Death in Venice House Program by Canadian Opera Company

C A N A DI A N OPE R A COM PA N Y Autumn 2010

Performance

DEATH IN VENICE

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The COC presents Death in Venice (co-production between Aldeburgh Festival, Bregenz Festival, Státní opera Praha and Opéra national de Lyon). A scene from the Lyon production, 2009. Photo: Bertrand Stofleth

CO N T E N TS 6

The Essential Verdi: Interview with Aida’s conductor, Johannes Debus by Suzanne Vanstone

Love Sick: Britten’s Final Opera by Gavin Plumley

Fifth Year of Free Concerts by Suzanne Vanstone

Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour: Investing Today in Opera’s Tomorrow by Katherine Semcesen

CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY Autumn 2010/2011

COC Music Director Johannes Debus. Photo: Michael Cooper

Performance CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY EDITORS: Suzanne Vanstone, Senior Communications Manager, Editorial Gianna Wichelow, Senior Communications Manager, Creative ART DIRECTOR /DESIGN: Jan Haringa GRAPHIC ARTIST: Glenda Moniz NATIONAL ACCOUNT DIRECTORS: Danny Antunes, Gary Bell, Tom Marino, David Thom, PERFORMANCE MEDIA GROUP INC.: PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER: Joe Marino CEO: Frank Barbosa SECRETARY TREASURER: Rajee Muthuraman FINANCE: Gina Zicari Aida cover image by Mark Olson Death in Venice cover image by Mark Olson Canadian Opera Company’s edition of Performance magazine is published quarterly by Performance Media Group 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, Ext. 222.

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INTERVIEW WITH A I D A ’ S C O N D U CT O R , JOHANNES DEBUS

THE ESSENTIAL VERDI: COC’s Aida trumpet built by orchestra member, Herbert Poole. Photo: COC

BY SUZANNE VANSTONE

HIS PAST SUMMER, FRESH FROM APARTMENT HUNTING IN TORONTO AND FROM STEPPING IN FOR JAMES LEVINE TO MAKE HIS DEBUT CONDUCTING THE ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO AT TANGLEWOOD, COC MUSIC DIRECTOR JOHANNES DEBUS SAT DOWN TO DISCUSS VERDI’S AIDA, THE OPENING OPERA OF THE SEASON AND ONE WHICH HE IS CONDUCTING. The COC has not performed this opera in 25 years and is excitedly looking forward to what director Tim Albery has in store for this new production. Albery has brought dynamic interpretations to the company on numerous occasions including Rodelinda, Götterdämmerung and War and Peace. Johannes looks forward to this new exposition of one of Verdi’s most famous operas. This is Johannes’s first Aida, having previously conducted Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Falstaff and he has a deep love for the composer. “Verdi holds a very special place in my heart and I think we

have the duty to always present something which is fundamental to the works we are performing. We always have to tell, or re-tell, the story. If Aida is a piece only about elephants, pyramids, obelisks and all those folkloric elements, it wouldn’t have had the tremendous success it’s had over the years. For me, and I think I’m also speaking for the composer, the focus is on the relationship between the characters and the characters themselves. How do they act in certain and often very extreme situations, extreme states of emotions? Radames is in love with Aida, but Aida is part of the enemy – theirs is an impossible love. Ethiopian King Amonasro loves his daughter and infiltrates Egypt to try and rescue her. And then the relationship between Amneris and Radames – Amneris loves him, yet he does not return that love. Aside from the big tableau scenes, where are we? We are, for example, in Amneris’ room or we are in the tomb with only two people. These are intimate spaces and it’s very important to keep the emphasis on that.”

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THE ESSENTIAL VERDI: Interview with Aida’s conductor, Johannes Debus

COC Music Director Johannes Debus. Photo: Michael Cooper

Whether staged in ancient Egypt or a more contemporary setting, Johannes emphasizes the reality of the feelings expressed between all the characters. “Although some of the situations appear a bit unreal, to be honest, from time to time, we experience these things. It’s quite human, what’s going on in Aida. So to put the focus on exactly that is absolutely thrilling and you can really tell the audience a story which captures them. Verdi’s music, as always, often derives from popular music elements. But he transforms these elements into his own universal language. So although you do have the folkloric elements, or in this case oriental elements such as the dances in the second act, it’s still Verdi. Pure, Italian, Verdi.” Johannes describes Verdi as having much to do with form and structure and compares him to Beethoven in terms of a certain inflexibility. “If we listen to the great Verdi conductors, Toscanini for instance who knew and spoke with Verdi, he said that Verdi was quite rigid, whatever he

conducted. But he was so clear and so convincing. There is, of course, an element of rubato – a kind of freedom, a natural breath – but it is always within the framework, within the structure. That is really difficult to achieve. Verdi’s music is quite essential and pure. There are no excuses. Verdi is like Michelangelo’s sculptures. Every muscle is so defined. And that’s what you have to do as an interpreter and it’s enormously difficult.” He comments that with Puccini, for example, the orchestra already starts to sound wonderful in the very first rehearsal. With Verdi, it takes more effort to make it sound effortless. It shouldn’t be brutal, but it should be absolutely powerful, and rhythmically clear. “I’m not saying that Puccini isn’t, but it’s a different sort of framework. With Verdi there’s less room to work in and you have to be more precise. You have to understand his style, his special dialect, his language, and you have to know and feel his rubato. The difficulty in interpreting Verdi’s music is that if you give it too much freedom, it falls apart.” One of the special orchestral elements of Aida is the trumpets especially fashioned for this opera. The Egyptian trumpets, or Aida trumpets are long, “uncoiled,” and have only one valve. There are six Egyptian trumpets in total – three play in the key of A-flat and three play in B-natural creating a very dramatic effect. If you are familiar with “herald” trumpets, the type of instrument used at the Stratford Festival to announce the start of a performance, you will have the general idea. However herald trumpets play in B-flat. The majority of opera companies employ herald trumpets as they do not have the resources to acquire the special Verdi versions. But the COC is fortunate to have Herbert Poole, bass trombonist in the COC Orchestra, to manufacture these trumpets for us. He also made the stierhorn when the company performed Götterdämmerung. Johannes adds, “We have the good luck that Herb is a very refined

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THE ESSENTIAL VERDI: Interview with Aida’s conductor, Johannes Debus

COC’s Aida trumpets built by orchestra member, Herbert Poole. Photo: COC

instrument creator, he’s a very gifted man. The trumpets play offstage in the banda and have a brilliant, focused sound – a bit more radiant than a regular trumpet.” Johannes most recently conducted The Flying Dutchman with the COC. How does he compare the composers and subsequently prepare the orchestra differently? “Well, we always have this inevitable comparison because Wagner and Verdi are contemporaries, born in the same year. For the orchestra, there are always some basic things with every composer, every piece – like intonation, care with rhythm, listening to each other – for all music we have to make that clear, clean. “There is no simple virtuoso moment with Verdi. Every single bit, every recitative, every coloratura is meaningful in a dramatic sense. It really has to do with the action, with the drama. Wagner, I think, was always looking for something Utopian and superhuman. Whereas Verdi is one of the most human composers. Not to say that there are no heroic, grandiose moments – let’s talk about the Triumphal March! But if you listen to that music and you listen to Wagner, you get a totally different

view on things, on mankind, on what moves us. But above all Verdi always insisted that it was absurd to think in these compartmentalized categories – music is either good or bad.” In January 2011 the COC mounts an exciting new production of The Magic Flute with Johannes conducting. He’s run the gamut from Wagner to Verdi to Mozart in eight months. “And that’s great, because I think these three composers are the greatest opera composers. They gave this genre something very special, very personal. I’m so delighted to have this chance to conduct Mozart and Verdi and Wagner. Last year, to be honest, didn’t feel like a full season for me. I’m very glad that I can stay in town for longer periods now.” Johannes identifies very much with Italian culture, and Verdi came from the heart of it. He lived on a farm in the countryside of Busseto and always stayed true to his roots. Johannes continues, “He did not come from the upper class and was very down to earth, but in terms of his art, there was no compromise. If you read some letters about Verdi rehearsing, he gave his all – he was sweating and energetic and stomped his feet and risked everything. This tension, this energy behind it, you can hear in his music. “Verdi’s music really speaks to me in a very special way which I can’t describe in words. It’s elementary, but universal in the way it speaks to everyone. For me, it’s a very personal statement, I keep Verdi very dear. I have to do that, I’m a bit Italiano!” Suzanne Vanstone is Senior Communications Manager, Editorial at the Canadian Opera Company. For further insights into Aida, please read the article by Gianmarco Segato in the fall issue of Prelude, available online at coc.ca. Visit the COC’s blog Parlando to see video and photographs of the Aida trumpets.

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SICK :

LOVE

B R I TT E N ’ S F I N A L O P E R A

BY G AV I N P LU M L E Y

Oh Rose, thou art sick! The invisible worm That flies in the night, in the howling storm Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy. And with his dark secret love, does thy life destroy. William Blake

URING THE LAST PART OF THEIR LIVES, LUCHINO VISCONTI, DIRK BOGARDE AND BENJAMIN BRITTEN WERE ALL DRAWN TO THOMAS MANN’S 1912 NOVELLA DER TOD IN VENEDIG (DEATH IN VENICE). Visconti and Bogarde created the 1971 film Morte a Venezia, accompanied by the “Adagietto” of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. Britten came to the novella at around the same time and began collaborating with Myfanwy Piper on what was sadly to become his final opera. Since the creation of the opera, the keepers of the Britten Estate and the Bogarde cognoscenti have refused to see in Mann’s story the very basic theme under discussion, that of repressed homosexual desire. Mann himself, although married, experienced same-sex desire and Death in Venice has become as much associated with those concerns as it has with the Apollonian/Dyonisian dialectic with which Gustav von Aschenbach (the “Master Writer” of the story, although a composer in the film) is obsessed.

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f e a t u r e

Opposite page and left The COC presents Death in Venice (co-production between Aldeburgh Festival, Bregenz Festival, Státní opera Praha and Opéra national de Lyon). Scenes from the Lyon production, 2009. Photos: Bertrand Stofleth

Unlike in Britten’s other operatic works where the composer explores sexuality through music, in Death in Venice that topic is evaded in more “lofty” discussions about aestheticism. Despite the attempts to avoid discussion of the less accepted angles of the story, Britten was wildly drawn to this melancholic work. It uncovered not only the brilliance of the composer’s skill, but also an unfortunate discomfort with his own sexuality. Just before he began work on his final opera, Britten completed the pacifist-centred Owen Wingrave with Myfanwy Piper. It was to Piper that he turned again with the idea of Mann’s novella. In consideration of her work on The Turn of the Screw previously, she was the perfect collaborator for Death in Venice, replete as it was with the eeriness that permeates the Henry James piece. Permission was sought from Thomas Mann’s estate (though Britten and Piper were warned that negotiations were still ongoing for the Visconti movie) and the composer and his librettist set to work. They first

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discussed the work in the back of John and Myfanwy Piper’s car as Britten and Pears and they drove through France on holiday. Although he had been frail since he had picked up a serious viral infection in 1968 (ironically in Venice), Britten still undertook a punishing schedule of recordings, performing and performances of his works. Plans were made for a September 1972 premiere of the new work, but the initial schedule proved too optimistic and given the constraints upon the composer’s time a premiere had to be postponed to June 1973. The delay would, however, prove decisive. As in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which Britten had completed a decade before, Death in Venice was a work with disparate groups overlapping at a certain time and place, namely the Hotel des Bains on the Venice Lido. So as with the Rustics, Lovers and Fairies in Britten’s Shakespearean work, here he had to control the comings and goings of his Northern European writer, the exotic Polish family, the Venetians and the European tourists, to say

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The COC presents Death in Venice (co-production between Aldeburgh Festival, Bregenz Festival, Státní opera Praha and Opéra national de Lyon). Alan Oke (centre, seated) as Gustav von Aschenbach in the Lyon production, 2009. Photo: Bertrand Stofleth

nothing of the omnipresent Traveller figure. Britten had early on formulated the idea that the Polish family would be silent dancers – suggested, or at least confirmed by a discussion with the choreographer Frederick Ashton – it was during a rest in the idyllic fishing town of Camogli, south of Genoa, that Britten struck upon the beachside rituals accompanied by the chorus, one of the most distinctive elements of the opera. Britten sought to explicate the differences and indeed tease the disparity between the groups through contrasting sound worlds. The “European” symphonic sound world of Aschenbach and his French, Danish and Italian counterparts, contrasts with the “Eastern” sounds of the Gamelan-inspired world of the beautiful Tadzio and his dancing coterie. Britten had been exposed to the gamelan music of South-East Asia through his friend and colleague, the Canadian composer Colin McPhee. They met in America during the war and Britten incorporated the sounds of the Indonesian gamelan orchestras into his own style. It was in direct opposition to Britten’s customarily deliberate, complicated and finely wrought idiom. The link between the two worlds could be seen as Gustav Mahler – ironic, considering Visconti’s dependence on his music and physical attributes when creating his own vision of Aschenbach’s final voyage. As in Mahler’s

Das Lied von der Erde, Britten is drawn to the culture of the East, he summons up the exoticism and, like Mahler, creates a symphonic idiom in which both Eastern and Western harmonies coexist. As with the differentiation of Captain Vere and Billy Budd or Peter Quint and Miles in The Turn of the Screw, Britten sought to explicate through his musical characterization the elements of danger and “otherness” in the story. The very sounds that underlined Oberon’s drugging of his lover Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, here accompany Tadzio’s alluring dance-lust-rituals. Where Britten had sought out and underlined the sexual in Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, here in Death in Venice the sex, as it were, found Britten. The composer could reason away the discrepancy between the intellectual wranglings of the “Master Writer” Aschenbach (created for his life-long lover Peter Pears) and the physicality of Tadzio, but he was not able to hide the very real issue at the heart of the piece, that is of the destructive quality of beauty. Britten may have thought that Death in Venice held the key to his intellectual fascinations (its echoes throughout his oeuvre are palpable), but it also unlocked a more primal instinct, that of the profound attraction to a boy less than half his age. Myfanwy Piper’s own description of the work is revealing.

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“The decision to come out with the fatal ‘I love you’ at the end of the scene [at the close of the first act] was taken fairly easily. It is the first overt reference to homosexual love (or homo-eroticism, Mann’s preferred word). But it is also the end of one kind of selfdeception and perhaps also of self-preservation on Aschenbach’s part. And it is the beginning of the series of falls into the abyss.” It is interesting that she classifies the mention of “I love you” as specifically homosexual love, rather than the emotion in general. But more importantly she elides the gay element of the tale with the negativity that pervades the synopsis. It is “fatal,” self-deceptive and the entry to the “abyss.” All in all, her analysis may be generically cogent, but it belies a general wariness of the peculiarities of same-sex attraction. Such evasion was not untypical in Britten’s career and he had regularly sought to dampen down any such confrontation. The pianist Graham Johnson recalls (rather frivolously) that his admiration for Der Rosenkavalier had caused Britten consternation because “what he loathed about this piece was its lesbianism.” Even in his own work Britten was keen not directly to comment on a subject that was, nevertheless, dear to his heart and constantly brimming beneath the surface. After he had completed the brilliant comedy Albert Herring (in which it is often thought the title character displays traits of a closeted man) it is believed that the librettist Eric Crozier proposed an all-out gay sequel, which Britten totally refused to compose. Homosexuality had, and in some quarters continues to have, an element of taboo. Britten may have lived with his lover Peter Pears for the majority of his life (he was of course the inspiration

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for Britten’s Gustav von Aschenbach), but it was only in 1967 that homosexual acts were decriminalized in Britain. The discrepancy between Pears and Britten’s public and private personas was a well-known anomaly, but the wider distrust and revulsion at their way of life mean that both parties were understandably reserved. Such controversy surrounding gay sex was of course something paralleled in the critical reception of Thomas Mann’s story. When describing her husband’s novella, Katia Mann wrote:

“All the details of the story, beginning with the man at the cemetery, are taken from experience. […] In the diningroom, on the very first day, we saw the Polish family, which looked exactly the way my husband described them: the girls were dressed rather stiffly and severely, and the very charming, beautiful boy of about thirteen was wearing a sailor suit with an open collar and very pretty lacings. He caught my husband’s attention immediately. This boy was tremendously attractive, and my husband was always watching him with his companions on the beach. He didn’t pursue him through all of Venice – that he didn’t do – but the boy did fascinate him, and he thought of him often. […] I still remember that my uncle, Privy Counsellor Friedberg, a famous professor of canon law in Leipzig, was outraged: ‘What a story! And a married man with a family!’”

