Performance C A N A D I A N O P E R A C O M PA N Y S p r i n g 2015
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE/ ERWARTUNG
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CONTENTS 4 TOP TWELVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ROSSINI’S THE BARBER OF SEVILLE BY NIKITA GOURSKI
10 NYC ™ COC’S SEMELE! 18 BACKSTAGE AND BEYOND 26 TOP TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE/ERWARTUNG BY GIANMARCO SEGATO
2015/2016 SEASON PREVIEW: 12 LA TRAVIATA; 14 PYRAMUS AND THISBE; 16 SIEGFRIED; 20 THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO; 22 CARMEN; 24 MAOMETTO II
Performance C A N A D I A N O P E R A C O M PA N Y
Spring 2015
Top: A scene from the COC/Houston Grand Opera (HGO)/Opéra National de Bordeaux co-production of The Barber of Seville, 2011, HGO. Photo: Felix Sanchez
Above: Nina Warren as The Woman in a scene from the COC's Erwartung (2001). Photo: Michael Cooper
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 n SECRETARY TREASURER: Rajee Muthuraman n FINANCE: Gina Zicari n NATIONAL ACCOUNT DIRECTORS: Gary Bell, Tom Marino n ART DIRECTOR /DESIGN: Jan Haringa n Cover images: The Barber of Seville: Patrick Carfizzi and Nathan Gunn as Figaro in the COC/Houston Grand Opera(HGO)/Opéra National de Bordeaux co-production of The Barber of Seville, 2011, HGO. Photo: Felix Sanchez Bluebeard's Castle/Erwartung: Mark Johnson (background) and John Relyea in the Seattle Opera presentation of the COC production of Bluebeard’s Castle, 2009. Photo: Rozarii Lynch Canadian Opera Company’s edition of Performance magazine is published quarterly by RJ Performance Media Inc., 2724 Coventry Road, Oakville, Ontario, L6H 6R1. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent is prohibited. Contents copyright © Performance Inc. Subscriptions available by contacting publisher. Direct all advertising enquiries to 2724 Coventry Road, Oakville, Ontario, L6H 6R1 or phone 905-829-3900
Catch up with blogs and explore Look and Listen at coc.ca.
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4. OPERA BUFFA AND THE BEL CANTO ERA
TOP 12
THINGS TO KNOW
ABOUT ROSSINI’S
The Barber of Seville BY NIKITA GOURSKI
1. A MUSICAL PRODIGY Rossini was born in 1792 in Pesaro, a seaport town on the Adriatic coast. Growing up with musician parents—his mother a soprano; his father a horn and trumpet player— he was immersed from a young age in the bustling, often chaotic world of Italian opera houses, in which a new work might be composed, rehearsed, and performed within the span of only a few weeks. By his early teens he was already a polished musician, studying at the conservatory in Bologna, and composing original works, including opera.
2. EARLY SUCCESS… By age 20, Rossini was recognized internationally as a major talent, with two important hits in the same year, one comic (The Italian Girl in Algiers), one serious (Tancredi). There was an exuberant richness, an endless
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Rossini enjoying his retirement. Photo by Étienne Carjat, 1865
inventiveness in Rossini’s melodies and vocal writing that soon made him the most celebrated, bankable, and popular composer in the world.
3. …EARLY RETIREMENT Yet most remarkably, at the very height of his powers, Rossini went into retirement. He had his reasons, of course: he was exhausted from writing some 40 operas in 19 years; he was depressed by his mother’s recent death; he had physical problems; there were signs of change coming both politically and within the art form that he might not have cared to entertain or adjust his style to suit. Yet even with all these explanations, the totality of Rossini’s departure from the opera world astonishes. He lived for another 40 years or so but never wrote another opera—a fallow period longer than Mozart’s lifespan.
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
Though Rossini wrote operas of all kinds, he is primarily known today for his mastery of opera buffa, or comic opera, an immensely popular genre that was geared to all social classes (as opposed to the aristocracy) with fast-paced action, comic situations, and hummable tunes. Bel canto means “beautiful singing” and denotes the highly exhibitionist, virtuosic singing style practiced at the time (both in serious and comic works). While bel canto operas followed fairly fixed structures and conventions—detractors sometimes label them “mechanical” and “formulaic” —Rossini nonetheless found dramatically compelling, stunningly beautiful, and inventive ways to deploy these formal structures.
5. “IF I HAD GONE TO VISIT MY BARBER FOR A SHAVE, I WOULDN’T HAVE HAD TIME TO FINISH.” ROSSINI Rossini claimed that he composed The Barber of Seville in 13 days, never leaving the house where he was lodging. Given such timelines, composers had to be pragmatic about expediting their work. Self-borrowing, for example, was a standard practice, and Rossini frequently reused material from his back catalogue. Indeed, Barber features passages from five previous Rossini operas. Yet his genius manages to transcend this system of manufacture: “You may say things about Rossini and they may be true regarding the borrowings […] the speed of composition and so forth,
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TOP 12 THINGS TO KNOW about Rossini’s The Barber of Seville
but I confess that I cannot help believing The Barber of Seville for abundance of ideas, for verve, [and] for truth of declamation the most beautiful opera buffa in existence,” wrote the great Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi.
6. SOURCE MATERIAL Barber is based on a stage play by the French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais (whose Figaro trilogy is a satirical take-down of aristocratic privilege and also includes The Marriage of Figaro and The Guilty Mother). Rossini’s was not the first Barber opera; in fact an earlier version by a composer named Giovanni Paisiello was considered such a cornerstone of the opera buffa repertoire that Rossini decided to write to the elder artist, assuring him that this new version was not intended as an affront to the original.
7. A DISASTER OF A PREMIERE On opening night a clique of ardent Paisiello supporters (see #6) bought up entire sections of the theatre, intending to boo the opera vociferously and cause a debacle regardless of what happened on stage. But the performance itself was marred by problems: a guitar string broke in the opening scene; a singer tripped over an errant trapdoor and had to deliver his aria while trying to stop a bleeding nose; a cat dashed onto the stage and got tangled up in the soprano’s skirt. Though opening night was a disaster, the second performance was a great success, and Rossini’s Barber has been in the repertoire ever since.
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Puppeteers appear to be manipulating a character in The Barber of Seville (Opéra National de Bordeaux, 2012). Photo: Guillaume Bonnaud
8 COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE ROOTS
9. A FREE-WHEELING PRODUCTION
Rossini’s opera owes much to the Italian tradition of commedia dell’arte, the street theatre of improvised comedy featuring recognizable stock characters—the young lovers, the wily servant, the boastful soldier, the old man scheming to marry a younger woman, etc. The production team pays homage to these theatrical roots with costumes and makeup that reference traditional commedia dell’arte tropes.
Praised for “imaginatively renewing a canonic work” (Opera News) this production by Els Comediants—a Spanish theatre collective that has been creating multi-disciplinary performances for over 40 years—combines carnival and circus traditions along with puppetry, dance, acrobatics, pantomime, and commedia dell’arte practices.
Commedia dell'arte scene in an Italian landscape by Peeter van Bredael, late 17th to early 18th century
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
TOP 12 THINGS TO KNOW about Rossini’s The Barber of Seville
11. PLAYING WITH PERCEPTION Doors and windows at crooked angles, exaggerated hairdos, and outsized props all contribute to a cartoon-like disruption of scale and proportion. The semi-transparent fabric walls allow for shadow play and effects that mimic cinematic cutaways and montage, notably during the famous “Largo al factotum” aria in which Figaro details his many tasks and responsibilities while we simultaneously witness silhouetted figures performing those errands. A giant guitar features prominently in The Barber of Seville (Opéra National de Bordeaux, 2012). Photo: Guillaume Bonnaud
10. MINIMAL, EXPRESSIVE SET DESIGN The designs are partly inspired by Picasso’s Cubist aesthetic and the visual language of constructive sculpture, or art that is made by putting things together from different sources. Colourful guitars in Act I are an example, referencing similar constructions by Picasso. Note that many elements of the set design also have a multifunctional, open-ended quality, as objects take on different forms. The giant pink piano, for example, becomes a writing desk, a banquet table, and a boudoir over the course of the opera.
A scene from The Barber of Seville (Opéra National de Bordeaux, 2012). Photo: Guillaume Bonnaud
12. HIT PARADE From an overture heard in countless movies, cartoons, and advertisements, to the most famous “entrance aria” in all of opera, to the exhilarating crescendo of “La calunnia” to the sparkling, classic beauty of “Una voce
poco fa,” Rossini’s score is a veritable hit parade. You can hear guided samples at coc.ca/LookAndListen. Nikita Gourski is Development Communications Officer at the Canadian Opera Company.
FOR FURTHER INSIGHT INTO THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, READ ANATOMY OF AN OPERA IN THE WINTER ISSUE OF PRELUDE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT COC.CA/PUBLICATIONS.
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
NYC
™COC’s
Semele!
“The Canadian Opera Company production is a very welcome highlight of BAM’s season.” BlogCritics.com
“A chance for this city to hear this excellent Toronto-based company in a rare American visit.” Superconductor
“Incredibly entertaining” Out.com
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n early March the COC took its genre-bending production of Handel’s Semele, conducted by Christopher Moulds and directed by renowned Chinese visual artist Zhang Huan, to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Jane Archibald reprised her starring role as Semele with an all-star cast including Colin Ainsworth, Kyle Ketelsen, Hilary Summers, Katherine Whyte and Lawrence Zazzo.
Above: Jane Archibald as Semele and Colin Ainsworth as Jupiter. Photo: Jack Vartoogian, Front Row Photos
Left: The cast and creative team on opening night. Photo: Gene Wu
“Truly one of the most spectacular and unique operatic experiences that we’ve had all season.” Alegroconfuoco.com
“This playful, colorful staging, which comes from the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, is saturated with Buddhist imagery; elements of Asian theater, including puppets; and, believe it or not, a pair of sumo wrestlers.”
“A rare and stimulating experience at the opera.”New York Classical Review
New York Times We thank the generous donors who helped make this tour possible: Walter M. and Lisa Balfour Bowen Philip Deck and Kimberley Bozak David and Kristin Ferguson Jerry and Geraldine Heffernan Peter M. Partridge Colleen Sexsmith Kristine Vikmanis and Denton Creighton Jack Whiteside Anonymous (1) 10
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
The COC Tour to BAM has been generously supported by
SPRING SHOWCASE 2015 CLASSICAL & CONTEMPORARY WORKS May 20 – 23 | Betty Oliphant Theatre
an Ontario government agency un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario
Photos: Cylla von Tiedemann
BOX OFFICE OPENS APRIL 28 Call Tuesday-Friday, 12pm-4pm at 416.964.5148 or email boxoffice@nbs-enb.ca
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
LA TRAVIATA When everything is for sale, what would you give for love? With an irresistible score and a heartbreaking story of grand romance, Verdi’s La Traviata epitomizes what great opera is all about. From Violetta’s soaring and passionate declaration of independence, “Sempre libera,” to her heartfelt cry for Alfredo’s love, “Amami Alfredo;” from Germont’s fatherly plea in “Di Provenza il mar” to the rousing “Libiamo,” Traviata is a glorious offering of some of Verdi’s most exciting melodies. The role of Violetta demands vocal pyrotechnics and the dramatic conviction to carry the character through a remarkable emotional arc, and we have wonderful exponents of the role in Ekaterina Siurina and Joyce El-Khoury, two of the most exciting young sopranos on the opera scene. In this new production, renowned director Arin Arbus sets the story of devotion and sacrifice in the demimonde of 1850s Paris, featuring decadent parties and all-night balls, sumptuous sets and exquisite costumes, all unfolding against the rhythms, rituals, and debauchery of a rapidly changing society.
