Love from Afar House Program by Canadian Opera Company

Performance C A N A D I A N O P E R A C O M PA N Y

Winter 2 0 1 2

Love from Afar

CONTENTS 4

MUSIC SHOULD SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS DEBUS DISCUSSES LOVE FROM AFAR BY SUZANNE VANSTONE

HANDEL’S SEMELE THE COC ENSEMBLE HELPS EAST MEET WEST BY JON KAPLAN

REVISITING TOSCA BY SUZANNE VANSTONE

INTRODUCING THE 2012/2013 SEASON

Performance BY GIANMARCO SEGATO

C A N A D I A N O P E R A C O M PA N Y

Top: The COC presents Love from Afar, in co-production with English National Opera and Vlaamse Opera. Phillip Addis (right, on swing) as Jaufré Rudel and Rachel Harnisch (below) as Clémence (Vlaamse, 2010). Photo: Annemie Augustijns

Winter 2012

Above: Alan Opie as Scarpia and Eszter Sümegi as Tosca, COC, Tosca, 2008. Photo: Michael Cooper

n CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY EDITORS: Suzanne Vanstone, Senior Communications Manager, Editorial; Gianna Wichelow, Senior Communications Manager, Creative n RJ PERFORMANCE MEDIA INC.: PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER: Joe Marino n CEO: Frank Barbosa n SECRETARY TREASURER: Rajee Muthuraman n FINANCE: Gina Zicari n NATIONAL ACCOUNT DIRECTORS: Danny Antunes, Gary Bell, Tom Marino, David Thom, Heather Thom n ART DIRECTOR /DESIGN: Jan Haringa n GRAPHIC ARTIST: Glenda Moniz n Cover images: Tosca – Mikhail Agafonov as Mario Cavaradossi and Eszter Sümegi as Tosca, COC, Tosca, 2008. Photo: Michael Cooper

Love from Afar – The COC presents Love from Afar in co-production with English National Opera and Vlaamse Opera (Vlaamse Opera, 2010). Photo: Annemie Augustijns Canadian Opera Company’s edition of Performance magazine is published quarterly by RJ Performance Media Inc., 2724 Coventry Road, Oakville, Ontario, L6H 6R1. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent is prohibited. Contents copyright © Performance Inc. Subscriptions available by contacting publisher. Direct all advertising enquiries to 2724 Coventry Road, Oakville, Ontario, L6H 6R1 or phone 905-829-3900, Ext. 222.

Catch up with blogs and enjoy COC Radio at coc.ca.

Left: The COC presents Love from Afar, in co-production with English National Opera and Vlaamse Opera (Vlaamse Opera, 2010). Photo: Annemie Augustijns

DEBUS DISCUSSES LOVE FROM AFAR

MUSIC F

innish composer Kaija Saariaho wrote her first opera, Love from Afar, in 2000 and since that time it has become one of the most performed operas of the 21st century. The tale follows Jaufré Rudel, a 12th-century troubadour living in France, who has tired of his current life. A pilgrim tells him of a beautiful countess, Clémence, who lives in Tripoli, and Jaufré falls in love with her, sight unseen. The pilgrim carries messages and songs of love between the two until Jaufré journeys to meet his far-off love. COC Music Director Johannes Debus is excited to be conducting this Canadian premiere with the company. He says “For all those involved – me, our orchestra, BY SUZANNE VANSTONE chorus, singers and our audience – this is a brand new piece. Not only have I never conducted this work before, but I have never conducted the work of Saariaho. I am so glad

SHOULD SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS 4

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

NEW ON CD KARL JENKINS THE PEACEMAKERS Karl Jenkins (Adiemus) releases his new masterpiece, entitled The Peacemakers. The Peacemakers is set to texts from iconic figures who are associated with peace: Gandhi, Mandela, Mother Theresa, Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King and Albert Schweitzer as well as poetry, the Bible and Quran. The strings of the London Symphony Orchestra are joined by different vocal forces on this recording.

CLASSICAL 2012 VARIOUS ARTISTS With 45 songs and over 2½ hours of classical favorites, Classical 2012 is a double CD featuring the most popular names in classical music - Diana Damrau, Natalie Dessay, Joyce DiDonato, Angela Gheorghiu and Philippe Jaroussky. Guest appearances by two of the world’s leading opera stars, Jonas Kaufmann singing ‘Vesti la giubba’ from Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, and Anna Netrebko singing ‘Song to the Moon’ from Dvorák’s Rusalka. Instrumentalists include violinists Renaud Capuçon and Vilde Frang; guitarist Xuefei Yang; pianists Martha Argerich, Ingrid Fliter, David Fray, Alexandre Tharaud and Yundi; trumpeter Alison Balsom; the Ébène Quartet and the Artemis Quartet. There is also a bonus track - John Wilson & his Orchestra performing a re-construction of the main title from the film An American in Paris.

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MUSIC SHOULD SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS Debus Discusses Love from Afar

to have the opportunity to conduct a piece which is composed in the 21st century. It is vitally important that we not only present and revitalize masterpieces of the past, but it is also crucial to present music which is composed in our own time. Throughout my career I have always felt the importance of performing contemporary music. I am so excited to be doing this project at the COC and presenting it to our audiences.” Kaija Saariaho mixes electronic sounds with traditional instruments like woodwinds, strings and brass. These sounds complement the score and act as an extension of the orchestra, adding to the opera’s lush, melismatic sound. Debus says, “This is music of the highest quality and whether an amateur or an expert, any music lover can dive into it. We often have this misconception that 21st-century music is complicated, dissonant, some might even say ugly. On the contrary. Kaija’s music is enormously beautiful. And it’s not just surface beauty. There is always a deeper meaning, a deeper layer. That’s why these pieces are for everybody. We need to allow ourselves to have new experiences 6

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

Top: The COC presents Love from Afar, in co-production with English National Opera and Vlaamse Opera. Rachel Harnisch as Clémence (Vlaamse, 2010). Photo: Annemie Augustijns

and let go of our misconceptions – it will make our lives so much more colourful and sparkling. “Perhaps we should forget about categorizing Baroque, Classical, contemporary music, etc., and try to talk more about music that is good, or less good. Music that you love and have a deep connection with, or music that you don’t feel particularly strongly about. It is a very personal, individual thing of course. I don’t want to say that everybody has to share my taste. But I might be able to open some people’s eyes and ears by

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MUSIC SHOULD SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS Debus Discusses Love from Afar

