and Publications;
Claire Morley, Associate Manager, Editorial
n RJ PERFORMANCE MEDIA INC.: PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER: Joe Marino n CEO: Frank Barbosa
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n NATIONAL ACCOUNT DIRECTORS: Danny Antunes, Gary Bell, Tom Marino, Paul Radford
n ART DIRECTOR /DESIGN: Jan Haringa
n Cover images: Così fan tutte: Preliminary costume sketch by set and costume designer Debra Hanson for the
COC's new production of Così fan tutte. A Masked Ball: Catherine Naglestad as Amelia in the Berlin Staatsoper
production of A Masked Ball, 2008. Photo: Ruth Walz
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Catch up with blogs and enjoy COC Radio at coc.ca.
3
A
MUSICAL
LIFETIME
WITH
COSÌ
SIR
THOMAS
ALLEN
BY GIANMARCO SEGATO
I
n an age in which superlatives such as
“unforgettable,” “legendary” and “greatest”
are thrown about indiscriminately, few
would argue Sir Thomas Allen’s status
as the pre-eminent lyric baritone of his
generation. He has earned this title most
especially for his iconic interpretations of
Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva,
Figaro, Papageno, Guglielmo and Don
Alfonso, both onstage and in the recording
studio. Following his appearances at the
Glyndebourne Festival in Sir Peter Hall’s
4
Canadian Opera Company 2013/2014 Season
legendary production, EMI recorded his
Don Giovanni in 1984 – now considered the
definitive account of Mozart’s notorious
womanizer. For close to four decades he
has been the baritone of choice for star
conductors such as James Levine, Riccardo
Muti, Georg Solti, John Eliot Gardiner,
Colin Davis and Simon Rattle. Allen has
not only mastered the fine balance between
singing and acting needed to be a great opera
singer, but stands as a master interpreter
of the art song, especially in the English
imagine finding a caregiver
who loves opera!
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Celebrating 14 years of service
Tel: 416.483.0070 Toll Free: 1.855.483.2273
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Sir Thomas Allen: A Musical Lifetime with Così
Preliminary costume sketches for
the character of Don Alfonso for the
COC's new production of Così fan
tutte, by set and costume designer
Debra Hanson
and French repertoire. He now passes on
his expertise to the next generation of
artists, giving masterclasses worldwide
including, since 1996, at his own Samling
Academy, located in Allen’s beloved native
country in North East England.
Sir Thomas Allen’s association with
Mozart’s Così fan tutte goes as far back
as his student days in the 1960s when he
came to the attention of the great British
vocal pedagogue, James Lockhart. “One
of the things I worked on with him was how
to go through a score. He taught me how
6
to do that and read it as a singer, prepare
and pencil it up and do the things that all
singers do. And the score chosen was Così,
though I didn’t learn the role [Guglielmo]
at the time, maybe just one of the arias
perhaps. After that he [Lockhart] became
music director at Welsh National Opera
and one of the first things I did with them
was a touring version of Così. That goes
back to 1970 or something like that.”
Allen’s first Così role, Guglielmo, is often
regarded as a rite of passage for the budding
lyric baritone. “I think the reason why we as
Preliminary set maquette
for the COC's new
production of Così
fan tutte, designed
by Debra Hanson
a breed feel that way is that it doesn’t seem
to have the emotional maturity of a role
like that of Ferrando [with whom Guglielmo
schemes to prove the infidelity of their
respective fiancées]. The relationship
Guglielmo enjoys with Dorabella is one
of pure pleasure rather than the [more
emotionally deep] way Ferrando latches onto
Fiordiligi. Musically as well, of all the Così
roles, Guglielmo is the one that tends most
towards the buffo [comic].” The other three
young leads sing some of the most sublime,
grand and emotional music Mozart ever
wrote but Guglielmo’s “vocal opportunities
are just not on the same level.”
On the other hand, Allen relishes the
entirely different demands made of Don
Alfonso, Così’s philosopher and cynic, and
the role which brings him to the COC this
winter. He draws some fascinating parallels
between Alfonso and Don Giovanni, the
Mozart role with which he has the closest
association. “It’s a strange thing about
Mozart. If one looks at Don Giovanni
musically, he isn’t all that demanding –
it’s an endurance test and you have to sing
very loudly at the end of the piece. But
you’ve not been asked great musical
8
questions during the course of it in the
way Donna Anna has, or had to sing the
long-breath lines that Don Ottavio has.
And similarly, Don Alfonso doesn’t have
those great [vocal] demands made of him.
The thing is to use those moments when
you’ve seemingly not been asked to do
much… when in fact you are actually doing
a lot. Then it’s a question of listening to
what others are doing, and causing action
and reaction in them by just being there;
by setting a plan in motion, sowing a seed
of doubt or whatever it might be. A lot of
it is just sitting down, crossing your legs
comfortably, having a cup of coffee whilst
you’re watching everything going on. That’s
the way it often pans out. I have no qualms
about that – I don’t crave great lengthy
stentorian arias – I’m very happy to just
pull the strings and watch the others dance
to my tune!”
Having mastered Così’s two low-voiced
male roles, Allen has taken the next logical
step and can now be found directing
Mozart’s effervescent comedy in addition
to Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro
and The Magic Flute for companies such
as Scottish Opera, Arizona Opera and
Boston Lyric Opera. For the latter he not
only directed Così but simultaneously
played Don Alfonso, an undertaking which
required “eyes in the back of your head.
It’s not easy, but not impossible either.”
In Boston he opted to perform the opera
in English, wanting the text to have an
immediate impact on the audience. For
Allen, communication through music –
its actual sounds, pitches and dynamics –
are definitely the singer’s responsibility,
but even more important is the performer’s
ability to personally connect to the text
and enliven it for the audience. By using an
English translation for his Boston Così, he
wished the singers to experience the words
first, rather than second-hand. “Using one’s
own language is a distinct advantage.
I don’t care how seriously and intensely
you work with a second or third language –
there’s nothing like getting back to one’s
own – it’s in your DNA. Also, the colours
that become available to a singer for
expression are that much more telling.
It’s a much more advanced process when
you’re learning a role that’s not your native
language.” That, says Allen, is “a lifetime
study. I’m still doing it.”
Just as director Atom Egoyan will
re-envision Mozart’s “school for lovers” for
our audiences, Allen will also be looking
at it afresh. “The main thing is not to come
with anything assumed. Listen to what
[the director] gives you and then respond
to that rather than relying on the process
you’ve used for years and years. I keep
on saying this to singers – listen to what
you’re hearing and respond to that, not to
the thing you’ve learned like a parrot from
several recordings.”
Having lived with Così for over 40 years,
Allen has witnessed a huge sea change
in attitude with respect to the piece. There
might have been a time when critical
opinion denigrated the opera for its
perceived immorality and frivolity, but in
a post-Freudian world fascinating avenues
have opened up to explore the “lessons
of love” which lie beneath its undeniably
frothy exterior. As Allen reasons, “It’s no
longer possible to regard these characters
simplistically, as no more than decorative
18th-century porcelain figurines.” This is
especially true of the opera’s ambiguous
ending – do the original couples “kiss
and make up,” returning to their original
partners, or are their relationships damaged
forever? Allen feels the answer is found
in Mozart’s score itself: “You start thinking
surely [the two couples] can’t just return
to everyday life as a result of the lessons
that have been learned. In a way, Mozart
indicates this in the finale which is in the
very basic key of C major. It’s music that’s
so simplistic, almost as though he’s
deliberately trying to show us that [the
wedding between the two “original”
couples] is a façade – they’re clearly going
through the motions here – it’s very
superficial when you think of all the
glorious music that went before.” How will
things end up for the lovers in Toronto this
winter? Allen and his fellow cast members
will no doubt have fun playing with the
possibilities when they meet on stage
for the COC’s new production of Così. n
Gianmarco Segato is Adult Programs Manager,
Education and Outreach at the Canadian Opera
Company.
FOR FURTHER INSIGHT INTO THE CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY’S NEW PRODUCTION OF MOZART’S COSÌ FAN
TUTTE, PLEASE READ AN EXPLORATION OF ENCHANTMENT, IN THE WINTER ISSUE OF PRELUDE, AVAILABLE
ONLINE AT COC.CA/PUBLICATIONS.
10
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Werther
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PUCCINI
La Bohème
APR 5 ENCORES JUN 7, 9, 18
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Così Fan Tutte
APR 26 ENCORES JUN 21, 23
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FEB 8 ENCORES MAR 29, 31
Starring Renée Fleming
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Preliminary set maquette
for the COC's new
production of Così
fan tutte, designed
by Debra Hanson
COSÌ FAN TUTTE
OPERA BACKGROUND
Unlike The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, Mozart’s previous collaborations with
librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, Così fan tutte was not adapted from an existing literary source
(Beamarchais’ play of the same title and the infamous Don Juan legend, respectively), but
was newly written. Così also differs from those works, and from the normal pattern we
expect in a play or opera, in that it lacks a hero or any one character to grab the audience’s
immediate attention as does, for example, the scandalous Don Giovanni. The other
stumbling block which plagued Così for the first 100 years of its existence was its negative
reception history – audiences were scandalized by its subject matter, unable to handle the
notion of two sisters falling in love with each other’s fiancés. Even once Così had finally
re-entered the standard repertoire in the 1930s it was treated with little respect, suffering
brutal cuts, including Dorabella’s short Act I aria “Smanie implacabili” (“Implacable
restlessness”), one of only two arias she gets to sing in the entire opera!
Like Don Giovanni which came before it, Così is identified in its libretto as a dramma
giocoso, an Italian term for operas that contain both comic and tragic elements.
Conventionally thought of as light, frothy and joyful, Così is also shot through with a
decidedly poignant, sad and cynical edge. Our responses are always being played with:
the two sisters are clearly devastated when their fiancés must go off to war, and the
men join in on their sorrow… yet, we know the men are just play-acting. Atom Egoyan’s
production takes the deception one step further, allowing the women to not only be
aware of the scheme, but having them devise a counter-scheme of their own.
Egoyan pays particular attention to the subtitle of the libretto: La scuola degli amanti
“The School For Lovers,” a phrase which suggests that the premise of the opera can be
understood as an educational experiment. This reading resonates with Così’s historical
position in relation to the ideals of Mozart’s time. The Age of Enlightenment was at its
peak throughout the latter half of the 1700s, but towards the end of the century, concerns
grew about an excessive elevation of reason above religion; both Mozart and da Ponte
(following French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s views) believed that reason, coupled
with moral and spiritual guidance, was a superior way to understand human nature.
It is this constant switching between reason and emotion that presents the biggest directing
challenge, says Egoyan. The score often vacillates jarringly between light-hearted fun
and piercingly sincere quasi-tragedy and, in doing so, illuminates how we are all capable
of “straying” when we feel an attraction, and that the human heart can shift unexpectedly.
12
Special Event
THE OPERA EXCHANGE
Coming Home: Handel’s Hercules
The ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles was also a war general who knew
first-hand the devastating psychological traumas that imperilled returning
veterans. Celebrated director Peter Sellars’ new COC production of
Hercules – Handel’s take on Sophocles’ play – confronts the untold horrors
of war and the unspoken complications of reunion. Join us as we explore
Hercules and examine music’s role, both historical and contemporary, in
the rehabilitation and re-integration of those touched by war. Peter Sellars
will be joined by former CBC war correspondent Brian Stewart, musicologists
Kip Pegley and Susan McClary, 18th-century literary/drama scholar
Brian Corman as well as veterans from World War II and the
wars in Korea, Bosnia, and Afghanistan.
Friday, April 4, 2014 I 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campbell Conference Room
Munk School of Global Affairs
1 Devonshire Place
Tickets:
$20/person; $10 for students with ID
416-363-8231 coc.ca/Explore
The Opera Exchange is presented
in partnership with:
Part of the Munk School of Global Affairs’
year-long series, 1914-1918: The Making of
the Modern World, which explores the
effects of World War I through the century.
Eric Owens as Hercules (Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2011).
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A MASKED BALL
by Giuseppe Verdi
Opera in Three Acts. libretto by Antonio Somma, based on Augustin eugène Scribe’s libretto
for daniel françois Auber’s opera Gustave III, ou Le Bal Masqué
first performance: Teatro Apollo, rome, february 17, 1859
Production of Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin
last performed by the COC in 2003
february 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 16, 20, 22, 2014
Sung in Italian with english SUrTITleSTM
THE CAST
(in order of vocal appearance)
Tom
Samuel
Oscar
Riccardo
Renato
The Magistrate
Ulrica
Silvano
Servant of Amelia
Amelia
Conductor
Directors
Revival Director
Set Designer
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Chorus Master
Stage Manager
SURTITLES™ Producer
Giovanni Battista Parodi
Evan Boyer
Simone Osborne^
Dimitri Pittas
Roland Wood
John Kriter
Elena Manistina
Gregory Dahl
Owen McCausland†*
Adrianne Pieczonka**
Stephen Lord
Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito
Samantha Seymour
Barbara Ehnes
Anja Rabes
Olaf Freese
Sandra Horst^
Cynthia Toushan
Gunta Dreifelds
Performance time is approximately three hours, including two intermissions.
Production Sponsor
**Adrianne Pieczonka’s performance is generously sponsored by Jack Whiteside
*Owen McCausland’s performance is generously sponsored by Peter and Hélène Hunt
†Current
member of the COC Ensemble Studio
^ Graduate of the COC Ensemble Studio
Program information is correct at time of printing. All casting is subject to change.
Please visit coc.ca for additional information
1
DIRECTORS’ NOTES
I
n 1857, 44-year-old Giuseppe Verdi took
on a commission from the Naples opera
to adapt an opéra historique by Eugène
Scribe – at the time already set to music by
Auber – about the murder of the Swedish
King Gustav III at a masked ball in 1792.
However it was in Rome, not Naples, that
the finished score finally saw its premiere in
1859. For two years, censorship authorities
had sent the opera time-travelling through
changing masks and costumes: the
action was moved from the 18th-century
Stockholm court to 17th-century Stettin,
then to medieval Florence and finally to
Boston circa 1690. There, the fortunetelling gypsy Arvedson of Swedish history
became the African-American Ulrica.
It was in this role that Marian Anderson,
after protracted disputes, appeared as the
first African-American singer at the Met
in 1955. Our production also takes place
in an America of the 50s or early 60s
when segregation was just beginning to
be overcome, not least thanks to such
a progressive and enlightened ruler as
Riccardo, whose sympathy and commitment
lie with the disadvantaged of this system.
And yet the racial pogroms are far from
being “history.” Oppression and persecution
still exist, and Riccardo’s violent death will
open the way for the reactionary powers
and, we have to fear, set his country back
many years. Of course the “modern” America
of our production is no less an “invention”
than the America of Verdi and his librettist –
yet the genesis of the opera shows that for
Verdi the historical costume as the “outer
garment” was not crucial: he was interested
in investigating the paradigm of hierarchies
and social systems, in whose light any period
can reflect its concrete social and historical
experiences. As Verdi put it, “To copy the
truth can be a good thing, but to invent the
2
truth is better, much better.”
The dilemma of Riccardo, a public figure
who must also protect his private life from
the stern gaze of a puritanical public, seems
to still correspond to the present-day rules
of the game of the American media. In
our production, we have put a First Lady
at his side who knows about her spouse’s
escapades, but “plays along” as long as her
official position remains unchallenged. It
is she who orchestrates Renato's promotion,
praising him in a dispatch which ensures
that both he and her rival Amelia must
leave America.