October 8 – November 4, 2015
Generously underwritten in part by
NEW COC PRODUCTION
DAVID ROFFEY AND KAREN WALSH
Marina Rebeka as Violetta in La Traviata (Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2013). Photo: Todd Rosenberg
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
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Bold new Canadian meets early Baroque classic BARBARA MONK FELDMAN
CANADIAN WORLD PREMIERE
PYRAMUS AND THISBE MONTEVERDI
LAMENTO D’ARIANNA AND IL COMBATTIMENTO Opera’s earliest beginnings collide with a bold, new Canadian world premiere in this intriguing and innovative program. When opera was first invented in early 17th-century Italy, Claudio Monteverdi was at the forefront with works like Lamento d’Arianna (1608) and Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (1624). As with most early opera, their subjects are drawn from mythology and history – here, the tales of Ariadne abandoned by Theseus on the island of Naxos; and, of Tancredi and Clorinda whose tragic fates unfold on the battlefields of the Crusades. Canadian composer Barbara Monk Feldman’s Pyramus and Thisbe (2010) is also based on a classical myth – the same saga of fated love famously adapted by Shakespeare for Romeo and Juliet. Inspired by the ever-changing light and colour of her native Gaspé Peninsula, Monk Feldman’s transparent score charts the emotional landscape between two star-crossed lovers and celebrates the cathartic power of letting love go. Following virtuosic turns in 2012’s Love from afar and 2015’s Erwartung, Canadian mezzo soprano and COC Ensemble alumna Krisztina Szabó continues her traversal of contemporary opera’s most compelling heroines as Monk Feldman’s Thisbe and then reaches back four centuries to play Monteverdi’s Arianna and Clorinda. Canadian baritone Phillip Addis (Marcello/Schaunard in 2013’s La bohème) returns as Pyramus and Tancredi. The compelling team of singer-actors is united under the ever-probing eye of director Christopher Alden (Die Fledermaus, 2012; Rigoletto, 2011). COC Music Director Johannes Debus leads the COC Orchestra.
October 17 – November 6, 2015 NEW COC PRODUCTION Detail from Nicolas Poussin’s Landscape during a Thunderstorm with Pyramus and Thisbe, 1651. Photo: U. Edelmann–Stä del Museum–ARTOTHEK
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
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RICHARD WAGNER
SIEGFRIED “Through furious fire have I come to you!” The journey of the hero Siegfried, as created by the revolutionary composer Richard Wagner, makes for some of the most profound drama ever conceived. Wagner immerses us into a psychologically penetrating world of greed, fear, and self-discovery in a production created by innovative FrenchCanadian director François Girard and Toronto-born designer Michael Levine. Mirroring the emotional landscape of Wagner’s stirring score, this production has been called “mind-blowing” (Eye Weekly), “awe-inspiring” (Toronto Sun) and “incandescent” (National Post). Described as “huge of voice, unflagging of stamina, imaginative and energetic on the stage” (Seattle Times), formidable German tenor Stefan Vinke is the hero Siegfried, a man without fear who battles dragons, fire, and gods in order to save the courageous Valkyrie Brünnhilde, who has been cast into an enchanted sleep. Powerhouse American soprano Christine Goerke brings her “multi-hued miracle of gale-force power and pin point control” (Musical America) in a return to the COC as Brünnhilde. Wagner’s exhilarating, intoxicating and deeply personal score is brought to life by the COC Orchestra under COC Music Director Johannes Debus.
February 6 – 26, 2016
Production originally made possible by
COC PRODUCTION
KOLTER COMMUNITIES A scene from Siegfried (Canadian Opera Company, 2006). Photo: Michael Cooper
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
ALEXANDER NEEF, General Director
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE by Béla Bartók Opera in One Act Libretto by Béla Balázs Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, Canadian and U.S. agent for Universal Edition Vienna. First performance: Royal Hungarian Opera House, Budapest, May 24, 1918
ERWARTUNG by Arnold Schoenberg Monodrama in One Act Text by Marie Pappenheim Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, Canadian and U.S. agent for Universal Edition Vienna. First performance: Deutsches Landestheater, Prague, June 6, 1924 COC Revival Last performed by the COC in 2001 May 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 23, 2015 Bluebeard’s Castle is sung in Hungarian with English SURTITLES™ Erwartung is sung in German with English SURTITLES™
THE CAST (in order of vocal appearance)
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE Duke Bluebeard Judith
John Relyea* Ekaterina Gubanova**
ERWARTUNG The Woman ACTORS (BLUEBEARD'S Bride/Mistress Bride/Lover Bride/Psychiatrist Conductor Director Revival Director Set & Costume Designer Lighting Designer Media Effects Designer Stage Manager SURTITLES™ Producer
Krisztina Szabó^*** CASTLE/ERWARTUNG) Jordan Gasparik Noam Markus Mark Johnson Johannes Debus Robert Lepage François Racine^ Michael Levine Robert Thomson Laurie-Shawn Borzovoy Jenifer Kowal Gunta Dreifelds
Performance time is approximately 2 hours, including one intermission. *John Relyea’s performance is generously sponsored by an anonymous donor **Ekaterina Gubanova’s performance is generously sponsored by Kristine Vikmanis ***Krisztina Szabó’s performance is generously sponsored by J. Hans Kluge ^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
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DIRECTOR’S NOTES
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n the early 1990s, big opera houses around the world were planning, way in advance, a celebratory event that would be part of their 2000 season, and for many of them it was an opportunity to stage a new production of The Ring. So when Brian Dickie, the COC’s general director at the time, added his name to the long list of artistic directors insisting I should mount Wagner’s monumental 15-hour epic, my polite answer was that my schedule did not allow it. But the real reason was that The Ring was too big a mouthful for someone who had never directed an opera before. Brian then applied his usual “good cop, bad cop” strategy and asked his musical director Richard Bradshaw to call me and try to lure me into the opera world. Richard asked me to describe to him the ideal beginner’s operatic experience for a theatre director. My answer was a list of
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
impossible conditions to meet: a short piece with no more than three singers, a minimum of four weeks of rehearsal on the set, and most important of all NO CHORUS! He reacted to my description with a devilish sigh and said to me: “I have just the thing for you.” Bartók and Schoenberg’s haunting scores became the playgrounds in which I could explore and try my hand at incarnating the complex ideas and emotions contained within the music, and Richard’s generous guidance through the process rapidly transformed this neophyte into an enthusiast. Today, Bluebeard’s Castle and Erwartung still feel pertinent both in their form and content as Bluebeard’s dominion of blood withers away and Erwartung’s new way of understanding the world is emerging. – Robert Lepage
SYNOPSIS BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE In the hall of Bluebeard’s castle.
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luebeard enters with his bride, Judith, who tells him of her love for him. As she explores his castle, she questions why it is in darkness. He tells her that it is closed to the sunlight and is always dark. Judith finds seven locked doors, and asks that they be opened; her husband warns her that it could be dangerous for her to know what is behind them. She persuades him to give her the key to the first door and, when she opens it, is horrified to discover Bluebeard’s torture chamber. He asks if she is afraid, but she denies this. She requests the key to the second door and opens it to disclose Bluebeard’s armoury. Judith persists in her demands to see behind the remaining doors, and Bluebeard finally agrees to give her three more keys, but warns her not to ask any questions about what she finds. As she opens each door, she exposes Bluebeard’s treasury, his secret garden, and his vast realm. She now insists that her husband give her the last two keys. He reluctantly hands her the key to the sixth door, which reveals a lake of tears, but refuses to give up the final key. Judith demands to know about the women he has loved before her and when he will not answer, becomes convinced that they are hidden behind the last door. Finally Bluebeard surrenders the
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key to the seventh door, and as Judith opens it, three women silently enter the hall. Judith is overwhelmed by their beauty and Bluebeard tells her that these are the brides of his morning, noon and evening. As they return to the seventh room, Bluebeard crowns Judith as the bride of his night, the most beautiful of all his wives, and she joins them in silence. As the door closes, Bluebeard is obscured in the darkness of his castle. INTERMISSION ERWARTUNG The woman is in a state of expectation and apprehension. It soon becomes apparent, as she distractedly speaks to herself, that she is waiting for a man. She discovers something in the darkness, which she at first perceives to be a body but then realizes is a tree-trunk. Frightened, she grows more anxious, as the man she is looking for is not to be found. Suddenly, she finds a dead body, and realizes, to her horror, that it is the man she has been waiting for. Is she hallucinating? She calls for help, but there is no response to her cries. Hoping that the man is still alive, she attempts to revive him. She speaks to him as if he can comprehend, and angrily accuses him of infidelity to her. She then asks herself what she is to do with her life, now that her lover is dead.
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MUSIC STAFF
Rachel Andrist (Head Coach) Timothy Cheung ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Derek Bate ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Marilyn Gronsdal ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS
Joanna Barrotta Stephanie Marrs ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNERS
Andrea Nelson Davida Tkach ANIMATION DESIGNER
Justin Stephenson UNDERSTUDIES
Duke Bluebeard Robert Gleadow Judith Krisztina Szab贸 The Woman Stacie Dunlop UNDERSTUDY ACTORS
Jesse Dell Raymond Miller
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES JORDAN GASPARIK Bride/Mistress
Canadian actor, singer and director Jordan Gasparik is making her COC mainstage debut, having appeared as the Bride/Mistress in the COC’s production of Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung with Edmonton Opera, Opéra de Québec and Seattle Opera. Performance highlights include the title role in Orphée, Dorabella in Così fan tutte and Tessa in The Gondoliers (Opéra de Quebec); L’Opinion Publique in Orphée aux Enfers (Opera NUOVA); and workshop presentations of Montreal playwright and librettist Alexis Diamond’s selected works. Directorial highlights include assistant director to François Racine for Louis Riel (Opera McGill); Tosca (Pacific Opera); Suor Angelica and L’heure Espagnole (Conservatoire de musique de Montréal) and Orphée (Liederwolfe). Ms. Gasparik teaches at and has appeared in collective-creation projects at ASM Performing Arts, and is a founding member of the classical music collective Liederwolfe. EKATERINA GUBANOVA Judith
Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova is making her COC debut. Her recent appearances include Princess Eboli in Don Carlo (Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala and Baden-Baden Festival); Adalgisa in Norma (Gran Teatre del Liceu); Verdi’s Requiem (Musikverein); Amneris in Aida (Mariinsky Theatre); Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde (Staatsoper Berlin, Salzburg Festival, Luzerne Festival); Charlotte in Werther (Deutsche Oper Berlin); and Foreign Princess in Rusalka (Lyric Opera of Chicago). Upcoming appearances Please visit coc.ca for additional information
include Adalgisa (Bayerische Staatsoper and Münchner Opernfestspiele); Judith (Opéra national de Paris); and Eboli (Semperoper Dresden). MARK JOHNSON Bride/Psychiatrist
Canadian actor Mark Johnson last appeared at the COC in the 2001 production of Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung. In addition to his work as an actor, Mr. Johnson has been active as a musician, dancer and playwright for over 15 years. Project highlights include Daniel MacIvor’s Wild Abandon, Cosimo Zitani’s short film Man’dalas and Valerie Kuinka’s Collaborations: A Chamber Arts Experience. He has worked with Kaeja d’Dance, Young People’s Theatre and Friendly Spike Theatre. His most recent music project is Uranium Willy, which blends psychedelia and electronic minimalism with dense, layered polyrhythms. Dance credits include Peter Chin’s productions Stupa and Bite, and the Red Sky Production entitled Dancing Americas. Mr. Johnson has also worked extensively with choreographers Bill James and Marie Josée Chartier, and has toured internationally with this production of Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung. NOAM MARKUS Bride/Lover
Canadian actor Noam Markus has been performing for 25 years with the Canadian Opera Company as an actor, dancer and puppeteer. From his first appearance in Der Rosenkavalier (1990) Noam has appeared in over 30 opera productions including The Bartered Bride, 5
ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES Das Rheingold, The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, and has appeared as the Bride/Lover in Robert Lepage’s Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung 14 times. Mr. Markus is a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, where he teaches physical theatre and is a regular guest artist at Claude Watson School for the Arts, and the Earl Haig and Huron Heights secondary schools arts programs. JOHN RELYEA Duke Bluebeard
Canadian bass John Relyea last appeared at the COC as Lindorf/Coppélius/ Dr. Miracle/Dapertutto in The Tales of Hoffmann. Recent appearances include Dvorák’s Stabat Mater (Orchestre Métropolitain with Yannick Nézèt-Seguin); the Landgraf in Tannhäuser and Enrico VIII in Anna Bolena (Lyric Opera of Chicago); the Priest and Angel of Agony in The Dream of Gerontius (Toronto Symphony Orchestra); Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville (Gran Teatre del Liceu); Don Alfonso in Lucrezia Borgia (Münchner Opernfestspiele); Vodník in Rusalka (Metropolitan Opera); Pagano in I Lombardi alla prima crociata (Hamburgische Staatsoper); and Méphistophélès in La damnation de Faust (Festival d’opéra de Québec). Upcoming appearances include his role debut as King Phillip II in Don Carlo (Teatro Auditorio San Lorenzo de El Escorial); Méphistophélès (Semperoper Dresden); and Wurm in Luisa Miller (Teatro Real Madrid).