The COC presents Love from Afar, in co-production with English National Opera and Vlaamse Opera. Rachel Harnisch as Clémence (Vlaamse, 2010). Photo: Annemie Augustijns

introducing them to something new. If that happens as a result of people coming to see Love from Afar – if they could be amazed by the experience – then they would no longer ask, ‘When was this composed?’ It doesn’t matter. Music should speak to our hearts.” Each season the COC endeavours to engage our listeners in a variety of theatrical experiences. Debus feels that Toronto audiences are quite open to new productions and premieres. “We should not underestimate our audiences,” he says. “I think it is part of our job to provide them with a complete operatic experience. How exciting to be able to experience a living work of art in your own time. So often we say, ‘Oh, if only we could ask Mozart what he thought about this.’ These composers are still alive – we can ask them about their work. That is amazing. “Love from Afar is a fascinating encounter of a contemporary composer with a story from another time. People in the 12th century were dealing with the same questions, problems, visions, ideas, and longings as we do now. The electronic part of Kaija’s score, I would say, is minimal compared to her other pieces. From time to time she brings in some atmospheric sounds. The combination of instruments is very subtle. I would describe her music as extremely magical and sensual, which of course matches the theme of love. The troubadour 8

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

always had this concept of love – an ideal love.” Debus feels that in our time we search for the same concepts. And not necessarily solely love for another person – it could also be something more philosophical, more essential. He says, “That is why this story, this piece, is still so intriguing. For me, it is a way to search for something which is beyond human, beyond the normal frame we live and work within. And that is so important. “There’s another component that strikes me. Kaija is a Finnish composer who now lives in Paris and you can clearly hear from the instrumentation and combination of instruments, the incredible colours that are in the score. You can hear that she is trained in the French way to let an orchestra sound – magnificently sound – with all these subtleties. Yet on the other hand there is also a Finnish element. Things happen gradually – the music has a slower motion. There are some moments where it becomes very dramatic, and gradually gains an intensity without being fast or overly dramatic. Her music lets things evolve, grow. If you listen to Sibelius symphonies you know what I mean. There are long passages where you might not think much is happening. But there is. And if you focus on the music, you can see and hear what is going on. You notice the gradual build, the huge crescendi or long

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MUSIC SHOULD SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS Debus Discusses Love from Afar

accelerandi. I somehow find these qualities in her music too – in a different way, but similar. “The challenge of this score is to get the right sensations and to explore this incredible palette of colours. Listen to the beginning, the orchestral interlude – I say interlude because it reminds me of the interludes from Peter Grimes. You have the feeling of the rolling sea. If you listen to it you will know what I mean. Every colour must be in its place, must be right.” As a society we tend to be very driven by time, or lack thereof, in our daily lives. Debus discusses the pace that is set on the stage and in the pit. He says, “You have to know when you enter a theatre that you will not necessarily experience the same tempo, the same flow of time as you experience in your daily life. And it should be different.

That’s the wonderful thing we offer. It is similar to a cleansing. The old idea of drama was always catharsis. It doesn’t mean that we just sit down and are fed art. No. We have to participate too. But we can have a totally different experience that might then inspire everything that happens afterwards in our daily life.” Debus met Saariaho when Love from Afar premiered at English National Opera in 2009. “I went there for a rehearsal and after we exchanged some e-mails. She is a very nice, charming person. And very thoughtful. If you could see her eyes you’d know she has something very profound to tell you. And it is so beautifully exhibited in Love from Afar.” n Suzanne Vanstone is Senior Communications Manager, Editorial at the Canadian Opera Company.

FOR FURTHER INSIGHTS INTO LOVE FROM AFAR, PLEASE READ SUZANNE VANSTONE’S ARTICLE ON COMPOSER KAIJA SAARIAHO IN THE WINTER ISSUE OF PRELUDE. YOU WILL ALSO FIND A LISTENING GUIDE AT COC.CA/COCRADIO.

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HANDEL’S

SEMELE

THE COC ENSEMBLE HELPS EAST MEET WEST BY JON KAPLAN

hough they’re not as frequently produced as the works of Mozart, Verdi and Puccini, the operas of George Frideric Handel are the stuff of great musical theatre. It’s not hard to see why: they’re tuneful, offer all sorts of opportunities for impressive singing – including vocal fireworks and limpid melodies – and explore a wide range of human emotions. The 2011/2012 Canadian Opera Company season closes with its first production of Handel’s Semele; the COC’s last foray into Handel territory was a memorable Rodelinda, in 2005. The plot of Semele is drawn from Roman mythology, retold in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Jupiter, king of the gods and frequent seducer of mortal women, has set his eye on Semele, daughter of Cadmus, King of Thebes; she is delighted to have his company when he appears to her in human form. 12

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

Juno, Jupiter’s jealous wife, comes to Semele disguised as the princess’s sister Ino and convinces her to force Jupiter to appear to Semele in his divine form. The resultant meeting of deity and mortal leads to Semele’s fiery death. Despite the fact that the tale derives from classical myth, don’t look for a production that evokes Arcadian glades and Roman statuary. Chinese director, designer and visual artist Zhang Huan has blended aspects of Chinese and European theatre, using as his backdrop an actual Ming Dynasty ancestral temple, some 450 years old. He discovered the temple in the city of Quzhou, dismantled it and made it the central element of his set. The production has been performed in Brussels and Beijing. The May 23 performance of Semele is cast with members of the COC’s Ensemble Studio, giving the young singers an exciting opportunity to sing on the stage of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts as part of the company’s season. The practice began two years ago with Mozart’s

Opposite page: The COC presents Semele. Jeremy Ovenden as Jupiter and Ying Huang as Semele, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, 2009. Photo: Forster

Mireille Asselin

Christopher Enns

Ambur Braid

Allison Grant

Idomeneo and continued last season with The Magic Flute. Featured in the Semele performance are Mireille Asselin and Ambur Braid as the title character, Christopher Enns as Jupiter and Neil Craighead as both Cadmus and Somnus, the god of sleep. Assistant Director Allison Grant, who’s worked with the COC and the Ensemble on various operas, will assist in preparing the singers for the production. “When you’re setting a myth or a fairy tale, you have to find some kind of contemporary way to speak to an audience,” says Grant, who recently directed a production of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette in Vancouver featuring Ensemble member Simone Osborne. “Zhang brings his own background to the staging, but no matter what context it’s in, the story is about the complex relationship between gods and mortals, about greed, jealousy, passion, ambition and love. “Singing the material is a challenge, just as it is with Mozart. Many of the arias are da capo” – meaning ‘from the head’ and Catch up with blogs and enjoy COC Radio at coc.ca.