Riccardo also maintains contact with
the youth culture scene and has taken a
young performance artist into his entourage,
who, under the stage name Oscar, stirs
up his cabinet with unconventional
methods. What is really going on behind
the flamboyant mask of this agente
provocatrice remains unclear. In the end,
she seems driven by a destructive desire
for scandal, and even sabotage.
We wanted to explore how fragile our
identity can be, how quickly apparently
secure contexts and relationships – social,
professional, family or personal – can break
down. A life-long friendship is destroyed,
a happy wife and mother falls in love with
another man, a marriage breaks down, a
child is at the mercy of his parents’ marital
dispute, a sympathetic, successful and
enlightened politician, who has changed
his country for the better, loses his grip on
reality and slides into a catastrophe which
damages the people that he loves most –
including his own wife – and throws his
country into crisis. All this happens within
a matter of days. This is the story that our
Masked Ball tells.
Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito
SYNOPSIS
ACT I
Oscar inspects the ballroom of the Arvedson
Palace Hotel.
The party leaders are at breakfast. Most of
them are fervent followers of the governor
Riccardo, but among them are also some
secret opponents led by Samuel and Tom.
Riccardo arrives. Oscar hands him the
guest list for the planned masked ball.
Riccardo is delighted to see Amelia’s name
on the list. She is the wife of his best friend
and political advisor Renato, and Riccardo
has fallen in love with her. Renato appears.
He misinterprets Riccardo’s diffidence
as a reaction to the rumours of a planned
assassination attempt and urges him, in
the interest of his people, to intervene
against the conspirators. Riccardo manages
to not reveal his moral conflict to his friend.
The magistrate hands Riccardo a document
for signature: an order banishing Ulrica,
an African-American woman.
Oscar jokingly defends the woman,
who has made a name for herself as a
fortune-teller. In order to form his own
opinion, Riccardo decides to visit Ulrica
incognito in the company of his companions.
Before a circle of women and children,
Ulrica invokes the devil. Silvano, an invalid
veteran from Riccardo’s fleet, questions her
about when he will finally be compensated
for his sacrifice. Ulrica prophesies wealth
and imminent promotion. Riccardo, who
has been observing the scene, secretly
slips him a promotion letter. There is much
jubilation at such quick fulfilment of
Ulrica's prophecy. Amelia’s chauffeur
requests a private audience for his mistress.
Ulrica sends everyone away and Riccardo
hides. Amelia asks Ulrica to deliver her from
her adulterous passion for the governor.
The fortune-teller tells her about a secret
herb that, if picked below the gallows at
midnight, will bring release. Amelia wants
to seek it out that very evening. Riccardo
resolves to follow her.
Riccardo’s followers – including the
conspirators – arrive. Riccardo has his
fortune told. Ulrica prophecies his imminent
death at the hand of a friend. When Riccardo
pushes for more detail, Ulrica describes the
murderer as the next person to shake his
hand. Renato, who has followed his friend,
greets him with a handshake. Everyone
takes this as a sign that the oracle was in
error. Only now Riccardo reveals his identity.
This is met with enthusiasm; Silvano
initiates an anthem in his honour.
INTERMISSION
ACT II
At midnight Amelia looks for the magic
herb beneath the gallows. Riccardo, having
secretly followed her, surprises her and
reveals his love and extracts a confession
of her love for him. Unexpectedly, Renato
appears to warn Riccardo about Tom and
Samuel, who are approaching with their
fellow conspirators. He switches coats
with the governor so that he can escape
unimpeded, and promises to bring Riccardo’s
veiled companion back to the city limits
without enquiring as to her identity. The
conspirators arrive and close in on the
supposed governor and his companion.
Renato reveals his identity and draws a
weapon, in order to protect the identity of
the lady entrusted to him. Amelia throws
herself between the fighting men and in so
doing drops her veil. The conspirators cannot
make sense of the proceedings and the
couple’s consternation, but take advantage
of it in order to play down their own
compromised situation. Renato invites
Samuel and Tom to his house for the next day.
3
INTERMISSION
ACT III
Amelia attempts to convince Renato that
she has not committed adultery. He wants
to kill her. She begs him to let her embrace
her son one last time before her death. At
this, Renato decides to kill his friend rather
than his wife. Samuel and Tom arrive.
Renato asks to be taken into the circle of
the conspirators and hands over his son
as a hostage, whose life should guarantee
the sincerity of his intentions. They draw
lots to decide who gets to kill the governor.
Amelia is forced to draw the fateful lot.
Renato is chosen. Oscar delivers the
invitation to the masked ball. Renato
decides to kill the governor at the ball.
Amelia sees through his intentions and
desperately thinks about how she can warn
Riccardo without implicating her husband.
Riccardo, torn between friendship and
love, finally decides never to see Amelia
again and signs a decree dispatching
4
Renato and Amelia to England. When
Oscar delivers a letter from an “unknown
lady” (the masked Amelia) warning
Riccardo of an assassination attempt at
the ball, he believes he will be accused
of cowardice if he stays away. Full of
anticipation at the final reunion with
Amelia, he rushes recklessly to the ball.
The ball is in full swing. Oscar confirms
to the doubting Renato that the governor
actually is present at the ball. He also
manages to find out from Oscar what
Riccardo’s disguise is. Amelia discovers
her beloved and begs him to leave the
party, insisting that he is putting his life in
danger by ignoring her warning. Riccardo
can’t tear himself away from her, knowing
that the next day she will leave America
with Renato. When they embrace one last
time, Renato shoots the governor. The
dying Riccardo swears Amelia’s innocence
and shows Renato the signed decree with
his transfer to England. As his last official
act, he pardons his murderer.
MUSIC STAFF
Rachel Andrist
Ben Malensek (Head Coach)
ITALIAN LANGUAGE COACH
Manuela Scarci
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Jordan de Souza
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Graham Cozzubbo
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS
Tiffany Fraser
Liliane Stilwell
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNERS
Wendy Greenwood
Jareth Li
Andrea Nelson (Wally Russell Lighting Intern)
DANCERS
Andrea Ciacci
Dani Jazzar
FIRST LADY
Adrienne Kress
UNDERSTUDIES
Oscar
Renato
The Magistrate
Silvano
Amelia’s servant
Amelia
Sasha Djihanian
Gregory Dahl
Andrew Haji
Cameron McPhail
Andrew Haji
Keri Alkema
5
ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES
EVAN BOYER
Samuel
American bass Evan
Boyer’s recent COC
credits include Second
Commissioner in
Dialogues des Carmélites
and First Soldier in Salome. He recently
completed his tenure at the Lyric Opera
of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center. Recent
credits include numerous appearances at
Lyric Opera of Chicago as Pietro in Simon
Boccanegra, Count Ceprano in Rigoletto,
Lodovico in Otello, Luther in Les contes
d’Hoffmann, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte,
and the King in Aida. He has also sung
Colline in La Bohème (Dominican Republic’s
National Symphonic Orchestra); Sarastro
(LA Opera and Garsington Opera); First
Soldier/Nazarene in Salome (Cleveland
Orchestra at Carnegie Hall); and Créon
in Médée and Oreste in Giasone (Chicago
Opera Theater).
GREGORY DAHL
Silvano
Canadian baritone
Gregory Dahl last
appeared with the COC
as Crespel/Schlémil in
The Tales of Hoffmann.
COC roles include Balaga/General
Yermolov/First German General in War
and Peace and Ping in Turandot. Other
credits include Conte di Luna in
Il Trovatore and Ford in Falstaff (L’Opéra
de Montréal); Jochanaan in Salome (Opera
Theatre of St. Louis and Manitoba Opera);
Amonasro in Aida (Manitoba Opera);
Iago in Otello (Calgary Opera); Macbeth
(Pacific Opera Victoria); Alfio in Cavalleria
rusticana and Tonio in Pagliacci (Edmonton
Opera); Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor
(Vancouver Opera); and Goloud in Pelléas
et Mélisande (Opera Theatre of St Louis).
6
Upcoming engagements include Mandryka
in Arabella (cover at Metropolitan Opera);
Macbeth with Opéra de Québec and Goloud
in Pelléas et Mélisande with Against the
Grain Theatre.
JOHN KRITER
The Magistrate
Canadian tenor John
Kriter most recently
appeared as Spoletta in
the COC’s Tosca. Other
COC roles include Borsa
(Rigoletto), the Hotel Porter (Death in Venice),
Goro (Madama Butterfly), Normanno
(Lucia di Lammermoor), Emperor Altoum
(Turandot), Bardolfo (Falstaff), Reverend
Horace Adams (Peter Grimes), Red Whiskers
(Billy Budd), Nick (La fanciulla del West),
the Ringmaster (The Bartered Bride),
Tanzmeister (Ariadne auf Naxos), Gherardo
(Gianni Schicchi), and Don Basilio and
Don Curzio (The Marriage of Figaro).
Mr. Kriter recently performed the Second
Jew in Salome with Edmonton Opera, where
he returns this spring as Goro. Other
appearances include Mr. Snarlygob in
The Midnight Court (Queen of Puddings
Music Theatre, Toronto and Linbury
Theatre, Covent Garden).
ELENA MANISTINA
Ulrica
Russian mezzo-soprano
Elena Manistina recently
appeared as Azucena in
the COC’s Il Trovatore.
She trained at the Music
School of Saratov and the Moscow State
Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Ms Manistina
made her debut as Marfa in Khovanshchina
in Saratov and sang the role of Ulrica and
the Countess in Pique Dame at Washington
Opera. As well as her ongoing regular
appearances at the Bolshoi Theatre in
ArTISTS’ bIOGrAPhIeS
Moscow, future appearances include
Alexander Nevsky (Tanglewood Festival);
Ulrica (Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse);
Ježibaba in Rusalka (Teatro Municipal
de Santiago); and the Fortune Teller in
The Fiery Angel (Bayerische Staatsoper).
Ms Manistina was the first prize winner of
Plácido Domingo’s Operalia Competition
in 2002.
OWEN McCAUSLAND
Servant of Amelia
New Brunswick native
and COC Ensemble
Studio tenor Owen
McCausland recently
appeared at the COC
as Parpignol in La Bohème and Reverend
Horace Adams in Peter Grimes. Other COC
credits include the Second Nazarene in
Salome and the Messenger in Il Trovatore,
as well as stepping into the title role in
La clemenza di Tito on the mainstage as
well as the Ensemble performance. Credits
include Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi
(Opera on the Avalon) and Don Ottavio
in Don Giovanni (Centre for Opera Studies
in Italy). This season with the COC Mr.
McCausland also appears as Ferrando in
Così fan tutte (Ensemble), Cecil in Roberto
Devereux and Juan in Don Quichotte.
SIMONE OSBORNE
Oscar
Ensemble Studio graduate
soprano Simone Osborne
last appeared with the
COC as Musetta in
La Bohème. Previous COC
roles include Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi,
Gilda in Rigoletto, Pamina in The Magic
Flute, and Naiad in Ariadne auf Naxos.
Recent performances include her debut
with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under
Gustavo Dudamel; Seiji Ozawa’s Saito
Kinen Festival; and Carnegie Hall with
pianist Warren Jones; Juliette in Roméo
et Juliette and Pamina (Vancouver Opera);
and Mozart’s Requiem (Toronto Symphony
Orchestra). Ms Osborne is a grand prize
winner of the Metropolitan Opera National
Council Auditions and winner of the Marilyn
Horne Foundation Competition. Upcoming
appearances include Beethoven’s Symphony
No. 9 and Strauss songs with the Vancouver
Symphony, and recitals across Canada
with pianist Anne Larlee.
GIOVANNI BATTISTA
PARODI
Tom
Italian bass Giovanni
Battista Parodi is
making his COC debut.
A graduate of the La Scala
Academy program, his recent roles include
Moser in Verdi’s I masnadieri (Parma Opera);
Ferrando in Il Trovatore (Tyrolean Festival
Erl); Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra (Teatro
Regio di Torino and Teatro Verdi Trieste);
Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor
(Teatro Comunale Alighieri, Opera-Certosa
di Pavia, Teatro Comunale Ponchielli, among
others); Giove in La Calisto (Theater an
der Wien); Plutone in L’Orfeo; and Colline
in La Bohème (Teatro San Carlo, Opera
di Roma and Opéra de Paris). Other roles
include Capellio in I Capuleti e i Montecchi
(Opéra de Paris and Opéra de Lyon); and
Conte Rodolfo in La sonnambula (Wiener
Staatsoper).
ADRIANNE
PIECZONKA
Amelia
Canadian soprano
Adrianne Pieczonka
recently appeared at the
COC as Madame Lidoine
in Dialogues des Carmélites. Other COC
7
roles include the title character in Tosca,
Prima Donna/Ariadne in Ariadne auf
Naxos, Leonore in Fidelio, Elisabeth in
Don Carlos, and Sieglinde in Die Walküre.
She appears regularly at the Met, Vienna
Staatsoper, La Scala and with the Paris, Berlin,
Munich, Frankfurt and Los Angeles operas,
as well as at the Salzburg and Bayreuth
festivals. Recent engagements include
Chrysothemis in Elektra (Aix-en-Provence
and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden)
and The Empress in Die Frau ohne Schatten
(Bayerische Staatsoper). Ms Pieczonka
is an Officer of the Order of Canada,
a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal
and was named Kammersängerin by the
Austrian government. She recently
received the Norman Walford and Paul
de Hueck Career Achievement Award.
DIMITRI PITTAS
Riccardo
American tenor Dimitri
Pittas recently appeared
with the COC as Rodolfo
in La Bohème and the
Duke in Rigoletto. His
recent appearances include Oronte in
I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata (Staatsoper
Hamburg); Rodolfo (Metropolitan
Opera/Met, Houston Grand Opera/HGO,
Lyric Opera of Chicago, Oper Frankfurt);
Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi
(Bayerische Staatsoper); Macduff in
Macbeth (Met; Royal Opera House, Covent
Garden; Wiener Staatsoper); the title role
in Don Carlo (Théâtre du Capitole
Toulouse); Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor
(HGO); and Alfredo in La Traviata
(Wiener Staatsoper, Seattle Opera and
Deutsche Oper). This season he will also
sing Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore
(Deutsche Oper). Mr. Pittas is a graduate
of the Met's Lindemann Young Artist
Development Program.
8
ROLAND WOOD
Renato
English baritone Roland
Wood is making his COC
debut. He is a graduate
of the Royal Northern
College of Music and the
National Opera Studio. Recent appearances
include Papageno in The Magic Flute,
Don Fernando in Fidelio, and Pilgrim/John
Bunyan in The Pilgrim’s Progress (English
National Opera/ENO); Germont in
La Traviata (Santa Fe Opera); Albert
in Werther (Scottish Opera); and Enrico
in Lucia di Lammermoor (Nationale
Reisopera Enschede). Other roles include
Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and
Paolo Albiani in Simon Boccanegra (ENO).
Future roles include his debut at Royal
Opera House, Covent Garden as Roucher
in Andrea Chenier; and Oedipus in the
world premiere of Julian Anderson’s
Thebans (ENO).
STEPHEN LORD
Conductor
American Stephen Lord
last appeared at the
COC conducting Lucia
di Lammermoor. He also
conducted the COC’s
Norma. He is currently music director for
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, conducting
repertoire from Mozart to Salome to
Sweeney Todd. Recent appearances include
Don Pasquale (Lyric Opera of Chicago/LOC
and The Juilliard School); La Donna del
lago and Les contes d’Hoffmann (Santa Fe
Opera); and Rigoletto and La Traviata
(Seoul Arts Center). Other credits include
La Rondine (New York City Opera);
Rigoletto, Tosca, La Bohème (English
National Opera); Rigoletto (San Francisco
Opera); Tosca (LOC); and Macbeth (Opéra
de Montréal).