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ALEXANDER NEEF, General Director

Death in Venice by Benjamin Britten Opera in two acts, libretto by Myfanwy Piper based on the novella Der Tod in Venedig by Thomas Mann (1912) First performance: The Maltings, Snape June 16, 1973 Co-production of The Aldeburgh Festival, Bregenz Festival, Státní opera Praha and Opéra national de Lyon Last performed by the COC in 1984 October 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, November 3, 6, 2010 Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto Sung in English with English SURTITLESTM

THE CAST Gustav von Aschenbach, a novelist The Traveller/Elderly Fop/Old Gondolier/ Hotel Manager/Hotel Barber/ Leader of the Players/Voice of Dionysus Voice of Apollo Youths Girls

Danish Lady Russian Mother English Lady French Girl Strawberry Seller Lace Seller Newspaper Seller Strolling Player French Mother German Mother Russian Nanny Beggar Woman Hotel Porter Two Americans Two Gondoliers Glass Maker Strolling Player Ship’s Steward Polish Father German Father Russian Father Hotel Waiter Guide in Venice

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Alan Oke Peter Savidge

William Towers Michael Barrett/Sung Chung/Neil Craighead/ Christopher Enns */Adrian Kramer/Michael Uloth Ambur Braid/Rihab Chaieb **/Wallis Giunta/ Alexandra Lennox-Pomeroy/Simone Osborne/ Jacqueline Woodley Ambur Braid Ileana Montalbetti Wallis Giunta Jennifer Robinson Alexandra Lennox-Pomeroy Jacqueline Woodley Ileana Montalbetti Simone Osborne Rihab Chaieb Karen Olinyk Sonya Gosse Wendy Hatala Foley John Kriter Michael Barrett/Christopher Enns Michael Barrett/Stephen McClare Christopher Enns Christopher Enns Jason Nedecky Jan Vaculik Grant Allert Neil Craighead Adrian Kramer Jan Vaculik

Restaurant Waiter Gondolier Priest in St. Mark’s English Clerk in a Travel Bureau Polish Mother (dancer) Tadzio, her son (dancer) The Governess (dancer) Jaschiu, Tadzio’s friend (dancer) Hotel Guests

Conductor: Director: Associate Director: Set Designer: Costume Designer: Original Lighting Designer: Lighting Re-creator: Choreographer: Revival Choreographer: Chorus Master: Stage Manager: SURTITLESTM Producer:

Jason Nedecky Sung Chung Michael Uloth Tom Corbeil Riikka Läser Adam Sergison Kristy Kennedy Ryan Adkins Grant Allert/Craig Ashton/Stephen Bell/ Sandra Boyes/Lilian Kilianski/ Teresa van der Hoeven

Steuart Bedford *** Yoshi Oida Rob Kearley Tom Schenk Richard Hudson Paule Constable Jane Dutton Daniela Kurz Katharina Bader Sandra Horst Stephanie Marrs Gunta Dreifelds

Performance time is approximately two hours, 55 minutes with one intermission.

* Mr. Enns’ performance is generously sponsored by Peter and Hélène Hunt. ** Ms Chaieb’s performance is generously sponsored by Katalin Schäfer. *** Mr. Bedford’s performance is generously sponsored by Françoise Sutton.

Death in Venice has been generously underwritten in part by David Stanley-Porter. This production of Death in Venice is being recorded for future broadcast on CBC Radio Two (94.1 FM in Toronto) on Saturday Afternoon at the Opera on December 11, 2010.

Program information is correct at time of printing. All casting is subject to change.

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DIRECTOR’S NOTES There are many interesting discussions to be had about the various ideas and influences in Death in Venice. We could look at similarities in the life of the composer Gustav Mahler, or the many references to ancient Greek culture, plus parallels with Euripides play The Bacchae. In particular, we could explore how Thomas Mann’s original story uses themes and characters from ancient Greek culture to explore the deep, often unconscious forces that drive us all. However, these classical themes have little direct relevance to my work as a director. They form the bedrock of European culture, but since I am not European they do not speak to me in a powerful way. For me, the human being is a mystery: beautiful, complex, and often contradictory. Within Death in Venice this mystery manifests as three basic questions for the director: why did von Aschenbach go to Venice? Why did he become obsessed with the boy Tadzio? Any why didn’t he leave once the truth about the cholera was known? The first question is fairly straightforward. For all of us, travelling involves cutting ourselves off from the round of daily life and our normal social circle. By doing so, we can often see and feel things more clearly. This was especially true for me when I left Japan nearly 40 years ago. It was very unusual to travel abroad at that time, and I spoke no foreign language. In leaving my country, I was forced to re-evaluate every aspect of my being, and I often felt flashes of life and death in front of me. And the obsession with Tadzio? Does he represent youth and possibility, or is it purely sexual? Is it love that von Aschenbach feels, or is he fooling himself? There are a hundred possible explanations, and perhaps all or none of them are correct. Whatever the precise nature of the obsession, it was stronger than fear of death. There is a well known Indian story; a man is being pursued by a tiger, and takes refuge up

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a tree. But the tree branch he clings to overhangs a pit filled with poisonous snakes. He hangs there with no hope of escape, the tiger waiting below, when he notices some honey dripping from a nearby beehive. Despite the tiger and the snakes, despite the danger and the imminence of death, he reaches out his tongue to catch the sweetness. And the third question? By choosing to remain in Venice, von Aschenbach embraced the possibility of death. In fact, his choice was a form of passive suicide. When I was preparing this production, I was struck by certain parallels in the life and death of the Japanese writer Yukio Mishima. In 1970 Mishima committed suicide by ritual disembowelment. Although in his youth Mishima had admired Greek mythology, by the end he had moved firmly back to the traditional Japanese world of Buddhism and Shinto. And he chose an equally traditional way to kill himself, in protest at the direction Japanese society and politics were moving. It appears very clear; he was a traditionalist who killed himself for political reasons. But somehow I don’t quite believe it is that straightforward. The deep causes of suicide are mysterious. Although politics was the official reason for his death, maybe it was actually a response to something in his personal life, or even something else, something unknowable even to Mishima himself. And you will not find the answer to the question of “Why suicide?” in Shinto or Buddhist philosophy, or in the cosmology of the Greeks. In this production of Death in Venice, I am telling a story about the end of a man’s life, according to Mann’s novel, the music of Benjamin Britten and the text of Myfanwy Piper. But I cannot create a concrete message or explanation for von Aschenbach’s actions. All I can do is demonstrate how the life of every individual is unexpected and mysterious. Yoshi Oida

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DEATH IN VENICE SYNOPSIS ACT I A spiritually exhausted Gustav von Aschenbach is walking through Munich. He speaks to a traveller who tells him great stories about the lands to the south and encourages von Aschenbach to journey there. On the ship, von Aschenbach speaks to an elderly fop who teases him, telling him that he'll find everything he’s looking for in Venice. At the hotel, the manager shows him his room, complete with a view of the sea. Alone, von Aschenbach watches a Polish family pass by. He is struck by the beauty of the young son. Sitting on the beach, von Aschenbach watches the young Polish boy and learns his name is Tadzio. He notices Tadzio’s pride and youthful beauty. Von Aschenbach walks the streets of Venice, but the heat and smell of the city make him uncomfortable and he decides to visit the mountains for fresh air. At the hotel, Tadzio passes him in the hallway and looks at him for the first time. Von Aschenbach reconsiders his decision to leave. Looking out his hotel window, he watches Tadzio and realizes that the boy is the reason he has stayed. On the beach, von Aschenbach watches Tadzio and his friends play. He approaches Tadzio, but at the last moment he cannot bring himself to talk to the boy. When Tadzio’s family returns, the boy smiles at him. Von Aschenbach realizes the truth. Unheard, he whispers “I love you.”

INTERMISSION

ACT II Von Aschenbach has begun writing as he struggles to put his interest in Tadzio into a creative context. In the hotel’s barber shop, the barber asks him if he is afraid of the sickness. Von

Aschenbach asks him to explain, but the barber refuses to elaborate. Von Aschenbach detects a medicinal sweetness in the air. He buys a German newspaper, where he reads that there are rumours of cholera in Venice and German citizens are being urged to leave. When he sees the Polish family, he determines that they must not know about the warnings. He decides to follow them. He follows them all day, not caring what anyone might think of him. A clerk at the travel bureau is trying to help a crowd of travellers leave Venice. Von Aschenbach asks why they are all leaving. When pressed, the clerk admits that Asiatic plague has hit Venice. Von Aschenbach is frantic to warn Tadzio’s mother. She walks right by him, but again he is unable to speak. He wonders what it might be like if everyone were to die and only he and Tadzio were left alive. Von Aschenbach is disturbed by a dream in which Apollo resists Dionysus’ call to indulge his baser instincts. As he awakes, von Aschenbach realizes he can fall no further. The next day, he watches Tadzio and his friends play on the beach. The hotel barber dyes von Aschenbach’s hair and applies makeup to his face. Von Aschenbach sees the Polish family on the streets in Venice, and follows them as usual. Tadzio hangs back a little and looks at von Aschenbach directly. Von Aschenbach is flustered but excited that Tadzio did not betray his presence. He continues to follow the family until he is too weary to go on. The hotel manager and porter arrange for the departure of the Polish family. Out on the beach, von Aschenbach sits in his usual chair. Tadzio is wrestling with his friend, but the game becomes rough and Tadzio is pushed into the sand. Von Aschenbach attempts to go to him. Tadzio slowly wades out into the sea, turning with a beckoning gesture to von Aschenbach, who slumps back into his chair, dead.

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Music Staff Rachel Andrist (Head Coach) Susan Ball Ben Malensek Assistant Conductor Samuel Tak-Ho Tam Assistant Director/Assistant Choreographer Allison Grant Assistant Choreographer Riikka L채ser Assistant Stage Managers Tiffany Fraser Michael Lewandowski Assistant Lighting Designers Wendy Greenwood Jason Hand Actors David Hurwitz Caleb McMullen Dancers Riikka L채ser Polish Mother Adam Sergison Tadzio Kristy Kennedy The Governess Ryan Adkins Jaschiu Robert Allan Stephanie Bergeron Sky Fairchild-Waller Anthony MacPherson Kyle Toy Sarah Williamson Laurence Ramsay (Understudy) Understudies Gustav von Aschenbach Michael Colvin The Traveller/Elderly Fop/Old Gondolier/ Jason Howard Hotel Manager/Hotel Barber/Leader of the Players/Voice of Dionysus Voice of Apollo John Gaston Strawberry Seller Jacqueline Woodley Hotel Porter/Two Americans/ Adam Luther Glass Maker/Strolling Player English Clerk in a Travel Bureau Adrian Kramer

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ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES RYAN ADKINS Jaschiu (Dancer) Dancer Ryan Adkins makes his COC debut with this production. Mr. Adkin’s recent credits include: Dance Legends and Highschool Musical for Drayton Entertainment, Disney Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Holland America Cruise Lines, Tokyo Disney Resort and Beauty and the Beast at Stage West Mississauga. He began his dance training in Stoney Creek, at Rythum Plus Dance Company. He trained further at Cawthra Park Secondary School, Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre and then the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. GRANT ALLERT German Father Bass-baritone Grant Allert has been a COC Chorus member since 2000. With the COC he has also performed the roles of Eye and Guard 1 in Ruder’s A Handmaid’s Tale and was the understudy for Colline in La Bohème and Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mr. Allert is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, and furthered his studies in opera programs in Germany, the Czech Republic and the United States. In addition to opera studies and performances at the Banff Centre, Mr. Allert sang the role of Papa in Filumena. Other credits include Dulcamara in The Elixir of Love, Sarastro and the Speaker in The Magic Flute, Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro, Jimmy in Mahagonny Songspiel, Carl Olsen in Street Scene, Theseus and Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Crespel and Luther in The Tales of Hoffmann, Hortensius in La fille du Régiment and Quinault in Adriana Lecouvreur.

MICHAEL BARRETT American/Gondolier Born in Newfoundland, tenor Michael Barrett is a former member of the COC Ensemble Studio. Mr. Barrett recently sang with the COC as the High Priest of Neptune in the Ensemble Studio’s presentation of Idomeneo, and Trojan Man 1 in both the mainstage and Ensemble performances of Idomeneo. Previous COC roles include Lieutenant Bonnet and Aide de Camp to General Compans in War and Peace, First Prisoner in Fidelio, the Gamekeeper in Rusalka, Captain of Archers in Simon Boccanegra, Parpignol in La Bohème, Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ferrando in the Ensemble Studio production of Così fan tutte. At the University of Toronto Opera School he performed Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, and regularly appears with the Aldeburgh Connection, where he performed in Our Story for the 25th anniversary celebrations. AMBUR BRAID Danish Lady Toronto-based soprano Ambur Braid is a new member of the COC Ensemble Studio. She holds her bachelor of music degree from The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music and her master of music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Ms Braid has performed the role of Diane in Iphigénie en Tauride with Opera Atelier; Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, Princess/Fire in L’enfant et les sortilèges and Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the San Francisco Conservatory; and, Hippolyta

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in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with The Glenn Gould School. Ms Braid has won the East Bay Opera Competition, the San Francisco Conservatory Concerto Competition, and the Palm Beach Opera Competition. With the COC this season she will also perform the Queen of the Night in the Ensemble Studio production of The Magic Flute and Amore in Orfeo ed Euridice. Ms Braid also understudies roles in The Magic Flute, La Cenerentola and Ariadne auf Naxos. RIHAB CHAIEB French Mother Tunisian-born mezzosoprano Rihab Chaieb is a new member of the COC Ensemble Studio. She graduated from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University with a bachelor of music in vocal performance, where she performed the title role in Carmen, Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress, Sister Mathilde in Dialogues des Carmélites, and Suzy in La Rondine. Ms Chaieb recently performed Dido in Dido and Aeneas with the McGill Chamber Orchestra and Third Spirit in Die Zauberflöte with Opéra de Montréal. She has studied with the Franz Schubert Institute in Baden bei Wien (Austria), Opera Nuova in Edmonton and the International Vocal Art Institute in Tel Aviv. With the COC this season, Ms Chaieb will also perform the roles of the Third Lady in the Ensemble Studio production of The Magic Flute, Second Secretary to Mao in Nixon in China and Tisbe in La Cenerentola, and will understudy roles in The Magic Flute and Ariadne auf Naxos.

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SUNG CHUNG Gondolier Canadian baritone Sung Chung last appeared with the COC as the Aide de Camp to Kutuzov in War and Peace in 2008. He created the role of Minik in Linda Catlin Smith’s Facing South, which had its world premiere at the World Stage Festival in Toronto. Other performances include the baritone soloist in Stravinsky’s Renard in Clermont-Ferrand, France, marking his professional European debut; Sid in the 50th anniversary production of Albert Herring at the October Britten Festival in Aldeburgh, England; Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro in Koˇsice, Slovakia; and, he was a soloist in the Banff Summer Arts Festival production of the operas of Georges Aperghis. Originally from Winnipeg, Mr. Chung received his diploma in operatic performance at the University of Toronto before completing his master of music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland. TOM CORBEIL English Clerk in a Travel Bureau Bass-baritone Tom Corbeil makes his COC debut with this production. Recent performances for Mr. Corbeil include Leporello in Don Giovanni at Fort Worth Opera Festival, Faraone in Rossini’s Mosè in Egitto with Chicago Opera Theatre, and Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville with Florida Grand Opera. After training at the University of British Columbia, Mr. Corbeil apprenticed as a member of the Merola Opera Center at San Francisco Opera, where he created the role of Tom Carter in the world premiere of Thomas Pasatieri’s The Hotel Casablanca. Other highlights include the

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Marquis in La Traviata and the Infernal God in Gluck’s Alceste at Santa Fe Opera, Enrico in Haydn’s L’isola disabitata at Gotham Chamber Opera, Superintendent Budd in Albert Herring at Opera North and Colline in La Bohème at Florida Grand Opera, Opera Omaha, and Sacramento Opera. Upcoming engagements for this season include Leporello with Florida Grand Opera, Colline with Eugene Opera, and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with La Jolla Symphony. NEIL CRAIGHEAD Russian Father Born in Cape Town, South Africa, bass-baritone and COC Ensemble Studio member Neil Craighead was raised in Calgary. Last season for the COC he sang the roles of the Oracle and the Trojan Man in Idomeneo, Japanese Envoy 2 in The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, and the Official Registrar in Madama Butterfly. Mr. Craighead graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2009 with a bachelor of music and was a member of the Vancouver Opera Chorus. He recently performed Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte with Opera NUOVA; the bass solo in St. John’s Passion with Vancouver Voices; and, Pistola in Falstaff, Dr. Furtwängler in The Dream Healer and Colline in La Bohème with University of British Columbia Opera Ensemble. With the COC this season, Mr. Craighead also appears as the First Priest in The Magic Flute and the Speaker in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute and understudies roles in Aida, The Magic Flute, La Cenerentola and Ariadne auf Naxos.