Neil Craighead

referring to the repeat of the first section of an aria, often with ornamentation – “and the singer has to keep the mental and emotional life of the character going. The pictures in the singer’s head, in other words, have to change constantly as the aria is sung. The arias usually start in a place of heightened emotion, but when you return to the beginning and add the florid ornamentation, you have to go deeper into that emotion.” Semele herself has nine arias, making the role a taxing one for any singer. “I’ve been lucky to work on lots of Handel,” smiles Asselin, who performed the nymph Galatea in Opera Atelier’s Acis and Galatea last season and Countess Ceprano in the COC’s Rigoletto last fall. “The challenge of performing his work is what I call the Handelian time zone: everything takes longer to tell in terms of action. His recitatives move the action on, while the arias express feeling or a state of being, or might ruminate on what’s going on, rather like an internal monologue. “The chance for embellishments in a da capo aria allows singers to personalize the music. It’s not about how beautifully you can sing but what you can come up with that makes your singing different and shows how you feel about a moment in your character’s life. I think Baroque music has parallels to jazz; in both forms, the musician improvises within the bar’s rhythmic flexibility. In Handel, you end up creating a Baroque-era scat.” Asselin doesn’t see an arc in Semele’s development but rather “a character divulging more and more of her mortal 13

HANDEL’S SEMELE The COC Ensemble Helps East Meet West

The COC presents Semele. A scene from Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, 2009. Photo: Forster

weakness. Engaged to someone she doesn’t love, she falls for someone who has great power but with whom she has little in common. Semele idolizes Jupiter, in part because of his power; her greed about that power stops her from thinking rationally and causes her downfall. “At first she’s like every other 20-something who wants it all,” adds Braid, who sang the Queen of the Night in last year’s Ensemble Flute. “It’s no surprise that, given the choice between a mortal and a god as a partner, she chooses the latter. Her vanity and recklessness get in the way; she can’t avoid testing her power with her lover and, driven by pleasure, sex and passion, unwittingly seeks her own destruction.” Braid points out the sensuality in much of Semele’s music, which ranges from the languorous “O sleep, why dost they leave me?” to the coloratura “Myself I Shall Adore,” a telling aria in which the princess makes not Jupiter but herself the centre of her world. “Her air ‘With fond desiring’ is perhaps the sexiest piece ever written. Semele’s in bed with Jupiter, but the duet is between the violin and Semele; they trill together, repeat the same ornaments. I love the fact that she has no final aria but simply an accompanied recitative. At the moment 14

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

of her death, Semele understands that she’s made a mistake and reveals her humanity.” Enns, Tamino in last year’s Ensemble Flute, and Craighead, the Speaker in that production, are tackling their first Handel opera. “It’s different not just in vocal style but in how you approach it,” notes Enns. “There’s so much repeated text, you have to know how to keep the story moving through the long arias. They may have been written to show off a singer’s virtuosity, but today’s sensibility requires that the storytelling be as prominent as the singing. You can’t just rely on vocal fireworks; there has to be a subtext in the development of the story and the music.” An added test for Enns is that Jupiter, though central to the action, doesn’t appear until the second act. “Still, he’s referenced so often in the first that you know early on that he’s the head honcho. When Jupiter does arrive, he has to have an undeniable presence and confidence; there’s a sense of celebrity around him. I don’t think of him as a god who merely fools around with human women. He’s not a Don Giovanni but rather an immortal who falls in love with mortals.” Enns also has Semele’s best-known aria, “Where’er you walk,” in which the god creates a happy sylvan world for his beloved. “It’s

HANDEL’S SEMELE The COC Ensemble Helps East Meet West

a gorgeous tune, but in terms of Jupiter’s music, I find it one of the less interesting arias. The singer gets to show off a side of the character that Semele can fall for, but it doesn’t have the intensity and character work found in some of the other arias. “It’s always nerve-wracking singing an aria that people have in their heads, sung by a specific voice,” the tenor admits. “When I start to learn music like this, I try not to listen to any recording but come at it on my own and in as fresh a way as possible. The worst trap you can fall into is to sing it like someone else.” Playing two roles, Craighead not only has to deal with a new style of music but differentiate his characters. “Handel’s done a lot of that work for me, and I won’t use vocal tricks to distinguish between them,” says the bass-baritone. “King Cadmus’s music is declamatory and occasionally martial. In contrast, though Somnus is a god, he’s a lethargic figure, with music that’s slow and flowing. Cadmus’s role is largely narrative, providing exposition; we don’t see the man’s inner workings. Somnus, on the other hand, is a more realized character whose thought processes we see.” All four singers and Grant agree that Semele, despite the fact that it premiered in 1744, deals with contemporary topics. “The problems that the characters face are surprisingly modern,” concludes Asselin. “The opera is so unabashedly about sex that initially it’s hard to imagine a performance in the mid-18th century. But you find themes like the communication problems between men and women and the foibles of humanity in the best works, regardless of when they’re written. “Handel’s a great composer for a reason; he knew what material would stand the test of time.” n Jon Kaplan is senior theatre writer at NOW Magazine.

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

NEW ENSEMBLE STUDIO VOCAL COMPETITION

or the first time in the history of the COC, the final phase of auditions to the prestigious Ensemble Studio was opened to the public with a vocal competition on Nov. 28, 2011. It was an extraordinary opportunity to hear the stars of tomorrow, today! Out of the ten finalists, Montreal soprano Sasha Djihanian claimed top prize ($5,000); soprano Claire de Sévigné, also from Montreal, won the second prize ($3,000); tenor Owen McCausland from Saint John, New Brunswick was awarded the third prize ($1,500); and Sudbury soprano Lindsay Barrett was selected by the audience as the winner of the Audience Choice Award ($1,500).