JOSSI WIELER
Director
Swiss director Jossi Wieler
is making his COC debut.
A recipient of the Konrad
Wolf Award and the
German Critics’ Award,
he was named “Stage Director of the Year”
in 1994 for his production of Elfriede
Jelinek’s Wolken.Heim (Deutsches
Schauspielhaus Hamburg). Mr. Wieler has
worked with Sergio Morabito on numerous
productions, including La clemenza di Tito,
Siegfried, Don Carlo, Una cosa rara, Norma,
Alceste (Stuttgart Opera), Macbeth (Basel)
and Pelléas and Mélisande (Hannover
Staatsoper). In 2002 and 2012 Wieler and
Morabito were named “Directorial Team
of the Year" by an international panel of
50 critics contributing to the magazine
Opernwelt. At the Netherlands Opera they
produced Lucio Silla in 2004 and the three
Mozart/Da Ponte operas in 2006. Their
2013/2014 season includes Tristan und
Isolde at the Stuttgart Opera, where Mr.
Wieler became artistic director in 2011.
SERGIO MORABITO
Director
German-Italian director
Sergio Morabito is making
his COC debut. A member
of the German Academy
of Performing Arts, he
has worked with Jossi Wieler on numerous
productions, including Alcina,
L’incoronazione di Poppea, Moses und
Aron, Kát’a Kabanová, L’Écume des jours
(Stuttgart Opera) and La Juive (Stuttgart
and Dresden). Wieler and Morabito were
named twice “Directorial Team of the Year”
by an international panel of 50 critics
contributing to the magazine Opernwelt,
in 2002 for their production of Ariadne auf
Naxos at the Salzburg Festival, and in 2012
for La Sonnambula in Stuttgart. They
received the Deutsche Theaterpreis DER
FAUST in 2006 for Busoni’s Doktor Faust
(San Francisco Opera and Stuttgart) and
in 2012 for the double bill Die glückliche
Hand-Osud. Their 2013/2014 season
includes the world premiere of composer
Mark Andre’s wunderzaichen.
SAMANTHA SEYMOUR
Revival Director
English director Samantha
Seymour is making
her COC debut. After
studying electronic and
electrical engineering
and working in avionics and software
project management, she began her career
in opera after observing a production
of Humperdinck’s Die Königskinder
(Bayerische Staatsoper). She studied
dramaturgy and theatre studies, specializing
in opera, in Munich and has worked with
directors including Andreas Homoki, Peter
Konwitschny and Martin Kušej. Her projects
with Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito
include Norma (Stuttgart), Rusalka
(Salzburg Festival) and currently Tristan
und Isolde (Stuttgart). She directed the
revival of Rusalka for the Royal Opera
House, Covent Garden and the Grand
Théâtre de Genève. In 2012 she was awarded a scholarship for the interdisciplinary
program at the Mannheim Mozart Summer.
BARBARA EHNES
Set Designer
German set designer
Barbara Ehnes is making
her COC debut. She
studied with Wilfried
Minks and Marina
Abramović at the College of Fine Arts
in Hamburg. During her assistantship to
Raimund Bauer and Wilfried Minks from
1995 to 1998, she created her first original
stage designs. Today Ehnes regularly
collaborates with directors including Stefan
Pucher, Stefan Bachmann, Sebastian
9
Baumgarten and choreographer Meg Stuart,
and works at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus
in Hamburg, Munich Kammerspiele,
Zurich Schauspielhaus, Berlin Volksbühne,
Theater Basel, Burgtheater Wien and the
Muziektheater Amsterdam. In 2005 she
received an Opus Award in the stage
design category, and, in 2012, the German
theatre award, DER FAUST, together with
video artist Chris Kondek. She teaches at
the Art Academy in Dresden.
ANJA RABES
Costume Designer
German costume
designer Anja Rabes is
making her COC debut.
After working in the
costume department
at the Bayerische Staatsoper, she studied
theatre studies and worked as assistant to
Anna Viebrock, Axel Manthey and John
Grützke at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus
in Hamburg, and at the Burgtheater in
Vienna. Her first original designs were
for dance productions by Verena Weiss
and Carolyn Carlson. She regularly
collaborates with directors including Jossi
Wieler, Stephan Kimmig and Anselm
Weber. With Jossi Wieler and Sergio
Morabito she designed costumes for
the Mozart/Da Ponte cycle (Netherlands
Opera), Rusalka (Salzburg Festival),
and Don Carlo (Stuttgart Opera). At the
Bayerische Staatsoper Opera she designed
for Don Giovanni. Anja Rabes currently
teaches at the School of Theatre and Music
in Hamburg and is also a set designer.
OLAF FREESE
Lighting Designer
German lighting designer
Olaf Freese is making
his COC debut. He has
worked as a lighting
designer since completing
his training at the Berliner Ensemble and
10
the Hamburger Schauspielhaus in 1992.
He has worked at Schauspiel Hannover,
Deutsches Theater Berlin and, since 2007,
at the Staatsoper unter den Linden in
Berlin. Other theatre and opera work
includes the Burgtheater in Vienna as well
as the Wiener Staatsoper, and the opera
companies of Stuttgart, Hamburg, Hannover,
Essen, Netherlands Opera, the Salzburg
Festival, and Royal Opera House, Covent
Garden. He has worked with directors
including Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito
(Rusalka, A Masked Ball); Achim Freyer
(Eugene Onegin); and Stefan Herheim
(Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,
Der Rosenkavalier, Eugene Onegin),
among others.
SANDRA HORST
Chorus Master
Sandra Horst’s most
recent COC credits
include La Bohème and
Peter Grimes. Also at
the COC she conducted
Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims. As director
of musical studies at the University of
Toronto’s Opera Division, she recently
conducted Donizetti’s L’elisir d'amore.
Ms Horst has served as chorus master for
Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Edmonton
Opera; a judge for the Metropolitan Opera
National Council auditions; and music staff
of the Juilliard Opera Center, Chautauqua
Institution, Boston Lyric Opera, and Banff
Centre for the Arts. She was one of the
100 Alumni of Achievement honoured by
Wilfrid Laurier University. This season
Ms Horst is also chorus master for Così
fan tutte, Roberto Devereux, Hercules and
Don Quichotte.
JORDAN DE SOUZA
Assistant Conductor
Recently at the COC
Canadian Jordan de
Souza was the assistant
conductor for La Bohème
and Dialogues des
Carmélites. Based in Montreal, he is the
artistic director and principal conductor
of the Ottawa Choral Society, conductor at
the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, and,
from 2011 to 2013, was a course lecturer at
McGill University. Conducting highlights
include Carmen (Saskatoon Opera),
Béatrice et Bénédict (Opera NUOVA),
Bach’s St. John Passion, St. Matthew
Passion, Christmas Oratorio, and Mass in
B Minor, Berg’s Violin Concerto, and Orff’s
Carmina Burana. At the age of 19, Mr.
de Souza earned his Fellowship degree from
the Royal Canadian College of Organists.
He is broadcast regularly on the CBC and
throughout the European Broadcasting
Union.
GRAHAM COZZUBBO
Assistant Director
Originally from Calgary,
Graham Cozzubbo was
last at the COC as
assistant director for
La Bohème and Die
Fledermaus. For the COC, he has directed
several Glencore Ensemble Studio School
Tour productions including Isis and the
Seven Scorpions, The Brothers Grimm and
Cinderella. In Calgary he co-founded New
Century Stage and served as the assistant
artistic director of the Banff Centre’s
Twentieth Century Opera Program for
four years. His work encompasses theatre,
opera and contemporary music theatre.
As an educator, Mr. Cozzubbo has taught
for the Banff Centre, Baltimore’s Peabody
University, Wilfrid Laurier University,
and the Faculty of Music at the University
of Toronto.
CYNTHIA TOUSHAN
Stage Manager
Cynthia Toushan has
been a member of the
COC for over 25 years
as a stage manager
and choreographer. Past
COC productions include Tristan und Isolde,
Love from Afar, Nixon in China, From the
House of the Dead, Faust, Turandot and
Hänsel und Gretel. Ms Toushan was the
production stage manager and resident
director for Jersey Boys Toronto (2008 –
2010). She has worked for 17 seasons with
the Stratford Festival, stage managing
numerous productions including 42nd
Street, Kiss Me Kate, West Side Story,
Fiddler on the Roof and Camelot and takes
on the role of Production Stage Manager
there in 2014. In addition, she was the
senior stage manager for Pope John Paul
II’s visit to Toronto in 2002.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE
We are pleased to offer, for the
convenience of all of our patrons,
a pre-order system for intermission
purchases. Our pre-order system is
designed to decrease your wait time
at the bar during intermission and we
invite you to make use of it at every
COC performance. Bars are located
throughout the Isadore and Rosalie
Sharp City Room’s many levels.
Food and beverages are not permitted
in R. Fraser Elliott Hall.
11
CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY ORCHESTRA
VIOLIN I
Marie bérard, Concertmaster
The Concertmaster’s chair has
been endowed in perpetuity
by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum
benjamin bowman, Associate
Concertmaster, on leave
of absence
diane Tait, Assistant
Concertmaster
Sandra baron, Acting
Assistant Concertmaster
Anne Armstrong
bethany bergman
elizabeth Johnston
hiroko Kagawa*
nancy Kershaw
dominique laplante
Yakov lerner
Jayne Maddison
neria Mayer
VIOLIN II
Paul Zevenhuizen, Principal
Csaba Koczó, Assistant Principal
Aya Miyagawa
James Aylesworth
Pamela hinman*
elizabeth Johnston
renée london*
Alexei Pankratov*
Marianne Urke
Joanna Zabrowarna
VIOLA
Keith hamm, Principal
Joshua Greenlaw, Assistant
Principal, on leave of absence
Carolyn blackwell, Acting
Assistant Principal*
Valerie Kuinka*
rhyll Peel
Shannon Knights*
Angela rudden*
beverley Spotton
Yosef Tamir
CELLO
bryan epperson, Principal,
on leave of absence
Alastair eng, Associate Principal
Paul Widner, Assistant Principal
Maurizio baccante, Acting
Assistant Principal
Peter Cosbey*
Olga laktionova
elspeth Poole*
elaine Thompson
BASS
Alan Molitz, Principal
robert Speer, Assistant Principal
Tom hazlitt
Paul langley
robert Wolanski*
FLUTE
douglas Stewart, Principal
Shelley brown
PICCOLO
Shelley brown
HARP
Sarah davidson, Principal
BANDA
VIOLIN I
Aaron Schwebel*
lyn Kuo*
Christine Chesebrough*
VIOLIN II
Corey Gemmell*
Sonia Vizante*
OBOE
Mark rogers, Principal
lesley Young
VIOLA
Ivan Ivanovich*
ENGLISH HORN
lesley Young
CELLO
Marianne Pack*
CLARINET
James T. Shields, Principal
Colleen Cook
BASS
daniel lalonde*
BASSOON
eric hall, Principal
elizabeth Gowen
HORN
Joan Watson, Principal,
on leave of absence
Scott Wevers, Acting Principal*
Janet Anderson
bardhyl Gjevori
Gary Pattison
TRUMPET
robert Grim, Principal
robert Weymouth
TROMBONE
Charles benaroya, Principal
Ian Cowie
BASS TROMBONE
herbert Poole
CIMBASSO
Scott Irvine, Principal
TIMPANI
Michael Perry, Principal
E-FLAT CLARINET
Max Christie*
TRUMPETS
Andre dubelsten*
luise heyerhoff*
Michael fedyshyn*
TROMBONES
david Pell*
Megan hodge*
BELLS
Trevor Tureski
LIBRARIAN
Wayne Vogan
ASSISTANT MUSIC LIBRARIAN
Ondrej Golias
STAGE LIBRARIAN
Paul langley
PERSONNEL MANAGER
Ian Cowie
* extra musician
PERCUSSION
Trevor Tureski, Principal
COC ORCHESTRA ACADEMY
The COC welcomes students selected by audition from The Glenn Gould School at The royal Conservatory
of Music and the faculty of Music at the University of Toronto who will participate in a mentorship program
with musicians of the COC Orchestra.
COC Orchestra Academy Musicians
Ashton lim, cello
rebecca Macleod, violin
Alessandro rauli, oboe
12
CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY CHORUS
SOPRANOS
lindsay barrett
Andrea Cerswell
Margaret evans
eliza Johnson
Alexandra lennoxPomeroy
Ingrid Martin
eve rachel Mcleod
Katie Murphy
Jennifer robinson
Catherine Tait
Teresa van der hoeven
Carrie Wiebe
MEZZO-SOPRANOS
Kristina Alexander
Marianne bindig
Susan black
Sandra boyes
Wendy hatala foley
erica Iris huang
Jennifer Kee
lilian Kilianski
laura McAlpine
Anne McWatt
Karen Olinyk
Cindy Won
TENORS
Vanya Abrahams
Craig Ashton
Stephen bell
Taras Chmil
Sam Chung
Sean Clark
nicolas Groenewegen
ryan harper
James leatch
Stephen McClare
eric Olsen
Conrad Siebert
Taylor White
BARITONES
& BASSES
Grant Allert
Jeremy bowes
Matthew Cassils
Sung Chung
bruno Cormier
Jeremy ludwig
Constantine Meglis
Michael nyby
Keith O'brien
niculae raiciu
Michael Sproule
Jan Vaculik
Gene Wu
Don’t sit in the dark!
Join the conversation online.
When the curtain goes down and the audience heads home,
the real conversations start. Discover behind-the-scenes
content from your favourite operas on our blog Parlando,
immerse yourself in podcasts and exclusive Inside Opera
videos on COC Radio, and connect with COC artists through
social media.
FREE WIRELESS
Connect via the “COC_Public”
network and log in with your
Facebook account to enjoy
FREE wireless access in the
lobby.
@canadianopera
@alexanderncoc
/canadianopera
/canadianoperacompany
PARLANDO coc.ca/Parlando
COC RADIO coc.ca/COCRadio
13
Opera at
its finest
CIBC is proud to sponsor the
Canadian Opera Company’s
production of Giuseppe Verdi’s
A Masked Ball
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
Mr. Tony Arrell, President
Mr. Philip C. deck, Chair
Mr. Paul A. bernards,
Treasurer
Mr. John h. Macfarlane,
Secretary
Mr. Alexander neef,
General Director
(ex officio)
Mr. robert lamb,
Managing Director
(ex officio)
MEMBERS
Mr. Mark Appel
Ms nora Aufreiter
Mr. robert brouwer
Ms Marcia lewis brown
Mr. Stewart burton
Mr. Peter M. deeb
Mr. George S. dembroski
Mr. William fearn
(ex officio)
Mr. Adam froman
Mr. Michael Gibbens
Mr. Peter hinman
dr. linda hutcheon
Ms Trinity Jackman
Mr. Justin linden
Mr. Jeff lloyd
Ms Anne Maggisano
Mr. Stephen O. Marshall
Ms Judy Matthews
Ms Trina McQueen
Mr. Jonathan Morgan
Mr. nick Mutton
Ms frances Price
Mr. Arthur r.A. Scace, C.M.
Ms Colleen Sexsmith
Mr. Philip S.W. Smith
Mr. Paul b. Spafford
Ms Michele Symons
Ms Kristine (Kris) Vikmanis
Mr. John h. (Jack) Whiteside
HONORARY DIRECTOR
Mr. Joey Tanenbaum, C.M.