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
KRISZTINA SZABÓ The Woman
Canadian mezzo-soprano and COC Ensemble Studio graduate Krisztina Szabó last appeared at the COC as the Pilgrim in Love from Afar. Previous COC credits include Idamante in Idomeneo, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Wellgunde and Siegrune in the Ring Cycle, Musetta in La Bohème and Offred’s Double in The Handmaid’s Tale. Recent credits include Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Kingston Symphony and Vancouver Bach Choir); Written on Skin (Toronto Symphony Orchestra); Irene in Theodora (Early Music Vancouver); Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro (Calgary Opera); and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (Music of the Baroque). Upcoming appearances include soloist in Death & Desire (Against the Grain Theatre) and Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle (Colorado Summer Music Festival). Next season at the COC Ms. Szabo sings the roles of Thisbe/ Arianna/Clorinda in the world premiere of Pyramus and Thisbe.
JOHANNES DEBUS Conductor
Johannes Debus recently conducted the company’s Die Walküre and Falstaff. Other COC credits include Don Quichotte, Così fan tutte, Peter Grimes, Dialogues des Carmélites, Salome, Tristan und Isolde, Die Fledermaus, The Tales of Hoffmann, Love from Afar, Rigoletto and, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Nightingale and Other Short Fables. Other highlights include his BBC Proms debut in a concert featuring Rufus Wainwright and Deborah Voigt; The Adventures of Mr. Broucˇek and
ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES
Rusalka (Oper Frankfurt); appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestra Haydn, and Philharmonia Orchestra; Elektra and The Rake’s Progress (Staatsoper Unter den Linden); Hänsel und Gretel and Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Bayerische Staatsoper); and appearances at Opéra Festival de Québec, Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera and Spoleto, Scotiafest, Aspen, and Blossom music festivals. Next season at the COC Mr. Debus conducts Pyramus and Thisbe, Siegfried and The Marriage of Figaro. ROBERT LEPAGE Director
Canadian director, scenic artist, playwright, actor and film director Robert Lepage returns to the COC after directing The Nightingale and Other Short Fables in 2010. He founded the multidisciplinary production company Ex Machina in 1994. Recent operatic credits include La Damnation de Faust (Festival Opéra de Québec); the Ring Cycle (Metropolitan Opera); and Le Rossignol (Opéra de Lyon and Dutch National Opera). Other operatic highlights include Lorin Maazel’s 1984 (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/ROH) and The Rake’s Progress (Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Opéra de Lyon, San Francisco Opera, ROH and Teatro Real). Upcoming opera productions include The Tempest (Wiener Staatsoper) and, for the stage, Mr. Lepage’s solo show 887.
Please visit coc.ca for additional information
FRANÇOIS RACINE Revival Director
Canadian director and former COC Ensemble Studio member François Racine last worked at the COC as associate director for Macbeth. Other COC credits include director for Norma, La Traviata and Carmen. He has revived the COC’s Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung at the Edinburgh, Hong Kong Arts and Melbourne festivals, as well as at Vancouver Opera, Edmonton Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opéra de Montréal/OM, Opéra de Québec/OQ and Seattle Opera/SO. Other credits include Die lustige Witwe (OQ); Madama Butterfly (Opera Lyra); Carmen, Madama Butterfly and La Bohème (Pacific Opera); Rigoletto, Macbeth and Werther (OM). He has staged concert versions of Tannhäuser, Norma, La Sonnambula and Saint-François d’Assise (Orchestre symphonique de Montréal) and La clemenza di Tito (Orchestre Métropolitain). Upcoming productions include Nabucco (SO) and Madama Butterfly (OM). MICHAEL LEVINE Set and Costume Designer
Canadian Michael Levine’s previous work at the COC includes designing Dialogues des Carmélites, Rigoletto, the Ring Cycle, and Oedipus Rex with Symphony of Psalms, as well as directing Das Rheingold. Recent credits include Tannhäuser (Lyric Opera of Chicago); The Rape of Lucretia (Deutsche Oper); Eugene Onegin (Grand Théâtre de Genève); Die Zauberflöte (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence); Dialogues des Carmélites (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden); and I Capuleti e i Montecchi 7
ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES
(Opéra national de Paris). Upcoming productions include The Rape of Lucretia (Glyndebourne Festival); Wozzeck (Opernhaus Zürich); Between Worlds (a new opera by Tanzi Davies for English National Opera); Hänsel und Gretel (Dutch National Opera); and Amazon Beaming (Complicite Theatre). Mr. Levine has won a Gemini and two Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Paris Critics’ Prize, Edinburgh Festival Drama and Music Award and is a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in France. ROBERT THOMSON Lighting Designer
Robert Thomson’s 29 productions for Stratford Festival include collaborations with Jonathan Miller, Jennifer Tarver, Peter Hinton, Christopher Newton, Des McAnuff and Antoni Cimolino. He served as resident lighting designer for 12 seasons at The National Ballet of Canada, designing over 25 productions, and through 24 seasons at the Shaw Festival (10 as head of lighting design) he is credited on more than 55 productions. He has worked with a diverse range of companies, including the National Arts Centre, Canadian Stage, Citadel Theatre, Pacific Opera, Segal Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater, Goodman Theatre, Hartford Stage, American Ballet Theater and Stuttgart Ballet. Mr. Thomson’s acclaimed designs have garnered a Sterling Award, four Dora Mavor Moore Awards and the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre.
8
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
LAURIE-SHAWN BORZOVOY Media Effects Designer
Canadian media designer and director Laurie-Shawn Borzovoy is internationally recognized for his work in performing arts, film, and video. Highlights include the Pierre Trudeau feature for the CBC series, The Greatest Canadian, and he has provided media designs for The National Ballet of Canada, Canadian Stage Company, Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Rhombus Media, and many others. Mr. Borzovoy provides creative process workshops for students and professionals worldwide, and was the first Electronic Media Design member of the Associated Designers of Canada. Presently, he is the volunteer chairperson of UrbanArts Toronto, focusing on engaging youth at risk in the creative process. In 2011, Mr. Borzovoy was recognized as a Culture Champion for the City of Toronto at the launch of the Celebrate 27 Arts Fest. DEREK BATE Assistant Conductor
COC assistant to the music director Derek Bate was recently assistant conductor for Die Walküre and Falstaff, and conducted a performance of Don Quichotte. Also with the COC, he has led performances of Salome, La clemenza di Tito, Rigoletto, Aida, Madama Butterfly, The Flying Dutchman, Luisa Miller, Eugene Onegin, La Bohème, Carmen, Turandot, La Traviata, Die Fledermaus and served as assistant conductor for Così fan tutte, Peter Grimes, Love From Afar, A Florentine Tragedy/Gianni Schicchi, Maria Stuarda, Nixon in China, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, War and Peace and the complete Ring Cycle, among others. Mr. Bate frequently conducts with Toronto
ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES
Operetta Theatre, and was musical director for Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Show Boat. MARILYN GRONSDAL Assistant Director
Marilyn Gronsdal was recently associate director for the COC’s Die Walküre and Così fan tutte, and assistant director for Falstaff, Don Quichotte and Peter Grimes. Other COC credits include director of La Bohème, associate director of Eugene Onegin, and assistant director on several productions that have been presented elsewhere: Oedipus Rex with Symphony of Psalms (Edinburgh Festival); La Traviata (New Zealand Opera); Siegfried (Opéra national de Lyon); and the COC’s production of The Nightingale and Other Short Fables (Brooklyn Academy of Music). Other credits include directing Carmen and Don Pasquale (Saskatoon Opera) and remounting the COC’s Der fliegende Holländer (Opéra de Montréal). In 2013, Ms. Gronsdal was a jury member in the Helikon-Opera’s International Competition for Young Opera Directors in Moscow. Future projects include Madama Butterfly for Saskatoon Opera.
JENIFER KOWAL Stage Manager
This is Jenifer Kowal’s 23rd season with the COC. Her numerous COC stage managing credits include Don Giovanni, Falstaff, Roberto Devereux, Così fan tutte, Peter Grimes, Salome, La clemenza di Tito, Die Fledermaus, Semele, Tosca, Rigoletto, Aida, Carmen, The Flying Dutchman, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Fidelio, War and Peace, Eugene Onegin, Don Carlos, La Traviata, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, the Ring Cycle and, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Semele and The Nightingale and Other Short Fables. She was the production stage manager for Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s Miss Saigon, which also toured to Toronto and Schenectady. Ms. Kowal studied theatre at Indiana University.
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.