CHRISTOPHER ENNS American/Glass Maker/Strolling Player Born in Manitoba, tenor Christopher Enns is a new member of the COC Ensemble Studio. He holds his bachelor of vocal performance from the University of Manitoba, and recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a diploma in operatic performance. Recent performances include the title role in Candide, Ecclitico in Il mondo della luna, and Gonsalve in L’heure espagnole with the University of Toronto’s Opera Division, Alfred in Die Fledermaus with Highlands Opera Studio and Gastone in La Traviata with Saskatoon Opera. Mr. Enns has also performed with the Toronto Summer Music Academy, Opera NUOVA, the Winnipeg Symphony and the Aldeburgh Connection. This season with the COC, he will also perform the roles of Tamino in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute and Scaramuccio in Ariadne auf Naxos. WENDY HATALA FOLEY Beggar Woman Wendy Hatala Foley previously appeared as the understudy for Death in The Nightingale and Other Short Fables. Recent performances include the Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Hamilton, Giunia in La Vestale with Opera in Concert, the Fairy Queen in Iolanthe and Katisha in The Mikado with Toronto Operetta Theatre, the Mother/Witch in Opera Hamilton’s Hansel and Gretel and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with Vancouver Opera. Other credits include a 2007 recording and tour of Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater with the Vancouver Island Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem with the Vancouver Bach Choir, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with the Orpheus

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Choir and Chorus Niagara, and Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody and Raminsh’s Symphony of Psalms with the Amadeus Choir. Future appearances include Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera Lyra Ottawa and Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria rusticana with Opera Hamilton. With the COC, Ms Hatala Foley will be understudying the Third Secretary in Nixon in China. WALLIS GIUNTA English Lady A native of Ottawa, mezzo-soprano and Ensemble Studio member Wallis Giunta last performed with the COC as the Cretan Woman in the Ensemble Studio performance of Idomeneo and understudied the role of Mercédès in Carmen. Other operatic credits include Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nancy in Albert Herring and Ernesto in Il mondo della luna. She has sung with the Ravinia Festival, Opera Atelier, Opera Lyra Ottawa, the Regina Symphony, the Aspen Summer Music Festival and the Royal Conservatory Orchestra. Last season, Miss Giunta was winner of the Ottawa Choral Society New Discoveries Auditions, second prize winner at the Brian Law Opera Competition, received encouragement awards from the George London Competition and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and was a grant recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts. This season with the COC, Ms Giunta also performs the Second Lady in both the mainstage and Ensemble Studio performances of The Magic Flute, and covers the roles of Nancy T’sang in Nixon in China and Angelina in La Cenerentola.

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SONYA GOSSE Russian Nanny Mezzo-soprano Sonya Gosse last appeared with the COC in 2008 as Maria Dmitryevna Akhrosimova in War and Peace. Prior to that, she appeared as the Second Maid in Elektra, Mrs. Herring in Albert Herring, Rita in The Handmaid’s Tale, Giovanna in Rigoletto, Grandmother Buryjovká in Jenufa ˚ and the Governess in The Queen of Spades. As a member of the COC Chorus, Ms Gosse has sung in the company’s production of Götterdämmerung, as part of the complete Ring Cycle, Peter Grimes, Tosca, Turandot and Falstaff, the latter in which she understudied the role of Mistress Quickly. She is also a graduate of the COC Ensemble Studio with credits that include the title role in Red Emma, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Maddalena in Il viaggio a Reims, the Hostess of the Inn in Boris Godunov, Háta in The Bartered Bride, Soeur Mathilde in Dialogues des Carmélites, Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Barena in Jenufa, ˚ and Glasha in Kát’a Kabanová. In 2009, Ms. Gosse made her Edmonton Opera debut as the Marquise of Berkenfield in The Daughter of the Regiment and returned the following year to sing the role of Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance. KRISTY KENNEDY Governess (Dancer) Dancer Kristy Kennedy makes her COC debut with this production. A member of Toronto Dance Theatre for 10 seasons under the artistic direction of Christopher House, Kristy has performed live works by choreographers such as Sylvain Emard, Susie Burpee, James Kudelka, Heidi Strauss, Laurence Lemieux, David Pressault, Valerie Calam, Sasha Ivanochko, Michael Trent,

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Kathleen Rea, Jessica Runge, Dominique Dumais, Peter Chin and Roberto Campanella. She has also performed in several dance films with choreography by Robert Desrosiers, D. A. Hoskins, William Yong, Ginette Lauren and Matjash Mrozewski. As a founding member of the Full Scale Revolution, Kristy choreographed, designed and performed Home as part of their inaugural showcase. She recently curated a performance of 10 solos by emerging dancer/choreographers for the 10th anniversary of Claudia Moore’s Older & Reckless. Ms Kennedy is also a freelance photographer. ADRIAN KRAMER Hotel Waiter Baritone and Ensemble Studio member Adrian Kramer was born in Guelph, Ontario. Previously with the COC, he understudied the roles of Moralès and Le Dancaïre in Carmen, Japanese Envoy 3 in The Nightingale and Other Short Fables and Prince Yamadori and Yakuside in Madama Butterfly. He holds a bachelor of music from the Juilliard School of Music and a master’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with Marlena Malas. Mr. Kramer previously sang Pelléas in Pelléas et Mélisande with Curtis Opera Theatre and Sid in Albert Herring with the Châteauville Festival. He has performed with Glimmerglass Opera, the Chautauqua Institution, Mendelssohn Club, and the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival. In 2005, he was the winner of the Juilliard Honors Recital Competition. This season he also appears as Papageno in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute and is understudying roles in Death in Venice, The Magic Flute, Nixon in China, La Cenerentola and Ariadne auf Naxos.

JOHN KRITER Hotel Porter This is Canadian tenor John Kriter’s 26th season with the company. COC roles include Goro in Madama Butterfly, Ambrogio in The Barber of Seville, the Old Convict in From the House of the Dead, Spoletta in Tosca, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, Mayor Upfold in Albert Herring (COC Ensemble Studio), Emperor Altoum in Turandot, Bardolfo in Falstaff, the Reverend Horace Adams in Peter Grimes, the Master of Ceremonies in The Queen of Spades, Red Whiskers in Billy Budd, Nick in La fanciulla del West, the Ringmaster in The Bartered Bride, Pásek in The Cunning Little Vixen, Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, and Don Basilio and Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro with both the COC and Calgary Opera. Mr. Kriter has also performed Goro for Edmonton Opera and Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus with Opera Hamilton. He sang Mr. Snarlygob in the world premiere of The Midnight Court with Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, a role he reprised at Linbury Theatre, Covent Garden. RIIKKA LÄSER The Polish Mother (Dancer)/Assistant Choreographer Riikka Läser makes her COC debut with this production, reprising the role she previously performed at the Aldeburgh and Bregenz festivals. Ms Läser trained in Zurich and Hamburg, graduating from the ballet school of the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier in 1998. Upon conclusion of her studies, she was engaged by Daniela Kurz for the Staatstheater Nürnberg. There she worked with many choreographers including Daniela Kurz, Tero Saarinen, Stijn Celis, Jo Stromgren, Rodolfo Leoni, Lionel Hoche and Javier De Frutos. She has since become an accomplished freelance dancer and

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choreographer and has worked with several companies including Staatstheater Nürnberg, Co>labs, Company Mafalda, and cieSATU, a company she founded with Ivo Bärtsch in 2005. ALEXANDRA LENNOXPOMEROY Strawberry Seller Toronto-born soprano Alexandra Lennox-Pomeroy last appeared in the 2009 production of Madama Butterfly as Cio-Cio-San’s Cousin. Ms LennoxPomeroy was a finalist in the COC’s Mozart competition in Toronto as well as the Les Jeunes Ambassdeurs Lyriques international competition. Operatic roles include Adele in Die Fledermaus, Musetta in La Bohème, Nellie in Leo the Royal Cadet, Serpina in La serva padrona and The Voice in the world premiere of Facing South with Tapestry New Music. Ms Lennox-Pomeroy has performed with Toronto Operetta Theatre, North York Symphony and Mississauga Opera. She has been a member of the COC Chorus for 13 seasons singing in over 50 operas with the company. She stepped in to sing the role of the Third Apparition in Macbeth in 2006. Ms Lennox-Pomeroy has performed various lead roles in musical theatre as both a singer and a dancer, and can be heard singing in commercials for Nescafé, Shopper’s Drug Mart and Miller Beer. STEPHEN MCCLARE Gondolier Tenor Stephen McClare returns to the COC after performing as a Chorus Solo Tenor in The Nightingale and Other Short Fables. Previous COC roles include Ivanov in War and Peace, the Tall Convict in From the House of the Dead, a Young Servant in Elektra, Foreman 1 in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Professor Hornsby/Set in the Ensemble School Tour of Isis and the Seven Scorpions, Andres in Wozzeck,

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the First Priest and the First Slave in the Ensemble Studio production of The Magic Flute in 2005, and roles in Il Trovatore, The Handmaid’s Tale, Idomeneo, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Fidelio, Mario and the Magician, Salome and La fanciulla del West. A former member of the COC Ensemble Studio, he has appeared as a soloist with many Canadian orchestras and choral societies. Mr. McClare was recorded on the COC compact disc Rarities by Rossini and Verdi and has sung as a soloist with the COC Orchestra at the Toronto Centre for the Arts in North York. ILEANA MONTALBETTI Russian Mother/ Newspaper Seller Originally from Saskatoon, soprano and Ensemble Studio member Ileana Montalbetti recently performed with the COC as Anna Kennedy in Maria Stuarda and Elettra in the Ensemble Studio performance of Idomeneo. Previous COC performances include Fiordiligi in the Ensemble Studio production of Così fan tutte and Mavra Kuzminichna in War and Peace. She has held two consecutive soprano fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Centre where, most notably, she sang the Celestial Voice in a concert version of Don Carlos under the baton of Maestro James Levine. Ms Montalbetti is a graduate of the opera diploma program at the University of Toronto, where she performed the roles of Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro and the Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia. She has also appeared as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni for Saskatoon Opera and The Toronto Summer Music Academy. This season Ms Montalbetti also appears as the First Lady in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute and Clorinda in La Cenerentola. She is understudying roles in Aida, The Magic Flute and Nixon in China.

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JASON NEDECKY Ship’s Steward/ Restaurant Waiter Baritone Jason Nedecky returns to the COC after appearing as the Customs Officer in the 2009 production of La Bohème. COC roles include the Officer in The Barber of Seville, Guillot in Eugene Onegin, the Messenger in La Traviata and Temple Spokesman/Man in Armour in the Ensemble Studio production of The Magic Flute. Mr. Nedecky’s other operatic credits include the title role in Don Giovanni at Opera NUOVA in Edmonton and at the Brott Summer Music Festival in Hamilton, Escamillo in Carmen with Saskatoon Opera, and appearances with Opera Atelier in Le nozze di Figaro and Persée. He performs regularly as a soloist in recital and in concert. Mr. Nedecky holds a master’s degree in music and diploma in opera from the University of Toronto. He continued his studies at the Franz-Schubert-Institut near Vienna, Académie musicale de Villecroze in Provence, the BrittenPears Young Artist Program in England, and at the Banff Centre. Mr. Nedecky is a member of the COC Chorus. ALAN OKE Gustav von Aschenbach British tenor Alan Oke makes his COC debut with this production, reprising the role he has recently sung at the Aldeburgh and Bregenz festivals, State Opera Prague, and Opéra national de Lyon. In Prague, his performance of von Aschenbach received the Best Performance Award in the Spring Opera Festival. Mr. Oke studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow and with Hans Hotter in Munich. Following a successful career as a baritone he made his tenor debut in 1992. Since then he has sung a wide variety of roles including Rodolfo in La Bohème, Alfredo in La Traviata, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly,

Sˇteva in Jenufa, ˚ Boris in Kát’a Kabanová, Boles in Peter Grimes, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and Gonsalves in L’heure espagnole. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2008 with his portrayal of M. K. Gandhi in Philip Glass’s Satyagraha. Other companies include Scottish Opera, Opera North, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, English National Opera and Teatro Massimo di Palermo as well as appearances at the Edinburgh, Glyndebourne and Ravenna festivals. Future plans include Anna Nicole at the Royal Opera House, Skuratov in The House of the Dead for Opera North and major appearances at the Met. KAREN OLINYK German Mother Mezzo-soprano Karen Olinyk made her COC mainstage debut as Tetka in the 1995 production of Jenufa ˚ and has appeared in numerous company productions as both a soloist and as a member of the COC Chorus. She has also performed with the COC’s Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour, which presents operas to over 20,000 young people each year. A graduate of the University of British Columbia and of the University of Toronto’s Opera Division, Ms Olinyk appeared at the UofT in several productions, including The Marriage of Figaro, in which she sang the role of Marcellina. She has performed with Vancouver Opera as Mrs. Ott in Floyd’s Susannah, in Toronto with Opera in Concert and Toronto Operetta Theatre, and in England at the Aldeburgh Festival, where she appeared as Mrs. Grose in The Turn of the Screw and Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress. Her last COC mainstage appearance was as Offred’s Mother in The Handmaid’s Tale.

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SIMONE OSBORNE Strolling Player Soprano Simone Osborne is a member of the COC Ensemble Studio. Recent COC appearances include Maria Stuarda, Carmen and the Ensemble performance of Idomeneo. Other credits include Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief (Wexford Opera Festival), the title role in Mignon (Music Academy of the West) and a dozen roles with the University of British Columbia’s Opera Ensemble. She has been a featured soloist with the symphony orchestras of Vancouver, Edmonton, Prince George, the North Bohemian Opera, Vancouver Opera and the West Coast Symphony, and has presented solo recitals for the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Hong Kong International Arts Festival and the Marilyn Horne Foundation in New York. Ms Osborne is a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition and a recipient of the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation and Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation grants. This season, Ms Osborne also appears as Pamina in The Magic Flute, Naiad in Ariadne auf Naxos and understudies Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice, all with the COC, and makes her Carnegie Hall recital debut. JENNIFER ROBINSON French Girl New Brunswick native soprano Jennifer Robinson last appeared with the COC as Cio-Cio-San’s Aunt in the 2009 production of Madama Butterfly. She received her bachelor of music from Mount Allison University and a graduate diploma in performance from McGill University. She then attended Opera School at the University of Toronto where she studied with Miss Lois Marshall. Ms Robinson has performed throughout New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Ontario with orchestras, choirs and in solo

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recitals. Locally, she has appeared with Aldeburgh Connection, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Oakville Choral Society, Royal Opera Canada and the COC Ensemble Studio School Tour. She has been a member of the COC Chorus since 1994 where she has understudied and performed secondary roles. Ms Robinson performed with the company in Oedipus Rex with Symphony of Psalms at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002 and was part of the festivities inaugurating the FSCPA* in 2006. PETER SAVIDGE The Traveller (Elderly Fop/Old Gondolier/ Hotel Manager/Hotel Barber/ Leader of the Players/ Voice of Dionysus) British baritone Peter Savidge last appeared with the COC in the 2005 production of Rodelinda as Garibaldo. He made his operatic debut in Aldeburgh with the English Music Theatre during Britten’s last years and Britten’s works have punctuated his career. He has sung Ned Keene in Peter Grimes at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and throughout Europe; the seven baritone roles in Death in Venice in France and Belgium; Collatinus and Junius in The Rape of Lucretia in Italy; Mr. Flint in Billy Budd in Genova; and, has recorded the Vicar in Albert Herring and performed as Mr. Coyle in a recent film of Owen Wingrave. In over 50 productions for Welsh National Opera, Opera North and Scottish Opera he has sung the title roles in Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville and Eugene Onegin, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Zurga in The Pearl Fishers, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Marcello in La Bohème, Valentin in Faust, Choregos in Punch and Judy, Gunther in Götterdämmerung and Mangus in Knot Garden.

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ADAM SERGISON Tadzio (Dancer) Born in Pickering, Ontario, Adam Sergison makes his COC debut with this production. Previous stage credits include Peter Pan at Neptune Theatre, Grief: Another Common Bond with Fayez1 Productions, Rain: Life in Full Bloom with Helix Dance Project and We Will Rock You with Mirvish Productions. Television credits include Disney’s Camp Rock and Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars, the latter under the choreographic direction of Blake McGrath. He also assisted choreographer Mia Michaels during the first season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Mr. Sergison graduated from Elite Danceworx where his training included ballet, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, tap and partnering. He currently teaches and choreographs for several GTA studios and is a faculty member with Travelling Stage. On a volunteer basis, Mr. Sergison has choreographed dance numbers for the last four musical theatre productions of his alma mater, Dunbarton High School. WILLIAM TOWERS Voice of Apollo English countertenor William Towers makes his COC debut with this production, reprising the role he sang in this production at the Aldeburgh and Bregenz festivals, and Prague State Opera, as well as productions at Frankfurt Opera and La Monnaie. Previous credits include Medoro in Orlando and Farnace in Mitridate re di Ponto for Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Teatro La Fenice and at Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre; Poro in Poro re dell’Indie and the title role of Orlando at the Göttingen International Handel Festival; Giulio Cesare for Götenborg Opera; the title role in Ottone re di Germania at the Casa da Musica Porto; the title role in Orfeo ed Euridice with

Opera North in Monte Carlo; Playing Away for Bregenz Festival and Festspielhaus St. Pölten; Lance in the premiere of Paul Frehner’s Sirius on Earth for the Almeida Festival; and, Orlando Furioso for Oper Frankfurt. Concert appearances include Philharmonia Baroque in San Francisco and the Netherlands Bach Society. MICHAEL ULOTH Priest in St. Mark’s Born in Kitchener, bass and COC Ensemble Studio member Michael Uloth appeared last year with the COC as The Bonze in The Nightingale and Other Short Fables and the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly. Previous roles with the COC include Don Alfonso in the Ensemble Studio production of Così fan tutte, Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Gavrila in War and Peace. An alumnus of Glimmerglass Opera’s 2007 Young American Artists Program, other operatic credits include Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, Il re di Scozia in Ariodante, Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia, Superintendent Budd in Albert Herring, and Reverend John Hale in The Crucible. Mr. Uloth is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a master of music in opera, and also holds a bachelor of music and an opera diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University. This season, Mr. Uloth appears as the Second Armed Man in The Magic Flute, Sarastro in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute and Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos. He will also be understudying roles in The Magic Flute. JAN VACULIK Polish Father/Guide in Venice Slovakian-born baritone Jan Vaculik is a member of the COC Chorus. COC credits include the Ring Cycle, From the House of the Dead, War and Peace

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and Otello. Other operatic credits include Dapertutto in The Tales of Hoffmann, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the title role in Don Giovanni and Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro. Recently, Mr. Vaculik has been a guest and performer at Classical 96.3 FM for the Concert Lobby presentation of Czech and Slovak music. He regularly tours Germany with the Festival Ensemble Stuttgart, and recently performed on a tour to China. Mr. Vaculik has participated in one of Slovakia’s classical music festivals where he performed with the Koˇsice State Opera Orchestra, as part of the master class program led by Mr. Peter Dvorsky. Future engagements include the role of Germont in La Traviata with Opera Belcanto of South Simcoe, and Sergeant Belcore in L’elisir d’amore and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with the Slovak State Opera. JACQUELINE WOODLEY Lace Seller Soprano Jacqueline Woodley is a new member of the COC Ensemble Studio. She holds both her bachelor’s degree and a master in opera performance from McGill University and also trained at Opera NUOVA in Edmonton and for three years with the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv and Montreal. Ms Woodley’s past operatic roles include Lisette in La Rondine, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Serpina in La serva padrona, Despina in Così fan tutte and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas. As a soloist, she has performed in Bach’s St. John Passion, Handel’s Messiah and Dixit Dominus, Fauré’s Requiem, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore and SaintSaëns’ Christmas Oratorio. This season with the COC, Ms Woodley will also perform Papagena in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute as well as understudy Amore in Orfeo ed Euridice.