2011 Ensemble Studio Competition finalists (l – r): Cameron McPhail, Aviva-Fortunata Wilks, Claire de Sévigné, Laura McLean, Sasha Djihanian, Rachel Fenlon, Owen McCausland, Lindsay Barrett, David Gibbons, Danielle MacMillan. Photo: Chris Hutcheson

The COC Ensemble Studio Competition presented in part by:

The Canadian Opera Company is grateful to the following for their support of this event: Laurie & Fareed Ali; Earlaine Collins; Ninalee Craig; George & Kathy Dembroski; Jo Lander; Marjorie & Roy Linden; Sue Mortimer; Trina & Don McQueen; Colleen Sexsmith; Sandra L. Simpson; The Stratton Trust; Mr. Brian Wilks; Anonymous (1)

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LOVE FROM AFAR by Kaija Saariaho Opera in five acts. Libretto by Amin Maalouf after La Vida breve by Jaufré Rudel (12th century) By arrangement with G. Schirmer, INC. publisher and copyright owner

First performance: Felsenreitschule, Salzburg; August 15, 2000 Co-production of Canadian Opera Company, English National Opera and Vlaamse Opera COC Premiere February 2, 4, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18, 22, 2012 Sung in French with English SURTITLESTM

The CaST (in order of vocal appearance)

Jaufré Rudel The Pilgrim Clémence Conductor: Production by: Creative Associate: Associate Director: Set Designer: Costume Designer: Lighting Designers: Video Designer: Sound Designer: Chorus Master: Stage Manager: SURTITLESTM Producer:

Russell Braun* Krisztina Szabó**^ Erin Wall Johannes Debus Daniele Finzi Pasca Julie Hamelin Gabriele Finzi Pasca Jean Rabasse Kevin Pollard Daniele Finzi Pasca/Alexis Bowles Roberto Vitalini Emily Porter Sandra Horst Cynthia Toushan Gunta Dreifelds

Performance time is approximately two hours and 30 minutes, with one 25-minute intermission.

Production Sponsor: Kaija Saariaho is generously sponsored by Marjorie and Roy Linden. Johannes Debus is generously sponsored by anne & Tony arrell. * Mr. Braun’s performance is generously sponsored by earlaine Collins. ** Ms Szabó’s performance is generously sponsored by J. hans Kluge. Flying by Foy ^ Graduate of the COC Ensemble Studio

This production of Love from Afar is being recorded for future broadcast on CBC Radio Two (94.1 FM in Toronto) on Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. Program information is correct at time of printing. All casting is subject to change.

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DIRECTOR’S NOTES

DIRECTOR’S NOTES Love from Afar

few years ago I found myself in Nepal where one morning I met a pilgrim. He had been walking for 10 years and wanted to travel round the whole world. From the day he had begun his adventure, he had never had his hair cut. I asked him when his journey would come to an end: “When I finally catch up with the tail of my plaited hair.” We are all born on a sphere and, therefore, if we embark on a long journey following a straight line, sooner or later we will end up in the very same place from where we started. The love that is destined for us, the perfect love, could well be seated at a table behind us; so when we finish our coffee, fold our newspaper and leave the café without looking back, we may not realize that the person for whom we have always been seeking may well have been sitting behind us. The distance that separates us from our ideals, from fundamental encounters, from perfect equilibrium, from our beloved dead, from love, is not always measured in metres or to be found on a map. Then there are those who distance themselves by immersing themselves in an idealistic world void of reality. Others are simply unable to live in the place in which they find themselves because they are always immersed in nostalgia, in a continual need to refer to past memories. Jaufré and Clémence are both damaged by their

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

inability to live in the present; and they suffer and they question themselves, looking, with anxiety, distress and resignation, for answers. Thus, in this production of Love from Afar I decided to show the apparent distance between Blaye and Ancient Tripoli by superimposing temporal planes; to achieve this I have tripled each of the characters to enable them to move quickly, to make them fly, crossing over and skimming different parts of the stage. When I first heard Love from Afar I remained, with my eyes closed, moved by the fluidity of this music, so rich in mystery. Seductive images of lost people searching for love and trying to find themselves immediately came to mind. Only the Pilgrim, the mystic paradoxically always on the move, embodies the rare ability of knowing how to live in the present. Then there is the sea, its continuous dance, movement and breath. We have tried to portray it in many different ways: seas shaped by winds, by light, by shadow, storms, inner storms, against the light. When Clémence starts to pray, I wanted to inhabit the world around her with lights from a far-off world, lights so close that I like to think they are there listening to us. Daniele Finzi Pasca

SYNOPSIS

SYNOPSIS The action is set during the 12th century in Aquitaine, Ancient Tripoli and at sea.

ACT I A château in Aquitaine Jaufré Rudel, prince of Blaye, is weary of the life of pleasure led by the young people of his rank. He yearns for a different, distant love, but he is resigned to the idea that he will never find it. A group of his former companions reproach him for his change of attitude and mock him. They tell them that the woman of whom he sings does not exist. However, a Pilgrim who has arrived from overseas asserts that there is such a woman, and that he has met her. Jaufré can no longer think of anything but her. ACT II A garden in Ancient Tripoli Having returned to the East, the Pilgrim meets Clémence, Countess of Tripoli, and reveals to her that in the West there is a troubadour-prince who fêtes her in his songs and calls her his “love from afar.” At first she is offended, but then begins to dream of this strange and distant lover, and wonders if she deserves such devotion. ACT III Scene i: A château in Aquitaine The Pilgrim has returned to Blaye. He tells Jaufré that the lady now knows that he sings of her. At this news Jaufré resolves to visit her in person.

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Scene ii: Ancient Tripoli, by the sea Clémence, for her part, prefers that the relationship remain distant. She does not want to spend her life in a state of constant anticipation, nor does she wish to suffer. INTERMISSION ACT IV At sea Jaufré is impatient to find his “love from afar,” but at the same time he dreads the meeting. He regrets having set off on impulse, and his anguish is such that he falls ill, becoming more unwell the nearer he gets to Tripoli. He arrives there dying. ACT V A garden in Ancient Tripoli When the ship docks, the Pilgrim goes ahead to warn Clémence that Jaufré is here but that he is on the point of death and is asking to see her. The troubadour-prince arrives at the citadel unconscious, carried on a stretcher. In the presence of the woman of whom he sang, he slowly revives. Thus the two “lovers from afar” meet, and with tragedy approaching they throw caution to the wind. They declare their passion, embrace, and promise to love each other. When Jaufré dies in her arms, Clémence rebels against heaven; then, blaming herself for his death, she decides to take the veil. She is seen in prayer, but her words are ambiguous: it remains unclear to whom she is praying, her distant God or her “love from afar.”