Please visit coc.ca for additional information
9
CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY ORCHESTRA VIOLIN I
BASS
Marie Bérard, Concertmaster The Concertmaster’s chair has been endowed in perpetuity by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Aaron Schwebel, Associate Concertmaster Jamie Kruspe, Assistant Concertmaster Anne Armstrong Sandra Baron Bethany Bergman Pamela Hinman* Elizabeth Johnston Nancy Kershaw Dominique Laplante Yakov Lerner Jayne Maddison Neria Mayer Sonia Vizante*
Alan Molitz, Principal Robert Speer, Assistant Principal Tom Hazlitt Paul Langley Eric Lee* Robert Wolanski*
VIOLIN II Paul Zevenhuizen, Principal Csaba Koczó, Assistant Principal James Aylesworth Christine Chesebrough* Hiroko Kagawa* Boris Kupesic* Renée London* Aya Miyagawa Alexei Pankratov* Sonia Shklarov* Louise Tardif Joanna Zabrowarna
CELLO Bryan Epperson, Principal Alastair Eng, Associate Principal Paul Widner, Assistant Principal Maurizio Baccante Peter Cosbey* Olga Laktionova Marianne Pack* Elaine Thompson
TROMBONE Charles Benaroya, Principal Ian Cowie
FLUTE Douglas Stewart, Principal Shelley Brown Christine Little* Maria Pelletier*
PICCOLO Shelley Brown Maria Pelletier*
BASS TROMBONE Isabelle Lavoie* Herbert Poole TUBA Scott Irvine TIMPANI Michael Perry, Principal
OBOE Mark Rogers, Principal Jasper Hitchcock* Lief Mossbaugh* Lesley Young
ENGLISH HORN Lesley Young
CLARINET James T. Shields, Principal Colleen Cook Margaret Gillie* Michele Verheul* E-FLAT CLARINET James T Shields Michele Verheul*
VIOLA Keith Hamm, Principal Joshua Greenlaw, Assistant Principal Carolyn Blackwell* Ivan Ivanovich* Sheila Jaffé Jesse Morrison* Rhyll Peel Angela Rudden* Beverley Spotton Yosef Tamir
TRUMPET Robert Grim, Principal Andre Dubelsten* Michael Fedyshyn* Robert Weymouth
D CLARINET James Ormston* BASS CLARINET Colleen Cook BASSOON Eric Hall, Principal Elizabeth Gowen Lisa Chisolm*
PERCUSSION Trevor Tureski, Principal Ryan Scott* HARP Sarah Davidson, Principal Sanya Eng* CELESTE & ORGAN Timothy Cheung* BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE BANDA TRUMPETS Brendan Cassin* Alastair Chaplin* Luise Heyerhoff* Andras Molnar* ALTO TROMBONES David Archer* David Pell* Herbert Poole Cathy Stone*
CONTRABASSOON William Cannaway*
LIBRARIAN Wayne Vogan
HORN Scott Wevers, Acting Principal* Janet Anderson Bardhyl Gjevori Gary Pattison
LIBRARIAN ASSISTANT Muriel Smith STAGE LIBRARIAN Paul Langley PERSONNEL MANAGER Ian Cowie * extra musician
10
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Mr. Tony Arrell, Chair Ms. Colleen Sexsmith, Vice 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 Ms. Helen Burstyn Mr. Stewart Burton Mr. Philip C. Deck Mr. Peter M. Deeb Mr. George S. Dembroski Mr. William Fearn (ex officio) Mr. David Ferguson (ex officio) Mr. Adam Froman Mr. Michael Gibbens Mr. Peter Hinman Dr. Linda Hutcheon Ms. Carolyn Jarvis
Mr. Justin Linden Mr. Jeff Lloyd Ms. Anne Maggisano Mr. Stephen O. Marshall Ms. Judy Matthews Mr. Jonathan Morgan Mr. Nick Mutton Ms. Frances Price Mr. Arthur R.A. Scace, C.M. Mr. J. Allen Smith Mr. Philip S.W. Smith Mr. Paul B. Spafford Ms. Michele Symons Ms. Kristine (Kris) Vikmanis Mr. Graham Watchorn 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 Crossman, President Sudbury Opera Guild Dianne Moore, President Western New York Opera Guild Dorothy K. Piepke, President
CANADIAN OPERA FOUNDATION DIRECTORS Mr. Tony Arrell Mr. Jonathan Bloomberg Mr. J. Rob Collins Mr. Philip C. Deck, Vice Chair Mr. William Fearn, Chair Mr. David Forster, Treasurer Mr. Gary Grad Mr. Michael Gough Mr. Christopher Hoffmann Mr. David Spiro, Secretary HONORARY DIRECTORS Mr. George Hamilton Hon. Dennis Lane
For more information on COC Guilds please visit coc.ca/Guilds
Please visit coc.ca for additional information
11
ADMINISTRATION AND STAFF ALEXANDER NEEF, General Director Robert Lamb Managing Director Johannes Debus Music Director EXECUTIVE OFFICE Marguerite Schabas Executive Assistant to the General Director
Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure Aviva Fortunata Clarence Frazer Andrew Haji Iain MacNeil Owen McCausland Jennifer Szeto Production Assistants Adriana Dimitri Jane Honek
David Retzleff Head Scene Shop Carpenter
Hannah Gordon Assistant to the Production Department
Andrew Walker Assistant Scene Shop Carpenter
Gunta Dreifelds SURTITLES™ Producer
Richard Gordon Head Scenic Artist
Zane Kaneps SURTITLES™ Editor
ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION
Carolina Valenzuela Assistant Head Scenic Artist
Ariel Martin-Smith SURTITLES™ Assistant
PROGRAMMING
Roberto Mauro Artistic Administrator
Nina Dragani´ c Director of Programming – Free Concert Series
Scott Williamson Rehearsal Head Technician
Supernumeraries Co-ordinators Analee Stein Elizabeth Walker
Olwyn Lewis Company Manager
PRODUCTION
Guy Nokes Properties Supervisor
DEVELOPMENT
Karen Olinyk Assistant, Artistic Administration & Music
Peter W. Lamb Director of Production
MUSIC
Lee Milliken Production Manager
Stephanie Tjelios Resident Properties Builder/Co-ordinator
Sandra Gavinchuk Music Administrator
Chuck Giles Technical Director
Kathy Frost Resident Properties Buyer/Co-ordinator
Sandra Horst Chorus Master
Barney Bayliss Associate Technical Director
Tracy Taylor Properties Builder/ Co-ordinator
Lighting Co-ordinator Daniele Guevara
Properties Builders Carolyn Choo Wulf
Assistant Technical Directors Melynda Jurgenson Wendy Ryder
Sandra Corazza Costume Supervisor
Wayne Vogan Music Librarian, Coach Elizabeth Upchurch Head of the Ensemble Studio & Coach Wendy Nielsen Head Vocal Consultant Derek Bate Assistant to the Music Director
Janice Fraser Head Electrician Joel Thoman Assistant Electrician
Music Staff Rachel Andrist Timothy Cheung Andrea Del Bianco Jenna Douglas Stephen Hargreaves Anne Larlee Ben Malensek Michael Shannon
Craig Kadoke Assistant Sound
Kathryn Garnett Scheduling Manager
David Middleton Assistant Carpenter
Birthe Joergensen Archivist – Joan Baillie Archives
David Alexander Head Flyman
Ian Cowie Orchestra Personnel Manager
Bob Shindle Head of Sound
Paul Watkinson Head Carpenter
Daniel Graham Head of Properties
Ondrej Golias Assistant Librarian
Core Crew Scott Clarke Doug Closs Terry Hurley Paul Otis
COC Ensemble Studio Gordon Bintner Karine Boucher Charlotte Burrage
Amy Cummings Scene Shop Co-ordinator
12
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
Chloe Anderson Costume Co-ordinator Christina Del Monte Costume Assistant Sue Furlong Resident Tailor Assisted By Gulay Cokgezen Karen Donaldson Carolyn Kasperski Dye and Paint By Chrome Yellow Nancy Hawkins Head of Wardrobe Leslie Brown Wardrobe Assistant Sharon Ryman Wig & Make-up Supervisor Cori Ferguson Head of Wig & Make-up Crew Shawna Green Production Co-ordinator
Christie Darville Chief Advancement Officer Amy Mushinski Manager, Government Relations Janet Stubbs Foundation Development Stephen Gilles Director of Development Peter Hussell Senior Manager, Advancement Operations Dawn Marie Schlegel Associate Director, Donor Relations Emma Noakes Donor Relations Officer Natalie Sandassie Senior Development Officer, Annual Programs and Patron Engagement Bree Callahan Co-ordinator, Annual Programs and Patron Engagement Alexandra Folkes Co-ordinator, Annual Programs and Patron Engagement Victor Widjaja Senior Development Officer, Friends of the COC Heather Cassels Individual Giving Co-ordinator, Friends of the COC
Francesco Corsaro Senior Development Officer, Institutional Gifts Sarah Heim Senior Development Officer, Partnerships Nikita Gourski Development Communications Officer Tracy Abergel Senior Manager, Special Events Laura Aylan-Parker Senior Development Officer, Special Events and Ensemble Circle John Kriter Donation Database Officer Olena Moldovan Donation Database Officer
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Katherine Semcesen Associate Director, Education and Outreach
Lindy Cowan, CPA, CA Director of Finance and Administration
Gianmarco Segato Adult Programs Manager
Lorraine O’Connor, CHRP Human Resources Manager
Vanessa Smith School Programs Manager
Amalie Vanderzwet, CPA, CA Finance Manager
Amber Yared Children and Youth Programs Co-ordinator
General Accountants Florence Huang Zoran Orli´ c (FSCPA)
TICKET SERVICES
Vera Brjozovskaia Accounting Clerk
Andrea Salin Ticket Services Manager Nikki Tremblay Assistant Ticket Services Manager David Nimmo Group Sales Co-ordinator
COMMUNICATIONS Steve Kelley Chief Communications Officer Claudine Domingue Director of Public Relations Gianna Wichelow Senior Manager, Creative and Publications Jennifer Pugsley Media Relations Manager Claire Morley Associate Manager, Editorial Meighan Szigeti Associate Manager, Digital Marketing Kiersten Hay Digital Marketing Co-ordinator Eldon Earle Marketing Co-ordinator
Lillian Fung Ticket Services Supervisor Ticket Services Representatives James Baldwin Ernest Cayemen Aurelie Dufour Anna Kay Eldridge Peter Genoway Sylvie Goncalves Cat Haywood Keith Lam Kevin Morris Paulina Saliba Kat Smiley Darcy Stoop CALL CENTRE Richard Paradiso Call Centre Manager Call Centre Representatives Catherine Belyea Taisa Dackiw Ion Handrabur Wendy Limbertie Margaret Terry
Kristin McKinnon Assistant Publicist
Payroll Accountants Jovana Bojovic Jeanny Won
Usman Khalid Nicholas Martin Kathleen Minor Heather Reid 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
Steven Sherwood Manager, IT Services
Alfred Caron Director, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Brad Staples Database Reporting Specialist
Elizabeth Jones Associate Director, Business Development
Tony Sandy IT Services Assistant
Shannon Churm Business & Events Co-ordinator
Katarina Božovi´ c Receptionist/ Switchboard Branka Hrsum Mailroom Clerk/Courier
Jefferson Guzman Associate Director, Patron Services
BUILDING SERVICES
Kim Hutchinson-Barber Assistant Manager, Patron Services
Joe Waldherr Associate Director, Facilities Management
Julia Somerville Assistant Manager, Front of House
Christian Coulter Assistant Manager, Operations
Brigitte Lang Assistant Manager, Food & Beverage
Maintenance Assistants Ryszard Gad (COC) Branislav Peterman (COC) Julian Peters (COC) James Esposito (FSCPA) Mark Healy (FSCPA) Piotr Wiench (FSCPA)
Patron Services Supervisors Stuart Constable Enrique Covarrubias Cortes Jamieson Eakin Lori MacDonald Melissa McDonnell
Dave Samuels Security Supervisor
Jennifer Toulmin Patron Services Assistant
Security Officers George Balyasin Agostino Cogliano Abdi Gulleed Natalia Juzyc
Patron Services Leads Karol Carstenson Christine Groom Skye Plowman Rosemary Williams
FSCPA – Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Please visit coc.ca for additional information
13
SUPPORTING TORONTO’S GROWING ARTS COMMUNITY TODAY, AND FOREVER
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
LIFE TRUSTEES COUNCIL The Life Trustees Council salutes the leaders of the COC community whose efforts have been integral to the company’s artistic evolution and transformative history of accomplishment. Earlaine Collins David Ferguson (Chair) Jerry and Geraldine Heffernan
Ben Heppner Henry N. R. Jackman Adrianne Pieczonka
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. Tony and Anne Arrell 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 Jerry and Geraldine Heffernan Kolter Communities
The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation Roger D. Moore E. Louise Morgan Tim & Frances Price Colleen Sexsmith 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
PERFORMANCE AND ARTIST SPONSORS
ENSEMBLE STUDIO SUPPORTERS
Demonstrating their leadership and generosity, these donors have underwritten the COC’s main stage productions.
The following donors extend their generous support to individual artists and productions
Encouraging the next generation of artists, these donors support the COC’s Ensemble Studio.
$500,000 + Jerry & Geraldine Heffernan The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation Colleen Sexsmith
$100,000 + Jack Whiteside
$1,000,000 Peter M. Deeb
$50,000 – $99,999 Sue Mortimer
$500,000 – $999,999 The Slaight Family Foundation
$100,000 – $499,999 Paul Bernards David Roffey & Karen Walsh $50,000 – $99,999 The Asper Foundation
$25,000 – $49,999 Earlaine Collins J. Hans Kluge Françoise Sutton Anonymous (1) Up to $25,000 Robert Sherrin Sarah Billinghurst Solomon & Howard Solomon Carol Swallow Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen Kristine Vikmanis & Denton Creighton
Please visit coc.ca for additional information
$25,000 – $499,999 Anne & Tony Arrell Ethel Harris & the late Milton E. Harris Hal Jackman Foundation Roy and Marjorie Linden Roger D. Moore The Stratton Trust W. Garfield Weston Foundation
15
Join the Ensemble Circle
Three acclaimed opera productions Invitations to special events Post-performance toast with artists Henry N. R. Jackman Lounge access
Exclusive backstage tour Attend working rehearsal Admission to Operanation ‌ and much more
The Ensemble Circle is a rapidly expanding community of young people who appreciate and support opera and the arts in Toronto. By becoming a member, you join a network of your peers from across the arts, media and business communities, and benefit from a personalized introduction to the world of opera and the Canadian Opera Company.