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STEUART BEDFORD Conductor Steuart Bedford was last with the COC as the conductor of Hänsel und Gretel in 1993. One of the artistic directors of the Aldeburgh Festival for many years, his former collaboration with Benjamin Britten and the English Opera Group makes him the definitive interpreter of the composer’s works. Mr. Bedford has an extensive operatic repertoire and has worked with many of the world’s well-known opera companies including Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, Opéra national de Paris, Théâtre de la Monnaie, English National Opera, Opéra de Monte Carlo, Opéra de Lausanne, Oper Köln, San Diego Opera, Santa Fe Opera Festival, Vancouver Opera and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Recent credits include Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Garsington Opera and at Opéra de Toulon, Peter Grimes with San Diego Opera and Owen Wingrave with Chicago Opera Theatre. Future highlights include a new production of Salome at San Diego Opera. In France, he conducts Die Entführung aus dem Serail for Opéra de Rennes and he returns to Opéra de Toulon for Linda di Chamounix. YOSHI OIDA Director Japanese director, actor, and author Yoshi Oida makes his COC debut with this production. Mr. Oida began his acting career in 1968, and has since appeared on stages around the world as well as in film, notably in works by Peter Brook. Since 1975, he has devoted himself to stage directing for kabuki, theatre and opera. His credits as a theatre director include Autumn Dream at Burgtheater, Molly Sweeney at Thalia Theater in Hamburg and Possible Worlds at the University of Toronto. He has reworked a number of dramas as dance

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productions and his ballet adaptation of Les Bonnes earned him the Time Out Award for best dance production in 2002. Previous operatic credits include Curlew River at Aix-en-Provence and Opéra Rouen, the world premiere of Alex Brücke Langer at Nuovo Teatro Comunale di Bolzano, La Frontière at Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Il mondo della luna in Luxembourg, the French tour of Don Giovanni and Idomeneo at National Theatre Prague. His books, An Actor Adrift (1992), The Invisible Actor (1998), and The Actor’s Tricks (2008), written in English, have been translated into a number of other languages. ROB KEARLEY Associate Director Rob Kearley makes his COC debut with this production. Trained initially as a musician, Mr. Kearley performed with the contemporary vocal groups The Swingle Singers and Synergy Vocals, giving performance premieres of works by composers including Luciano Berio, Steve Reich, Steven Mackay and David Lang. He regularly teaches at the Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College of Music, Royal College of Music and with Royal Opera Education. As director, recent credits include The Marriage of Figaro at Threestone, Antiphony at W11 Opera, Idomeneo at Floral Opera, the premiere of The Lady In The Van at University of Hertfordshire, The Beggar’s Opera at Handel House Museum and the Royal Academy of Music, Nabucco and La Traviata at Riverside Opera, Edgar with English Touring Opera, Hello Life at Greenwich Theatre and Buxton Festival, Young Carmen at St. Alban’s Festival, and The Mozart Show at Covent Garden Festival. As assistant or associate director Mr. Kearley has worked with David Pountney, Christopher Alden, Tim Albery, Robert Carsen and Yoshi Oida for companies including Opera North, Bregenz Festival, Aldeburgh Festival and Opéra national de Lyon.

TOM SCHENK Set designer Born in the Netherlands, Tom Schenk makes his COC debut with this production. After a brief dancing career, he started working in set design in 1976. He initially designed for ballet, working with prominent choreographers such as Jiri Kylian and William Forsythe. Soon afterwards he began working in theatre and soon had worked for all the major Dutch drama companies and more recently for various theatres outside Holland including Schaubühne Berlin, Münchner Kammerspiele, Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel München, Volkstheater Wien and Renaissance Theater Berlin. His recent drama productions include Cherry Orchard and Tirza at Nationale Toneel in The Hague. With director Yoshi Oida he has designed a growing number of operatic productions in France, England, Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic. His recent operatic credits include Death in Venice (Aldeburgh Festival, Bregenz Festival, Prague National Opera and Opéra national de Lyon), Don Giovanni (Paris) and Idomeneo (Prague National Opera). Future operatic productions include Madama Butterfly at Narodni Divadlo Prague and The Pearl Fishers at Opéra Comique in Paris. Future theatrical productions include Faust Part One and Faust Part Two at Nationale Toneel and An Inspector Calls at the Renaissance Theater Berlin. RICHARD HUDSON Costume Designer Richard Hudson, born in Zimbabwe, makes his COC debut with this production. He has designed operas for Glyndebourne, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Maggio Musicale Florence, English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Kent Opera, Opera North, Wiener Staatsoper, Lyric Opera

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of Chicago, Bregenz Festival, Opernhaus Zurich, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real Madrid, Théâtre Royale de la Monnaie, and Houston Grand Opera. Theatre and dance credits include Royal Ballet, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Royal Court, Almeida and Young Vic. In 1988 he won an Olivier Award for a season of plays at the Old Vic, and for The Lion King he received a Tony Award in 1998. In 2003 he won the Gold Medal for set design at the Prague Quadrenniale, and in 2005 he was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Surrey. Recent work includes Rushes and Goldberg Variations (Royal Ballet Covent Garden), Rigoletto (Wiener Volksoper), Armida (the Met), and Tamerlano (Royal Opera). Future projects include The Nutcracker (American Ballet Theatre) and Romeo and Juliet (The National Ballet of Canada). DANIELA KURZ Choreographer German choreographer Daniela Kurz makes her COC debut with this production. Ms Kurz studied dance at the John Cranko School while also studying literature and art history at university in Stuttgart. For years, she worked with the Stuttgart Ballett, producing numerous choreographies for the company and its famous soloists such as Marcia Haydée, Birgit Keil and Richard Cragun. Guest engagements brought her to the Basler Ballett, the Ballett des Saarländischen Staatstheaters, the Berner Ballett and the aalto-ballett-theater in Essen. She was invited to a number of festivals with her ensemble T(r)ANZFORM, which she founded in 1993. Ms Kurz has directed various musical theatre productions, among them the European premiere of the Philip Glass opera The Voyage in Linz in 2002. She was the director and head choreographer of Tanztheater Nürnberg from 1998 to 2008, where she created over 30 choreographies for her company. She has been nominated for and received numerous

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awards for her work, including the Bayerischen Theaterpreis – the top prize for German theatre companies – for her dance project Eine Winterreise with the Tanztheater Nürnberg. KATHARINA BADER Revival Choreographer German-born dancer and choreographer Katharina Bader makes her COC debut with this production. Previously, she was the dance co-ordinator at the State Opera Prague performances of Death in Venice and the assistant choreographer for the performances at Opéra national de Lyon, where she also appeared as the Polish Mother. Ms Bader was born in Stuttgart where she received her early dance training at the John Cranko Ballet School and at the Ballettfachschule Ronecker, later furthering her training in France and New York. As a professional dancer she started her career at the Théâtre Chorégraphique de Rennes, later performing with the Mark Morris Dance Group in Brussels at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, as well as in New York and abroad. She currently dances with both Compagnie Christine Bastin and Compagnie du Sillage. She has been assistant choreographer to Daniela Kurz for Rossini in Wildbad and Aschenputtel at Aalto Ballett Theater as well as to Christine Bastin for La Fugue at Festival d’Avignon and Angelin Preljocaj for Le Songe de Médée at Le Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris. JANE DUTTON Lighting Re-Creator English lighting designer Jane Dutton makes her COC debut with this production. Since becoming a freelance associate lighting designer, lighting re-creator and programmer five years ago, she has worked in theatre, opera and dance. Theatrical credits include: Tintin (Young Vic Theatre); U.K. tour

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and West End; Nights at the Circus (Kneehigh Theatre and U.K. tour); Vernon God Little (Young Vic Theatre); the U.K. tours of The Man Who Had All The Luck and Don John, A Disappearing Number (Complicité international tour, Milan and Sydney); Twelfth Night (Donmar Warehouse); Days of Significance (Royal Shakespeare Company and U.K. tour); The Gods Weep (RSC and Hampstead Theatre); and, re-creating the lighting for the 25th anniversary international tour of Les Misérables. Operatic credits include: Death in Venice at Aldeburgh and Bregenz festivals, The Enchanted Pig (Young Vic and Opera Group U.K. tour), and five seasons as a programmer with the Garsington Opera Festival. Ms Dutton’s next project is transferring Les Misérables to the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey in November prior to its American tour. SANDRA HORST Chorus Master Chorus Master Sandra Horst’s recent credits include Idomeneo, Maria Stuarda, The Flying Dutchman, Otello, Carmen, Madama Butterfly and The Nightingale and Other Short Fables for the COC and The Marriage of Figaro, Eugene Onegin and The Golden Ticket for Opera Theatre of St. Louis. As director of musical studies for the University of Toronto’s Opera Division, she has most recently conducted Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges and L’heure espagnole, as well as productions of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, J. Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and John Beckwith’s Taptoo! Ms Horst conducted Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims for the COC, has been chorus master of Edmonton Opera, served as a judge for the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions and has been on the music staff of the Juilliard Opera Center, Chautauqua Institute, Boston Lyric Opera, Edmonton Opera, Banff Centre for the Arts, Opera Ontario and Opera Saskatchewan. With

the COC this season she is also the chorus master for Aida, The Magic Flute, Nixon in China, La Cenerentola, and Orfeo ed Euridice. STEPHANIE MARRS Stage Manager Stephanie Marrs has worked with the COC since 1991 and recently stage managed Idomeneo and Madama Butterfly. She was one of the stage managers for the Inaugural Gala Concerts for the FSCPA*, and has stage managed such productions as Così fan tutte, Simon Boccanegra, Rusalka, Don Giovanni, Pelléas et Mélisande, Elektra, Siegfried as part of the complete Ring Cycle, Norma, Rodelinda, Tancredi, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, Tosca, Albert Herring, Giasone, Giulio Cesare, and Madama Butterfly. She also has stagemanaged for Nightwood Theatre, Crow’s Theatre, Opera York, Opera Atelier, the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, the Port Hope Festival Theatre and Gryphon Theatre. As an assistant stage manager, COC credits include: From the House of the Dead, Faust, Così fan tutte, The Turn of the Screw, Venus and Adonis, Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung, La Traviata, and Jenufa. ˚ Ms Marrs has also worked for Opéra national de Lyon, Edmonton Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa, CanStage, the Luminato Festival and the Just for Laughs Toronto Festival. SAMUEL TAK-HO TAM Assistant Conductor Samuel Tak-Ho Tam, a native of Calgary and former COC Ensemble Studio member, returns to the COC after serving as backstage conductor for Idomeneo. Previous COC credits include apprenticing and assisting on Rusalka, Le nozze di Figaro, Tosca, Eugene Onegin, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Pelléas et Mélisande, Renard, Don Giovanni, Simon Boccanegra,

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La Bohème, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Così fan tutte. He also conducted a COC Amphitheatre production of Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti. Mr. Tam spent the summer conducting the National Academy Orchestra. Last autumn, he participated in OSESP’s concert production of Der Rosenkavalier in Sao Paulo, and was intern conductor with the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy during the summer of 2008. Mr. Tam has worked with the University of Toronto’s Opera Division under Sandra Horst, and conducted a performance of Haydn’s Il mondo della luna. He has worked with David Briskin and the UofT Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra violinist Young Dae Park and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. He is a McGill University graduate where he studied organ performance and improvisation. ALLISON GRANT Assistant Director/ Assistant Choreographer Allison Grant was last with the COC as assistant director for Madama Butterfly. Other COC credits include assistant director/movement director for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, choreographer for Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, The Queen of Spades, Dido and Aeneas and La Bohème, director of The Brothers Grimm and Cinderella and assistant director of The Barber of Seville, Rodelinda, La Bohème, Turandot and L’elisir d’amore. Directing credits include Die Zauberflöte for Sarasota Opera, Don Giovanni and Carmen for Opera Ontario, L’Italiana in Algeri for Opéra de Montréal, Così fan tutte, The Magic Flute and Figaro! Figaro! Figaro! for Vancouver Opera, Bach at Leipzig, and Master Class and Private Lives at Theatre Athena. Choreographic credits include Eugene Onegin and Un ballo in maschera for Vancouver Opera; The Merry Widow for Opera Ontario, Edmonton Opera and Hawaii Opera Theatre; Die Fledermaus for Vancouver Opera, Kentucky Opera and Opera Ontario; and, Carmen and

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La fille du Régiment for Opera Ontario. Ms Grant was the inaugural artistic director of Theatre Athena in Waterloo. She also teaches, directs and choreographs for the UofT’s Opera Division, where she will direct Don Giovanni this season. *FSCPA – Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

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.

C A N A D I A N O P E R A C O M PA N Y O R C H E S T R A VIOLIN I Marie Bérard, Concertmaster The Concertmaster’s chair has been endowed in perpetuity by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Benjamin Bowman, Associate Concertmaster Diane Tait, Assistant Concertmaster Anne Armstrong Sandra Baron Bethany Bergman, on leave of absence Nancy Kershaw, on leave of absence Dominique Laplante Yakov Lerner Jayne Maddison Neria Mayer Aya Miyagawa VIOLIN II Paul Zevenhuizen, Principal Csaba Koczó, Assistant Principal James Aylesworth Pamela Hinman Elizabeth Johnston Louise Tardif Marianne Urke Joanna Zabrowarna

CELLO Bryan Epperson, Principal Alastair Eng, Associate Principal Paul Widner, Assistant Principal Maurizio Baccante Olga Laktionova Elaine Thompson BASS Alan Molitz, Principal Robert Speer, Assistant Principal Tom Hazlitt Paul Langley, on leave of absence Robert Wolanski FLUTE Douglas Stewart, Principal Shelley Brown PICCOLO Shelley Brown Douglas Stewart

VIOLA Nicolò Eugelmi, Principal, on leave of absence Francis Kefford, Acting Principal Joshua Greenlaw, Assistant Principal Rhyll Peel Theresa Rudolph Koczó Beverley Spotton Yosef Tamir

HORN Joan Watson, Principal Gary Pattison TRUMPET Robert Grim, Principal Brendan Cassin TROMBONE Robert Ferguson, Principal Ian Cowie TUBA Scott Irvine TIMPANI Michael Perry, Principal PERCUSSION Trevor Tureski, Principal Ed Reifel David Schotzko Ryan Scott John Thompson HARP Sarah Davidson, Principal

OBOE Mark Rogers, Principal Lesley Young

PIANO Rachel Andrist

CLARINET Max Christie, Acting Principal Colleen Cook

LIBRARIAN Wayne Vogan

Eb CLARINET Colleen Cook

ASSISTANT MUSIC LIBRARIAN Capella Sherwood

BASS CLARINET Colleen Cook

STAGE LIBRARIAN Paul Langley, on leave of absence

BASSOON Eric Hall, Principal Elizabeth Gowen

PERSONNEL MANAGER Ian Cowie

CONTRA BASSOON Elizabeth Gowen

C A N A D I A N O P E R A C O M PA N Y C H O R U S SOPRANOS Ambur Braid Alexandra LennoxPomeroy Eve Rachel McLeod Ileana Montalbetti Simone Osborne Jennifer Robinson Teresa van der Hoeven Jacqueline Woodley

MEZZO-SOPRANOS Marianne Bindig Sandra Boyes Rihab Chaieb Wendy Hatala Foley Wallis Giunta Sonya Gosse Lilian Kilianski Karen Olinyk Vilma Indra Vitols

TENORS Craig Ashton Michael Barrett Stephen Bell Taras Chmil Sean Clark Christopher Enns John Kriter Stephen McClare

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BARITONES/ BASSES Grant Allert Sung Chung Neil Craighead Adrian Kramer Jason Nedecky Michael Uloth Jan Vaculik

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS

Mr. David C. Ferguson, Chair Mr. Paul B. Spafford, President Mr. Philip C. Deck, President Elect Mr. Michael A. French, Treasurer Mr. John H. Macfarlane, Secretary Mr. Alexander Neef, General Director (ex officio) Mr. Rob Lamb, Managing Director (ex officio) MEMBERS

Mr. H. Anthony (Tony) Arrell Ms Nora Aufreiter Mr. Barry Avrich Mr. Paul A. Bernards

Mr. Walter Bowen, Q.C. Mr. David Broadhurst Mr. Robert Brouwer Mr. Stewart Burton Mr. Frank Ciccolini, Sr. Mr. George S. Dembroski Dr. Fayaz Dossa Mr. William Fearn (ex officio) Mr. David Forster Mr. Adam Froman Mr. John Gagliano Dr. Linda Hutcheon Ms Trinity Jackman Ms Pamela Jeffery Mr. Jeff Lloyd Mr. Stephen O. Marshall Ms Judy Matthews Mr. Geoffrey Matus Ms Trina McQueen

Mr. Jonathan Morgan Mr. William Morneau Mrs. Sue Mortimer Mr. Nicholas Mutton Mr. Ian Pearce Mrs. Frances Price Mr. John Rothschild Mr. Arthur R. A. Scace, C.M. Ms Colleen Sexsmith Ms Sandy Simpson Mrs. Arija Stiver (ex officio) Ms Kristine (Kris) Vikmanis Ms Karen Walsh Mr. John H. (Jack) Whiteside Mr. Tom Woods Honorary Directors Mr. Joey Tanenbaum, C.M.