VOLUNTEER SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS
COC OPERA GUILDS
brantford Opera Guild,
David M. Cullen, President
Kingston Opera Guild
Grace Orzech, President
london Opera Guild
Ernest H. Redekop, President
Muskoka Opera Guild
Dr. Hans Heeneman, President
northumberland Opera Guild
Thais Donald, President
Oakville Opera Guild
Maureen Rudzik, President
Sudbury Opera Guild
Mike Humphris, President
Western new York Opera Guild
Dorothy K. Piepke, President
CANADIAN OPERA FOUNDATION
DIRECTORS
Mr. William fearn, Chair
Mr. Ken Jesudian, Vice Chair
Mr. Tony Arrell
Mr. Jonathan bloomberg
Mr. J. rob Collins
Mr. david forster, Treasurer
Mr. Gary Gard
Mr. Michael Gough
Mr. Christopher hoffman
Mr. david Spiro, Secretary
HONORARY DIRECTORS
Mr. George hamilton
hon. dennis lane
For more information on COC Guilds please visit coc.ca/Guilds
15
ADMINISTRATION AND STAFF
AleXAnder neef, General director
Robert Lamb
Managing Director
Ondrej Golias
Assistant Librarian
Johannes Debus
Music Director
COC Ensemble Studio
Gordon Bintner
Charlotte Burrage
Sasha Djihanian
Aviva Fortunata
Clarence Frazer
Andrew Haji
Danielle MacMillan
Owen McCausland
Cameron McPhail
Claire de Sévigné
Michael Shannon
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Executive Assistant
to the General Director
Sky Fairchild-Waller
Marguerite Schabas
(on leave)
ARTISTIC
ADMINISTRATION
Core Crew
Scott Clarke
Terry Hurley
Paul Otis
Chuck Theil
Amy Cummings
Scene Shop Co-ordinator
David Retzleff
Head Scene Shop
Carpenter
Andrew Walker
Assistant Scene Shop
Carpenter
Roberto Mauro
Artistic Administrator
Production Assistants
Adriana Dimitri
Michelle Galuszka
Richard Gordon
Head Scenic Artist
Olwyn Lewis
Company Manager
PROGRAMMING
Carolina Valenzuela
Assistant Head Scenic
Artist
Nina Draganić́
Director of Programming
– Free Concert Series
Daniela Mazic
Scenic Artist
Karen Olinyk
Assistant, Artistic
Administration & Music
PRODUCTION
MUSIC
Sandra Gavinchuk
Music Administrator
Sandra Horst
Chorus Master
Wayne Vogan
Music Librarian, Coach
Elizabeth Upchurch
Head of the Ensemble
Studio & Coach
Derek Bate
Resident Conductor
Music Staff
Rachel Andrist
Timothy Cheung
Jean Desmarais
Jenna Douglas
Esther Gonthier
Stephen Hargreaves
Anne Larlee
Ben Malensek
Kevin Murphy
Steven Philcox
Eric Weimer
Gerry Egan
Interim Scheduling
Manager
Hannah Gordon
Assistant Scheduling
Manager
Peter W. Lamb
Director of Production
Scott Williamson
Rehearsal Head
Technician
Sharon Ryman
Wig & Make-up
Supervisor
Cori Ferguson
Head of Wig &
Make-up Crew
Shawna Green
Production Co-ordinator
Gunta Dreifelds
SURTITLES™ Producer
Zane Kaneps
SURTITLES™ Editor
John Sharpe
SURTITLES™ Assistant
Supernumeraries
Co-ordinators
Analee Stein
Elizabeth Walker
DEVELOPMENT
Guy Nokes
Properties Supervisor
Christie Darville
Chief Advancement
Officer
Chuck Giles
Technical Director
Stephanie Tjelios
Resident Properties
Builder/Co-ordinator
Kaila LeMaitre
Development Associate
Barney Bayliss
Associate Technical
Director
Kathy Frost
Resident Properties
Buyer/Co-ordinator
Amy Mushinski
Manager, Government
Relations
Wendy Greenwood
Lighting Co-ordinator
Tracy Taylor
Properties Builder/
Co-ordinator
Stephen Gilles
Director of Development
Assistant Technical
Directors
Melynda Jurgenson
Wendy Ryder
Properties Builders
Carolyn Choo
Wulf
Peter Hussell
Senior Manager,
Advancement
Operations
Janice Fraser
Head Electrician
Sandra Corazza
Costume Supervisor
Ali Kashani
Associate Director,
Institutional Gifts
Joel Thoman
Assistant Electrician
Chloe Anderson
Costume Co-ordinator
Bob Shindle
Head of Sound
Costume Assistants
Natassia Brunato
Christina Del Monte
Lee Milliken
Production Manager
Craig Kadoke
Assistant Sound
Paul Watkinson
Head Carpenter
Mike Gelfand
Assistant Carpenter
Sue Furlong
Resident Tailor
Assisted by
Sharon Gashgarian
Karen Hancock
Birthe Joergensen
Archivist – Joan Baillie
Archives
Rupert Baker
Head Flyman
Additional Costumes By
Arana Enterprises
Industry Costumes
Ian Cowie
Orchestra Personnel
Manager
Alison Potter
Head of Properties
Nancy Hawkins
Head of Wardrobe
16
Leslie Brown
Wardrobe Assistant
Dawn Marie Schlegel
Associate Director,
Donor Relations
Sarah Heim
Donor Relations Officer
Natalie Sandassie
Senior Development
Officer, Annual
Programs and Patron
Engagement
Paige Phillips
Co-ordinator, Annual
Programs and Patron
Engagement
Emma Noakes
Co-ordinator, Annual
Programs and Patron
Engagement
Aisha Talarico
Senior Development
Officer, Friends of
the COC
Eldon Earle
Marketing Co-ordinator
FINANCE AND
ADMINISTRATION
Michelle Hwu
Retail Co-ordinator
Lindy Cowan, CPA, CA
Director of Finance
and Administration
Kevin Sean Pook
Co-ordinator, Friends
of the COC
Kristin McKinnon
Assistant Publicist
Francesco Corsaro
Senior Development
Officer, Institutional
Gifts
EDUCATION AND
OUTREACH
Katherine Semcesen
Associate Director,
Education and Outreach
Adriana Formusa
Development Officer,
Institutional Gifts
Lorraine O’Connor,
CHRP
Human Resources
Manager
Amalie Davis, CPA, CA
Finance Manager
Gianmarco Segato
Adult Programs
Manager
General Accountants
Florence Huang
Zoran Orlić́ (FSCPA)
Nikita Gourski
Development
Communications
Officer
Vanessa Smith
Manager, School
Programs
Payroll Accountants
Jovana Bojovic
Jeanny Won
Tracy Briggs
Senior Manager,
Special Events
Amber Yared
Children and Youth
Programs Co-ordinator
Steven Sherwood
Manager, IT Services
Laura Aylan-Parker
Senior Development
Officer, Special Events
and Ensemble Circle
TICKET SERVICES
Alan Moffat
Patron Relationship
Manager
Victor Widjaja
Donation Database
Officer
Andrea Salin
Associate Manager,
Ticket Services
Olena Moldovan
Donation Database
Officer
Nikki Tremblay
Assistant Ticket
Services Manager
COMMUNICATIONS
Brad Staples
Database Reporting
Specialist
Building Operators
Dan Bisca
Dan Popescu
Adrian Tudoran
Paula Da Costa
Eurest Services
Supervisor
Eurest Services Team
Jennifer Barros
Malaku Godana
Nash Lim
Jimmy Pacheco
Sugey Torres
FOUR SEASONS
CENTRE FOR THE
PERFORMING ARTS
Alfred Caron
Director, Four Seasons
Centre for the
Performing Arts
Elizabeth Jones
Associate Director,
Business Development
Tony Sandy
IT Services Assistant
Shannon Churm
Business & Events
Co-ordinator
Katarina Božović́
Receptionist/
Switchboard
Jefferson Guzman
Associate Director,
Patron Services
Branka Hrsum
Mailroom Clerk/
Courier
Kim Hutchinson-Barber
Assistant Manager,
Front of House
David Nimmo
Group Sales Co-ordinator
BUILDING SERVICES
Lillian Fung
Ticket Services
Supervisor
Joe Waldherr
Associate Director,
Facilities Management
Julia Somerville
Assistant Manager,
Front of House
Jennifer Toulmin
Facilities Management
Assistant
Jennifer Pugsley
Media Relations Manager
Ticket Services
Representatives
James Baldwin
Ellen Casey
Ernest Cayemen
Holly Coish
Anna Kay Eldridge
Peter Genoway
Maureen Gualtieri
Keith Lam
Kevin Morris
Darcy Stoop
Mitch Yolevsky
Claire Morley
Associate Manager,
Editorial
CALL CENTRE
Richard Paradiso
Call Centre Manager
Meighan Szigeti
Associate Manager,
Digital Marketing
Call Centre
Representatives
Catherine Belyea
Wendy Limbertie
DeeAnn Sagar
Margaret Terry
Angela Thompson
Alexandra Varela
Claudine Domingue
Director of Public
Relations
Jeremy Elbourne
Director of Marketing
Phil Stephens
Senior Manager, Sales
and Customer Service
Gianna Wichelow
Senior Manager,
Creative and
Publications
Danielle D’Ornellas
Digital Marketing
Co-ordinator
Maintenance Assistants
Ryszard Gad (COC)
Branislav Peterman
(COC)
Julian Peters (COC)
James Esposito
(FSCPA)
Mark Healy (FSCPA)
Dinh Tran (FSCPA)
Piotr Wiench (FSCPA)
Brigitte Lang
Assistant Manager,
Food & Beverage
Patron Services
Supervisors
Kelly Bailey
Stuart Constable
Enrique Covarrubias
Cortes
Jamieson Eakin
Melissa McDonnell
Adam Orr
Patron Services Leads
Carianne Hathaway
Security Supervisors
Videsh Dookhu
Dave Samuels
Security Officers
George Balyasin
Tammy Hill
Natalia Juzyc
Usman Khalid
Kathleen Minor
Heather Reid
Craig Thompson
FSCPA – Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
17
S U P P O RT I N G T O R O N T O ’ S G R O W I N G A RT S
C O M M U N I T Y T O D AY, A N D F O R E V E R
As Naming Donor of the Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, we are proud to be a
lifelong friend of the fine arts experience for the
patrons here and from around the world.
ENJOY THE PERFORMANCE
fourseasons.com
E. LOUISE MORGAN SOCIETY
The e. louise Morgan Society was created to reflect the vision and commitment
of its founder and the members who have created a legacy of leadership, passion
and philanthropy in support of the goals of the Canadian Opera Company.
each of these donors has contributed a cumulative total of more than one million dollars
over the past 15 years. Their support is critical to the company’s success and we are
forever indebted to their commitment and generosity.
The estate of dr. larry M. Agranove
ArIAS: Canadian Opera Student
development fund
The Gerard & earlaine Collins foundation
The late John A. Cook
The estate of horst dantz and don Quick
Kolter Communities
The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen
foundation
roger d. Moore
e. louise Morgan
Joey & Toby Tanenbaum
Anonymous (2)
MAJOR GIFTS & SPECIAL PROJECTS
The COC offers its sincere thanks to the individuals listed below for their
extraordinary support.
PRODUCTION
UNDERWRITERS
Demonstrating their
leadership and generosity,
these donors have
underwritten the COC’s
mainstage productions.
$500,000 +
Jerry & Geraldine heffernan
The Catherine and Maxwell
Meighen foundation
$100,000 – $499,999
Mark & Gail Appel
Anne & Tony Arrell
Philip deck &
Kimberley bozak
Tim & frances Price
david roffey & Karen Walsh
Colleen Sexsmith
PERFORMANCE AND
ARTIST SPONSORS
The following donors
extend their generous
support to individual
artists and performances.
$100,000 +
Jack Whiteside
Up to $25,000
Paul bernards
robert Sherrin
The Stratton Trust
Carol Swallow
dr. david Stanley-Porter &
dr. Colin McGregor Mailer
Ms Kristine Vikmanis &
Mr. denton Creighton
ENSEMBLE STUDIO
SUPPORTERS
Encouraging the next
generation of artists,
these donors support the
COC’s Ensemble Studio.
$1,000,000
Peter M. deeb
Up to $25,000
ArIAS: Canadian Opera
Student development fund
Marcia lewis brown
Margaret harriett Cameron
and the late Gary Smith
Classical 96.3 fM
ninalee Craig
Catherine fauquier
Patrick hodgson family
foundation
Peter & hélène hunt
Marjorie & roy linden
Jo lander
Tom C. logan
James nicol and
Christine Milne
OCC lasik
brian Wilks
$500,000 – $999,999
The Slaight family
foundation
GENERAL PROGRAM
SUPPORTERS
$25,000 – $499,999
Anne & Tony Arrell
ethel harris &
the late Milton e. harris
roger d. Moore
The Stratton Trust
$100,000+
George S. dembroski
Judy & Wilmot Matthews
$25,000 – $49,999
earlaine Collins
Patrick & barbara Keenan
françoise Sutton
Anonymous (1)
Providing General
Program support is critical
to the COC’s artistic mission.
$25,000 – $99,999
William & Phyllis Waters
Up to $24,999
Anonymous (3)
19
A scene from the COC's The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, 2009. Photo: Michael Cooper
Make the most of your
opera experience!
The President’s Council and Golden Circle programs help
make possible many of the company’s activities. New
productions, the COC Ensemble Studio program, our
education and outreach initiatives – these are just a few of
the reasons why President’s Council and Golden Circle gifts
are so crucial to our future.
President’s Council and Golden Circle members share in
the excitement of opera in new ways through events and
activities, receive personalized service for ticket purchases
and exchanges, and enjoy exclusive use of the Henry N. R.
Jackman Lounge at all opera performances.
For further information, contact us at
[email protected] or call 416-363-5801.
*The COC recognizes donations from all individual giving programs with a charitable tax receipt for the
maximum amount allowable under the Canada Revenue Agency guidelines.
MAJOR GIFTS & SPECIAL PROJECTS
ENDOWMENT SUPPORT
Making a gift to the
Endowment ensures
long-term stability for
the COC and its artists.
$100,000 +
hon. henry n. r. Jackman
Anonymous (1)
$25,000 - $99,999
Michael W. & Wanda
Plachta endowment fund
Up to $25,000
Anonymous (1)
LEGACY AND
BEQUEST GIFTS
MEMORIAL AND
HONORARY DONATIONS
The COC honours the
memory of the following
patrons, whose vision
and generosity has
provided lasting support.