Call 416-306-2309
E-mail lauraa@coc.ca
Visit ensemblecircle.ca
Photos from Operanat10n: A Night of Temptation, 2013. Left: Cameron McPhail and Catherine Affleck. Photo: Ryan Emberley. Centre: Photo: Tara Noelle. Right: (l-r) Katie Jones, Ashleigh Semkiw and Marissa Semkiw. Photo: Tara Noelle
MAJOR GIFTS & SPECIAL PROJECTS Up to $25,000 ARIAS: Canadian Opera Student Development Fund Marcia Lewis Brown Margaret Harriett Cameron and the late Gary Smith Earlaine Collins Ninalee Craig Catherine Fauquier Patrick Hodgson Family Foundation Peter & Hélène Hunt Alexandra Jonsson Jo Lander Rosemarie Landry Tom C. Logan Colleen Sexsmith June Shaw and the late Dr. Ralph Shaw Jack Whiteside Brian Wilks Anonymous (1)
GENERAL PROGRAM SUPPORTERS Providing general program support is critical to the COC’s artistic mission. $1,000,000+ Tim & Frances Price
$100,000+ Anne & Tony Arrell Anonymous (1) Up to $25,000 Bruce C. Bailey A. R. Deane & Mary Nesbitt The Parvez-Tyab Family Trust
SPECIAL PROJECTS In March 2015, the COC’s groundbreaking production of Handel’s Semele travelled to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The COC thanks the following donors for their support of this milestone for the company.
ENDOWMENT SUPPORT Making a gift to the Endowment ensures the 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)
Walter M. & Lisa Balfour Bowen Philip Deck & Kimberley Bozak David & Kristin Ferguson Jerry & Geraldine Heffernan Peter M. Partridge Colleen Sexsmith Kris Vikmanis & Denton Creighton Jack Whiteside Anonymous (1)
INDIVIDUAL GIVING ANNUAL SUPPORT 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 Horst Dantz and Don Quick‡ Estate of Egon Homburger‡ Estate of Henri Kolin Estate of Manack Sanjara Estate of J.M. (Doc) Savage‡ Estate of Helen Allen Stacey Estate of Jeanie Irwin Walker Anonymous (1)
In Memory of Margaret Elder Bell Fern Cohen Roy Albert Cross Rev. Richard Downey Deidre Gipp David Murray Harley Stephen Walter Ireland Janet Lo Sigmund Mintz Ingeborg Mraz Eric Rump Darko Seifert Sylvia Shawn Dick H. Stroink Joan T. Watson
‡ designates funds directed to the COC’s Endowment
Please visit coc.ca for additional information
In Honour of Walter Bowen Frank Ciccolini Sr. Earlaine Collins Ninalee Craig Johannes Debus Yael Dunkleman Michael Gibbens and Julie Lassonde Stephen Gilles Earl B. Law Wailan Low Judy and Wilmot Matthews Robert Morassutti Elizabeth Pizzinato and Richard Paquet Frances and Tim Price Barbara and Iain Scott Colleen Sexsmith David Stanley-Porter Michele Symons Beverly Zerafa As of March 15, 2015
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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**** Colleen Sexsmith*** Anonymous (1) 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 & Julie Lassonde* Rennie & Bill Humphries**** Ronald Kimel & Vanessa LaPerriere**** Susan Loube & William Acton** James Nicol & Christine Milne David Stanley-Porter**** 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**** 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****
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Sydney & Florence 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*** Robert Fung** Roger & Kevin Garland** The Hon. William C. Graham & Mrs. Catherine Graham**** Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin*** Ethel Harris & the late Milton Harris**** William & Nona Heaslip Foundation**** Mr. Peter Hinman & Ms Kristi Stangeland Douglas E. Hodgson**** Michael & Linda Hutcheon**** Justin S. Linden* Jeff Lloyd & Barbara Henders* Mr. & Mrs. J. S. A. MacDonald**** Bobby & Gordon MacNeill** Ms Anne Maggisano Judy & Wilmot Matthews* Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain*** 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* Mrs. Christl & Mr. Karl Niemuller*** Donald O’Born*** Peter M. Partridge**** Mr. Tim & Mrs. Frances Price**** Ms R. Raso**** David Roffey & Karen Walsh**** Barrie D. Rose & Family*** Philip & Maria Smith** Stephen & Jane Smith**** Marion & Gerald Soloway** David E. Spiro*** Ryerson & Michele Symons Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen** Ms Kristine Vikmanis & Mr. Denton Creighton**** The Youssef-Warren Foundation****
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL AMBASSADORS Catherine Bergeron Diane Adamson-Brdar Thomas J. Burton Ninalee Craig Colleen Sexsmith (Chair) TRUSTEE, $7,500 – $12,499 à la Carte Kitchen Inc. Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson*** Mr. & Mrs. Avie Bennett**** Dr. David & Constance Briant**** Paul G. Cherry & Dean C. Noack**** Marilyn Cook* Ms Lindsay Dale-Harris & Mr. Rupert Field-Marsham**** Andrew Fleming** Peter & Shelagh Godsoe** Dr. Melvyn L. Iscove*** Bernhard & Hannelore Kaeser**** J. Hans Kluge** Jean V. Kramar** Mr. Gurney Kranz**** Mr. Philip Lanouette** Paul Lee & Jill Maynard**** Anne Lewitt** Jerry & Joan Lozinski**** Amy & John Macfarlane* Kathleen McLaughlin & Tim Costigan* Dr. Judith A. Miller*** Douglas L. Parker**** Annie & Ian Sale* Dr. David Shaw** Françoise Sutton*** Carol Swallow*** Anonymous (1) PATRON, $3,750 – $7,499 Laurie & Fareed Ali** Sue Armstrong**** Ron Atkinson & Bruce Blandford**** Mona H. Bandeen, C. M. ** Karen & Bill Barnett* Henk Bartelink in memory of Oskar & Irmgard Gaube*** Dr. Frank Bartoszek & Mr. Daniel O’Brien**** Dr. Gail Beck, O. Ont. & Mr. Andrew Fenus* Dr. Thomas H. Beechy**** Mr. & Mrs. Eric Belli-Bivar*** Dr. Catherine Bergeron*** Tom Bogart & Kathy Tamaki** Peter Brieger & Beverley Hamblin*
Dr. Jane Brissenden & Dr. Janet Roscoe**** Mrs. Donna Brock*** Alice Burton*** Margaret Harriett Cameron**** Joe & Laurissa Canavan Cesaroni Management Limited*** Frank Ciccolini**** The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson* Mr. & Mrs. William J. Corcoran*** Lindy Cowan† & Chris Hatley*** Brian J. Dawson*** Dr. Jeanne Deinum**** Carol Derk & David Giles** Mrs. A. Ephraim Diamond & Family**** Peter & Anne Dotsikas** Jeffrey Douglas Vreni & Marc Ducommun*** Mr. Albert D. Dunn* Bud & Leigh Eisenberg*** Joseph Fantl & Moira Bartram** Mr. & Mrs. Fraser M. Fell**** Kimberley Fobert & Robert Lamb†**** Margaret & David Fountain**** The Fraser Elliott Foundation**** Dr. & Mrs. Wm. O. Geisler*** Ann J. Gibson**** Rose & Roger Goldstein**** Michael & Anne Gough**** Dr. Noëlle Grace & Mr. Morris Shohet**** Ronald & Birgitte Granofsky**** Douglas & Ruth Grant* John & Judith Grant** Al & Malka Green** John Groves & Vera Del Vecchio**** James & Joyce Gutmann**** Dr. Albert Haddad George & Irene Hamilton**** Hampton Securities Ltd. * Scott & Ellen Hand*** Maggie Hayes** Hon. & Mrs. Paul Hellyer**** Chris Hoffmann & Joan Eakin** Michiel Horn & Cornelia Schuh**** Ken Hugessen & Jennifer Connolly** The Jackman Foundation*** Mr. Robert C. Jefferies Ms Elizabeth Johnson** Alexandra Jonsson Dr. Joshua Josephson & Ms Elaine Lewis**** Lorraine Kaake**** The Patrick & Barbara Keenan Foundation**** James & Diane King** Dr. Elizabeth Kocmur**** Murray & Marvelle Koffler****
John B. Lawson, C.M. Q.C. **** Mr. J. Levitt & Ms E. Mah** Daniel & Janet Li** Vincent & Helene Lobraico* Tom C. Logan* Jonathan & Dorothea Lovat Dickson** Douglas L. Ludwig & Karen J. Rice*** Peter H. Lunney Mr. Jed MacKay**** Mrs. R. MacMillan **** Dr. Colin McGregor Mailer**** Mrs. J. L. Malcolm* Dr. & Mrs. M. A. Manuel* Frederick J. Marker & Anne Dupré Fernando Martinez-Caro Dr. & Mrs. Donald C. McGillivray**** Paul & Jean McGrath**** Ronan McGrath & Sarah Perry* June McLean**** Mr. Ian McWalter* Mr. Ulrich Menzefricke**** Bruce & Vladka Mitchell* Mr. Noel Mowat** Dr. M. L. Myers & the late Dr. W. P. Hayman*** Dr. Shirley C. Neuman** Eileen Patricia Newell*** Sally-Ann Noznesky**** E. Oliana & A. Iu*** Janice Oliver*** Keith & Brenda Ottaway*** The Ouellette Family Foundation Julia & Liza Overs**** Dr. & Mrs. William M. Park**** John & Gwen Pattison** John & Carol Peterson*** June C. Pinkney**** Polk Family Charitable Fund** Julian Porter, Q.C. ** Margrit & Tony Rahilly**** Rob & Penny Richards*** Margaret A. Riggin* Gordon Robison & David Grant* 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*** Hume Smith**** Dr. Harley Smyth & Carolyn McIntire Smyth** Philip Somerville* Dr. John Stanley & Dr. Helmut Reichenbächer***
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Wayne Stanley & Marina Pretorius* Doreen L. Stanton**** Janet Stubbs†** Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Taylor**** Wendy J. Thompson**** Anthea Thorp**** Ian Turner*** Sandra & Guy Upjohn*** Dita Vadron & James Catty** Donald & Margaret Walter**** Hugh & Colleen Washington** William R. Waters**** Ruth Watts-Gransden**** Dr. Virginia Wesson*** Dr. Jack Williams & Dr. Dorothy Pringle*** Ms Lilly Wong* Mr. & Mrs. Richard Wookey**** Linda Young* Helen Ziegler*** Susan Zorzi** Sharon Zuckerman**** Anonymous (3) MEMBER, $2,250 – $3,749 D. C. Adamson-Brdar**** Dr. & Mrs. 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*** Mr. Jeff Axelrod & Dr. John Goodhew John Bailey** James C. Baillie** Marilyn & Charles Baillie**** Andrew & Cornelia Baines**** Janice A. Baker**** Richard J. Balfour**** Lindy Barrow** Julia Bass & David Hamilton*** Alice & Tom Bastedo*** Mr. & Mrs. Peter & Sondra Beck* Ms Marie Bérard†*** Nani & Austin Beutel**** Dody Bienenstock** John & Mandy Birch* Anneliese & Walter Blackwell**** Ian & Janet Blue*** John & Ila Bossons** Mr. W. Bowen & Ms S. Gavinchuk†**** Mr. Stephen Bradley
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Make the most of your opera experience! Post-performance toasts Backstage receptions Working rehearsals Exclusive recitals and concerts Season preview VIP ticket services Opening-night parties Henry N. R. Jackman Lounge access
President’s Council and Golden Circle members help make everything we do possible. Join them to share in the thrill and excitement of opera as never before, while supporting the artistic mission of the Canadian Opera Company. For further information, contact us at presidentscouncil@coc.ca, visit coc.ca/Support, 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.