VO LU N T E E R S U P P O RT O R G A N I Z AT I O N S COC Guild Presidents David M. Cullen, Brantford Opera Guild Grace Orzech, Kingston Opera Guild Ernest H. Redekop, London Opera Guild Tom Anderson, Muskoka Opera Guild Thais Donald, Northumberland Opera Guild Margaret Parker, Oakville Opera Guild June Wilson Thexton, Peterborough Opera Guild Jeanette Cornelissen, Quinte Opera Guild Mike Humphris, Sudbury Opera Guild Dorothy K. Piepke, Western New York Opera Guild

ARIAS: Canadian Student Opera Development Fund (formerly known as COVC) Arija Stiver, President Merle Gobin, Past-President Tamara Donnelly, Vice-President Marina McDougall, Vice-President Lisa Teskey, Vice-President Jane Sergievskaya, Vice-President Susanne Dobos, Recording Secretary Marlene Kalchos, Corresponding Secretary Lisa Teskey, Treasurer

Canadian Opera Foundation Mr. William Fearn, Chair Mr. Derek Brown Mr. J. Rob Collins Mr. David Forster Mr. George Hamilton, Treasurer Mr. Roy D. Hogg, FCA Hon. Dennis Lane Mr. Peter MacKenzie Ms Kathleen McLaughlin Mr. Paul B. Spafford (ex officio) Mr. David E. Spiro, Secretary Mr. Edzo Wisman

For more information on COC Guilds please visit http://www.coc.ca/AboutTheCOC/Affiliates/OperaGuilds.aspx

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A D M I N I S T R AT I O N A N D S TA F F ALEXANDER NEEF, General Director Managing Director Robert Lamb Music Director Johannes Debus EXECUTIVE OFFICE Executive Assistant to the General Director Marguerite Schabas ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION Artistic Administrator Roberto Mauro MUSIC Music Administrator Sandra Gavinchuk Chorus Master Sandra Horst Music Librarian, Coach, Chorus Administrator Wayne Vogan Head of the Ensemble Studio & Coach Elizabeth Upchurch Resident Conductor Derek Bate Music Staff Rachel Andrist Susan Ball Jean Desmarais Albert Krywolt Anne Larlee Ben Malensek Steven Philcox Elizabeth Rowe Felice Venanzoni Company Manager Olwyn Lewis Scheduling Manager Kathryn Garnett Administrative Assistant, Music Karen Olinyk Archivist, Joan Baillie Archives Birthe Joergensen Orchestra Personnel Manager Ian Cowie Assistant Music Librarian Capella Sherwood COC Ensemble Studio Ambur Braid Rihab Chaieb Neil Craighead Christopher Enns Wallis Giunta Adrian Kramer Anne Larlee Ileana Montalbetti Simone Osborne Michael Uloth Jacqueline Woodley Production Assistants Ariel Martin-Smith Aislinn Ritchie PROGRAMMING Director of Programming – Free Concert Series Nina Draganic´ PRODUCTION Production Manager Lee Milliken Technical Director David Feheley Associate Technical Director Barney Bayliss Lighting Co-ordinator Wendy Greenwood Assistant Technical Director Melynda Jurgenson

Head Electrician Janice Fraser Assistant Electrician Joel Thoman Production Electrician Ashley Rose Head of Sound Al Merson Head Carpenter Paul Watkinson Assistant Carpenter Mike Gelfand Head Flyman Rupert Baker Head of Properties Alison Potter Core Crew Guy Campagnaro Scott Clarke Terry Hurley Paul Otis Scene Shop Supervisor Patrick Wood Head Scene Shop Carpenter David Middleton Assistant Scene Shop Carpenter Larry Pratt Carpenters Hugh MacLachan Dave Retzleff Andrew Walker Head Scenic Artist Richard Gordon Assistant Head Scenic Artist Jana Osterman Scenic Painters Katherine Lilly Lisa Petrocco Carolina Valenzuela Rehearsal Head Technician Scott Williamson Properties Supervisor Guy Nokes Resident Properties Builder/Co-ordinator Stephanie Tjelios Properties Co-ordinator Kathy Frost Properties Buyer/ Co-ordinator Tracy Taylor Properties Builders Carolyn Choo Wulf Costume Supervisor Sandra Corazza Costume Co-ordinator Chloe Anderson Assisted by Kate Day Costume Assistants Jazlyn Dow Lina Marques Resident Tailor Sue Furlong Assisted By Karen Donaldson Helen Flower Sharon Gashgarian Karen Hancock Ilana Harendorf Barbara Nowakowski Gulay Cokgezen Deniz Cakin Ina Kerklaan Alanna Gong Wough Krista Nauman Additional Costumes by Industry Costumes Christine Audet Avril Stevenson Arana Enterprises Wardrobe Mistress Marilyn Rodwell

Wardrobe Assistant Rafe Macpherson Wig & Make-up Supervisor Sharon Ryman Head of Wig & Make-up Crew Cori Ferguson Production Co-ordinator Shawna Green Production Intern Morgan Leigh Hearty SURTITLES™ Producer Gunta Dreifelds SURTITLES™ Editor Gillian Bartlett SURTITLES™ Assistant John Sharpe DEVELOPMENT Chief Development Officer Marion York Director, Individual Giving Christie Darville Senior Development Officer, Individual Giving Dawn Marie Schlegel Senior Development Officer, Annual Programs Peter Hussell Donor Relations Officer Natalie Sandassie Development Officer, Individual Giving LeeAnne Rorabeck Individual Giving Co-ordinator Stephanie Hunt Individual Giving Co-ordinator Stephen Radbourn Development Officer, Friends of the COC Aisha Talarico Development Co-ordinator, Friends of the COC Lucia Ly Senior Development Officer, Corporate Development Carlie Weppler Development Officer, Corporate and Foundation Giving Sybil Choles Corporate Development Co-ordinator Jeanna Beaudry Manager, Special Events Tracy Briggs Special Events Co-ordinator Christine Tizzard Donation Database Officer Kira Egorova Data Processing Co-ordinator Olena Moldovan FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Director of Finance and Administration Lindy Cowan, CA Finance Manager Ray Gooden, FCA (UK) General Accountants Florence Huang Zoran Orlic´ (FSCPA) Payroll Accountants Jovana Boˇzovic´ Jeanny Won Public Affairs Manager Amy Mushinski

Manager, IT Services Steven Sherwood IT Services Assistant Tony Sandy Computer Services Assistant Nick Mitropoulos Receptionist/Switchboard Katarina Boˇzovic´ Mailroom Clerk/Courier Branka Hrsum BUILDING SERVICES COC & FSCPA Building Services Manager Michael Tremblay Assistant Building Services Manager Piro Milo Security Supervisors Videsh Dookhu Dave Samuels Maintenance Assistants Tymen de Vries (FSCPA James Esposito (FSCPA) Ryszard Gad (COC) Branislav Peterman (COC) Julian Peters (COC) Wojtek Plichta (FSCPA) Security Officers Tammy Hill Natalia Juzyc Heather Reid Building Operators Radu Chereji Dan Popescu Cristian Tripa Hurley Supervisor Paula Da Costa COMMUNICATIONS Director of Public Relations Claudine Domingue Director of Marketing Jeremy Elbourne Senior Manager Sales and Customer Service Phil Stephens Senior Communications Manager, Editorial Suzanne Vanstone Senior Communications Manager, Creative Gianna Wichelow Communications Manager, Special Initiatives Caitlin Coull Digital Marketing Manager Jennifer Dougall Media Relations Manager Vanessa Somarriba Social and Interactive Media Co-ordinator Cecily Carver Marketing Co-ordinator Eldon Earle Retail and Editorial Co-ordinator Gianmarco Segato Volunteer and Creative Assistant John Kriter Communications Assistant Vanessa Smith Education and Outreach Senior Manager, Education and Outreach Katherine Semcesen

Education and Outreach Programming Manager Jessica Lovett Education and Outreach Programming Co-ordinator Carly Anderson Education and Outreach Assistant Gillian Story Ticket Services Ticket Services Manager Alan Moffat Assistant Ticket Services Managers Andrea Salin Nikki Tremblay Group Sales Co-ordinator David Nimmo Ticket Services Supervisors Erin Cook Lilian Fung Ticket Services Representatives Becky Bridger Terry Bursey Ernest Cayemen Holly Coish Danielle D’Ornellas Anna Kay Eldridge Chelsea Ireton Keith Lam Julia Lederer Ian McDonnell Diana Merta Amber Mills Kelly Noordermeer Kevin Pook Mary Porter Cory Strong Maria Villegas Victor Widjaja Mitch Yolevsky Call Centre Call Centre Manager Sarah Frankel Call Centre Representatives John Chou Alex Gladwell Stephen Kreuger David Ontonovich Richard Paradiso Sara Rhodes Adriano Sobretodo Brent Thatcher Margaret Terry FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Director of Facility Operations Alfred Caron Business Manager Elizabeth Jones Special Events Co-ordinator Kathleen Reichelt Patron Services Manager Jefferson Guzman Assistant Manager, Front of House Kim Hutchinson-Barber Assistant Manager, Food & Beverage Brigitte Lang Patron Services Supervisors Kelly Bailey Adam Orr Brynn Pearson Rebecca Riddell Ashley Westlake Kimberly Wu

FSCPA – Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

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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. Dr. Larry M. Agranove ARIAS: Canadian Opera Student Development Fund The Gerard & Earlaine Collins Foundation The late John A. Cook Kolter Communities

MAJOR GIFTS & S PE CIAL PR OJ E CTS Every year, the Canadian Opera Company has unique projects operating beyond regular annual activities, each of which relies on private funding to ensure its success. These include: transition and endowment funding, production underwriting, artist and performance sponsorship as well as training, education and outreach programs. $500,000 – $999,999 The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation $100,000 – $499,999 Anne & Tony Arrell David G. Broadhurst Jean Davidson & Paul Spafford Philip Deck & Kimberley Bozak George S. Dembroski Trina & Don McQueen Tim & Frances Price Colleen Sexsmith Sandra L. Simpson The Slaight Family Anonymous

The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation Roger D. Moore E. Louise Morgan Joey & Toby Tanenbaum

$25,000 – $99,999 Ethel Harris & the late Milton E. Harris Ronald Kimel & Vanessa LaPerriere Jill & Geoff Matus Melanie Whitehead Mersch Roger D. Moore David Stanley-Porter The Stratton Trust Françoise Sutton William & Phyllis Waters Anonymous Up to $24,999 Ian & June Cockwell Peter & Hélène Hunt Hon. Henry N. R. Jackman‡ J. Hans Kluge Jo Lander Melanie Whitehead Mersch In loving memory of Sandra Papsin Katalin Schäfer

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I N D I V I D UA L A N N UA L S U P P O R T THE GOLDEN CIRCLE Gold, $50,000 + Anne & Tony Arrell*** David G. Broadhurst* In memory of Gerard H. Collins**** Jerry & Geraldine Heffernan**** The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation**** Roger D. Moore**** Arthur & Susan Scace**** Colleen Sexsmith** Sandra L. Simpson* Silver, $25,000 – $49,999 Andrew Peller Limited Paul Bernards*** Cecily & Robert Bradshaw Philip Deck & Kimberley Bozak*** George S. Dembroski**** Mr. & Mrs. W. Humphries*** Ronald Kimel & Vanessa LaPerriere**** Susan Loube & William Acton* The Stratton Trust*

Bronze, $12,500 – $24,999 Dr. & Mrs. Hans G. Abromeit**** Mark & Gail Appel** Philip & Linda Armstrong* Ms Nora Aufreiter Melissa & Barry Avrich John & Claudine Bailey*** Barbara Black* Mr. Philip J. Boswell†**** Walter M. & Lisa Balfour Bowen**** Susanne Boyce & Brendan Mullen*** Rob & Teresa Brouwer* Marcia Lewis Brown Stewart & Gina Burton* Dr. John Chiu in memory of Yvonne Chiu, C.M.**** The Max Clarkson Family Foundation**** J. Rob Collins**** Sydney & Florence Cooper* Jean Davidson & Paul Spafford**** David Denison & Maureen Flanagan* Dr. Fayaz & Mrs. Sandra Dossa David & Kristin Ferguson**** George Fierheller**** Margaret & Jim Fleck* Lloyd & Gladys Fogler*** David & Elizabeth Forster** Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts** Adam & Sharin Froman John & Rita Gagliano Roger & Kevin Garland** Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin** James & Joyce Gutmann**** Ethel Harris & the late Milton Harris**** Dr. W. P. Hayman & Dr. M. L. Myers*** Nona & William Heaslip Foundation**** Douglas E. Hodgson**** Michael & Linda Hutcheon**** William Ip & Kathleen Latimer* Dr. Amy Kaiser & Ken Rotman* Jeff Lloyd & Barbara Henders

Mr. & Mrs. J. S. A. MacDonald**** Judy & Wilmot Matthews Jill & Geoff Matus* John & Esther McNeil*** Trina & Don McQueen* Johanna Metcalf*** Delia M. Moog** Jonathan Morgan* Sue Mortimer in memory of Clive Bennett Mortimer**** Nicholas & Rosemary Mutton Mrs. & Mr. Christl & Karl Niemuller** Donald O’Born** Peter M. Partridge**** Ian & Michelle Pearce Tim & Frances Price**** David Roffey & Karen Walsh*** Barrie Rose & Family*** John A. Rothschild Philip & Maria Smith** Stephen & Jane Smith**** Marion & Gerald Soloway* David E. Spiro*** David Stanley-Porter**** Ms Kristine Vikmanis & Mr. Denton Creighton**** Jack Whiteside** Tom & Ruth Woods*** TH E PR E S I D E NT’S COU NCI L The President’s Council Committee Mary-Catherine Acheson Diane Adamson-Brdar Thomas J. Burton Gladys Fogler Sue Mortimer Katalin Schäfer Colleen Sexsmith (Chair) Kristine Vikmanis Karen Walsh Trustee, $7,500 – $12,499 à la Carte Kitchen Inc. Laurie & Fareed Ali* Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson** Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Christ****

Mr. & Mrs. Leslie Dan** Andrew Fleming** The Hon. William C. Graham & Mrs. Catherine Graham**** Al & Malka Green* Rainer Hackert*** Maggie Hayes* Trinity Jackman Bernhard & Hannelore Kaeser**** J. Hans Kluge* Murray & Marvelle Koffler**** Mr. Gurney Kranz*** Anne & Wilf Lewitt* Jerry & Joan Lozinski**** Bobby & Gordon MacNeill* Hon. Margaret & Mr. Wallace McCain** John McVicker & B. W. Thomas**** Mrs. Louise O’Shea**** Françoise Sutton** Ms R. Raso*** Dr. David Shaw* Anonymous (1) Patron, $3,750 – $7,499 Mr. Peter Allen* Sue Armstrong** Ron Atkinson & Bruce Blandford*** Salah Bachir* Mrs. N. A. Balciunas**** Robert & Mona Bandeen** Schuyler Bankes & Family*** Karen & Bill Barnett L. H. Bartelink in memory of Oskar & Irmgard Gaube** Dr. Thomas H. Beechy**** Mr. & Mrs. Eric Belli-Bivar** Mr. & Mrs. Avie Bennett**** Mr. Roland Bertin**** Tom Bogart & Kathy Tamaki* William & Anna Maria Braithwaite* Dr. David & Constance Briant**** Dr. Jane Brissenden & Dr. Janet Roscoe**** Mrs. Donna Brock** Margaret & Derek Brown**** Murray & Judy Bryant** Thomas J. Burton*

C A N A D I A N O P E R A C O M PA N Y 2 0 1 0 / 2 0 1 1 S E A S O N

Sharon & Howard Campbell* Joe & Laurissa Canavan Cesaroni Management Limited** Mr. Douglas W. Chaddock Paul G. Cherry & Dean C. Noack**** Peter & Frances Chiddy* Frank Ciccolini**** Marilyn Cook Mr. & Mrs. William J. Corcoran** Tim Costigan & Kathleen McLaughlin Lindy Cowan† & Chris Hatley** Mrs. Ninalee Craig** Norman Curtis**** C. M. Dare**** Raul Werneck de Castro** Dr. Jeanne Deinum**** Carol Derk & David Giles* Mrs. A. Ephraim Diamond and Family**** Bernard & Francine Dorval** Peter & Anne Dotsikas* Vreni & Marc Ducommun** Bud & Leigh Eisenberg** Mr. & Mrs. John J. Elder**** Joseph Fantl & Moira Bartram* Graham Farquharson** Fleur-de-lis Interior Design Kimberley Fobert & Robert Lamb†*** The Fraser Elliott Foundation**** Dr. & Mrs. Wm. O. Geisler** The Hon. & Mrs. Alastair W. Gillespie**** Ben & Sarah Glatt**** Peter & Shelagh Godsoe* Rose & Roger Goldstein *** Michael & Anne Gough**** Dr. Noëlle Grace & The Shohet Family*** Ronald & Birgitte Granofsky*** Douglas & Ruth Grant John & Judith Grant* John Groves*** George & Irene Hamilton**** Hampton Securities Ltd.