The COC expresses its
sincere appreciation to
all donors who have made
memorial and honorary
donations.
estate of helen Allen
(Stacey)
estate of Walter Carsen‡
estate of horst dantz &
don Quick‡
estate of Phillipp
eberhardinger
estate of Mary b. Godfrey
estate of Judith howard
estate of ethel berney
Jackson‡
estate of borge John
Kraglund
estate of J. bruce
Macdonald‡
estate of J.M. (doc)
Savage‡
estate of Sarka Spinkova
estate of Kathryn
Thornton‡
estate of Vivian Treacy ‡
estate of hugh Victor
Wallace
estate of Jean Yack Wright
In Memory of
Sam Ajzenstap
Yvonne Chiu, CM
Jack Culiner
Mary roxalyn finch
freddy Kremer
lotfi Mansouri
Aleksandar Petričic
Magda riets
norma louise rogers
‡ designates funds directed
to the COC’s endowment
In Honour of
After School Opera
Program
earlaine Collins
ninalee Craig
natalia lobach
ruth Manke
Kevin Sean Pook
Tim and frances Price
Mike Scott
Colleen Sexsmith
letty Snethen
diane Visentin
As of January 9, 2014
INDIVIDUAL GIVING ANNUAL SUPPORT
GOLDEN CIRCLE
GOLDEN CIRCLE COMMITTEE
Mark Appel
Stewart burton
Stephen Marshall
Judy Matthews
frances Price (Chair)
Colleen Sexsmith
Michele Symons
GOLD, $50,000 +
Anne & Tony Arrell****
Cecily & robert bradshaw*
david G. broadhurst*
In memory of Gerard h. Collins****
Jerry & Geraldine heffernan****
The Catherine and Maxwell
Meighen foundation****
roger d. Moore****
Arthur & Susan Scace****
Colleen Sexsmith***
SILVER, $25,000 – $49,999
Andrew Peller limited*
Mark & Gail Appel***
Paul bernards***
barbara black*
The black family foundation
Philip deck &
Kimberley bozak***
George & Kathy dembroski****
Michael Gibbens*
ethel harris &
the late Milton harris****
douglas e. hodgson****
rennie & bill humphries****
ronald Kimel &
Vanessa laPerriere****
Susan loube & William Acton*
James nicol & Christine Milne
Jack Whiteside***
BRONZE, $12,500 – $24,999
dr. & Mrs. hans G. Abromeit****
Philip & linda Armstrong**
Ms nora Aufreiter*
Mr. Philip J. boswell†****
Walter M. &
lisa balfour bowen****
Susanne boyce &
brendan Mullen***
rob & Teresa brouwer*
Marcia lewis brown*
Stewart & Gina burton*
Wendy M, Cecil****
dr. John Chiu in memory of
Yvonne Chiu, C.M.****
Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Christ****
Stephen Clarke &
elizabeth black**
The Max Clarkson family
foundation****
J. rob Collins & Janet Cottrelle****
Sydney & florence Cooper*
21
Ensemble Studio
The Canadian Opera Company
Ensemble Studio is the country’s
premier opera training program.
Since 1980, more than 150 young
Canadian singers, stage directors,
apprentice opera coaches and
conductors have acquired their first
professional operatic experience
through this program, including such
well known singers as Ben Heppner,
Isabel Bayrakdarian, John Fanning,
Wendy Nielsen, David Pomeroy,
Joseph Kaiser, Lauren Segal and
Krisztina Szabó.
For more information about
supporting the COC Ensemble
Studio, please call 416-847-4949
or visit coc.ca.
Ambur Braid as Vitellia and Rihab Chaieb (kneeling) as
Sesto in the COC Ensemble Studio performance of La
clemenza di Tito, 2013. Photo: Michael Cooper
ninalee Craig***
Mr. & Mrs. leslie dan***
Jean davidson &
Paul Spafford****
Jill denham & Stephen Marshall**
david & Kristin ferguson****
George fierheller****
lloyd & Gladys fogler***
four Seasons hotels & resorts**
Adam & Sharin froman*
roger & Kevin Garland**
Ira Gluskin &
Maxine Granovsky Gluskin***
The hon. William C. Graham &
Mrs. Catherine Graham****
William & nona heaslip
foundation****
Peter hinman & Kristi Stangeland
Michael & linda hutcheon****
Intact financial Corporation
Trinity Jackman*
bernhard & hannelore Kaeser****
Jeff lloyd & barbara henders*
Mr. & Mrs. J. S. A. Macdonald****
bobby & Gordon Macneill**
Judy & Wilmot Matthews*
John & esther Mcneil***
don McQueen &
Trina McQueen, O.C.**
John McVicker & b. W. Thomas****
delia M. Moog***
Jonathan Morgan &
Shurla Gittens*
Sue Mortimer****
nicholas & rosemary Mutton*
dr. M. l. Myers &
the late dr. W.P. hayman***
Mrs. Christl & Mr. Karl niemuller**
donald O’born***
Peter M. Partridge****
Mr. Ian & Mrs. Michelle Pearce
Mr. Tim & Mrs. frances Price****
Ms r. raso****
david roffey & Karen Walsh***
barrie d. rose & family***
John A. rothschild**
Philip & Maria Smith**
Stephen & Jane Smith****
Marion & Gerald Soloway**
david e. Spiro***
david Stanley-Porter****
ryerson & Michele Symons
riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen**
Ms Kristine Vikmanis &
Mr. denton Creighton****
PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL
PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL
COMMITTEE
Mary-Catherine Acheson
Catherine bergeron
diane Adamson-brdar
Thomas J. burton
ninalee Craig
Gladys fogler
Marcia lewis brown
Sue Mortimer
Katalin Schäfer
Colleen Sexsmith (Chair)
Kristine Vikmanis
Karen Walsh
TRUSTEE, $7,500 – $12,499
à la Carte Kitchen Inc.
laurie & fareed Ali*
Margaret Atwood &
Graeme Gibson***
Mr. & Mrs. Avie bennett****
dr. david & Constance briant****
Marilyn Cook*
Andrew fleming**
rainer hackert****
J. hans Kluge**
Jean V. Kramar**
Mr. Gurney Kranz****
Paul lee & Jill Maynard****
Anne lewitt**
Jerry & Joan lozinski****
Amy & John Macfarlane*
The hon. barbara Mcdougall***
Kathleen Mclaughlin &
Tim Costigan*
Mark & Andrea McQueen***
rogan foundation
Annie & Ian Sale*
dr. david Shaw**
françoise Sutton***
Carol Swallow***
PATRON, $3,750 – $7,499
Mr. Peter A. Allen*
Sue Armstrong****
ron Atkinson &
bruce blandford****
Mona h. bandeen, C. M.**
Karen & bill barnett*
l. h. bartelink in memory of
Oskar & Irmgard Gaube**
dr. frank bartoszek &
Mr. daniel O’brien****
dr. Thomas h. beechy****
doug & Alison bell
Mr. & Mrs. eric belli-bivar***
dr. Catherine bergeron***
Tom bogart & Kathy Tamaki**
dr. Jane brissenden &
dr. Janet roscoe****
Mrs. donna brock***
Margaret & derek brown****
Alice burton***
Joe & laurissa Canavan
Cesaroni Management limited***
Paul G. Cherry &
dean C. noack****
frank Ciccolini****
The rt. hon. Adrienne Clarkson
Mr. & Mrs. William J. Corcoran***
lindy Cowan† & Chris hatley***
norman Curtis****
Ms lindsay dale-harris &
Mr. rupert field-Marsham****
brian J. dawson***
dr. Jeanne deinum****
Carol derk & david Giles**
Mrs. A. ephraim diamond &
family****
Jeffrey douglas
Peter & Anne dotsikas**
Vreni & Marc ducommun***
ron dyck & Walter Stewart***
bud & leigh eisenberg***
Joseph fantl & Moira bartram**
fleur-de-lis Interior design*
Kimberley fobert &
robert lamb†***
The fraser elliott foundation****
dr. & Mrs. Wm. O. Geisler**
The honourable Irving Gerstein &
Mrs. Gail Gerstein**
ben & Sarah Glatt****
Ann J. Gibson****
Peter & Shelagh Godsoe**
rose & roger Goldstein****
Michael & Anne Gough****
ronald & birgitte Granofsky****
douglas & ruth Grant*
John & Judith Grant**
Al & Malka Green**
John Groves &
Vera del Vecchio****
James & Joyce Gutmann****
hampton Securities ltd.*
Scott & ellen hand***
Maggie hayes**
hon. & Mrs. Paul hellyer****
Michiel horn & Cornelia Schuh****
Scott Irvine† & Joan Watson†***
The Jackman foundation***
Victoria Jackman***
Mr. robert C. Jefferies****
dr. Joshua Josephson &
Ms elaine lewis****
lorraine Kaake****
Patrick & barbara Keenan****
dr. Joel Keenleyside****
Jim & diane King**
Joseph Kerzner & lisa Koeper****
dr. elizabeth Kocmur****
Mr. Philip lanouette**
John b. lawson, Q.C.****
Mr. J. levitt & Ms e. Mah*
daniel & Janet li*
Vincent & helene lobraico*
Tom C. logan*
Jonathan &
dorothea lovat dickson**
Mrs. J. l. Malcolm*
dr. & Mrs. M. A. Manuel*
hon. Margaret McCain***
Paul & Jean McGrath****
ronan McGrath & Sarah Perry*
June Mclean****
Mr. Ian McWalter*
Mr. Ulrich Menzefricke****
dr. Judith A. Miller***
Mr. noel Mowat**
eileen Patricia newell***
Sally-Ann noznesky****
e. Oliana & A. Iu***
Janice Oliver**
Keith & brenda Ottaway***
The Ouellette family foundation
dr. & Mrs. William M. Park****
douglas l. Parker****
John & Gwen Pattison*
Polk family Charitable fund**
Julian Porter, Q.C.*
Mary Jean & frank Potter***
Margrit & Tony rahilly****
rob & Penny richards***
Margaret A. riggin*
Gordon robison & david Grant*
Maxwell l. rotstein &
nancy-Gay rotstein****
23
Cameron rusaw &
Anne-Marie Sorrenti
Judy & hy Sarick****
Sam & esther Sarick****
helen & John Scott**
June Shaw &
the late dr. ralph Shaw****
Allan & helaine Shiff****
david & hilary Short***
Judy & hume Smith****
dr. harley Smyth &
Carolyn McIntire Smyth*
dr. John Stanley &
dr. helmut reichenbächer**
drs. Wayne Stanley &
Marina Pretorius*
doreen l. Stanton****
Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Taylor***
Wendy J. Thompson
Anthea Thorp****
Vincent Tovell, O.C.***
Ian Turner**
dita Vadron & James Catty*
rosalind & dory Vanderhoof**
donald & Margaret Walter****
hugh & Colleen Washington*
William r. Waters****
ruth Watts-Gransden****
dr. Virginia Wesson***
dr. Jack Williams &
dr. dorothy Pringle***
Ms lilly Wong*
Tom and ruth Woods****
Mr. & Mrs. richard Wookey***
linda Young*
Tricia Younger*
The Youssef-Warren
foundation****
helen Ziegler***
Sharon Zuckerman****
Anonymous (6)
MEMBER, $2,250 – $3,749
The Acheson family
foundation**
d. C. Adamson-brdar****
Susan Agranove & estate of
dr. larry M. Agranove****
donna & lorne Albaum*
Mr. & Mrs. roberto &
nancy Albis***
david & debbie Allan
Clive & barbara Allen****
Mr. Thomas & Mrs. Claire Allen**
dr. d. Amato & Ms J. hodges****
Anne-Marie h. Applin***
Valerie Armstrong****
Philip Arthur & Mary Wilson*
Virginia Atkin***
John bailey**
James C. baillie*
Marilyn & Charles baillie****
Andrew & Cornelia baines****
Janice A. baker****
richard J. balfour***
Schuyler bankes & family***
lindy barrow**
Julia bass & david hamilton***
Alice & Tom bastedo**
dr. Gail beck, O. Ont. &
Mr. Andrew fenus*
Mr. & Mrs. Peter & Sondra beck*
24
Ms Marie bérard†***
nani & Austin beutel****
dody bienenstock**
John & Mandy birch*
Anneliese and Walter blackwell****
lynn blaser & John van Ogtrop****
darlene & Peter blenich*
Ian & Janet blue**
John & Ila bossons**
Mr. W. bowen &
Ms S. Gavinchuk†****
Mrs. Carolyn bradley-hall &
Mr. William bradley***
Mrs. richard bradshaw***
Peter brieger &
beverley hamblin*
Murray & Judy bryant***
brian bucknall &
Mary Jane Mossman****
Christopher & elizabeth buller
Thomas J. burton**
Maureen Callahan &
douglas Gray**
Margaret harriett Cameron****
Sharon & howard Campbell**
brian & ellen Carr****
Gail Carson****
Ms Carol Cass
dr. & Mrs. Albert Cheskes**
birte von Chlumecky-bauer**
John d. Church
dr. howard M. Clarke***
edward Cole & Adrienne hood**
brian Collins & Amanda demers*
Tony & elizabeth Comper*
Murray & Katherine Corlett****
harold & Anita Corrigan***
dr. lesley S. Corrin****
bram & beth Costin
Gay & derek Cowbourne**
Mr. John A. Crocker &
Mrs. Mary Crocker
ruth & John Crow***
Mary beth Currie & Jeff rintoul
Carrol Anne Curry***
doris J. daughney
david denison &
Maureen flanagan**
Michael & honor de Pencier****
Mrs. rosario de Wit-farro***
Mrs. leonard G. (Anne) delicaet
& Mrs. Kendra Anne delicaetAlmasi****
Mary-Kathleen delicaet &
John Young
Angelo & Carol delZotto***
Mr. & Mrs. A. J. diamond*
J. diGiovanni*
Olwen & frank dixon**
James doak & Patricia best**
Sandra Z. doblinger**
Ms Petrina dolby***
dr. James & Mrs. ellen downey**
Marko duic and Gabriel lau****
Mr. Albert d. dunn*
Mr. Vlad dzavik
William & Gwenda echard****
Jean Patterson edwards*
Wendy & elliott eisen****
Mr. John J. elder & family****
Jordan elliott & lynne Griffin
robert elliott & Paul Wilson**
Christoph emmrich &
Srilata raman
dr. & Mrs. John evans***
fabris Inc.*
Mr. eddy fan
George A. farkass*
Gail & bob farquharson
darren farwell
Catherine fauquier***
bill fearn & Claudia rogers****
Mr. & Mrs. fraser M. fell****
lee & Shannon ferrier***
William & rosemary fillmore**
Mrs. lois fleming****
J. e. fordyce****
david & elizabeth forster***
Margaret & david fountain****
linda & Ken foxcroft*
Mrs. Ingrid fratzl
Mr. Michael A. french**
robert fung**
John & rita Gagliano*
rev. Ivars Gaide &
rev. dr. Anita Gaide***
Ann Gawman***
dr. barry A. Gayle****
Mary & lionel Goffart*
dr. eudice Goldberg*
dr. fay Goldstep &
dr. George freedman**
deanna A. Gontard****
Tina & Michael Gooding***
Wayne A. Gooding****
Goodman family*
dr. noëlle Grace &
The Shohet family***
Jane Greene**
Mr. finn Greflund &
Mrs. M. Ortner**
Mr. Carmen &
Mrs. Vittoria Guglietti**
ellen & Simon Gulden****
Mr. & Mrs. henry hackenspiel****
dan hagler & family***
Mr. Adrian J. hamel
George & Irene hamilton****
John & ruth hannigan*
beverly hargraft**
Paul & Margaret harricks*
Michael harris & Carol rak*
Mr. & Mrs. William b. harris***
Paul & natalie hartman*
Mr. harquail & dr. Sigfridsson*