Top: Opening night celebration for La Bohème, 2013. Photo: Dave Cox | Middle: Centre Stage Gala, 2013. Photo: Jenna Marie Wakani | Bottom: General Director Alexander Neef, Così fan tutte director Atom Egoyan and Music Director Johannes Debus at the 2014/2015 Season Launch. Photo: Dave Cox
Mrs. Carolyn Bradley-Hall & Mr. William Bradley*** Mrs. Richard Bradshaw*** Rob & Teresa Brouwer** Mr. Ingvar & Mrs. Sheila Brogren Brian Bucknall & Mary Jane Mossman**** Jane Budrevics** Christopher & Elizabeth Buller Thomas J. Burton** Maureen Callahan & Douglas Gray** Sharon & Howard Campbell** Ken & Denise Cargill** Brian & Ellen Carr**** Gail Carson**** Drs. Carol & David Cass Cara Celotti & Tom Nicolopoulos Lee M. Chambers Prof. Alfred L. Chan & Mr. Michael Farewell*** Dr. & Mrs. Albert Cheskes*** John D. Church Dr. Howard M. Clarke*** Edward Cole & Adrienne Hood*** Brian Collins & Amanda Demers* Mr. Andrew Combes* Tony & Elizabeth Comper* Mr. & Mrs. R. W. Corcoran Murray & Katherine Corlett**** Harold & Anita Corrigan*** Dr. Lesley S. Corrin**** Bram & Beth Costin Gay & Derek Cowbourne** Mary & John Crocker**** Ruth & John Crow*** Carrol Anne Curry*** Dr. & Mrs. Michael & Ute Davis** Michael & Honor de Pencier**** Mrs. Rosario de Wit-Farro*** Angelo & Carol DelZotto*** Charles Dennis & Steve Kelley† 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** Bernita Drenth Marko Duic and Gabriel Lau**** Mrs. Anne W. Dupré William & Gwenda Echard**** Jean Patterson Edwards** Wendy & Elliott Eisen**** 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**** Lee & Shannon Ferrier**** William & Rosemary Fillmore*** Mrs. Lois Fleming**** David & Wendy Flores-Gordon Goshka Folda* J. E. Fordyce**** Robert & Julia Foster** Linda & Ken Foxcroft* Mrs. Ingrid Fratzl Rev. Ivars Gaide & Rev. Dr. Anita Gaide*** Ann Gawman*** Dr. Barry A. Gayle**** The Honourable Irving Gerstein & Mrs. Gail Gerstein** Ben & Sarah Glatt**** Mary & Lionel Goffart* Dr. Eudice Goldberg* Dr. Fay Goldstep & Dr. George Freedman** Deanna A. Gontard**** Dr. Paul W. Gooch Tina & Michael Gooding*** Wayne A. Gooding**** Goodman Family* Mr. Finn Greflund & Mrs. M. Ortner** Mr. Carmen & Mrs. Vittoria Guglietti** Ellen & Simon Gulden**** Dan Hagler & Family*** Ms Pamela Hallisey Francess G. Halpenny**** Mr. Adrian J. Hamel Beverly Hargraft** Mr. Harquail & Dr. Sigfridsson* Michael Harris & Carol Rak** Paul & Natalie Hartman* Caroline Helbronner*** Jacques & Elizabeth Helbronner*** Thea Herman & Gregory King*** William E. Hewitt*** Pamela Hoiles Richard & Donna Holbrook**** Sally Holton**** Emmy & Walter Homburger*** Drs. Walter & Virginia Hryshko* Ms Judith Hull Anthony C. J. Humphreys**** Peter & Hélène Hunt**** Eva Innes & David Medhurst* Elliott Jacobson & Judy Malkin** Paul Jaggard & Ruth Caswell Lynne Jeffrey**** Laurence Jewell**
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The Norman & Margaret Jewison Charitable Foundation**** E. Patricia Johnson** Dr. Albert & Bette Johnston** Joyce Johnston*** Miriam Kagan H. L. Katarynych*** Dr. Joel Keenleyside**** David W. & Sheryl L. Kerr* Joseph Kerzner & Lisa Koeper**** Inta Kierans**** Ellen & Hermann Kircher**** Mr. Martin Kirr & Ms Suzanne McCuaig Mr. Douglas Klaassen** Michael & Sonja Koerner*** Robin Korthals & Janet Charlton** Valarie Koziol* William & Eva Krangle**** Richard T. La Prairie* Elizabeth & Goulding Lambert*** Jo Lander**** M. J. Horsfall Large** 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*** Mr. Kejun Liang L. Liivamagi & Dr. D. N. Cash Marjorie & Roy Linden**** Dr. & Mrs. W. G. Lindley**** Janet & Sid Lindsay*** Anthony J. Lisanti*** In memory of Janet Lo** Dr. Vance Logan**** A. Benson Lorriman**** Dr. Robert G. Luton**** James & Connie MacDougall**** Dr. & Mrs. Richard Mackenzie**** Tom MacMillan**** Macro Properties Ltd. ** Mr. A. Mafrici**** R. Manke**** Mr. & Mrs. R. Gordon Marantz**** Roberto Mauro† & Erin Wall Mrs. Ettore Mazzoleni*** Dr. & Mrs. John A. McCallum**** The Hon. Barbara McDougall*** Darcy & Joyce McKeough* Don McLean & Diane Martello Guy & Joanne McLean**** M. E. McLeod**** Jean M. McNab**** Mr. Timothy McNicholas*
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Mark & Andrea McQueen*** Shawn McReynolds & Elaine Kierans* Dr. Davender Mehra & Dr. Ellis Galea Kirkland* 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** Florence Minz Audrey & David Mirvish*** Dr. David N. Mitchell & Dr. Susan M. Till*** Mr. Donald Mitchell Eva 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** Anne Murdock** Marilyn & Amy Mushinski† Matt & Debbie Mysak*** David & Mary Neelands*** Dr. Emilie Newell* Dr. Steven Nitzkin**** Simon & Marlene Nyilassy* Dr. James & Mrs. Valda Oestreicher*** Martin & Myrna Ossip* Eileen & Ralph Overend* Clarence & Mary Pace** Dr. & Mrs. N. Pairaudeau**** Lee Parsons* Dr. Roger D. Pearce*** Dr. A. Angus Peller* John & Penelope Pepperell* M. J. Phillips**** Robin B. Pitcher**** Wanda Plachta**** Mary Jean & Frank Potter*** Georgia Prassas**** Ms Jill Presser & Mr. John Duffy* Mr. Alan Pyatt Dr. Mark Quigley**** Stephen Ralls & Bruce Ubukata*** The Carol & Morton Rapp Foundation**** Professor C. Edward Rathé**** Kenneth F. Read**** Mrs. Richard Gavin Reid** Grant L. Reuber**** Mrs. Gabrielle Richards** Carolyn Ricketts****
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Ms Nada Ristich* Emily & Fred Rizner** Clara Robert* Mr. Mike & Ms Stacy Robitaille Steve & Richa Roder Dr. Michael & Mary Romeo**** John & Hannah Rosen* Mrs. Gertrude Rosenthal**** Ken & Helen Rotenberg** Rainer & Sharyn Rothfuss**** Peter A. Roy & Leah Taylor Roy Drs. Orest & Maureen Rudzik**** David A. Ruston*** Ms Sharon Cookie Sandler**** Mallory Morris Sartz & John Sartz**** Go Sato**** Bruce Schaef**** Fred & Mary Schulz** Dr. Marianne Seger**** Carol Seifert & Bruno Tesan*** Robert & Geraldine Sharpe**** Victor & Rhoda Shields**** Milton & Joyce Shier**** William Siegel & Margaret Swaine** Dr. Bernie & Mrs. Bobbie Silverman** Rod & Christina Simpson In memory of Dr. Bernard Slatt* Dr. & Mrs. Jeremy Sloan** Jay Smith & Laura Rapp* Ms Muriel Smith & Mr. Eric Ojala**** Dr. Joseph So*** John & Ellen Spears**** Martha E. Spears*** Rosemary Speirs Alex & Kim Squires**** Oksana R. Stein*** Mr. & Mrs. Gary & Sula Stern* Dr. & Mrs. Stephen Stern*** John D. Stevenson**** James H. Stonehouse** Eric Tang & Dr. James Miller** Mr. Arthur Paul Tarasuk* Tesari Charitable Foundation** Elizabeth Tory**** Mr. Alex Tosheff* Dory Vanderhoof & Rosalind Bell** Edmond & Sylvia Vanhaverbeke**** Dr. R. B. Van Winckle* Stefan Varga & Dr. Marica Varga* Dr. Yvonne Verbeeten** Dr. Helen Vosu & Donald Milner**** Richard & Nathalie Wachsberg* Elizabeth & Michael Walker*** Ann & Marshall Webb** Peter Webb & Joan York**** Dr. Bogomila Welsh**
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
Ms Eleanor Westney** Melanie Whitehead*** Mr. Brian Wilks* Elizabeth Wilson & Ian Montagnes**** Mr. Gregory Wilson John Wright & Chung-Wai Chow* Dr. Jackson Wu & Dr. Viviana Chang* Ms June Yee** Morden Yolles**** Walter Zwig**** Anonymous (28) FRIENDS OF THE COC SUSTAINING FRIENDS $1,600 – $2,249 Iivi Campbell**** Jayne & Ted Dawson**** Mr. Steven D. Donohoe**** Mr. James Hamilton* Bill Heaslip**** Mr. Josef Hrdina* Mr. Sumant Inamdar** Dr. Paul & Mrs. Marcia Kavanagh Mrs. Mary Liitoja**** Mrs. Annette Oelbaum* Ms Marianne Orr* Barbara & Peter Pauly** Norbert & Elizabeth Perera**** Ms Adrianne Pieczonka Mr. & Mrs. Domenic Porporo** Ms Joan Sinclair** David Smukler & Patricia Kern** The Sorbara Group**** Ms Peg Thoen** Dr. M. Lynne Thurling & Dr. John Treilhard*** Vernon & Beryl Turner**** Gordon Waugh**** Anonymous (1) ASSOCIATE FRIENDS $1,100 – $1,599 Carol & Ernest Albright**** Gail Asper & Michael Paterson Michael & Janet Barnard** Don Biderman**** Dr. B. Derek & Dr. Anne W. Birt**** Ellen & Murray Blankstein* Darlene & Peter Blenich* Murray & Judy Bryant*** Dr. Wendy C. Chan* Patricia Clarke** Robert D. Cook** Mr. Neil Crawford* Mr. Stuart Davidson Mr. Darren Day*** Dr. Christine Dunbar** Howard & Kathrine Eckler***
Lawrence Enkin** R. Dalton Fowler**** John H. Galloway**** Alison Girling & Paul Schabas** Aviva & Andrew Goldenberg** Ricardo Gomez-Insausti* David Gordon & Wendy Flores Gordon* Roy & Gail Harrison**** Sylvie Hatch**** David Holdsworth & Nicole Senécal* Richard & Susan Horner**** James Hughes*** Mr. Kazik Jedrzejczak**** Ms Elisa Kearney Ms Suanne Kelman & Dr. Allan J. Fox** The Hon. Dennis Lane, Q.C. & Mrs. Sandra Lane**** Jason & Stephanie Lewis* Andrew & Harriet Lyons P. Anne Mackay**** Mrs. Janet Maggiacomo** Karen & Craig** Georgina McLennan**** Mr. David Milovanovic & Dr. Cinda Dyer Mr. Carl Morey**** Mr. Sean O'Neill**** Marjorie & Anne Pepper** Ms Victoria Pinnington*** Mr. Andrew Prodanyk Lola Rasminsky & Bob Presner Dr. Peter Ray**** Dr. Shelley Rechner**** Amye & DeeAnn Hagler Sagar Mr. Michael Samborsky** William & Meredith Saunderson**** Dr. Anabel M. Scaranelo Ms Elisabeth Scarff**** Beverly & Fred Schaeffer**** Dr. & Mrs. W. K. Stavraky*** Norma & George Steiner**** Vera & Pavel Straka*** Dr. Peter Voore**** Ron Williams* Nina & Norman Wright*** Carole & Bernie Zucker*** Anonymous (6) CONTRIBUTING FRIENDS $700 – $1,099 Ms I. M. Allen**** Dr. M. Al Sayyab Dentistry Professional Corp. Dr. I. L. Babb Fund at the Toronto Community Foundation**** In memory of M. Baptista*** Peter & Leslie Barton** Mrs. Lynn Bayer***
Catherine Belyea+ Michael Benedict & Martha Lowrie**** Jeniva Berger**** Anthony Bird**** Dr. Jennifer Blake** Ms Marlene Bohn* Mary Brock & Brian Iler**** Ms Judith Burrows*** Ms E. Burton*** Mr. Bill Cameron* Betty Carlyle**** Mark Cestnik & Natercia Sousa**** Geoffrey & Bilgi Chapman**** Harold Chmara & Danny Hoy**** Joe T. R. Clarke**** Ms Rovena Cooper Mr. Sylvain Crozon M. P. Davies** Anita Day Don DeBoer & Brent Vickar*** Mr. Michael Disney* Wendy Drahovzal Ms Eleanor L. Ellins**** Mr. Arthur English** Joe & Helen Feldmann*** Brian A. Ferguson**** Dr. James Ferguson Bruce & Mary Fillier Tom Flemming**** Jennifer & Frank Flower*** Angelo Furgiuele & Family* Douglas G. Gardner**** Mr. M. Gerwin & Mrs. J. Rutledge** Girish & Bharati Ghatalia Elinor Gill Ratcliffe C.M., O.N.L., LLD (hc) Dr. Wilfred S. Goodman**** Mrs. Marion A. Green**** Mrs. Suzy Greenspan** Dr. & Mrs. Voldemars Gulens**** Dr. & Mrs. Brian & Cynthia Hands**** Sandra Hausman** Peter L. Henniger* Dr. Paul Cooper & Mr. David Hiebert In memory of Pauline Hinch** Istvan & Gilian Hlinyanszky Mr. Sylvain Houle* Dr. Ivan & Mrs. Diana Hronsky**** In loving memory of Joyce Whitney Hughes* Mr. David Hutton*** Mr. Chris Ibey*** Douglas & Dorothy Joyce**** Lilian Kilianski+ & Brian Pritchard* Mai Kirch**** Dr. & Mrs. L. A. Kitchell****