Scott & Ellen Hand** Hon. & Mrs. Paul Hellyer**** Ava Marion Hillier* Prof. Michiel Horn**** Scott Irvine† & Joan Watson†** Dr. Melvyn L. Iscove** The Jackman Foundation*** Victoria Jackman & Bruce Kuwabara** Dr. Peter Janetos* Mr. Robert C. Jefferies*** Dr. Joshua Josephson**** Lorraine Kaake**** H. L. Katarynych** Patrick & Barbara Keenan**** Jim & Diane King* Joseph Kerzner & Lisa Koeper*** Jean V. Kramar* The Hon. Dennis Lane, Q.C. & Mrs. Sandra Lane**** Harold & Larraine Langer**** Mr. Philip Lanouette* John B. Lawson, Q.C.**** Paul Lee & Jill Maynard**** Daniel & Janet Li* Vincent & Helene Lobraico Angelo & Grace Locilento* Douglas L. Ludwig & Karen J. Rice** Ole P. Madsen* R. Manke**** Christa & Robert McDermott* The Hon. Barbara McDougall*** Paul & Jean McGrath**** June McLean**** Mr. Michael J. McMurray* Melanie Whitehead Mersch** Mr. Albert Merz* Dr. Judith A. Miller*** Beatrice & Arthur Minden Foundation**** Mary Mogford & Tom Campbell Professor David J. Murray** Eileen Patricia Newell** Mrs. Sally-Ann Noznesky**** Keith & Brenda Ottaway** Dr. & Mrs. William M. Park**** Mr. Douglas L. Parker**** John & Gwen Pattison* Polk Family Charitable Fund** Julian Porter, Q.C.*

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Samuel A. Rea & Wendy J. Thompson**** Rob & Penny Richards** Margaret A. Riggin Joseph L. Rosenmiller* Maxwell L. Rotstein & Nancy-Gay Rotstein**** Mr. & Mrs. R. T. Ruggles**** Annie & Ian D. Sale Judy & Hy Sarick**** Sam & Esther Sarick*** Helen & John Scott* Katherine & Gary Shaw* Dr. Ralph Shaw & June Shaw**** Allan & Helaine Shiff**** Dr. John Stanley & Dr. Helmut Reichenbächer** Drs. Wayne Stanley & Marina Pretorius Doreen L. Stanton**** Dr. Richard & Jane Stoneman* Carol Swallow** Mr. & Mrs. Michael Tatham* Kathryn J. Thornton*** Anthea Thorp*** Vincent Tovell, O.C.*** Rosalind & Dory Vanderhoof** Donald & Margaret Walter**** Hugh & Colleen Washington* William R. Waters*** Peter Webb & Joan York**** Ruth Watts-Gransden**** L. R. Wilson* Morden Yolles**** Linda Young The Youssef-Warren Foundation*** Helen Ziegler** Sharon Zuckerman**** Helen & Walter Zwig**** Anonymous (6) Member, $2,250 – $3,749 The Acheson Family Foundation** D. C. Adamson-Brdar**** Dr. & Mrs. Larry M. Agranove**** Donna & Lorne Albaum* Mr. & Mrs. Roberto & Nancy Albis**

Mr. Thomas Allen* Mr. & Mrs. Howard Alpert** Dr. D. Amato & Ms J. Hodges**** Rod Anderson & Merike Lugus**** Andrée Appleton & Alexander Leman* Anne-Marie H. Applin** Valerie Armstrong*** Philip & Susan Arthur Virginia Atkin** John Bailey* Marilyn & Charles Baillie**** James C. Baillie* Andrew & Cornelia Baines**** Janice A. Baker**** Richard J. Balfour*** Lindy Barrow Ms Roxanne Bartel Dr. Frank Bartoszek & Mr. Daniel O’Brien**** Florence Sharpe Barwell**** Julia Bass & David Hamilton** Alice & Tom Bastedo** Mr. & Mrs. Peter & Sondra Beck Ms Marie Bérard†** Dan Bereskin, Q.C. & Rhoda Gryfe* Dr. Catherine Bergeron** Nani & Austin Beutel**** John N. & Miranda A. H. Birch J. Bismillah* Anneliese and Walter Blackwell**** Susanne Blake*** Ms Lynn Blaser & Mr. John van Ogtrop**** Ian & Janet Blue** John & Ila Bossons* Mr. W. Bowen & Ms S. Gavinchuk†*** David Boyd-Thomas*** Mrs. Carolyn Bradley-Hall & Mr. William Bradley** Mrs. Richard Bradshaw** Sylvia Brander**** Bric Engineered Systems Peter Brieger & Beverley Hamblin Brian Bucknall & Mary Jane Mossman****

Alice Burton** Barrie & Betty Cade** Maureen Callahan & Douglas Gray* Margaret Harriett Cameron**** Della H. Campbell**** Ken & Denise Cargill** Brian & Ellen Carr**** Clarice Carson Gail Carson**** Wendy M. Cecil**** W. D. Chambers*** Dr. & Mrs. Albert Cheskes** Birte von Chlumecky-Bauer** Dr. Howard M. Clarke** The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson Cogeco Data Services Edward Cole & Adrienne Hood** Murray & Katherine Corlett*** Harold & Anita Corrigan*** Dr. Lesley S. Corrin**** Gay & Derek Cowbourne* Eloïse Crabtree & Don Carmichael* Ms Wanda Crickmay Susan Crocker* Mary Beth Currie & Jeff Rintoul Carrol Anne Curry** Ms Lindsay Dale-Harris & Mr. Rupert Field-Marsham**** Doris J. Daughney M. P. Davies* Stan & Jean Davies**** Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP** Dr. & Mrs. Michael & Ute Davis* Brian J. Dawson** Juleth Dawson Jill Denham & Stephen Marshall* Michael & Honor de Pencier*** Mrs. Rosario de Wit-Farro** Mrs. Leonard G. (Anne) Delicaet & Mrs. Kendra Anne Delicaet-Almasi*** Perry & Rae Dellio** Angelo & Carol DelZotto**

Mr. & Mrs. Elvio DelZotto* Mr. & Mrs. A. J. Diamond Steven & Linda Diener** J. DiGiovanni Olwen & Frank Dixon* James Doak & Patricia Best** Sandra Z. Doblinger* Ms Petrina Dolby** Dr. James & Mrs. Ellen Downey* John Duffy & Jill Presser Marko Duic**** H. I. Dunlop*** Ms Judy Dunn Ron Dyck & Walter Stewart** William & Gwenda Echard**** Jean Edwards* Wendy & Elliot Eisen*** Robert Elliott & Paul Wilson* Genia & Stan Elkind**** Dr. & Mrs. John Evans** Virginia Evans* Fabris Inc. George A. Farkass* Catherine Fauquier*** Bill Fearn & Claudia Rogers*** Lee K. Ferrier*** William & Rosemary Fillmore** Mr. & Mrs. Cosimo & Christina Fiorenza** Dr. Sidney M. Fireman* Robert & Julia Foster* Margaret & David Fountain**** Mr. Michael A. French* Judith Ann Fullerton* Robert Fung** Rev. Ivars Gaide & Rev. Dr. Anita Gaide** Tom & Helen Galt**** Ann Gawman** Dr. Barry A. Gayle**** Martin & Mindy Gerskup* The Honourable Irving Gerstein & Mrs. Gail Gerstein* Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Giancamilli * Michael & Lora Gibbens Ann J. Gibson**** William & Marika Glied** Mary & Lionel Goffart

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Dr. Eudice Goldberg Dr. Fay Goldstep & Dr. George Freedman* Deanna A. Gontard**** Tina & Michael Gooding** Wayne A. Gooding**** Goodman Family David & Janice Gordon** Jane Greene* Mr. Finn Greflund & Mrs. M. Ortner* Ellen & Simon Gulden**** Anna L. Guthrie**** Mr. & Mrs. Henry Hackenspiel**** Gudrun Hackert Dan Hagler & Family** Ms Francess G. Halpenny**** John & Ruth Hannigan Beverly Hargraft* Paul & Natalie Hartman Paul & Margaret Harricks Michael Harris & Carol Rak* Valerie & Brian Harris*** Mr. & Mrs. William B. Harris** Mr. D. Harrison & Dr. E. Fischer* Lloyd Heaslip**** Jenny Heathcote**** Mr. Thomas G. Heintzman & Ms Mary Jane Heintzman** Caroline Helbronner & Douglas Klaassen** Jacques & Elizabeth Helbronner** Ann & Lyman Henderson**** Thea Herman & Gregory King** The Donald Heskins Philanthropic Fund of The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies* William E. Hewitt*** Sam & Libby Ho** Chris Hoffmann & Joan Eakin* Sally Holton & Stephen Ireland*** Emmy & Walter Homburger** Mr. Roland Hoy** Drs. Walter & Virginia Hryshko Ken Hugessen & Jennifer Connolly* Anthony C. J. Humphreys**** Gillian Humphreys

Peter & HĂŠlĂ¨ne Hunt**** Mrs. Wilma Hysen*** Infonex Inc.* Prof. Christopher Innes & Brigitte Bogar William Innes Diana & Philip Jackson in memory of Ethel B. Jackson*** Elliott Jacobson & Judy Malkin* Lynne Jeffrey*** Laurence Jewell* The Norman & Margaret Jewison Charitable Foundation**** Donald K. Johnson & Anna McCowan Johnson* Ms Elizabeth Johnson* Dr. Albert & Bette Johnston* Joyce Johnston** Joseph & Maureen Katchen Dr. Joel Keenleyside**** David W. & Sheryl L. Kerr Inta Kierans**** Peter Kingsmill Ellen & Hermann Kircher**** Dr. Elizabeth Kocmur**** Michael & Sonja Koerner** Robin Korthals & Janet Charlton* Dr. Robert Kosnik**** Richard J. Kostoff** Valarie Koziol E. Kraker William & Eva Krangle*** Elizabeth & Goulding Lambert*** Leslie & Jo Lander**** Richard T. La Prairie Dr. Connie Lee** Dr. Richard Lee & Mr. Gary Van Haren* Linda Lee & Michael Pharoah**** Neal Lee & Dominique Lee* Alexander & Anna Leggatt** Joy Levine** Mr. Jonathan C. Levitt & Ms Ethel Mah Mr. Peter Levitt & Ms Mai Why** Cheryl Lewis & Mihkel Voore**

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Marjorie & Roy Linden**** Dr. & Mrs. W. G. Lindley**** Janet & Sid Lindsay** Anthony Lisanti** Michel Lislois** Dr. Vance Logan*** A. Benson Lorriman**** Ms Jane Loughborough* Dr. Robert G. Luton**** Jonathan & Dorothea Lovat Dickson* Mary Lu & Bruce MacDonald**** James & Connie MacDougall**** John Macfarlane Mr. Jed MacKay**** Dr. & Mrs. Richard Mackenzie**** Mrs. R. MacMillan**** Macro Properties Ltd.* Mrs. Janet Maggiacomo* Susan & Scott Maidment** Dr. Colin McGregor Mailer**** Robert Mansell & Elizabeth Mitchell* Dr. & Mrs. M. A. Manuel Mr. & Mrs. R. Gordon Marantz**** Gerald & Helen Marr**** Kenneth & Kathleen Mathieson Pauline and Dipak Mazumdar at the Toronto Community Foundation*** Dr. & Mrs. John A. McCallum**** Wendy & Chris McDowall* Anne McFadyen Dr. & Mrs. Donald C. McGillivray**** Darcy & Joyce McKeough* Guy & Joanne McLean*** M. E. McLeod**** Jean M. McNab**** Margaret C. McNee Mark & Andrea McQueen*** Shawn McReynolds & Elaine Kierans Dr. Don Melady & Mr. Rowley Mossop** Mr. Ulrich Menzefricke**** MI9 Business Intelligence Systems

Ingrid & Daniel Mida Dr. Thomas & Catherine Millar Marvene (Cox) & Gordon Miller* Lee Milliken† & Doug MacNaughton* Dr. William & Mrs. Sharon Millman* Patricia & Frank Mills** Ms Kamini Milnes* Audrey & David Mirvish** Bruce & Vladka Mitchell Dr. David N. Mitchell & Dr. Susan M. Till** Robert & Janet Mitchell Dr. Eva Mocarski Dr. & Mrs. S. Mocarski Donald Moggridge & Susan Howson** Anne Moore*** Mr. Robert Morassutti**** Ruth Morawetz & Ken Judd** Alice Janet Morgan** Ada & Hugh G. Morris Edith Patterson Morrow*** Ms Rosalind Morrow* Drs. Christopher & Pippa Moss** Mr. Noel Mowat* Walter & Susan Mozek Mr. Joseph Mulder* Taketo & Vija Murata* Ethel Myers**** David & Mary Neelands** Dr. Shirley C. Neuman* Dr. John & Pamela Newall**** Dr. Steven Nitzkin*** Mr. Jean-Claude Noel* Dr. James & Mrs. Valda Oestreicher** E. Oliana & A. Iu** Janice Oliver†** Martin & Myrna Ossip* Benson Orenstein** Dr. & Mrs. N. Pairaudeau*** Isabel Pargana & Raimondo Maltese Mrs. Margaret Ann Pattison**** John & Penelope Pepperell* Dr. R. G. Perrin* Stephanie Perry & Ronan McGrath

Mr. William Perry* John & Carol Peterson** M. J. Phillips**** June C. Pinkney**** Johann C. Pinto Robin B. Pitcher*** Wanda Plachta*** Mary Jean & Frank Potter*** Georgia Prassas**** Margrit & Tony Rahilly**** Stephen Ralls & Bruce Ubukata** The Carol & Morton Rapp Foundation**** Grant L. Reuber** Mrs. Gabrielle Richards* Carolyn Ricketts*** Ms Nada Ristich Emily & Fred Rizner* Clara Robert Ms Virginia Robeson Sidney Robinson & Linda Currie**** Gordon Robison & David Grant* Dr. Michael & Mary Romeo**** John & Hannah Rosen Diane & Joseph Rosenthal** Ken & Helen Rotenberg* Rainer & Sharyn Rothfuss*** Drs. Orest & Maureen Rudzik**** David A. Ruston** Ms Sharon Cookie Sandler*** Mallory Morris Sartz & John Sartz**** Stewart & Dianne Saxe*** Dr. & Mrs. Bruce Schaef**** Katalin Schäfer** Mrs. Ortaud Scherer* Fred & Mary Schulz* Dr. Marianne Seger**** Carol Seifert & Bruno Tesan** Mr. & Mrs. Norman Shamie*** Victor & Rhoda Shields*** Milton & Joyce Shier**** Dr. Kevin Shiffman* David & Hilary Short*** Dr. Birgitta Sigfridsson William Siegel & Margaret Swaine* In memory of Dr. Bernard Slatt