MuSiC STaFF

aSSiSTanT LighTing DeSigneRS

Rachel Andrist (Head Coach) Timothy Cheung (Ensemble Studio Intern Coach) Kinza Tyrrell

Wendy Greenwood Jareth Li Starleana Scott (Wally Russell Intern) Joanna Yu

FRenCh Language CoaCheS

aCRoBaTS

Rosemarie Landry Jason Nedecky

Evelyne Allard Annie-Kim Déry Mariève Hémond Antoine Marc Sandrine Mérette Ted Sikström

aSSiSTanT ConDuCToR

Derek Bate aSSiSTanT DiReCToR

Marilyn Gronsdal

CLownS/PuPPeTeeRS

aSSiSTanT STage ManageRS

Mark Andrada Marla Brennan

Tiffany Fraser Liliane Stilwell ViDeo DeSigneR

Roberto Vitalini (BASHIBA.com)

unDeRSTuDieS

Jaufré Rudel Clémence The Pilgrim

Adrian Kramer Ambur Braid Rihab Chaieb

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Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

Opera at its finest BMO Financial Group is the proud Sponsor of the Canadian Opera Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production of Kaija Saariahoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Love from Afar

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ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES RUSSELL BRAUN Jaufré Rudel

Canadian baritone Russell Braun was last with the COC as Orestes in Iphigenia in Tauris. Other COC roles include Prince Andrei Bolkonsky in War and Peace, Pelléas in Pelléas et Mélisande, Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor and the title role in Billy Budd. Recent appearances include Valentin in Faust, Chou En-lai in Nixon in China and Olivier in Capriccio with Metropolitan Opera, and the Traveller in Britten’s Death in Venice at Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Upcoming engagements include Lescaut in Manon in Milan. KRISZTINA SZABÓ The Pilgrim

Former COC Ensemble Studio mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó’s previous COC credits include Idamante (Idomeneo), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Wellgunde and Siegrune (Ring Cycle), Musetta (La Bohème) and Offred’s Double (The Handmaid’s Tale). Recent highlights include Sesto (La clemenza di Tito) with Vancouver Opera; Dido (Dido and Aeneas) with Music of the Baroque Orchestra and Chorus; Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) with Stadttheater Klagenfurt; featured soloist in a contemporary song concert at Cervantino Festival (Mexico); “C’est mon plaisir” (the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner) for Aldeburgh Connection Concert Society; in concert at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto; and, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen in a return to Talisker Players Chamber Music. 6

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

ERIN WALL Clémence

Canadian-American soprano Erin Wall makes her COC debut as Clémence, and will return this spring as Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann, a role she sang earlier this season with Lyric Opera of Chicago. In the summer she will sing her first Arabella with the Santa Fe Opera. Concert appearances this season include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony (commercial recordings scheduled for release), Strauss’s Four Last Songs in Brazil, the Netherlands, and Canada, followed by Soprano I in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In the future Ms Wall will return to the Metropolitan Opera and Bavarian State Opera in leading roles.

JOHANNES DEBUS Conductor

Earlier this season COC Music Director Johannes Debus conducted the company’s Rigoletto following last season’s Aida, The Magic Flute and, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Nightingale and Other Short Fables. In 2010 he made his Tanglewood Festival debut, replacing James Levine, conducting The Abduction from the Seraglio with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Following his huge success, he was invited by BSO to make his Symphony Hall debut. Mr. Debus recently conducted Elektra at the Staatsoper unter den Linden in Berlin and will return for The Rake’s Progress next year. This past summer he appeared at the Spoleto Festival,

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES

Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra Festival de Québec and the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera. Later this season Mr. Debus returns to the COC podium for The Tales of Hoffmann. DANIELE FINZI PASCA Conception and Lighting Designer

Daniele Finzi Pasca founded and has created some 20 shows for Teatro Sunil, a company that combines the art of clowning, dance and acting. For Cirque Éloize he created the Trilogy of the Sky: Nomade – At Night, the Sky is Endless (2002), Rain – Comme une pluie dans tes yeux (2003) and Nebbia (with Teatro Sunil, 2007). In 2005, he wrote and directed Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo and, in 2006, the closing ceremonies of the XXth Winter Olympic Games in Turin. In 2009, he co-founded Inlevitas with Julie Hamelin and their first project was L’amour de loin for English National Opera. Finzi Pasca has directed Aida for the Mariinsky Theatre and Pagliacci for Teatro San Carlo and is currently working on La Verità, a 2013 touring show for Compagnia Finzi Pasca. JULIE HAMELIN Creative associate

Julie Hamelin co-founded Cirque Éloize at the age of 21. For that company, along with Daniele Finzi Pasca, she produced and created Trilogy of the Sky. She was first assistant director for the closing ceremonies of the XXth Winter Olympics Games in Turin in 2006. Ms Hamelin and Finzi Pasca created their company Inlevitas in 2009 and she has been creative associate for a number of their projects including L’amour de loin at English National Opera and Donka, a show created for the 150th anniversary Please visit coc.ca for additional information

of Anton Chekhov’s birth. Other credits include creative associate for Aida at the Mariinsky Theatre and Pagliacci at Teatro San Carlo, both in 2011. GABRIELE FINZI PASCA associate Director

Gabriele Finzi Pasca began working with his brother, Daniele Finzi Pasca, in 1984 on the latter’s first Teatro Sunil production, Rituale. In 1995 Gabriele received a scholarship to study gemology in New York City at the Gemological Institute of America. In 1998, he returned to New York City to study filmmaking at the New School for Social Research. In 1999, he directed Mobile, a short 35mm documentary which won the Best Experimental Short Film at the 2000 New York International Film Festival. The same year he joined RAI, the public Italian television corporation as producer. In 2011 he was assistant director for Aida, directed by his brother Daniele for the Mariinsky Theatre. JEAN RABASSE Set Designer

Jean Rabasse was nominated for an Academy Award and won the César for his designs for the 2001 film Vatel. In 1996, he won his first César for La Cité des enfants perdus, directed by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Other film credits include Vidocq (directed by Jean-Christophe Comar), Astérix (nominated for a César in 2000), The Dreamers (directed by Bernardo Bertolucci), Delicatessen (also directed by Caro and Jeunet), The Statement (directed by Norman Jewison) and Faubourg 36 (directed by Academy Award nominee Christophe Barratier). He has designed sets for three Cirque du Soleil productions: 7

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES

The Beatles Love show in Las Vegas; the touring show Corteo; and, Iris at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. In 2011 he designed sets for Aida at the Mariinsky Theatre. KEVIN POLLARD Costume Designer

This marks Kevin Pollard’s debut with the COC. This season he is costume designer for The Enchanted Island and Satyagraha, co-productions with English National Opera (ENO) at the Metropolitan Opera. He has collaborated with Improbable Theatre on The Government Inspector at Leeds’ West Yorkshire Playhouse; A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the English Shakespeare Company; the multi-award winning Shockheaded Peter at Hamburg’s Schauspielhaus and in New York; L’amour de loin (ENO and Vlaamse Opera); and, The Pearl Fishers with ENO. He has also designed costumes for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for London’s National Theatre; The Magic Flute for the Welsh National Opera; and, Out in the City, Pere Ubu, and Tom Sawyer for Manchester’s Contact Theatre (where he was costume supervisor and designer). SANDRA HORST Chorus Master