Caroline helbronner**
Jacques &
elizabeth helbronner***
Thea herman & Gregory King***
William e. hewitt***
Mr. Tom higgins***
Chris hoffmann & Joan eakin**
Pamela hoiles
Sally holton & Stephen Ireland***
emmy & Walter homburger***
drs. Walter & Virginia hryshko*
Anthony C. J. humphreys****
Gillian humphreys*
Peter & hélène hunt****
eva Innes & david Medhurst
dr. Melvyn l. Iscove***
elliott Jacobson & Judy Malkin**
Paul Jaggard & ruth Caswell
lynne Jeffrey***
laurence Jewell**
The norman & Margaret Jewison
Charitable foundation****
Mrs. e. Patricia Johnson**
Ms elizabeth Johnson**
dr. Albert & bette Johnston*
Joyce Johnston***
Alexandra Jonsson
Ms Miriam Kagan
Inta Kierans****
ellen & hermann Kircher****
Martin Kirr
Mr. douglas Klaassen**
Michael & Sonja Koerner**
Murray & Marvelle Koffler****
robin Korthals & Janet Charlton**
dr. robert Kosnik****
Valarie Koziol*
William & eva Krangle****
richard T. la Prairie*
elizabeth & Goulding lambert***
leslie & Jo lander****
Marc lebeau & Guylaine lefebvre
dr. Connie lee**
linda lee & Michael Pharoah****
neal & dominique lee**
dr. richard lee &
Mr. Gary Van haren**
Alexander & Anna leggatt***
Joy levine***
Mr. Peter levitt & Ms Mai Why**
l. liivamagi & dr. d. n. Cash
Justin S. linden
Marjorie & roy linden****
dr. & Mrs. W. G. lindley****
Janet & Sid lindsay***
Anthony J. lisanti***
dr. Vance logan***
A. benson lorriman****
douglas l. ludwig &
Karen J. rice***
James & Connie Macdougall****
Mr. Jed MacKay****
dr. & Mrs. richard Mackenzie****
Macro Properties ltd.**
Ole P. Madsen*
Mr. A. Mafrici****
Susan & Scott Maidment***
dr. Colin McGregor Mailer****
r. Manke****
Mr. & Mrs. r. Gordon Marantz****
fernando &
Marietta Martinez-Caro
Jill & Geoff Matus**
roberto Mauro† & erin Wall
Mrs. ettore Mazzoleni***
dr. & Mrs. John A. McCallum****
Wendy & Chris Mcdowall**
dr. & Mrs. donald C. McGillivray****
darcy & Joyce McKeough*
Mr. brent Mclaughlin
don Mclean & diane Martello
Guy & Joanne Mclean****
M. e. Mcleod****
Shawn Mcreynolds &
elaine Kierans*
dr. don Melady &
Mr. rowley Mossop***
eileen Mercier****
Ms Andrea Miller
Marvene (Cox) &
Gordon Miller**
lee Milliken† &
doug Macnaughton**
Patricia & frank Mills**
dr. & Mrs. Steven Millward
Audrey & david Mirvish***
bruce & Vladka Mitchell*
dr. david n. Mitchell &
dr. Susan M. Till***
robert & Janet Mitchell*
eva Mocarski*
dr. & Mrs. S. Mocarski*
Anne Moore****
Mr. robert Morassutti****
ruth Morawetz & Ken Judd***
Alice Janet Morgan***
Ms rosalind Morrow**
drs. Christopher &
Pippa Moss***
Gael Mourant &
Caroline hubberstey
Mr. Joseph Mulder**
ethel Myers****
Matt & debbie Mysak***
david & Mary neelands***
dr. Shirley C. neuman**
dr. John & Pamela newall****
dr. emilie newell*
dr. Steven nitzkin***
Simon & Marlene nyilassy*
dr. James &
Mrs. Valda Oestreicher***
benson Orenstein***
Martin & Myrna Ossip*
Clarence & Mary Pace**
dr. & Mrs. n. Pairaudeau****
dr. roger d. Pearce***
dr. A. Angus Peller*
John & Penelope Pepperell*
dr. r. G. Perrin**
John & Carol Peterson**
M. J. Phillips****
June C. Pinkney****
robin b. Pitcher***
Wanda Plachta***
Georgia Prassas****
Ms Jill Presser & Mr. John duffy*
dr. Mark Quigley****
Stephen ralls &
bruce Ubukata***
Professor C. edward rathé****
The Carol &
Morton rapp foundation****
Kenneth f. read****
Mrs. richard Gavin reid*
Grant l. reuber***
Mrs. Gabrielle richards**
Carolyn ricketts****
Ms nada ristich
emily & fred rizner**
Clara robert*
dr. Michael & Mary romeo****
John & hannah rosen*
Ken & helen rotenberg**
rainer & Sharyn rothfuss****
The roux family
Peter A. roy & leah Taylor roy
drs. Orest & Maureen rudzik****
david A. ruston***
Ms Sharon Cookie Sandler****
Mallory Morris Sartz &
John Sartz****
Go Sato***
dr. & Mrs. bruce Schaef****
Katalin Schäfer***
fred & Mary Schulz**
dr. Marianne Seger****
Carol Seifert & bruno Tesan***
Victor & rhoda Shields****
Milton & Joyce Shier****
dr. Kevin Shiffman**
William Siegel &
Margaret Swaine**
dr. bernie &
Mrs. bobbie Silverman**
In memory of dr. bernard Slatt*
dr. & Mrs. Jeremy Sloan**
brit & Sally Smith**
Jay Smith & laura rapp*
Ms Muriel Smith &
Mr. eric Ojala****
dr. Joseph So***
Philip Somerville*
John & ellen Spears***
Martha e. Spears***
Phil Spencer****
Alex & Kim Squires****
Oksana r. Stein***
Mr. & Mrs. Gary & Sula Stern*
dr. & Mrs. Stephen Stern***
John d. Stevenson****
Jim Stewart & deborah Swail*
James h. Stonehouse*
Janet Stubbs**
eric Tang & dr. James Miller**
Judith Teller foundation****
Tesari Charitable foundation**
elizabeth Tory****
Mr. Alex Tosheff*
diana Tremain****
Sandra & Guy Upjohn***
dr. r. b. Van Winckle*
edmond &
Sylvia Vanhaverbeke****
Stefan Varga & dr. Marica Varga
Mr. & Mrs. henry &
Ann louise Vehovec***
dr. Yvonne Verbeeten**
dr. helen Vosu &
donald Milner****
richard & nathalie Wachsberg*
dr. O. r. Waler*
elizabeth & Michael Walker***
Ann & Marshall Webb**
Peter Webb & Joan York****
Philip & diana Weinstein*
dr. bogomila Welsh*
Ms eleanor Westney**
Melanie Whitehead**
Mr. brian Wilks*
elizabeth Wilson &
Ian Montagnes****
Jeffrey Stewart Wilson*
Mr. dale Woolridge
dr. Jackson Wu &
dr. Viviana Chang*
Ms June Yee**
Morden Yolles****
dr. howard & Sybil Young****
helen & Walter Zwig****
Anonymous (31)
25
A scene from the COC's Gianni Schicchi, 2012. Photo: Michael Cooper
Join us!
Today’s performance has been made possible, in part, by
the generosity and loyal support of the Friends of the COC*.
Our Friends also support our education and outreach
programs and Ensemble Studio training program.
Become a Friend of the COC and you can join us in the
Friends Lounge at all COC performances, enjoy special
behind-the-scenes working rehearsals and events, receive
our newsletter Prelude, as well as gain access to single
tickets one week prior to the public. All gifts will be gratefully
acknowledged with a charitable tax receipt.
For more information, please stop by the Friends Lounge
located on Ring 3, visit coc.ca, or call 416-847-4949.
*Friends of the COC give a charitable membership gift between $150 – $2,249 annually.
FRIENDS OF THE COC
SUSTAINING FRIENDS
$1,600 – $2,249
Yvonne blaszczyk
Iivi Campbell****
elaine & Michael davies****
Jayne & Ted dawson****
bill heaslip****
I. Mcdorman****
dr. norbert V. Perera****
david Smukler & Patricia Kern**
The Sorbara Group****
Vernon & beryl Turner****
Ms eda Varalli
Gordon Waugh***
dorothy & robert ross***
M. & G. Sanvido****
Ms elisabeth Scarff****
Joan Sinclair & John McConnell**
dr. & Mrs. W. K. Stavraky***
norma & George Steiner****
dr. & Mrs. Karel Terbrugge*
Ms Peg Thoen*
Angela Thompson
dr. M. lynne Thurling &
dr. John Treilhard***
Mr. & Mrs. david G. Trent****
Valery lloyd-Watts
Janet White**
ron Williams*
Anonymous (8)
ASSOCIATE FRIENDS
$1,100 – $1,599
Carol & ernest Albright****
Ms I. M. Allen****
Gail Asper O.C., O.M., lld
Michael & Janet barnard**
Michael benedict &
Martha lowrie****
don biderman****
dr. & Ms b. M. braude**
dr. Wendy C. Chan
Patricia Clarke**
Cogeco data Services Inc.
Mr. Stuart davidson
Mr. darren day***
Mr. Steven d. donohoe****
Mr. larry enkin***
dr. James M. ferguson
Mr. Morris flicht****
r. dalton fowler****
John h. Galloway****
ricardo Gomez-Insausti*
Mrs. Suzy Greenspan**
Mr. James hamilton*
Mr. & Mrs. h. C. hatch****
lawrence & beatrice herman****
In memory of Pauline hinch*
haim & Mardi hirshberg*
david holdsworth &
nicole Senécal*
richard & Susan horner****
Mr. Josef hrdina*
donald hughes***
James hughes**
Karen & Craig*
Ms Suanne Kelman &
dr. Allan J. fox*
Mrs. Mary liitoja****
deidre lynch*
P. Anne Mackay****
Mrs. Janet Maggiacomo**
Georgina Mclennan****
dr. davender Mehra &
Mrs. ellis Galea Kirkland
Mr. Carl Morey****
Mr. Sean O'neill***
Ms Marianne Orr*
eileen & ralph Overend*
Mr. Martti Paloheimo**
barbara & Peter Pauly**
Ms Victoria Pinnington***
Alice Pitt & deborah britzman
Mr. & Mrs. domenic Porporo*
Prometheum Institute***
dr. Peter ray***
CONTRIBUTING FRIENDS
$700 – $1,099
dr. I. l. babb fund at the Toronto
Community foundation****
Peter & leslie barton**
Mrs. lynn bayer***
dr. robert bell
Catherine belyea†
Jeniva berger***
Anthony bird****
dr. b. derek & dr. Anne W. birt****
dr. Jennifer blake*
ellen & Murray blankstein
Mary brock & brian Iler****
Mr. Thomas n. bryson**
Ms Judith burrows**
Ms e. burton***
betty Carlyle****
Mark Cestnik & natercia Sousa****
Geoffrey & bilgi Chapman****
harold Chmara & danny hoy****
Jillian Clarke
Joe T. r. Clarke****
Sherri Clarkson
d. M. Cook***
robert d. Cook**
Mr. neil Crawford*
Professor K. G. davey**
Anita day
don deboer & brent Vickar***
Mr. Michael disney*
dr. eric domville**
Wendy drahovzal
dr. Christine dunbar**
howard & Kathrine eckler**
Peter & Shashi eden**
Ms eleanor l. ellins****
roger & Janet emery***
Mr. Arthur english*
Joe & helen feldmann**
brian A. ferguson****
Tom flemming****
Jennifer & frank flower***
Marie-lison fougere*
Angelo furgiuele & family*
douglas G. Gardner****
elinor Gill ratcliffe C.M., O.n.l.,
lld (hc)
Alison Girling & Paul Schabas**
Aviva & Andrew Goldenberg**
dr. Wilfred S. Goodman****
david Gordon &
Wendy flores Gordon*
In memory of n. bruce Grandfield
Mrs. Marion A. Green****
dr. & Mrs. Voldemars Gulens****
dr. & Mrs. brian &
Cynthia hands****
roy & Gail harrison****
Sandra hausman**
In memory of Glenda henniger*
Mr. Matthew hilgerdenaar
In memory of Pauline hinch**
Mr. Sylvain houle*
dr. Ivan & Mrs. diana hronsky****
In loving memory of
Joyce Whitney hughes
Mr. Pierre hurtubise****
Mr. david hutton**
Mr. Sumant Inamdar**
Mr. Kazik Jedrzejczak****
douglas & dorothy Joyce****
Ms elisa Kearney
Ms Meredith Keeve
heidi & Khalid Khokhar****
lilian Kilianski† &
brian Pritchard*
Mai Kirch****
dr. & Mrs. l. A. Kitchell****
Mr. Christopher J. Kowal
Mr. Jonathan Krehm*
Gediminas P. Kurpis****
Mr. James r. lake****
harry lane**
M. J. horsfall large**
Miss donna lasecki****
Giles le riche &
rosemary Polczer***
Claus & heather lenk*
Mr. Yakov lerner
Jason & Stephanie lewis
dr. francois loubert*
Mr. Andrew & Mrs. harriet lyons
Kathy Marton*
Mary McClymont****
Mary McGowan****
Jil McIntosh**
Mr. bruce McKeown***
Janis Medland*
Sylvia McPhee****
Suzanne Mess***
dr. Alan C. Middleton**
Kamini & lynne Milnes
frank & Anne Moir**
Anne Murdock**
Mr. Tomi nishio****
david northcote &
Suzanne betcke*
Ms Cristina Oke**
Karen Olinyk†*
Mr. James C. Pappas****
Mr. Joseph &
Mrs. letizia Paradiso***
Pauline & donald
david Peachey &
Georgia henderson**
Mrs. dorothy K. Piepke****
ed & beth Price***
Mr. robert radke
dr. Shelley rechner****
Marat ressin
Ms laura rimas*
Mr. Jason roberts**
Ms Virginia robeson*
Amye & deeAnn hagler Sagar†
William &
Meredith Saunderson****
27
Patti & richard Schabas**
nancy A. Schiefer in memory of
Walter Schiefer***
Schuyler bankes & family***
henry & Mary Seldon****
Cheryl Shook**
d. bruce Sinclair**
John Spears****
helga & Klaus Stegemann***
Jane & Ted Stephenson****
hamish Stewart &
Susan Taylor****
Stoesser law Office
Ms Michelle Tan**
dr. r. Paul Thompson*
ria Tietz****
dr. Claude Tousignant**
Mrs. Maria Tulip****
Mrs. norene Turvolgyi****
dr. nancy f. Vogan****
Mr. Wayne Vogan†****
George Vona & lark Popov**
dr. Peter Voore***
Angela & Michael Vuchnich****
Mr. John M. Welch****
James & Margaret Whitby****
nina Wright**
Ms Iris Zawadowski*
Anonymous (5)
THE ENCORE LEGACY
The encore legacy is the
planned giving program of the
Canadian Opera Company.
Planned giving is making the
decision today to provide a
gift for the Canadian Opera
Company that may not be
realized until after your lifetime.
Gifts planned today, that will
ultimately affect your estate,
allow you to make a statement
of support that will become
a lasting legacy to the COC.
gratefully acknowledges and
thanks the following individuals
who have included the COC
in their estate planning:
Susan Agranove &
estate of dr. larry M. Agranove
Isobel Allen
renata Arens & elizabeth frey
Mrs. rosalen Armstrong
ron Atkinson &
bruce blandford
lindy barrow
Mr. l. h. bartelink
J. linden best & James G. Kerr
david bowen
Marnie M. bracht
Gregory brandt
Ann Christie
earl Clark
The rt. hon. Adrienne Clarkson
brian Collins & Amanda demers
earlaine Collins
david h. Cormack
28
ninalee Craig
Anita day & robert Mcdonald
Ann de brouwer
helen drake
rowland d. Galbraith
douglas G. Gardner
Ann J. Gibson
Michael & Anne Gough
l. A. Grover
George & Irene hamilton
Joan l. harris
James hewson
John r. higgins
Mr. Kim Yim ho &
Walter frederic Thommen
douglas e. hodgson
Matt hughes
Michael & linda hutcheon
lynne Jeffrey
Ann Kadrnka
ben Kizemchuk
Kathryn Kossow
Mr. Gurney Kranz
Jo lander
Peggy lau
Tom C. logan, A.r.C.T.