Dr. & Mrs. Jeremy Sloan* Jay Smith & Laura Rapp Judy & Hume Smith*** Kenneth & Catherine Smith** Ms Muriel Smith & Mr. Eric Ojala*** Dr. Harley Smyth & Carolyn McIntire Smyth* Dr. Joseph So** John & Ellen Spears*** Martha E. Spears** Alex & Kim Squires**** The Steve & Sally Stavro Family Foundation* Celia & Lee Steels** Oksana R. Stein** Mr. & Mrs. Gary & Sula Stern Dr. & Mrs. Stephen Stern** John D. Stevenson*** James H. Stonehouse* Janet Stubbs Dr. Peter Stroz & Dr. Sophia Pantazi*** Anna Talenti*** Eric Tang & Dr. James Miller* Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Taylor*** John Todd & Jenny Ginder**** John & Liz Tory**** Diana Tremain**** Ian Turner** Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen* Cindy & Gary Ullman** Sandra & Guy Upjohn** Tony & Mary van Straubenzee*** Dr. R. B. Van Winckle Dita Vadron & James Catty* Edmond & Sylvia Vanhaverbeke*** Mr. & Mrs. Henry & Ann Louise Vehovec*** Dr. Yvonne Verbeeten** Dr. Helen Vosu & Donald Milner*** Richard & Nathalie Wachsberg Samara Walbohm & Joe Schlesinger Diane Walker** Elizabeth & Michael Walker** Philip & Diana Weinstein Dr. Bogomila Welsh*

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Dr. Virginia Wesson** Ms Eleanor Westney* Ms Anne-Marie Widner & Mr. Paul Szymanski** Mr. Brian Wilks Elizabeth Wilson & Ian Montagnes**** Jeffrey Stewart Wilson* Rose Wolfe* Ms Ling Wong* Mr. & Mrs. Richard Wookey*** Nina & Norman Wright** Dr. Laval Yau*** Erik Yeo Marion York† & Robert Speer†* Marina Yoshida*** Dr. Howard & Sybil Young**** Tricia Younger* George Zeman Susan Zorzi** Anonymous (25) FRIENDS OF THE CA N A D I A N O P E R A C O M PA N Y Sustaining Friends $1,600 – $2,249 Dody Bienenstock* David Binet Iivi Campbell**** Mrs. Margaret Couch* Irene & Keith Croot*** Ruth & John Crow** Jayne & Ted Dawson**** Mr. Albert D. Dunn Mrs. Lois Fleming**** Carmen & Vittoria Guglietti* Richard & Donna Holbrook**** Dr. & Mrs. Ivan Hronsky**** Ms Suanne Kelman & Dr. Allan J. Fox* Dr. & Mrs. R. W. Kimber** Tom C. Logan Mr. A. Mafrici**** Mr. John Nagel Dr. Emilie Newell* Mr. Tomi Nishio*** Mrs. Annette Oelbaum Dr. Norbert V. Perera**** Go Sato**** Gary Shiff**

Philip Somerville Jim Stewart & Deborah Swail Mr. & Mrs. Vernon & Beryl Turner*** Dr. O. R. Waler Gordon Waugh*** Ms June Yee* Anonymous (2) Associate Friends $1,100 – $1,599 Mr. Michael Abromeit Robert & Susan Allair In memory of M. Baptista** Don Biderman**** Ms Ethel Birkenshaw Mr. Bob Bosshard Ms E. Burton** Francis & Donna Canzi* W. D. Caskey**** Brian Collins & Amanda Demers Tony & Elizabeth Comper* Mr. Darren Day** Prometheum Institute** Ms Christine Demont** Mr. James Dewhurst Ms Eleanor L. Ellins**** Gary Fitzgibbon** J. E. Fordyce**** Miss Gillian Foster** John H. Galloway**** Alison Girling and Paul Schabas* Helen & Barry Goldlist**** Mr. Henry Gooderham** Mrs. Marion A. Green**** Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Harrison**** Mr. & Mrs. H. C. Hatch*** Jean & Bill Heaslip**** Lawrence & Beatrice Herman*** Mr. Josef Hrdina* Donald Hughes*** Craig & Rochelle Knowles Claus & Heather Lenk* Mary McGowan*** Mr. Ian McWalter Brian Miron & Monica Vegelj Mr. Carl Morey*** Mr. Sean O'Neill*** Clarence & Mary Pace*

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Dr. Roger D. Pearce** Ms Beatrice Riddell Ms Beate Ritchie Ms Wendy Rolph** Mrs. Gertrude Rosenthal**** Ms Gloria Shulman A. K. Sigurjonsson** C. Anderson Silber* David Smukler & Patricia Kern* The Sorbara Group**** Dr. & Mrs. George Steiner*** Jane & Ted Stephenson*** Irene & Tom Tait* Ms Peg Thoen* Helen S. Tokiwa**** Bill MacKenzie & Alan Westbrook** Janet White* Ron Williams* Drs. Jackson Wu & Viviana Chang Anonymous (3) Contributing Friends $700 – $1,099 Mr. Roger Abbott Mary Ann Alexander**** Ms Isobel M. Allen**** Jamie & Patsy Anderson* Anne & Husayn Banani* M. & J. Barnard* Peter & Leslie Barton** Sonja Bata* Dr. Gail Beck & Mr. Andrew Fenus Jeniva Berger** Dr. B. Derek & Dr. Anne W. Birt**** Dr. William Blackburn & Dr. Ramona Lumpkin Dr. Jennifer Blake Mary Brock & Brian Iler*** Mr. Thomas N. Bryson** Theresa & John Caldwell**** Betty Carlyle**** Mrs. Raffaela Caruso** Mark Cestnik**** Carole Chabot & Derek Dodd** Harold Chmara**** Joe T. R. Clarke**** Dr. Marsha Cohen & Mr. Michael Mendelson**

Mr. & Mrs. Norman & Louise Coxall** Mario Crespi**** Mr. John A. Crocker & Mrs. Mary Crocker*** Dr. Domville* Mr. Steven D. Donohoe**** Peter & Shashi Eden* Mr. Thomas Eiser**** Mr. Arthur English* Ms Sharon Evans**** Mr. Kirk Falconer** Klaus & Rose Feikes**** Joe & Helen Feldmann** Richard & Gail Flack** Mr. Morris Flicht**** Mrs. & Mr. Jennifer & Francis Flower*** Mr. William A. Foote*** R. Dalton Fowler**** Dr. & Mrs. A. Mervyn Fox**** Elinor Gill Ratcliffe C.M., O.N.L. Dr. Gabriela Gohla Dr. Bruno & Mrs. Louise Golisky** Lisa & Harvey Golombek in memory of Hilda & Isie Golombek* Dr. Wilfred S. Goodman**** Ms Ina K. Govan**** Jacqueline Green* Suzy Greenspan** Mr. James Hamilton Philo Handler* Dr. & Mrs. Brian & Cynthia Hands**** Harper House Contracting Ltd Mr. & Mrs. E. Roy Harrison**** In memory of Pauline Chorniuk Hinch George & Gloria Hinton* Mr. David Holdsworth & Ms Nicole Senecal Richard & Susan Horner**** James Hughes** Pierre Hurtubise**** Mr. & Mrs. Malcolm M. Inglis**** Mr. Kazik Jedrzejczak**** Gordon Jocelyn*** Frances E. Johnson*** Douglas & Dorothy Joyce**** May & Fred Karp**

Mai Kirch*** Mr. Martin Kirr Dr. & Mrs. L. A. Kitchell** Mr. & Mrs. I. P. & O. M. Komarnicky** Mr. Jonathan Krehm Horace & Elizabeth Krever**** Mr. & Mrs. Owen & Margie Kurin* Gediminas P. Kurpis**** Mr. James R. Lake*** Harry Lane** Alan & Marti Latta**** Mrs. Mary Liitoja**** Mr. Jeff Low* Anne Mackay**** Mr. Sean Magill Craig & Karen Mahood* Kathy Marton Jil McIntosh* Mr. Bruce McKeown*** Georgina McLennan**** Mr. Grant McMichael Sylvia McPhee**** Janis Medland Mrs. Eileen A. Mercier*** Suzanne Mess** Jacqueline Bradley & Leslie Miko Kathryn Mikoski & Hope Clement* Terry & Dom Morris** David Northcote & Suzanne Betcke** Jean O'Grady* Ms Cristina Oke** Karen Olinyk† Ms Marianne Orr William Ostrander*** Ms Julia Overs*** Mr. Martti Paloheimo Mr. & Mrs. Joseph & Letizia Paradiso** Barbara & Peter Pauly* David Peachey & Georgia Henderson* Bruce Pearce*** Marjorie Pepper & Anne Pepper** Mrs. Dorothy K. Piepke**** Ms Ella Prindiville**** C. Edward Rathé**** Dr. Peter Ray***

Mrs. Richard Gavin Reid Guylaine Rheault-Oliver Ms Virginia Robeson* Mr. David E. Roman**** Dorothy & Robert Ross*** M. Sanvido*** William & Meredith Saunderson*** Barbara Sawaszkiewicz**** Miss Elisabeth Scarff**** Patti & Richard Schabas* Mrs. Sylvia Schmid**** Henry & Mary Seldon*** Anci Shafran**** Robert Sherrin** Cheryl Shook* Ms Elizabeth J. Shropshire* Dr. & Mrs. Bernie & Bobbie Silverman* D. Bruce Sinclair* Joan Sinclair & John McConnell* Mr. Warren Sorensen & Mr. Gregory Williams**** Mary G. Spears**** Mrs. Harriet H. Stairs** Dr. & Mrs. W. K. Stavraky** Scott Steele & Jan Korman Robert & Nancy Stephenson* Marta Stewart**** Ms Michelle Tan* Mrs. Yoka Terbrugge Dr. M. Lynne Thurling & Dr. John Treilhard** Dr. Claude Tousignant* David & Diana Trent**** Mrs. Norene Turvolgyi**** Dr. Nancy F. Vogan**** Mr. Wayne Vogan†**** Dr. Peter Voore*** Edith M. Vuchnich**** Mr. Barry M. Walker*** Mr. John M. Welch**** Anonymous (15)

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T H E E N C O R E L E G ACY 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. Planned giving also allows many people to make a significant gift without altering their current lifestyle. 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. In addition, gift planning may provide significant tax benefits for your estate. The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges and thanks the following individuals who have included the COC in their estate planning: Dr. Larry M. Agranove Isobel Allen Renata Arens & Elizabeth Frey Mrs. Rosalen Armstrong Ron Atkinson & Bruce Blandford J. Linden Best & James G. Kerr David Bowen Marnie M. Bracht Walter Carsen Earl Clark Brian Collins & Amanda Demers Earlaine Collins David H. Cormack Horst Dantz & Don Quick Ann De Brouwer Helen Drake Rowland D. Galbraith Douglas G. Gardner 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 Lynne Jeffrey Ann Kadrnka Kathryn Kossow Mr. Gurney Kranz Jo Lander Marjorie & Roy Linden J. Bruce MacDonald Ms Lenore MacDonald Dr. Colin M. Mailer Tim & Jane Marlatt R. Manke Margaret McKee Sylvia M. McPhee Dr. Alan C. Middleton Eleanor Miller Donald Morse Sue Mortimer Mr. & Mrs. James D. Patterson Mervyn Pickering Gunther & Dorothy Piepke Ms Georgia Prassas K. F. Read & G. Longchamps Dr. John Reeve-Newson Mrs. Margaret Russell Cookie & Stephen Sandler J. M. Doc Savage David Serber 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 Vivian Treacy Mrs. L. Treutler N. Suzanne Vanstone† Marie-Laure Wagner Hugh & Colleen Washington Marion C. Wilson Marion York† Anonymous (40)

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C O R P O R AT E MATCH I N G PARTN E R S The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges the following organizations that have matched gifts by their employees: Canadian Tire Corporation Limited Ivanhoe Cambridge, Inc. Goodman & Company Investment Counsel Ltd.

The above Individual Support Gifts were made as of August 25, 2010. * ** *** **** †

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.

M A J O R C O R P O R AT E S P O N S O R S 2 010/11 S E A S O N

Sun Life Financial Accessibility Program Encompassing SURTITLES™, Wheelchair Seating, Hearing-Assistive and Vision-Impaired Devices

Major Supporter, Ensemble Studio Production Sponsor Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Official Automotive Sponsor of the COC at the FSCPA

Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour

BMO Financial Group Pre-Performance Opera Chats and BMO Financial Group Student Dress Rehearsals BMO Capital Markets & BMO Nesbitt Burns: Presenting Sponsor of the 2010 Opera Golf Classic Aida Opening Night Sponsor

Presenting Sponsor Opera for a New Age and Operanation VII

Production Co-sponsors Adam’s Nixon in China

Official Canadian Wine of the COC at the FSCPA

Preferred Hospitality Sponsor

Official Media Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor, Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre

Preferred Fragrance Sponsor

Digital Marketing Sponsor

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2010/2011 SPONSORS

Preferred Airline Sponsor

Rentals Supplier

Floral Supplier

Mario Séguin Other suppliers: THE BUTLER DID IT Nestlé Waters Torrié Coffee

Diamond Performance Sponsors

Program Sponsors Budd Sugarman Foundation, Create an Opera Supporter Great West Life, London Life and Canada Life, Opera Storytime Program Supporter The Globe and Mail, Subscriber Ticket Back Sponsor KPMG LLP, Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour Performance Sponsor Standard Life, Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour Performance Sponsor

2010/2011 Media Sponsors & In-Kind Supporters CBC Radio Two Mario Séguin Remenyi House of Music Ltd.

Corporate and Foundation Donors Major Gifts

Opera Golf Classic 2010 Presenting Sponsor BMO Capital Markets BMO Nesbitt Burns

$10,000+ Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation The Hope Charitable Foundation The Hal Jackman Fund at the Ontario Arts Foundation The McLean Foundation Performance Sponsors At time of printing CTVglobemedia Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP Delvinia EdgeStone Capital Partners Fionn MacCool’s Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts HSBC Bank Canada Louis Vuitton PricewaterhouseCoopers Standard Life Torys LLP Opening Night Sponsor Fionn MacCool’s Hosting Sponsor

$5,000 to $9,999 225490 Investments Limited IATSE Local 58 Charitable Stage Technicians Toronto SNC Lavalin Unit Park Holdings Inc. William and Nona Heaslip Foundation $3,000 to $4,999 The Calgary Foundation – Nellie Hicks Memorial Fund The Keg Spirit Foundation $2,000 to $2,999 Classical 96.3 MAC Cosmetics Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. Shinex Window Cleaning Vida Peene – Fund Canada Council

Annual Fine Wine Auction 2010 Host Sponsor Crush Wine Bar Event Sponsors The Cheese Boutique Wines from Austria

Supporting Sponsor KPMG LLP Dinner Sponsor GMP Securities Cocktail Sponsor Goodmans LLP Cart Sponsor Canaccord Genuity Putting Green Sponsor St Joseph Print Operanation VII Presenting Sponsor TD Canada Trust Official Fragrance Calvin Klein Beauty

$1,000 to $1,999 Jarvis & Associates Milgram Group of Companies Ltd. Park Property Management Powis Family Foundation

please visit coc.ca for additional information

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges the generous support of these government agencies and departments.

O P E R AT I N G G R A N T S

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $26.3 million in music throughout Canada. Nous remercions de son soutien le Conseil des Arts du Canada, qui a investi 26,3 millions de dollars l’an dernier dans la musique à travers le Canada.

ENSEMBLE STUDIO

S PECIAL PROJ ECT FU N DI NG For the many programs and special initiatives undertaken each year by the Canadian Opera Company, we gratefully acknowledge project funding from: Department of Canadian Heritage Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

CREDITS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For more information about the life and music of Benjamin Britten, visit the Britten-Pears Foundation website at www.brittenpears.org. The Canadian Opera Company would like to thank all those who volunteer both on a daily basis and for special events with the company. Michael Cooper: Official photographer The COC is a member of Opera America and Opera.ca. The COC operates in agreement with Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. The COC operates in agreement with I.A.T.S.E., Local #58 and Local #822.