Sandra Horst’s recent COC credits include Rigoletto, Iphigenia in Tauris, La Cenerentola and Orfeo ed Euridice. She also conducted Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims for the COC. Director of Musical Studies for the University of Toronto’s Opera Division, she most recently conducted Poulenc’s La voix humaine and Les mamelles de Tirésias. Ms Horst has formerly served as chorus master for Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Edmonton Opera; a judge for the Metropolitan Opera National Council 8

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

auditions; and, music staff of the Juilliard Opera Center, Chautauqua Institution, Boston Lyric Opera, and Banff Centre for the Arts. She was one of the 100 Alumni of Achievement recently honoured by Wilfrid Laurier University. This season she is also chorus master for Tosca, The Tales of Hoffmann and Semele. CYNTHIA TOUSHAN Stage Manager

Cynthia Toushan has been a member of the COC for over 20 years as a stage manager and choreographer. Past COC productions include Nixon in China, From the House of the Dead, Faust, Turandot, Jen˚ufa, Xerxes, and Hänsel und Gretel. Ms Toushan was the production stage manager as well as resident director for Jersey Boys Toronto. She has worked for 15 seasons with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, stage managing numerous productions including Kiss Me Kate, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof and Camelot. In addition, she was the senior stage manager for Pope John Paul II’s visit to Toronto in 2002. DEREK BATE assistant Conductor

Derek Bate recently conducted performances of Rigoletto, Aida, Madama Butterfly and The Flying Dutchman and was the assistant conductor for Maria Stuarda, Nixon in China and La Cenerentola. As the COC resident conductor, he has led performances of Luisa Miller, Eugene Onegin, La Bohème, Carmen, Turandot, La Traviata, Die Fledermaus, the Ensemble Studio productions of Renard and Swoon, and was assistant conductor for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Fidelio, War and Peace, Pelléas et Mélisande, From the House of the Dead, Don Carlos, Elektra, Lady Macbeth

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES

of Mtsensk and the complete Ring Cycle. He conducts frequently with Toronto Operetta Theatre, and was musical director for Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Show Boat. MARILYN GRONSDAL assistant Director

Marilyn Gronsdal was the assistant director for Rigoletto as well as last season’s Aida, La Cenerentola and Robert Lepage’s production of The Nightingale and Other Short Fables at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Other credits with the COC include director of La Bohème, associate director of Eugene Onegin and assistant director on several productions including Oedipus Rex with Symphony of Psalms (Edinburgh), La Traviata (New Zealand), Siegfried (Opéra national de Lyon) and the production assistant director for the COC’s Ring Cycle.

ALEXIS BOWLES associate Lighting Designer

From a very young age Montreal-born Alexis Bowles followed his father around the world, touring with Cirque du Soleil. Today, he works in both lighting design and music production for companies such as Cirque Éloize, Teatro Sunil and has collaborated with Daniele Finzi Pasca since 2003 as a lighting director for Typo, Rain and Nebbia. Other credits include Le sacre du printemps and L’homme de bois at Royal Danish Ballet and Sleeping Beauty at Finnish National Ballet. In 2008 he collaborated on the creation of Orphée et Eurydice and in 2010 designed Le nombre d’or (live) for Compagnie Marie Chouinard. He is currently technical director and co-lighting designer for the Compagnia Finzi Pasca.

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.

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CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY ORCHESTRA VIOLIN I Marie Bérard, Concertmaster The Concertmaster’s chair has been endowed in perpetuity by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Benjamin Bowman, Associate Concertmaster Diane Tait, Assistant Concertmaster Anne Armstrong Sandra Baron, on leave of absence Bethany Bergman Andrew Chung* Corey Gemmell* Hiroko Kagawa* Nancy Kershaw, on leave of absence Dominique Laplante Yakov Lerner Renée London* Jayne Maddison Neria Mayer Aya Miyagawa

VIOLA Keith Hamm, Principal Joshua Greenlaw, Assistant Principal Carolyn Blackwell* Ivan Ivanovich* Nicholaos Papadakis* Rhyll Peel Theresa Rudolph Koczó, on leave of absence Angela Rudden* Capella Sherwood* Beverley Spotton Yosef Tamir

VIOLIN II Paul Zevenhuizen, Principal Csaba Koczó, Assistant Principal James Aylesworth Christine Chesebrough* Elizabeth Johnston Laurel Mascarenhas* Louise Tardif Marianne Urke Ashley Vandiver* Sonia Vizante* Joanna Zabrowarna

BASS Alan Molitz, Principal Robert Speer, Assistant Principal Tom Hazlitt Paul Langley Eric Lee* Robert Wolanski*

CELLO Bryan Epperson, Principal Alastair Eng, Associate Principal Paul Widner, Assistant Principal Maurizio Baccante Peter Cosbey* Olga Laktionova Elspeth Poole* Elaine Thompson

FLUTE Douglas Stewart, Principal Shelley Brown Christine Little* Maria Pelletier*

PICCOLO Shelley Brown Marie Pelletier*

TROMBONE Robert Ferguson, Principal Ian Cowie Herbert Poole

ALTO FLUTE Christine Little* OBOE Mark Rogers, Principal Jasper Hitchcock* Lesley Young ENGLISH HORN Lesley Young CLARINET James T. Shields, Principal Colleen Cook James Ormston* BASS CLARINET Colleen Cook BASSOON Eric Hall, Principal William Cannaway* Elizabeth Gowen

TUBA Scott Irvine TIMPANI Michael Perry, Principal PERCUSSION Trevor Tureski, Principal Haruka Fujii* Ryan Scott* John Thompson* PIANO/SYNTHESIZER John Hess* HARP Sarah Davidson, Principal Sanya Eng*

CONTRA BASSOON Elizabeth Gowen

LIBRARIAN Wayne Vogan

HORN Joan Watson, Principal Janet Anderson Bardhyl Gjevori Gary Pattison

ASSISTANT MUSIC LIBRARIAN Capella Sherwood

TRUMPET Robert Grim, Principal Brendan Cassin

PERSONNEL MANAGER Ian Cowie

STAGE LIBRARIAN Paul Langley

* extra musician

CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY CHORUS SOPRANOS Lindsay Barrett Stacie Carmona Margaret Evans Alexandra Lennox-Pomeroy Ingrid Martin Eve Rachel McLeod Victoria Pinnington Jennifer Robinson Catherine Tait Teresa van der Hoeven MEZZO-SOPRANOS Marianne Bindig Susan Black Sandra Boyes