Marjorie & roy linden
Ms lenore Macdonald
dr. Colin M. Mailer
r. Manke
Tim & Jane Marlatt
Mr. Shawn Martin
Margaret McKee
Sylvia M. McPhee
dr. Alan C. Middleton
eleanor Miller
Sigmund & elaine Mintz
donald Morse
Sue Mortimer
Mr. & Mrs. James d. Patterson
Mervyn Pickering
Gunther & dorothy Piepke
Wanda Plachta
Ms Georgia Prassas
K. f. read
dr. John reeve-newson
Mrs. Margaret russell
Cookie & Stephen Sandler
Claire Shaw
r. bonnie Shettler
david e. Spiro
dr. d. P. Stanley-Porter
doreen l. Stanton
lilly Offenbach-Strauss
drs. W. & K. Stavraky
Janet Stubbs
Ann Sutton
ronald Taber
Mrs. l. Treutler
riki Turofsky &
Charles Petersen
n. Suzanne Vanstone
Marie-laure Wagner
hugh & Colleen Washington
Marion C. Wilson
Marion York
Tricia Younger
Anonymous (59)
OPERATOURS DONORS
$700 +
(From October 2012 –
December 2013)
dr. eric W. Amann**
howard & ruth barrett****
Ian & Janet blue**
Ms Victoria burenko*
Ms e. burton***
louise Coxall***
edward Cummings &
Margaret Kelly****
ben & Sarah Glatt****
dr. Irene Gulka*
donald Gutteridge &
Anne Millar****
Ms fawzia Khan*
dr. elizabeth Kocmur****
earl law****
Mrs. J. l. Malcolm*
Ms Antonieta Marticorena****
Mary McClymont****
Mr. Alex Moraru*
Mrs. Christa nimmo****
Mr. Michael r. Overbury***
rainer & Sharyn rothfuss****
Mr. Michael Samborsky**
beverly & fred Schaeffer****
Stephen & Jane Smith****
Paul & Maria Szasz****
Ms Grace Szczerbowski
ria Tietz****
david roffey & Karen Walsh***
Ms June Yee**
Anonymous (5)
CORPORATE MATCHING
PARTNERS
gratefully acknowledges the
following organizations that
have matched gifts by their
employees:
Canadian Tire Corporation
limited
IbM Canada ltd.
Ivanhoe Cambridge Inc
Goodman & Company,
Investment Counsel ltd.
fM Global foundation
The above Individual Support Gifts
were made as of January 7, 2014
*
**
***
****
†
‡
five to nine years of support
10 to 14 years of support
15 to 19 years of support
20 or more years of support
COC administration, chorus
or orchestra member
endowment
despite the staff’s extensive efforts
to avoid errors and omissions,
mistakes can occur. If your name
was omitted, listed incorrectly or
misspelled, we apologize for any
inconvenience this may have caused.
We would appreciate being notified
of any errors at 416-847-4949.
WARM UP THIS WINTER AT
THE OPERA SHOP
This winter we’re introducing more I HEART COC custommade merchandise including mugs, pens, cufflinks and tie
clips! And of course the beloved COC teddy bear is back!
We’re thrilled to showcase once more the stunning jewellery
of TwoA (right) and PJ Bundy and welcome for the first
time Danielle O’Connor and her exquisite, handmade
jewellery, featuring beautifully faceted stones. Also new to
the Opera Shop is the vintage lace jewellery line of THISILK.
The Opera Shop is located on the main floor of the Isadore
and Rosalie Sharp City Room, open before, during, and
(sometimes) after all performances.
MEET THE JEWELLERS!
WINTER TRUNK SHOW DATES
Saturday, February 1, 4:30 p.m.
TwoA Jewellery
Sunday, February 16, 2 p.m.
PJ Bundy
Featured recordings from Universal Classics:
CD Così fan tutte, Decca. The Chamber Orchestra of Europe,
Georg Solti, conductor. Renée Fleming, Anne Sofie von Otter,
Adelina Scarabelli and Frank Lopardo. Sir Georg Solti’s digital
Così, recorded live at London’s Royal Festival Hall in 1994, has
been hailed as one of the finest versions of Mozart’s miraculous
score on disc. Renée Fleming is a commanding Fiordiligi,
conveying all that character’s tragic vulnerability with enough
pathos to melt even the hardest of hearts. $38 including tax
DVD Un ballo in maschera Deutsche Grammophon. The
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus and Ballet, James
Levine, conductor. Luciano Pavarotti, Leo Nucci, Aprile Millo
and Florence Quivar. Luciano Pavarotti’s sunny personality and
quintessentially Italianate tone found their perfect match in
Ballo’s blindly cheerful Riccardo, often cited as his greatest role.
Piero Faggioni’s sumptuous production opts for the opera’s 18thcentury Swedish court setting. $25.75 including tax
The Opera Shop is a project of the Canadian Opera Company, in
partnership with L’Atelier Grigorian and Decca – The Opera Label.
All proceeds support the Canadian Opera Company.
MAJOR CORPORATE SPONSORS
2013/2014 SEASON
bMO financial Group Pre-Performance Opera Chats
and bMO financial Group Student dress rehearsals.
Mozart’s Così fan tutte underwritten in part by
Official Automotive Sponsor
of the COC at the fSCPA
Presenting Sponsor
of SUrTITleS™
Major Supporter, ensemble Studio
Competition Supporter, Centre Stage:
ensemble Studio Competition Gala
Glencore ensemble Studio
School Tour
Presenting Sponsor
Opera Under 30
and Operanat10n:
A Night of Temptation
Presenting Sponsor
After School Opera Program
Preferred hospitality
Sponsor
30
Official Canadian
Wine of the COC
at the fSCPA
Presenting Sponsor
Weekday rush Subscriptions
Official Media Sponsor
Production Sponsor
Verdi’s A Masked Ball
Preferred fragrance
Preferred Medical
Services Provider
2013/2014 SPONSORS
DIAMOND PERFORMANCE SPONSORS
HOSTING SPONSOR
PERFORMANCE SPONSORS
barrick Gold
burgundy Asset Management
linden & Associates
fionn MacCool’s
four Seasons hotels and resorts
McCarthy Tetrault llP
norton rose Canada llP
PWC
PROGRAM SPONSOR
Great West life, london life and Canada life,
Living Opera Program Sponsor
OPENING NIGHT SPONSOR
fionn MacCool’s
LA BOHÉME OPENING NIGHT SPONSOR
San Pellegrino
PREFERRED FLORISTS
bloom The flower Company
Quince flowers
CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION DONORS
MAJOR GIFTS
$10,000+
Audrey S. hellyer Charitable foundation
The hal Jackman fund
at the Ontario Arts foundation
J.P. bickell foundation
The lloyd Carr harris foundation
OCC lasik
The Mclean foundation
Anonymous (1)
$5,000 to $9,999
225490 Investments limited
local 58 Charitable benefit fund
Unit Park holdings Inc.
The hope Charitable foundation
Shinex Window Cleaning Inc
State Street
$3,000 to $4,999
Classical 96.3 fM
hicks Memorial fund
at The Calgary foundation
Vida Peene fund
at the Canada Council for the Arts
$2,000 to $2,999
d’Avignon freight Services Inc.
Jarvis & Associates
MAC Cosmetics
Milgram Group of Companies ltd.
$1,000 to $1,999
Aimia
loyaltyOne Inc.
McKinsey & Company
The Powis family foundation
CENTRE STAGE:
2013 ENSEMBLE STUDIO COMPETITION GALA
COMPETITION SUPPORTERS
rbC and rbC foundation
Peter M. deeb
hal Jackman foundation
PLATINUM SPONSOR
Mercedes-benz
GOLD SPONSOR
brookfield Asset Management
extuple
Scotiabank
OPERANAT10N:
A NIGHT OF TEMPTATION
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Td bank Group
VIP SPONSOR
J.P. Morgan
OFFICIAL FRAGRANCE
Calvin Klein dOWnTOWn
PARTNERING SPONSORS
burgundy Asset Management
Globalive Communications Corp.
CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS
bMO financial Group
Weirfoulds llP
EVENT SPONSORS
10tation
Alan Candy
Chair-man Mills
KAelen
Knot Pr
lilium
Media needs
Mill St.
Perrier
Sheridan nurseries
Toronto life
Trius Wines
FINE WINE AUCTION 2013
PRESENTING SPONSORS
Td Securities
bloomberg
SUPPORTING SPONSOR
blake, Cassels & Graydon llP
CHEESE SPONSOR
Scheffler’s delicatessen & Cheese
CHOCOLATE SPONSOR
rheo Thompson Candies
2013/2014 MEDIA SPONSORS &
IN-KIND SUPPORTERS
remenyi house of Music ltd.
31
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges the generous support
of these government agencies and departments.
OPERATING SUPPORT
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $157 million
to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.
nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. l’an dernier, le Conseil a investi 157 millions de dollars
pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays.
ENSEMBLE STUDIO
SPECIAL PROJECT FUNDING
for the many programs and special initiatives undertaken each year by the Canadian Opera Company,
we gratefully acknowledge project funding from:
department of Canadian heritage
employment and Social development Canada
CREDITS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Canadian Opera Company would like to thank all those who volunteer
both on a daily basis and for special events with the company.
Michael Cooper: Official photographer
The COC is a member of Opera America and Opera.ca.
The COC operates in agreement with Canadian Actors’ equity Association.
The COC operates in agreement with I.A.T.S.e., local #58,
local #822, local #828.
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Connor Mcneil
Arman Mohammadpour
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Isla Parekh
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lawrence Wraith
GOOSEBUMPS
INCLUDED.
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many ways. We are proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of
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10
THINGS
TO KNOW
ABOUT
VERDI’S
A MASKED BALL
BY NIKITA GOURSKI AND GIANMARCO SEGATO
MAKING THE OLD NEW
1. It was the first and only time in Verdi’s
STOCKHOLM TO BOSTON
3. As Verdi worked on the opera with his
career that he adapted an already existing
libretto, Gustave III, ou Le bal masque by
Eugène Scribe. Scribe’s libretto had been
set to music by French composer Daniel
Auber in 1833 and enjoyed great success
at its premiere in Paris.
translator and librettist, Antonio Somma,
the royal censors in Naples demanded
a number of changes. The opera went
through three different titles, and just
as many historical periods and locations
(18th-century Stockholm, 17th-century
Pomerania, 14th-century Florence), before
ending up at the centre of a legal dispute
between Verdi and the management of
the Teatro San Carlo. The courts released
Verdi from his contract in Naples, and the
composer took his opera to another theatre
in Rome. There, the original Swedish
A HISTORICAL OPERA
2. The libretto was based on the 1792
assassination of the progressive and widely
adored King Gustav III of Sweden. Gustav
was shot at a masked ball in Stockholm
and died several days later.
18
Above: The COC presents A Masked Ball. Catherine
Naglestad as Amelia and Piotr Beczala as Riccardo in the
Berlin Staatsoper production, 2008. Photo: Ruth Walz
Below: Portrait of Verdi, 1886, by Giovanni Boldini (Galería
Nacional de Arte Moderno de Roma)
setting was also rejected, but Verdi proposed
17th-century Boston as an alternative, with
a governor instead of a king, which satisfied
all parties involved. It was in this version
that A Masked Ball finally premiered in Rome
in 1859. The Boston setting was the standard
version throughout Europe in Verdi’s lifetime, though within two years of the opera’s
premiere, a production in Paris had set the
action in Italy.
EXTERNAL DETAILS WEREN’T
OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE
4. The opera’s genesis shows that what
was critical for Verdi in Masked Ball was
not so much the outer detail – a particular
city or a nobleman’s rank – but the universal
structures that govern our most private
and public relationships.
19
10 Things to Know About Verdi's A Masked Ball
The COC presents A Masked Ball. A scene from the
Berlin Staatsoper production, 2008. Photo: Ruth Walz
A COMPLEX LOVE TRIANGLE
5. A Masked Ball marked Verdi’s move
away from melodrama toward subjects of
greater emotional complexity. The characters
here are multi-faceted, experiencing intense
conflicts of the heart and mind. The Governor
Riccardo is in love with his best friend’s
wife, Amelia, but realizes that unchecked
ardour would only compromise her marriage
and lead to misery. Similarly, Amelia feels
real passion for Riccardo but can’t bring
himself to betray her husband Renato.
Meanwhile Renato – probably the most
complex baritone part Verdi ever wrote – is
devastated when he discovers what appears
to be an affair between Amelia and Riccardo,
the man he has sworn to protect with
his life against a brewing conspiracy.
Remarkably, Renato never turns into a
one-dimensional villain and Verdi gives
him a broad spectrum of conflicting
emotions, from vengeful bloodlust that
wants revenge, to grief at the breakdown
of his marriage, and from pain at being
betrayed to sorrow at the loss of a friend
he loved and admired.
20
BLENDING COMEDY
AND TRAGEDY
6. This opera is Verdi’s most successful
fusion of light and dark styles. The
commingling of tragedy and comedy
is most striking during the opera’s final
scene when the stage band at the masked
ball, apparently unaware that the Governor
has been shot, continues to play upbeat
dance music while Riccardo succumbs
to his wounds.
VERDI LOOKS TO
FRENCH MODELS
7. In composing to a French libretto, Verdi
opted to use musical forms associated with
19th-century French opera. This is especially
true of the music he wrote for the page
Oscar, who often sings in straight-forward
French couplets (two-versed songs) that
lighten the mood with fun and mischief.
The part of Oscar is traditionally performed
as a pants role (a male character played
by a female singer), but in this production
Oscar’s character is presented as a young
woman.
10 Things to Know About Verdi's A Masked Ball
A MODERN AMERICAN SETTING
8. This production takes place in an
America of the 50s and 60s, but makes
references to symbols and iconography
outside that epoch – for example the
extravagant outfit Oscar wears to the
masked ball is a theatrical wink citing
Björk’s “swan dress” at the 2001 Oscars.
In drawing from a broad spectrum of
real and mythic American tropes, this
production presents a completely invented
“modern America,” reinforcing Verdi’s
artistic recommendation that “to copy
reality can be a good thing, but to invent
reality is much, much better.”
A VERSATILE HOTEL
9. The set is a hotel ballroom that can
transform seamlessly into different locales
of the opera. During Act II, for example,
when Amelia is in a cemetery by the
gallows, the lighting dims, the columns of
the ballroom suddenly became transparent
to reveal vine-like plants crawling upward,
and chandeliers lower to create the illusion
of treetops that rustle and sway in the wind.
The single set complements the action of
A Masked Ball, one of Verdi’s most compact
and propulsive operas.
A RENOWNED
DIRECTORIAL TEAM
10. Two-time winners of the “Directorial
Team of the Year” recognition (2002 and
2012), selected by an international panel
of 50 critics contributing to the magazine
Opernwelt, Jossi Wieler and Sergio
Morabito have also been the recipients
of “Der Faust” – a major German theatre
award – for best opera staging (2006 and
2012). They are renowned for immersing
themselves deeply in the score and
following the nexus of text and music
to arrive at their production’s aesthetic
and thematic focus. When Jossi Wieler
was recently appointed head of the
Stuttgart Opera, the Financial Times
noted that it meant a welcome return
to “productions based firmly on score and
text” and praised him and Morabito for
their “unshakeable faith in the score.”
When it premiered in 2008, this production
of A Masked Ball was hailed by Bloomberg
for being “unashamedly entertaining”
and having the “cinematic dynamism
and the velocity of a good thriller.” n
A STELLAR CAST
The production stars Canadian soprano
Adrianne Pieczonka (Dialogues des
Carmélites, Tosca), who makes her role debut
as Amelia. Tenor Dimitri Pittas returns
(La Bohème, Rigoletto) as the Governor
Riccardo, while English baritone Roland
Wood makes his COC debut as Renato.