SUPERNUMERARIES Children Perry Guloien Marina Mansurova Understudy Mia Mladjen

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The COC presents Death in Venice (co-production between Aldeburgh Festival, Bregenz Festival, Státní opera Praha and Opéra national de Lyon). Alan Oke (seated) as Gustav von Aschenbach in the Lyon production, 2009. Photo: Bertrand Stofleth

And perhaps it is distinctly salacious to find in Death in Venice (in whatever form) a mere fascination for young masculine beauty, rather than the severe and urgent discussion of the Nietzschean wrangle between reason and passion. While many in the brilliant and intellectually dexterous clique in Britten’s home in Aldeburgh that the composer formed around himself would have falsely blanched at the homosexual underpinning of the work, it has been remarked on frequently by “outsiders,” contrarily more “inside” on the issue itself. The late Philip Brett (a remarkable scholar in both the field of Britten and issues of sexuality in music) has commented on the fact that Death in Venice is derived “at least in part from [Britten’s] early and crucial self-doubt” both in his work and in himself. Equally, Brett said that marginalizing the great operas that Britten wrote solely as the exegesis of a troubled homosexual could be considered homophobic, perhaps underlining that they could not be able to speak directly outside that select audience. What we must do, however, is to uncover some of the personal psychology

that went in to the moving and communicative mentality of the works. So how does Britten talk on the private and the public level? At the end of his life and career, Britten had become a creature of habit. He was a man who had observed the secret and lived by it, so his lifelong obsession with Thomas Mann’s novella found its voice, not through paeans of love and pride, but through the torture of many years servitude to the heterosexual norm. Here was an embittered codification of the torture of hiding the heart; it is a theme to which Britten returned time and time again in his life. Although linked through the obvious theme of night, the 1943 Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings also explores some of the sexual undertones of the night time. In setting William Blake’s dark poem about sexual disease, Britten seems to comment on his “hidden” self, the part that is kept from public view. It is telling that both Aschenbach’s agonized admittance of his love for Tadzio and the setting of Blake’s poem in the Serenade share the key of E major. The “crimson joy” of the rose (or his private romantic

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solace) finds its parallel in the juicy strawberries of Death in Venice, at first succulent, then diseased. So it becomes clear that not only is Britten suffering under the heavy yoke of his sexuality, but he also chides society for chiding him. The community’s despising of his way of life has perpetuated the secrecy; it is in fact a vicious circle. But the protagonist is a willing accomplice in the process, for example in Aschenbach’s knowing pursuit of death and his unwillingness to leave Venice behind. Are we to pity this man who, at the end of his life, found beauty in a place in which society had taught him not to seek it? Or are we merely to see in this an arching line back to the excess of Tristan and Isolde, or Salome and her blinkered and ultimately self-destructive desire for Jochanaan’s kiss? Is it, as Visconti surmised, a grandiloquent Liebstod or, as in Britten’s vision, a picture of the marginalization (both from without and within) of the “peculiar.” The most eerie echo of death and the minorities of our world that Death in Venice has had in recent times is the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic. Within the communities of western cities the disease – named the “gay cancer” and other hurtful pejoratives – invoked both sympathy and ignorance, and further marginalized the minority. As Colin Graham described when reviving Death in Venice some 20 years after he had created the premiere production,

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Graham finds in the darkness of Aschenbach’s lovelorn despair a broader hope. It is alluring to be drawn into the biographical parallels between a composer’s life and the work created, particularly a work obsessed with death and masculine beauty, but one must close the biography and gaze into the beauty of the score. Musically Death in Venice is astringent but also capable of enormous lushness. The music that heralds the appearance of “La Serenissima” is some of the most magisterial that Britten created and even the most hard-hearted operatic neophyte would fail to be pained by Aschenbach’s longing sigh of “I love you.” The opera is the summation of a life long quest for emotional truth in the form to which Britten found himself continually drawn. Without the coarseness of some of the writing for the chorus in Peter Grimes, the pretentious wordiness of The Turn of the Screw or the all-too-jocund merriment of Albert Herring, Death in Venice is an apposite and poignant conclusion to the career of a man who wrestled continually with his private and public personas. His greatest contribution to his audience and society at large was his hidden directness in asking them to understand that, as his friend E. M. Forster wrote, “people are far more different than is pretended.” Gavin Plumley has written widely about 20th-century opera, including a number of projects for the Liceu.

“Today we cannot ignore a comparison of the disintegration of the mind and spirit cause by cholera to the similar symptoms suffered by many victims of the plague of today and by their loved ones. I feel these considerations make the opera more topical than ever for all such sufferers and to those who must have compassion for them.”

Reprinted with permission. For further insights into Death in Venice, please read an interview with director Yoshi Oida by Suzanne Vanstone in the fall issue of Prelude, available online at coc.ca.

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THE POWER TO MOVE YOU

Every Move is a Powerful One with Sales Representative Geon van der Wyst The same strong focus and discipline that took Geon van der Wyst to the top of his profession as a principal dancer are the foundation of his exceptional career in real estate. Just as Geon worked hard to perfect his dance moves, he’s consistently perfecting his service to his clients. That’s why he’s won so many over the years. “I was very fortunate to connect with thousands of people through ballet. I’m grateful that I can continue to connect with people on an even more personal level in my real estate career.” —Geon van der Wyst

Geon van der Wyst

The Power to Move You

Geon van der Wyst, Sales Representative

416.921.1112 Ofﬁce 416.824.3527 Cellular TM

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FIFTH YEAR OF FREE CONCERTS

In celebration of five years of spectacular concerts in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre (RBA), programming director Nina Draganic´ reflects on some of the most powerful aspects of this special series, generously presented by National Bank: “I never take it for granted. Every time I enter the space, I gasp. We’re approaching concert 400 and the beauty of the space still amazes me. When you have those transcendent moments when the audience is completely rapt and a ray of sunlight is coming in and shining on a violin, and the artist is doing something extraordinary – whether it’s an emerging performer or a seasoned professional – those moments are exquisite. “What can I say that expresses the impact of these concerts more than these photos? The colour, the movement, the light, the space, the variety – it’s all there. “The lobby is so animated. There are many different cultures, age groups and demographics coming together, and they all feel welcome and embraced in our space. The gesture of the Canadian Opera Company offers them something so special – in many cases a completely eye-opening experience. They start to wonder what else we are doing and want to explore that.”

Creole Drummatix. Photo: Chris Hutcheson

Pianist, Mark Eisenman. Photo: Chris Hutcheson

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“It’s so easy to attend. You don’t have to buy a ticket in advance, you don’t have to line up at a box office, you don’t even have to make an early commitment – you just go. And enjoy! ” (Nina Draganic´)

Ensemble Studio member, Simone Osborne. Photo: Chris Hutcheson

“There’s also the opportunity to hear artists doing repertoire that they often don’t get a chance to do. You can see another side of them and it gives them the freedom to perform repertoire that’s close to their heart. And the artists are grateful to have this venue, to have a full audience, and to be able to perform more intimate works.” (Nina Draganic´)

Ensemble Studio members, Teiya Kasahara and Neil Craighead in La serva padrona. Photo: Joe Pack

“The space allows you to quiet your thoughts and be swept away in the story of the compositions.” (lawandstyle.ca)

Don Thompson & Reg Schwager. Photo: Chris Hutcheson

“There is nowhere else in the city I would rather be…” ( Toronto Star )

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RESIDENCES FROM $800,000 P R I VAT E E S TAT E S F R O M $ 2 . 9 M

I M A G I N E E V E R Y DAY L U X U RY E S TAT E S AT 1 8 0 U N I V E R S I T Y AV E N U E ,

416 599 0333

TO BE ABOVE THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, TORONTO

L I V I N G S H A N G R I - L AT O R O N T O . C O M

LIVING SHANGRI-LA TORONTO IS OWNED, DEVELOPED, OFFERED AND SOLD BY 180 UNIVERSITY RESIDENTIAL L.P. NEITHER SHANGRI-LA INTERNATIONAL HOTEL MANAGEMENT LTD., ITS ULTIMATE PARENT COMPANY SHANGRI-LA ASIA LIMITED, NOR ANY OF THEIR SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES AND/OR ASSOCIATED COMPANIES, NOR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES ARE: (A) THE OWNER, SELLER, BROKER, DEVELOPER OR OFFEROR OF 180 UNIVERSITY RESIDENTIAL L.P.; OR (B) A SUBSIDIARY, AN AFFILIATE, ASSOCIATED OR OTHER RELATED COMPANY, DIRECTOR, OFFICER, PARTNER, SALES REPRESENTATIVE OR SALES AGENT OF 180 UNIVERSITY RESIDENTIAL L.P. THIS IS NOT AN OFFER FOR SALE. RENDERINGS AND PHOTOS ARE REPRESENTATIONAL ONLY. DIMENSIONS, SIZES, AREAS, SPECIFICATIONS, LAYOUTS, MATERIALS, PRICING AND AVAILABILITY ARE APPROXIMATE ONLY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. E.&O.E. THE DEVELOPER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE MODIFICATIONS TO THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN.

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“People have become hooked on contemporary music. They’ve said to me ‘I would have never purchased a ticket for this, but I’m so glad I came: this has opened a door and now I’m going to attend more new music concerts. I used to think it was alienating, noisy and dissonant, but I was surprised at how accessible it was.’” (Nina Draganic´)

City Dance Corps. Photo: Mike Brassard

“…topnotch music and dance... a high octane celebration” (San Fernando Valley Sun)

The Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble. Photo: Chris Hutcheson

“One of the best performances I have EVER seen. Absolutely stupendous!” – (Patron)

VER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS NATIONAL BANK HAS BEEN A GENEROUS SPONSOR OF VARIOUS COC PRODUCTIONS. This year, National Bank has made an outstanding commitment to the Canadian Opera Company as the presenting sponsor for the fifth season of the Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. “At National Bank, we have a long tradition of being actively involved in the communities we work in, and contribute substantially to their economic and cultural development,” says Camillo di Prata, Executive VP & Managing Director, Financial Markets. “This is why we are very proud to continue our long-standing commitment to supporting culture and our community by presenting the Canadian Opera Company’s Free Concert Series.

Hilario Durán Trio. Photo: Chris Hutcheson

“The series is so open and accessible and I’m surprised at how rapt and attentive the audiences are, there’s such an intensity. The audience wraps around the artists.” (Nina Draganic´)

“The COC has embraced artistic excellence and cultural diversity to provide people of all ages and backgrounds with the opportunity to discover unique emerging talents; which certainly resonates with the core values of diversity and innovation that we as an institution subscribe to.” The Free Concert Series in the RBA is supported by the Free Concert Series Endowment Fund in honour of Richard Bradshaw by an anonymous donor.

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X ST R AT A E N S E M B L E ST U D I O

SC H OO L TOU R I N V E ST I N G T O D AY IN OPERA’S TOMORROW BY KATHERINE SEMCESEN

XPERIENCING AN OPERA PERFORMED LIVE IS AN UNPARALLELED ARTISTIC PHENOMENON: the intricate collaboration of a composer’s score, a librettist’s text, the director’s dramatic concept, the designer’s visual language, the conductor’s and orchestra’s interpretation of the music, and the personal expression of singers, culminates in an evening of extraordinary storytelling and declaration of emotions. For this reason, thousands of people choose to engage in opera by attending Canadian Opera Company’s mainstage productions each season. How do you capture the experience and share it with those who are too young to attend on their own? You bring it to them. The COC has proudly been taking operas on the road with the Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour for over 20 years, annually travelling over 5,000 km to perform for students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 in the comfort of their school. Operas suitable for children are translated into English and are adapted into 45-minute performances for piano and four to five singers, offering young people captivating interpretations of the full-length originals.

Characters and plots remain true to the authentic work and the scores highlight the operas’ most notable melodies and musical themes, enabling the young audiences to experience a range of emotions. Children connect further to the singers through a Q&A held immediately following the opera, when students ask questions about the work that goes into becoming an opera singer and inner secrets of a performer. Each year, the COC produces 45 performances of each production and introduces opera to over 16,000 children and their school communities. In 2010, Xstrata, a major global mining group, continues its commitment as the title sponsor of the Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour. Through Xstrata’s generous support, the COC is able to showcase the talent of its renowned Ensemble Studio while giving many school children their first opera experience. For many young students this is their first encounter with opera and this demands an energetic and mesmerizing performance by the members of the COC’s young artist training

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Opposite page, left – (l – r) Miriam Khalil, Lauren Segal, Victor Micallef and Peter Barrett in the COC’s Ensemble Studio School Tour production of Isis and the Seven Scorpions, 2006. Photo: Gary Beechey Opposite page, right – Krisztina Szabó in the COC’s Ensemble Studio School Tour production of Cinderella, 1999. Photo: John M. Currid This page, left – (l – r) Erin Fisher, Wallis Giunta and Laura Albino in the COC’s Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour production of Cinderella, 2009. Photo: COC Below – Krisztina Szabó, Alain Coulombe, and Michael Colvin in the COC’s Ensemble Studio School Tour production of Cinderella, 1999. Photo: John M. Currid

program, the Ensemble Studio. Often these singers are rehearsing the school tour whilst being engaged in a mainstage production. This rigorous rehearsal schedule, coupled with the challenges of travelling and performing two shows a day for an intensive period, provides a valuable training opportunity for young singers. Many of Canada’s international opera stars, such as Isabel Bayrakdarian, Krisztina Szabó, Michael Colvin and Yannick-Muriel Noah have performed with the COC’s school tour in the early days of their operatic careers. Mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, who sang the role of Cinderella in the 1998/1999 production of Cinderella recalls that “it [the school tour] trained us how to get up and do a show no matter what – no matter what time of day, no matter how you were feeling, what the audience was like, no matter what the piano was like. It was about stamina – vocally, energetically and mentally. I think that school tours are beneficial in the development of young artists because it allows you the opportunity to inhabit a role day after day after day – to really get in the skin of

a role and into it vocally… The more you do something, the more confidence you have in what you do – vocally and theatrically and that is vital to an opera singer. And I think it’s good for young artists to be ready for any kind of audience – and kids certainly will give you honest reactions, comfortable or not!” Soprano Yannick-Muriel Noah (Queen of the Night, The Magic Flute, 007/2008) seconds Krisztina’s thoughts: “It is essential for the

For blogs, interactive quizzes, and podcasts featuring music and interviews, visit coc.ca.

XST R ATA E N S E M B L E STU D I O SC H OO L TOU R : I nve s t i n g To d ay i n O p e ra ’ s To m o r r ow

singer because we get to perform in front of an audience that is non-judgmental. They certainly have opinions but not the same expectations. We can offer our gift to people who receive it with joy and wonder. The kids see the best of us and hopefully, this will allow them to catch the opera bug down the road!” For tenor Michael Colvin (Don Ramiro, Cinderella, 1998/1999) it was a matter of building his performance skills and learning to enjoy performing instead of being bogged down in the very technical aspect of singing: “The school tour experiences taught me not to take myself so seriously and that performing is FUN! As young professionals we spend SO much time working on vocal technique, etc., that we forget singing is supposed to be fun! A well-developed sense of humour is essential when singing Rossini at 9 a.m. in a school gymnasium with an out-of-tune piano!” Initiatives like the Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour are vital to the development of new audiences and young artists alike. It offers children meaningful artistic experiences and exposure to the rich arts and culture in Canada. The intensive training enables young Canadian opera stars to learn about their voice, practice the art of

interpretation and feel the excitement of offering young people their first introduction to opera. In November 2010 young audiences will be thrilled with productions of the classic fairytale, Cinderella, using music from Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Massenet’s Cendrillon; and Isis and the Seven Scorpions by Canadian composer Dean Burry, an adventure story steeped in ancient Egyptian mythology commissioned by the COC in 2005. In fact, Burry’s Isis and the Seven Scorpions was the first complete opera that was performed at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts for 300 students in the rehearsal hall during the inaugural celebrations in June of 2006. To learn more about how you can bring the school tour to your young person’s school community, contact Prologue to the Performing Arts at 416-591-9092 or visit coc.ca. Katherine Semcesen is Senior Manager, Education and Outreach at the Canadian Opera Company. For further insights into the Ensemble Studio, read Caitlin Coull’s article Celebrating the Ensemble Studio in the fall issue of Prelude available online at coc.ca.

Bring your family to the opera! Don’t miss special performances of the 2010/2011 Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour productions of Isis and the Seven Scorpions and Cinderella on Saturday, November 13, 2010. Isis and the Seven Scorpions – 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Cinderella – 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jackman Studio, Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre 227 Front St. E. $15 adults/$10 children (15 years and younger) per opera 416-363-8231

(l – r) Laura Albino, Michael Uloth and Erin Fisher in the COC’s Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour production of Cinderella, 2009. Photo: COC

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7E RE IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD

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PAT RO N I N FO R M AT I O N &

POLICIES

Etiquette

Ticket Services

Patrons are reminded that R. Fraser Elliott Hall is an extremely lively auditorium and that all audience noise will be accentuated and will be 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.

Canadian Opera Company subscriptions and single tickets are available through COC Ticket Services Online: www.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 Box Office also services ticketing needs for The National Ballet of Canada and all other Four Seasons Centre Events.

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 Wristwatch chimes, cellular phones, pagers and all other electronic devices are extremely disruptive and must be turned off before the performance. If a patron has an emergency and must be contacted during a performance, he or she should contact Patron Services for assistance before the performance.

Group Sales Groups of 10 or more enjoy savings on regular single ticket prices. For more information or to reserve seats call 416-306-2356.

Cameras/ Recording Devices

Parking

The use of cameras, video cameras or sound-recording devices of any kind is prohibited in R. Fraser Elliott Hall. These devices MUST be checked at the coat check before entering the auditorium. Any person using an unauthorized recording device will be required to surrender or erase any recordings, photographic or digital images and may be asked to leave. No refunds will be issued.

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 www.greenp.com.

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 will not be readmitted and are invited to view the performance on the large monitor in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre (located between Rings 3 and 4).

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 – Rental of back supports, binoculars and infrared hearing assistive devices Booster Seats – (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 on 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.

Four Seasons Centre Facility Tours Regularly scheduled tours of the Four Seasons Centre take place on most Saturdays at noon. Please visit www.coc.ca for complete schedule. To inquire about private group tours please call 416-363-6671.

B M O 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 B everage 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.

Special Events and Catering The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts 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 www.fourseasonscentre.ca or call 416-363-6671.

The Opera Shop Located on the orchestra level of the Isadore and Rosalie Sharpe City Room, the COC's Opera Shop offers a fine selection of opera recordings on CD and DVD, as well as opera-related books, giftware and COC souvenirs.

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