Wendy Hatala Foley Heather Jewson Lilian Kilianski Karen Olinyk Lisa Spain Vilma Indra Vitols Paula Wickberg TENORS Vanya Abrahams Craig Ashton Stephen Bell Taras Chmil Sam Chung Stephen Erickson Nicolas Groenewegen

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

James Leatch Stephen McClare Eric Olsen BARITONES & BASSES Grant Allert Kenneth Baker Peter Barnes Sung Chung Michael Downie Jason Nedecky Niculae Raiciu Michael Sproule Gene Wu Michael York

BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Mr. Paul B. Spafford, Chair Mr. Philip C. Deck, President Mr. Paul A. Bernards, Treasurer Mr. John H. Macfarlane, Secretary Mr. Alexander Neef, General Director (ex officio) Mr. Robert Lamb, Managing Director (ex officio) MEMBERS Mr. Mark Appel Mr. H. Anthony (Tony) Arrell Ms Nora Aufreiter Mr. Barry Avrich Mr. Robert Brouwer

Ms Marcia Lewis Brown Mr. Stewart Burton Mr. George S. Dembroski Mr. William Fearn (ex officio) Mr. David C. Ferguson Mr. Adam Froman Mr. Michael Gibbens 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 Mrs. Sue Mortimer

Mr. Nicholas Mutton Mr. Ian Pearce Ms Frances Price Mr. John Rothschild Mr. Arthur R. A. Scace, C.M. Ms Colleen Sexsmith Ms Sandra Simpson Mr. Philip Smith Ms Kristine (Kris) Vikmanis Ms Karen Walsh Mr. John H. (Jack) Whiteside Mr. Tom Woods HONORARY DIRECTORS Mr. Joey Tanenbaum, C.M.

VOLUNTEER SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS COC OPERA GUILDS Brantford Opera Guild, David M. Cullen, President Kingston Opera Guild Grace Orzech, President London Opera Guild Ernest H. Redekop, President Muskoka Opera Guild Tom Anderson, President Northumberland Opera Guild Thais Donald, President Oakville Opera Guild Margaret Parker, President Peterborough Opera Guild June Wilson Thexton, President Quinte Opera Guild Dorothy Temple, President Sudbury Opera Guild Mike Humphris, President Western New York Opera Guild Dorothy K. Piepke, President

ARIAS: Canadian Student Opera Development Fund Arija Stiver, Chair Merle Gobin & June Shaw, Co-Presidents Marina McDougall, Past President Lisa Teskey, Vice President/Treasurer

CANADIAN OPERA FOUNDATION Mr. William Fearn, Chair Mr. Derek Brown Mr. J. Rob Collins Mr. Philip C. Deck (ex officio) Mr. David Forster Mr. George Hamilton, Treasurer Mr. Roy D. Hogg, FCA Mr. Ken Jesudian Hon. Dennis Lane Mr. Peter MacKenzie Ms Kathleen McLaughlin Mr. David E. Spiro, Secretary

For more information on COC Guilds please visit coc.ca/Guilds

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ADMINISTRATION AND STAFF ALEXANDER NEEF, General Director Robert Lamb Managing Director

Capella Sherwood Assistant Librarian

Paul otis Chuck Theil

Johannes Debus Music Director

COC Ensemble Studio Mireille asselin ambur Braid Rihab Chaieb Timothy Cheung neil Craighead Jenna Douglas Christopher enns adrian Kramer ileana Montalbetti Simone osborne Philippe Sly Jacqueline woodley

alex naylor Scene Shop Co-ordinator

MUSIC

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Additional Costume Painting By Chrome Yellow Marilyn Rodwell Wardrobe Mistress

David Retzleff Head Scene Shop Carpenter

Rafe Macpherson Wardrobe Assistant

andrew walker Assistant Scene Shop Carpenter

Sharon Ryman Wig & Make-up Supervisor

Richard gordon Head Scenic Artist

Cori Ferguson Head of Wig & Make-up Crew

Production Assistants Morgan-Leigh hearty ariel Martin-Smith

Katherine Lilly Assistant Head Scenic Artist

Shawna green Production Co-ordinator

Sandra gavinchuk Music Administrator

PROGRAMMING nina Draganić Director of Programming – Free Concert Series

Scott williamson Rehearsal Head Technician

gunta Dreifelds SURTITLES™ Producer

Sandra horst Chorus Master

Marguerite Schabas Executive Assistant to the General Director ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION Roberto Mauro Artistic Administrator

guy nokes Properties Supervisor

wayne Vogan Music Librarian, Coach

PRODUCTION

elizabeth upchurch Head of the Ensemble Studio & Coach

Lee Milliken Production Manager

Stephanie Tjelios Resident Properties Builder/Co-ordinator

David Feheley Technical Director

Kathy Frost Resident Properties Builder/Co-ordinator

Derek Bate Resident Conductor Music Staff Rachel andrist Susan Ball esther gonthier anne Larlee Ben Malensek Christopher Mokrzewski Steven Philcox Kinza Tyrrell Felice Venanzoni eric weimer olwyn Lewis Company Manager Kathryn garnett Scheduling Manager

Barney Bayliss Associate Technical Director wendy greenwood Lighting Supervisor Assistant Technical Directors Melynda Jurgenson wendy Ryder

Costume Assistants Kiyomi hidaka Lina Marques

Karen olinyk Administrative Assistant, Music

Mike gelfand Assistant Carpenter

ian Cowie Orchestra Personnel Manager

Sandra Corazza Costume Supervisor

Joel Thoman Assistant Electrician

Paul watkinson Head Carpenter

Birthe Joergensen Archivist, Joan Baillie Archives

Properties Builders Carolyn Choo wulf

Chloe anderson Costume Co-ordinator

al Merson Head of Sound

Rupert Baker Head Flyman alison Potter Head of Properties

Sue Furlong Resident Tailor Assisted By Deniz Cakin gulay Cokgezen Karen hancock ilana harendorf Barbara nowakowski Additional Costumes by adrienne Baker haylee Stolee-Smith industry Costumes

Core Crew Scott Clarke Terry hurley FSCPA – Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

John Sharpe SURTITLES™ Assistant Supernumeraries Co-ordinators analee Stein elizabeth walker DEVELOPMENT