Russian mezzo-soprano Elena Manistina
makes a welcome return as Ulrica after
her Dora-award winning performance in
the COC’s Il Trovatore (2012).
Adrianne
Pieczonka
(Amelia)
Dimitri
Pittas
(Riccardo)
Roland
Wood
(Renato)
Elena
Manistina
(Ulrica)
Nikita Gourski is Development Communications
Officer and Gianmarco is Adult Education Manager
at the Canadian Opera Company.
FOR FURTHER INSIGHT INTO THE CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY’S PRODUCTION OF A MASKED BALL,
PLEASE READ VERDI GOES TO ELSEWHERE, U.S.A., IN THE WINTER ISSUE OF PRELUDE, AVAILABLE ONLINE AT
COC.CA/PUBLICATIONS.
21
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FALSTAFF
VERDI
A Feast of Laughs
Falstaff’s life of sport and pleasure comes
crashing down when his appetites lead
to an ill-advised seduction scheme in this
adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives
of Windsor. Verdi had more fun writing
Falstaff than probably anything else in his
career, and it shows in the quicksilver
melodies and upbeat tempos of this joyous,
life-affirming comedy.
This new COC production, directed by Robert
Carsen, has already delighted audiences in
New York, Milan and London, and transports
us to England, circa 1950. It is a time
when the aristocracy – represented by the
lecherous yet lovable Sir John Falstaff –
is fading into obscurity, while a powerful
middle class is emerging. The battle between
the noblesse and the nouveau riche takes
us from the wood-panelled rooms of a posh
country inn to the pastel-coloured kitchens
of the bourgeoisie, from an enchanting scene
in the forest to a lavish banquet, with Falstaff’s
beloved food and drink a unifying theme
throughout. World-famous Canadian baritone
Gerald Finley makes his role debut as Falstaff,
and serves up the always-welcome lesson
of being able to laugh at ourselves.
October 3 – November 1, 2014
NEW COC CO-PRODUCTION with
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden;
Teatro alla Scala, Milan; Metropolitan Opera
and De Nederlandse Opera
JOIN US IN 2014/2015
Underwritten
in part by
Production
Supported by
Main image: Gerald Finley. Photo: Gary Mulcahey, 2013.
Inset: Falstaff (Teatro alla Scala, 2013). Photo: Rudy Amisano
22
EARLY
DIAGNOSIS.
PROMPT
TREATMENT.
BETTER
OUTCOMES.
Complete a Comprehensive Health
Assessment (CHA) at the Medcan Clinic
and Medcan will give $250 to the Canadian
Opera Company.*
Beyond a traditional medical, Medcan’s
detailed CHA includes:
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today.
“The head-to-toe medical
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the follow-up care we needed.”
— Alexander Neef
General Director
Canadian Opera Company
Medcan is the Preferred Medical
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Canadian Opera Company.
Call 416.350.7103 or email [email protected]
and quote promo code: COC250.
To learn more, visit medcan.com
* Comprehensive Health Assessment must be
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SEE SIX
OPERAS
FROM JUST
$
169
Puccini’s heartbreaking masterpiece
of love, longing and loss
Following its 1990 premiere, the COC’s exquisitely beautiful Madama
Butterfly immediately achieved classic status as “one of the treasures
of the COC’s collection” (Globe and Mail). It tellingly situates
Butterfly’s little house as an island on the stage, revealing her isolation
from family and community, as well as her ultimate abandonment
by the American husband in whose empty vows she blindly places
her future.
Butterfly is simply the most vocally challenging, emotionally complex
heroine in all Italian opera. She must embody strength and fragility
in equal measure – qualities which abound in the great American
singing actress Patricia Racette, whose Butterfly touched millions
in the recent Metropolitan Opera HD transmission, and “can rightly
stand among the great Butterflies of her era” (Opera News). Racette’s
golden voice will carry Puccini’s best-loved melodies into the
sonorous warmth of the Four Seasons Centre, and will be matched
in beauty by the breathtaking simplicity
of Brian MacDonald and Susan
Benson’s impeccable production.
Racette shares the role with her
fellow American soprano,
Kelly Kaduce.
MADAMA
BUTTERFLY
October 10 – 31, 2014
PUCCINI
COC PRODUCTION
JOIN US IN
2014/2015
Production originally made
possible by John A. Cook
Main image: Patricia Racette. Photo: Gary Mulcahey, 2013.
Inset: Allyson McHardy and Adina Nitescu in
Madama Butterfly (COC, 2009). Photo: Michael Cooper
24
MASTERS
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STERS OF
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LOS
OS ANGELES
ANGELES PHI
PHILHARMONIC
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GUSTAVO DUDAMEL, CONDUCTOR
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014 8PM
ROY THOMSON HALL
Corigliano: Symphony No.1
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Sponsored by
“Under Salonen,
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the most interesting
orchestra in America;
under Dudamel, it
shows no signs of
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60
DON GIOVANNI
MOZART
Don Giovanni’s dangerous allure
is a force to be reckoned with in this
game-changing production
Mozart wrote three great operas with Lorenzo da Ponte:
The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni,
which the COC will present next winter (2015). The starstudded cast includes Russell Braun, Jane Archibald and
Michael Schade in director Dmitri Tcherniakov’s enthralling
production of this darkly witty masterpiece in which Don
Juan – the icon of seduction – is brought to blistering life,
his almost supernatural, sexual magnetism undimmed as
he faces his inevitable downfall.
One of the most exciting new directors in the
world of opera today, Moscow-born Dmitri
Tcherniakov (best director, 2013 Opera
Awards) will make his COC debut with
another of his deeply considered,
unconventional, and always honest
productions that have produced
some of the most inspired operatic
performances ever witnessed. His
intense rehearsal process plumbs the
psychological possibilities of this work and
the characters become part of one
extended family, who are, in one way
or another, brought into the web of
the unforgettable title character, who
is partly inspired by Marlon Brando’s
performance in Last Tango in Paris.
We’re presenting this new
co-production of Don Giovanni in
collaboration with Bolshoi Theatre
of Russia, Teatro Real Madrid and
Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, where,
when it premiered in 2010, it was
described by the Financial Times
as “a thrillingly accomplished Don
Giovanni that caught us off guard.”
January 24 – February 21, 2015
NEW COC CO-PRODUCTION
with Festival d’Aix-en-Provence,
Teatro Real Madrid and Bolshoi Theatre
Production
Supported by
Main image: Russell Braun. Photo: Gary Mulcahey, 2013.
Inset: Kerstin Avemo and Bo Skovhus in Don Giovanni
(Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, 2010). Photo: Pascal
Victor/Artcomart
26
SEE SIX
OPERAS
FROM JUST
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169
It takes a goddess
to make a hero
Director Atom Egoyan and designer Michael
Levine breathe life into Wagner’s incredibly
powerful drama that was part of the Ring
Cycle which opened the Four Seasons
Centre in 2006 to rave reviews, and is at
once both monumental yet deeply intimate
in subject matter.
The second of four epic operas that make
up Wagner’s enormous Ring Cycle explores
the forbidden love between separated-at-birth
siblings Siegmund and Sieglinde, whose
union marks the beginning of the downfall of
the gods. Die Walküre charts their treacherous
journey alongside Wotan, ruler of the gods, and
Brünnhilde, the mighty Valkyrie heroine who is
caught between familial obedience and moral truth.
Conductor Johannes Debus leads a star-studded
cast, headed by Christine Goerke as the indomitable
Brünnhilde, whose COC debut also marks a muchcoveted role debut. Clifton Forbis takes on the
role of the fierce Siegmund. The ever-impressive
full force of the COC Orchestra tackles
Wagner’s colossal score that features some
of the most impressive music ever conceived.
This is a legend of heroes and gods, and
forbidden love and revenge, and it
sets the stage for the subsequent
instalments of Wagner’s most
magnificent artistic achievement.
DIE WALKÜRE
RICHARD WAGNER
January 31 – February 22, 2015
COC PRODUCTION
Main image: Christine Goerke.
Photo: Gary Mulcahey, 2013.
Inset: Die Walküre (COC, 2006).
Photo: Michael Cooper
27
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THE
BARBER
OF SEVILLE
ROSSINI
Masters of comedy bring
colour, whimsy and frenzied
perfection to this Rossini romp
The work of Spanish theatre troupe Els Comediants
came to international prominence in 1992 with
the spectacular fire ceremony they designed
for the closing of the Barcelona Olympics.
Since then they have continued pioneering
live theatre of unbounded vitality, combining
carnival and circus performance traditions with
puppetry, dance, acrobatics and pantomime.
With this new COC production of Rossini’s
greatest comedy, the freewheeling Spaniards
return to Toronto. Their Cubist-inspired sets
toy with scale and proportion, while bursts
of day-glo colour and innovative lighting
conjure a fantasy world hovering between
fairy-tale and hilarious vaudeville.
Hitting all the high notes is an impressive cast
of voices led by “dynamite performer” (Opera
News) Joshua Hopkins, and “vocally flawless”
(Munich Merkur) Met tenor Alek Shrader.
Rossini’s score is a veritable hit parade, with
showstoppers and sparkling tunes aplenty,
while the creative magic on stage reminds us
how much sheer fun can be had at the opera –
a confection the entire family can enjoy.
April 17 – May 22, 2015
NEW COC CO-PRODUCTION
with Houston Grand Opera,
Opéra National de Bordeaux
and Opera Australia
Production
Sponsor
Production
Supported by
Main image: Christine Goerke. Photo: Gary Mulcahey, 2013.
Inset: The Barber of Seville (Houston Grand Opera, 2011).
Photo: Felix Sanchez
28
Mystery. Murder. Madness.
Robert Lepage’s ground-breaking production of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and
Schoenberg’s Erwartung astounded Toronto
audiences at its 1993 premiere, establishing
the COC as one of the world’s most visionary
and compelling opera companies. Lepage’s
spectacular and surprising integration of
movement, light and theatrical slight-of-hand
subsequently garnered world-wide acclaim
in New York, Edinburgh, Melbourne and
Hong Kong.
SEE SIX
OPERAS
FROM JUST
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These two revolutionary early 20th-century
scores now return home to Toronto where
their stunning sonic and visual effects will be
experienced for the first time in the acoustic
splendour of the Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts.
Superstar Canadian bass John Relyea (The
Tales of Hoffmann, 2012) sings the strangely
alluring Duke Bluebeard who inhabits a dark,
mysterious castle whose secrets he does
not want revealed. Powerhouse Russian
mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova
(Don Quichotte, 2014) portrays his fatally
curious new wife, Judit. Schoenberg’s
monodrama about a woman spiraling into
madness stars Canadian mezzo-soprano
Krisztina Szabó (Love From Afar, 2012).
COC Music Director Johannes Debus
conducts the extraordinary COC Orchestra.
BLUEBEARD’S
CASTLE/
ERWARTUNG
BARTÓK/SCHOENBERG
May 6 – 23, 2015
COC PRODUCTION
Main image: John Relyea.
Photo: Gary Mulcahey, 2013.
Inset: Peter Fried and Sara Fulgoni in
Bluebeard’s Castle (COC, 2001).
Photo: Michael Cooper
29
PATRON INFORMATION
AND POLICIES
Etiquette
Patrons are reminded that R. Fraser Elliott Hall is
an extremely lively auditorium and that all audience
noise will be accentuated and audible to other patrons.
Turn off all electronic devices, avoid talking, coughing,
humming, moving loose seats, kicking the backs of seats,
rustling programs, and unwrapping candies or cough
drops. In consideration of patrons with allergies please
avoid wearing strongly perfumed beauty products
and fragrances. Please remain in your seat until the
performance has completely ended and the house
lights have been turned on.
Electronic Devices
The use of mobile and smartphones and all other
electronic devices is extremely disruptive and is strictly
prohibited during performances. If a patron has
an emergency and needs to be contacted during
a performance, he or she should contact Patron
Services for assistance before the performance.
Cameras/Recording Devices
The use of cameras, video cameras or sound-recording
devices of any kind is prohibited in R. Fraser Elliott Hall
during performances. Any person using an unauthorized
recording device while the performance is in progress
will be required to surrender or erase any recordings,
photographic or digital images and may be asked to
leave. No refunds will be issued.
Latecomers
In the interest of safety and for the comfort of all
patrons and performers, latecomers may not enter the
auditorium or be seated unless there is a suitable break
in the performance (usually intermission). Patrons
leaving the auditorium during the performance or
returning late after intermission may not be readmitted
or may be accommodated in an alternate viewing location.
Children and Babes-in-Arms
All patrons, including children, must have a ticket for
the performance. All children must be seated next to
an accompanying adult. Young children should be able
to sit quietly throughout the performance. If unable
to do so, children and their accompanying adult will
be asked to leave the auditorium. Babes-in-arms will
not be admitted.
Patron Services
Located in the Lower Lobby, the following services are
available: coat and parcel check, booster seats, back
supports, infrared hearing-assistive devices and rental
of binoculars, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Medical Emergencies and First Aid
A house doctor is present at all performances.
Please contact an usher if medical services are required.
Lost and Found
During performances please speak with an usher or visit
Patron Services at the Coat Check in the Lower Lobby.
Following performances, all lost and found items will
be stored at the security desk at Stage Door. Please call
416-363-6671 for information.
30
Ticket Services
Canadian Opera Company subscriptions and individual
tickets are available through COC Ticket Services
ONLINE:
coc.ca
BY PHONE:
416-363-8231
or long distance 1-800-250-4653
Monday to Friday – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
IN PERSON: Four Seasons Centre Box Office
145 Queen St. W.
Monday to Saturday – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
or through first intermission
Sunday (performance days only) –
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or through first
intermission
The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Box Office also services ticketing needs for The National
Ballet of Canada and all other Four Seasons Centre events.
Group Sales
Groups of 10 or more enjoy savings on regular individual
ticket prices. For more information or to reserve seats
call 416-306-2356.
Parking
There is parking on a first-come, first-served basis for
about 200 vehicles underneath the Four Seasons Centre.
The entrance is located on the west side of York Street,
south of Queen Street. Additional parking is conveniently
located just steps away in the Green P lot underneath
Nathan Phillips Square. For directions visit greenp.com.
Four Seasons Centre Facility Tours
Tours of the Four Seasons Centre now include
backstage access! For more information, visit
fourseasonscentre.ca.
BMO Financial Group Pre-Performance Opera Chats
The Canadian Opera Company Volunteer Speakers
Bureau offers free, insightful chats about the stories,
music and background of all COC performances,
45 minutes prior to each performance in the Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre.
Food and Beverage Service
A pre-order system for intermission refreshments is
available at all bars throughout the Isadore and Rosalie
Sharp City Room. Food and beverages are not
permitted in R. Fraser Elliott Hall.
Special Events and Catering
The Four Seasons Centre is available for rental for all
of your presentation, meeting or special events needs,
with spaces accommodating from 20 to 2,000 people
and full catering services. For further details visit
fourseasonscentre.ca or call 416-363-6671.
The Opera Shop
Located on the orchestra level of the Isadore and Rosalie
Sharpe City Room, the COC's Opera Shop offers a fine
selection of opera recordings on CD and DVD, as well as
opera-related books, giftware and COC souvenirs.
© 2013 Calvin Klein Cosmetic Corporation euphoria™
euphoria Calvin Klein is proud to be
the Preferred Fragrance of
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calvinkleinbeauty.com

a masked ball - Canadian Opera Company

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