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Serguei Kloubkov Mr. & Mrs. I. P. & O. M. Komarnicky*** Mr. Christopher J. Kowal* Mr. Jonathan Krehm* Gediminas P. Kurpis**** Mr. James R. Lake**** Harry Lane*** Alan & Marti Latta**** Giles le Riche & Rosemary Polczer*** Mr. Tom Le Seelleur** Claus & Heather Lenk* Mr. Yakov Lerner* Mr. & Mrs. G. Lorenson Dr. Francois Loubert* Deidre Lynch* Tyler & Claire Macnamara Kathy Marton* Dr. Lynn McAslan Mary McClymont**** Mary McGowan**** Jil McIntosh** Mr. Bruce McKeown**** David & Jean McLay**** Sylvia McPhee**** Janis Medland* Dr. Alan C. Middleton*** Janina Milisiewicz**** Kamini & Lynne Milnes* Frank & Anne Moir*** Blake Murray & Nancy Riley**** Peter Naylor Larry Nevard Mr. Tomi Nishio**** David Northcote & Suzanne Betcke* Mrs. Jean O'Grady** Ms Cristina Oke*** Karen Olinyk†* Joan Pape**** Mr. James C. Pappas**** Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Letizia Paradiso*** David Peachey & Georgia Henderson** Justice Michael L. Phelan & Susan Phelan Dr. Wadermar A. Pieczonka**** Dr. Alice Pitt & Dr. Deborah Britzman Ed & Beth Price*** Mr. Robert Radke Annette & Jim Ray Marat Ressin Ms Virginia Robeson** Dorothy & Robert Ross*** M. & G. Sanvido**** Patti & Richard Schabas** Nancy A. Schiefer in memory of Walter Schiefer**** Valerie Schweritzer & Chris Reed****
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Marlene Pollock Sheff* John Spears**** Phil Spencer**** Mr. Paul Steep & Ms Anne McNeilly* Helga & Klaus Stegemann*** Jane & Ted Stephenson**** Penelope K. Sullivan**** Larry & Judy Tanenbaum**** Ria Tietz**** Dr. Claude Tousignant** Mr. & Mrs. David G. Trent**** Maria & Ian Tulip**** Dr. Nancy F. Vogan**** Mr. Wayne Vogan†**** George Vona & Lark Popov** Barbara J. Weider* Mr. John M. Welch**** James & Margaret Whitby**** F. Whittaker** Mr. Takahiro Yamanaka Ms Diana Yenson* David A. Young Ms Iris Zawadowski* Anonymous (9) 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. The Canadian Opera Company 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 Mr. Philip J. Boswell Marnie M. Bracht Gregory Brandt Mrs. Ann Christie Earl Clark The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson Brian Collins & Amanda Demers
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Earlaine Collins David H. Cormack 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 Marjorie & Roy Linden Tom C. Logan, A.R.C.T. 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 Sharon Ryman† Cookie & Stephen Sandler John & Helen Scott 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 Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
N. Suzanne Vanstone Marie-Laure Wagner Hugh & Colleen Washington Marion C. Wilson Marion York Tricia Younger Anonymous (63) OPERATOURS DONORS $700 + (As of February 19, 2014) Dr. & Mrs. Larry M. Agranove**** Anneliese and Walter Blackwell**** Brian J. Dawson*** Jayne & Ted Dawson**** Brian A. Ferguson**** Ben & Sarah Glatt**** Mr. & Mrs. I. P. & O. M. Komarnicky*** John B. Lawson, C.M. Q.C.**** Dr. Colin McGregor Mailer**** Mary McClymont**** John & Esther McNeil**** Sue Mortimer in memory of Clive Bennett Mortimer**** Mrs. Annette Oelbaum* Joan Pape**** Mr. Michael Samborsky** Allan & Helaine Shiff**** Ria Tietz**** Melanie Whitehead*** CORPORATE MATCHING PARTNERS The Canadian Opera Company 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 March 25, 2015. * ** *** **** †
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
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.
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/Support, e-mail Friends@coc.ca, or call 416-847-4949. *Friends of the COC give a charitable membership gift between $150 – $2,249 annually.
A scene from the COC's Falstaff, 2014. Photo: Michael Cooper
MAJOR CORPORATE SPONSORS 2014/2015 SEASON BMO Financial Group Pre-Performance Chats BMO Financial Group Student Dress Rehearsals Verdi’s Falstaff generously underwritten in part by
Official Automotive Sponsor of the COC at the FSCPA
Presenting Sponsor of SURTITLES™
Supporter of Ensemble Studio and Centre Stage
Glencore Ensemble Studio School Tour
Official Canadian Wine of the COC at the FSCPA
Production Sponsor Rossini’s The Barber of Seville
Production Sponsor Puccini’s Madama Butterfly
Production Sponsor Puccini’s Madama Butterfly
Preferred Jewellery Partner
Preferred Fragrance
Program Sponsor After School Opera Program
Preferred Hospitality Sponsor
Golden Circle Hosting Partner
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Presenting Sponsor Opera Under 30 Preferred Credit Card and Operanation TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege*
Preferred Dry Cleaner
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
Preferred Medical Services Provider
2014/2015 SPONSORS PERFORMANCE SPONSORS Barrick Gold Blake, Cassels & Graydon Burgundy Asset Management Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP Fionn MacCool’s Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Linden & Associates McCarthy Tetrault LLP Norton Rose Fulbright LLP Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP HOSTING SPONSORS
GALA RECEPTION SPONSOR Maison Birks GOLD SPONSORS Brookfield Asset Management Linden & Associates Scotiabank OPERANATI0N: LIGHT UP THE NIGHT PRESENTING SPONSOR TD Bank Group DINNER SPONSOR Hampton Securities PREFERRED FRAGRANCE REVEAL by Calvin Klein
PREFERRED FLORISTS Bloom The Flower Company Quince Flowers CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION DONORS $50,000+ The Slaight Family Foundation The Hal Jackman Fund at the Ontario Arts Foundation $10,000 – $49,999 Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation The Chawkers Foundation Cineplex Great West Life, London Life and Canada Life J.P. Bickell Foundation The Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundation OCC Lasik The McLean Foundation The W. Garfield Weston Foundation Anonymous (1) $5,000 to $9,999 The Hope Charitable Foundation JMV Food Services Canada Ltd. Local 58 Charitable Benefit Fund Metcalf Foundation Mill Street Brewery Shinex Window Cleaning Inc. Unit Park Holdings Inc. The WholeNote Magazine
JEWELLERY PARTNER Maison Birks PARTNERING SPONSOR Burgundy Asset Management CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS Bloomberg Bonnie Shore Canaccord Genuity Element Financial Corp. Torkin Manes LLP EVENT SUPPORTERS BT/A Chairman Mills Mill St. Perrier Quince Flowers Ryan Emberley Photography 10tation Event Catering The Knot Group The Room Toronto Life Trius Wines Wellington Printworks J.P. Wiser’s ® Canadian Whisky Lot No. 40™ Canadian Whisky Pike Creek™ Canadian Whisky Jameson® Irish Whiskey The Glenlivet® Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aberlour® Single Malt Scotch Whisky Beefeater® Gin
$2,500 – $4,999 Hicks Memorial Fund at The Calgary Foundation Vida Peene Fund at the Canada Council for the Arts Milgram Group of Companies Ltd.
FINE WINE AUCTION 2015
$1,000 – $2,499 Aimia D’Avignon Freight Services Inc. Gill Ratcliffe Foundation Jarvis & Associates Judith Teller Foundation Loch-Sloy Holdings Ltd. MAC Cosmetics O’Shanter Development Company Ltd. The Powis Family Foundation
PARTNERING SPONSORS Gillam Group Inc. RR Donnelley Canada Inc.
CENTRE STAGE: ENSEMBLE STUDIO COMPETITION GALA 2014 COMPETITION SUPPORTERS RBC and RBC Foundation Peter M. Deeb Hal Jackman Foundation PLATINUM SPONSOR Mercedes-Benz OPERA UNDER 30 SPONSOR TD Bank Group Please visit coc.ca for additional information
PRESENTING SPONSOR Graywood Group
SUPPORTING SPONSOR Geoffrey Pennal of CIBC Wood Gundy EVENT SUPPORTER Steinway Piano Gallery Toronto WINE SPONSOR Trius Wines CATERING 10tation Event Catering CHEESE SPONSOR The Cheese Boutique AUCTIONEER Stephen Ranger Fine Art Valuation & Consultancy
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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: Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Department of Canadian Heritage Employment and Social Development Canada Ontario Arts Council Canada Council for the Arts
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, Opera.ca. and TAPA. 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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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
BACKSTAGE AND BEYOND
OUR WONDERFUL COC DONORS ARE HELPING US CELEBRATE A GREAT SEASON AT SOME UNFORGETTABLE EVENTS, INCLUDING PARTIES, BACKSTAGE MEET-AND-GREETS WITH ARTISTS, AND A TRIP TO NYC!
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2 1. & 2. Our supporters were some of the first opera lovers in North America to hear Christine Goerke’s Wagnerian vocal power when she sang “Träume” from Wagner's Wesendonck-Lieder at the 2015/2016 Season Launch Celebration; afterwards Vice Chair of the COC Board of Directors Colleen Sexsmith enjoyed champagne and a chat with our Brünnhilde.
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Photos: Chris Hutcheson
3.&4. Snapping pictures of the Don Giovanni cast at the post-opening performance party: Sasha Djihanian and (l-r) Jane Archibald, Michael Schade, Russell Braun and his wife Carolyn Maule. Photos: Joey Lopez
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Ensemble Studio alumna and new Development team member Janet Stubbs, current Ensemble Studio member Gordon Bintner, Ensemble alumna Simone Osborne, and COC Board member Phil Deck after the 15/16 Season Launch Celebration. Photo: Chris Hutcheson
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
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6. COC Life Trustee and long-time Artist Sponsor Earlaine Collins with Russell Braun, Carolyn Maule, and General Director Alexander Neef at the Don Giovanni opening night party. Photo: Joey Lopez 7.
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President’s Council member Barbara Keenan, Golden Circle member Jane Smith, Ensemble Studio alumna and Development team member Janet Stubbs, and PC member Julia Bass attend a reception after the Ensemble Studio’s first concert of the 2014/2015 season. Photo: Karen Reeves
8. President and Trustee of the Asper Foundation Gail Asper, COC Board Chair Tony Arrell, Executive Director of the Asper Foundation Moe Levy, and COC Music Director Johannes Debus mark the Asper Foundation’s generous support of the COC with a toast in the Henry N. R. Jackman Lounge. Photo: Dave Cox
9. President’s Council member Dr. Barry J. Hood with COC Concertmaster Marie Bérard after the opening of Don Giovanni. Photo: Joey Lopez The colourful splendour of the COC’s Semele carried through to the opening night party festivities at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). 10. Peter Partridge, one of the generous donors who made the COC’s tour to BAM possible. 11. Semele selfie with tenor Colin Ainsworth (Jupiter), Lady Linda Wong Davies (KT Wong Foundation), Jane Archibald (Semele) and Hilary Summers (Ino/Juno). Photos: BAM
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12. COC Director of Production Peter Lamb (far right) celebrated with his partner, dancer Veronica Tennant and William Lynch, director of leadership gifts at BAM.
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Catch up with blogs and explore Look and Listen at coc.ca.
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MOZART
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO Love conquers all. Especially reason. No opera is more convincing – or as consistently beautiful – in portraying the fluid enchantments, maze-like confusions, and bouts of sheer blindness brought on by love. On the eve of their wedding, Figaro and Susanna’s romance is shaken when their employer, the Count, takes an extramarital interest in Susanna. This sets in motion a day of schemes and counter schemes, sexual intrigues and mistaken identities, embroiling the entire household in a web of erotic passions. A sparkling cast of Mozartian singers take us into this magnificent, seriously witty farce, set to some of the most sublimely beautiful music ever written, from the Countess’s ravishing arias to virtuosic ensembles such as the Act II finale. Hailed as a “masterpiece” (Bloomberg News), this new-to-Toronto production by Claus Guth draws visual inspiration from the films of Ingmar Bergman and the plays of Ibsen and Strindberg, while fusing stylized gesture and choreography with Mozart’s score to deliver a “shattering, unforgettable” (The Guardian) account of the elemental forces of human nature.
February 4 – 27, 2016 NEW COC PRODUCTION Uli Kirsch as Cherubim in The Marriage of Figaro (Salzburg Festival, 2011). Photo: Monika Rittershaus
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
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BIZET
CARMEN Live free or die. Carmen. The name alone conjures up myriad allusions: freedom-loving gypsy, sexual predator, fatalistic soul. Carmen has inspired ballets, movies and one of the world’s most enduringly popular operas, set to the driving passion and sensual heat of Georges Bizet’s score. The story is one that could be ripped from the headlines of today, or anytime: Carmen enters into a tragic love affair with a young soldier whose jealousy is at odds with her unrelenting desire for freedom. She soon tires of him and seeks fresh excitement in the arms of another man. Joel Ivany, of Toronto’s Against the Grain Theatre, directs a young and brilliant cast including two of the most outstanding Carmens on the opera stage today: Anita Rachvelishvili, who has sung Carmen with “smoldering, earthy sexuality"( New York Times) at the Met, La Scala and Berlin; and Clémentine Margraine, whose "passion and menace" (Opera News) has made her Carmen such a hit in Rome and Berlin.
April 12 – May 15, 2016 COC PRODUCTION
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A scene from Carmen (COC, 2010). Photo: Michael Cooper
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
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ROSSINI
MAOMETTO II Love and war collide in Rossini’s epic drama In his grand bel canto drama Maometto II, Rossini unleashes his full arsenal of vocal pyrotechnics on the historical tale of the great Turkish Sultan, Maometto, and his quest to conquer the Holy Roman Empire. Mostly known for effervescent comedies like The Barber of Seville, Rossini was also a master of serious opera, the most famous being William Tell. After its 1820 Naples premiere, Maometto II was not seen again in its original form until 2012 at Santa Fe Opera. There, it was lauded as a “thrilling [piece of] experiential theater” (Opera News) in the same David Alden production that will appear on our Toronto stage next Spring. Along with set and costume designer Jon Morrell, Alden has brought the opera’s action forward from its historical 15th-century origins to the time of its creation in 1820. Strikingly-coloured, Napoleonic era, First Empire gowns glow jewel-like against a neoclassical marble colonnade. Surprising coups des théâtres are peppered throughout, including the sudden emergence of a statue of three galloping horses on which Maometto makes a dramatic exit. Mastering Rossini’s fearsome vocal demands will be superstar Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni making his COC debut as “a chilling and complex Maometto. His dashing stage presence and virile voice exude menacing authority” (New York Times). COC favourite Elizabeth DeShong - no stranger to Rossini’s roulades that she so expertly tossed off as our 2011 Cenerentola - returns as Calbo, one of bel canto’s great, heroic pants roles. The young, rich-toned American soprano Leah Crocetto debuts as Maometto’s forbidden love, Anna. Conductor Harry Bicket (Hercules, 2014) makes a welcome return to the podium.
April 29 – May 14, 2016 NEW COC PRODUCTION Luca Pisaroni as Maometto II (Santa Fe Opera, 2012). Photo: Ken Howard
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
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TOP 10 THINGS TO KNOW
ABOUT
Bluebeard’s Castle/ Erwartung
Nina Warren as The Woman and Noam Markus (lying down) as the Lover in Erwartung (COC, 2001). Photo: Michael Cooper
BY GIANMARCO SEGATO
Above: Robert Lepage Photo: Julie Perreault
Right: The proscenium-hugging gold frame, designed by Michael Levine is visible here. Peter Fried as Bluebeard and Sara Fulgoni as Judith in Bluebeard's Castle (2001). Photo: Michael Cooper
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1. PUTTING THE COC ON THE MAP
2. DESIGNED BY THE TIMES
Québec City native Robert Lepage is indisputably one of the most original theatre artists Canada has ever produced. His ground-breaking 1993 production of Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung was a watershed moment for the COC, establishing it as one of the world’s most visionary and compelling opera companies. Following its Toronto premiere, it garnered world-wide acclaim touring to New York, Edinburgh, Melbourne and Hong Kong. This spring Toronto audiences will be hearing the stunning sonic effects of these two revolutionary scores for the first time in the acoustic splendour of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
Set and costume designer Michael Levine draws inspiration for his visuals from the social and artistic zeitgeist of the period of composition. He cites Austrian
Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
TOP 10 THINGS TO KNOW About Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung
painter Gustav Klimt’s richly gilded canvases as a reference for the huge gold frame that surrounds the proscenium and points to the sombre, unnerving works of Klimt’s Norwegian contemporary, Edvard Munch, as inspiration for his stage design.
3. “IT WAS A REAL CELEBRATION OF THE NEUROTIC, A CELEBRATION OF THE ‘ANTI’” Robert Lepage describes Erwartung as very “dark; a work of despair; Schoenberg doesn’t give any keys or clues to this piece. It’s very erratic— a sort of Freudian voyage.” He highlights these Freudian aspects by setting the opera in a mental ward where the sole character, “The Woman,” is straightjacketed and flooded by memories as she recounts the events of her search for her lover.
4. BEYOND TONALITY Largely self-taught, Viennese composer Arnold Schoenberg’s (1874-1951) innovative
Arnold Schoenberg
experiments with harmony moved art music away from the late-Romantic lushness of Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler towards an atonal sound world that threw over the conventional rules of Western harmony. With his early opera Erwartung (1909), he extended the boundaries of tonality so far as to become the first composer to overstep them. You can hear guided samples at coc.ca/LookAndListen.
5. WHEN THE OLD BECOMES NEW Unlike Schoenberg, Hungarian Béla Bartók (1881-1945) did not reject contemporaries such as Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy—in fact, early works such as Bluebeard’s Castle (1911) were strongly influenced by their style. Instead, it was his research into the old, forgotten folk melodies of Hungary that freed him to create a unique musical fabric dominated by surprising, new dissonances.
Béla Bartók
Catch up with blogs and explore Look and Listen at coc.ca.
6. “IT WAS THE END OF A LOT OF EMPIRES…” In 1903, spurred on by the new anti-Austrian, anti-Habsburg movement in Hungary, Bartók declared in a letter: “all my life, in every way I shall serve but one aim; the benefit of the Hungarian nation.” He completed Bluebeard’s Castle in 1911, just six years before the collapse of the AustroHungarian Empire. As the production’s creator, superstar Canadian director Robert Lepage, points out, “It was the end of a lot of empires; the end of a lot of Bluebeards who possessed lands and jewelry, but whose money was stained with blood.”
7. UNLEASHING THE SUBCONSCIOUS… Schoenberg’s Erwartung is very much a product of the Expressionist movement that swept through all the arts during the early 20th century. His break from the traditional Western harmonic tradition with atonality unleashed a similarly “expressionist” sound world equipped to expose heated emotions of frightening power that had theretofore remained under wraps. Schoenberg’s librettist, the young medical student Marie Pappenheim, based her text on the elliptical, resonant language of patients undergoing psychoanalysis. As a member of the medical community, Marie may well have been familiar with “Anna O,” one of Sigmund Freud’s most famous patients— certainly there are similarities between that case and the text of Erwartung.
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TOP 10 THINGS TO KNOW About Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung
8. “THE SEISMOGRAPHIC RECORDING OF TRAUMATIC SHOCKS” Erwartung’s complex score is particularly challenging due to its “in-between” status— Schoenberg wrote it after he had abandoned tonality (c. 1909) but before he had devised the 12-tone system (early 1920s). German philosopher and musicologist Theodor Adorno famously described it as being akin to “the seismographic recording of traumatic shocks;” a fragmentary score that almost never settles on any type of repeated theme or motif that might potentially offer definitive answers. Malgorzata Walewska as Judith and John Relyea as Bluebeard (Seattle Opera, 2009). Photo: Rozarii Lynch
9. “WE CAN ONLY KNOW FOLK MELODIES THROUGH DIRECT CONTACT WITH PEASANTS” Previous to Bartók’s re-discovery of his homeland’s rich treasury of authentic melodies, the Hungarian classical “nationalist” style had been dominated by folk-like popular songs which were in fact corruptions of truly indigenous music. However, Bartók did not simply incorporate these folk materials verbatim; any of his “melodies” are entirely his own. Instead, he used them as models to intensify rhythms, expand his tonal palette and ultimately, explore the new dissonances that came to define his music. You can hear guided samples at coc.ca/LookAndListen.
10. THE PLAYERS Canadian star, bass John Relyea, relishes the psychological challenges posed by Bluebeard who spends the entire opera in continual dialogue with his latest wife, Judith: “the through line of emotional tension is unbroken, relentless; likewise the score builds up dramatically as things get deeper and darker and doesn’t let you go.” Relyea’s Judith will be Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova with whom he has worked at Covent Garden. Relyea feels this will be “especially important in a piece that is very intimate; very exposed psychologically —having established trust with a colleague beforehand is extremely helpful in creating
something very real earlier in the process of developing the characters.” Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó’s (The Woman, Erwartung) association with this production goes back to her days in the COC Ensemble Studio when she understudied the role of Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle. She calls her new role “probably the most challenging thing I’ve worked on to date. After looking at the first three pages I thought, ‘It’s never going to stick in my head,’ but it’s extremely satisfying when the puzzle falls into place!” Gianmarco Segato is Adult Programs Manager at the Canadian Opera Company.
FOR FURTHER INSIGHT INTO BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE AND ERWARTUNG, READ ANATOMY OF AN OPERA IN THE SPRING EDITION OF PRELUDE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT COC.CA/PUBLICATIONS.
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
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.
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Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 Season
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.
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