Tracy Taylor Properties Builder/ Co-ordinator

Janice Fraser Head Electrician

Michael Barrs Assistant Scheduling Manager

Zane Kaneps SURTITLES™ Editor

Christie Darville Director of Development Jill Planche Associate Director, Individual Giving Dawn Marie Schlegel Senior Development Officer, Individual Giving & Donor Programs Leeanne Rorabeck Senior Development Officer, Individual Giving natalie Sandassie Senior Development Officer, Annual Programs andrea Lauzon Foundations and Government Relations Officer Stephen Radbourn Donor Relations Officer aisha Talarico Development Officer, Friends of the COC

Siva Vijenthira Individual Giving Co-ordinator, Friends of the COC Stephanie hunt Development Officer, Individual Giving & Ensemble Circle adriana Formusa Individual Giving Co-ordinator nikita gourski Development Communications Assistant Carlie weppler Senior Development Officer, Corporate Development Sybil Choles Development Officer, Corporate & Foundation Giving Peggy Lau Co-ordinator, Corporate Development Tracy Briggs Manager, Special Events Christine Tizzard Co-ordinator, Special Events Carrie Flood Donation Database Officer olena Moldovan Data Processing Co-ordinator

Cecily Carver Social and Interactive Media Co-ordinator eldon earle Marketing Co-ordinator olga Kwak Digital Marketing Co-ordinator gianmarco Segato Retail and Editorial Co-ordinator Maria Lioutaia Publicist amanda hadi Communications Assistant John Kriter Volunteer and Creative Assistant EDUCATION AND OUTREACH Katherine Semcesen Senior Manager, Education and Outreach

Ray gooden, FCa (u.K.) Finance Manager

Paula Da Costa Hurley Supervisor FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS alfred Caron Director of Facility Operations

Dean Burry School Tour Manager

Steven Sherwood Manager, IT Services

Sarah Mumford Interim Adult Programs Co-ordinator

Tony Sandy IT Services Assistant

Kim hutchinson-Barber Assistant Manager, Front of House

nick Mitropoulos Computer Services Assistant

Brigitte Lang Assistant Manager, Food & Beverage

Katarina Božović Receptionist/ Switchboard

andrea Salin Associate Manager, Ticket Services

Jennifer Pugsley Media Relations Manager

Lindy Cowan, Ca Director of Finance and Administration

Payroll Accountants Jovana Bojovic Jeanny won

Jeremy elbourne Director of Marketing

Jennifer Dougall Digital Marketing Manager (on leave)

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Building Operators Dan Bisca Radu Chereji Dan Popescu

Vanessa Smith Manager, School Programs

TiCKeT SeRViCeS alan Moffat Patron Relationship Manager

gianna wichelow Senior Communications Manager, Creative

Call Centre Representatives Peter Counter alex gladwell Richard Paradiso Tomasz Smereka adriano Sobretodo Jr. Margaret Terry Mauro Victoriano

Security Officers george Balyasin Joel grannum Tammy hill natalia Juzyc usman Khalid Kathleen Minor heather Reid

General Accountants Florence huang Zoran orlić (FSCPA)

Claudine Domingue Director of Public Relations

Suzanne Vanstone Senior Communications Manager, Editorial

CaLL CenTRe Sarah Frankel Call Centre Manager

Branislav Peterman (CoC) Julian Peters (CoC) Tymen de Vries (FSCPa) James esposito (FSCPa) wojtek Plichta (FSCPa) Piotr wiench (FSCPa/CoC)

Carly anderson Manager, Child and Youth Programs

COMMUNICATIONS

Phil Stephens Senior Manager, Sales and Customer Service

Danielle D'ornellas anna Kay eldridge Peter genoway Keith Lam ian McDonnell amber Mills Kevin Pook Mary Porter Mitch Yolevsky

elizabeth Jones Business Manager Jefferson guzman Patron Services Manager

David nimmo Group Sales Co-ordinator

Joe waldherr Building Services Manager

Patron Services Supervisors Kelly Bailey Stuart Constable enrique Covarrubias Cortes Jamieson eakin Melissa Lapczynski adam orr Brynn Pearson Rebecca Riddell ashley westlake Kimberly wu

Ticket Services Supervisors erin Cook Lilian Fung Victor widjaja

Piro Milo Assistant Building Services Manager

Patron Services Lead Carianne hill hooman Zadegan

nikki Tremblay Assistant Ticket Services Manager

Ticket Services Representatives Terry Bursey ernest Cayemen holly Coish

Please visit coc.ca for additional information

Branka hrsum Mailroom Clerk/ Courier BUILDING SERVICES

Security Supervisors Videsh Dookhu Dave Samuels Maintenance Assistants Ryszard gad (CoC)

!S .AMING $ONOR OF THE &OUR 3EASONS #ENTRE FOR THE 0ERFORMING !RTS WE ARE PROUD TO BE A LIFELONG FRIEND OF THE FINE ARTS EXPERIENCE FOR PATRONS HERE AND FROM AROUND THE WORLD

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

Kolter Communities

ARIAS: Canadian Opera Student Development Fund

The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation

The Gerard & Earlaine Collins Foundation

Roger D. Moore

The late John A. Cook

E. Louise Morgan

The Estate of Horst Dantz and Don Quick

Joey & Toby Tanenbaum

$1,000,000+ The Estate of Horst Dantz & Don Quick‡ $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 Gail & Bob Farquharson Estate of Ethel Berney Jackson‡ Judy & Wilmot Matthews Trina & Don McQueen Tim & Frances Price Colleen Sexsmith Sandra L. Simpson The Slaight Family Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen Jack Whiteside Anonymous‡

UP TO $24,999 Laurie & Fareed Ali Cecily & Robert Bradshaw Ian & June Cockwell Mrs. Ninalee Craig Catherine Fauquier David & Kristin Ferguson Peter & Hélène Hunt Hon. Henry N. R. Jackman‡ Patrick & Barbara Keenan J. Hans Kluge Jo Lander Marcia Lewis Brown Sue Mortimer David Roffey & Karen Walsh Katalin Schäfer Dr. David Stanley-Porter & Dr. Colin McGregor Mailer Ms Kristine Vikmanis & Mr. Denton Creighton Samara Walbohm Mr. Brian Wilks Estate of Hugh Victor Wallace Anonymous (3)

INDIVIDUAL ANNUAL SUPPORT $25,000 – $99,999 Estate of Daphne Bell Earlaine Collins Ann J. Gibson Ethel Harris & the late Milton E. Harris Ronald Kimel & Vanessa LaPerriere Marjorie & Roy Linden Estate of Aldo & Anita Maggiorotti Jill & Geoff Matus Roger D. Moore The Stratton Trust Françoise Sutton William & Phyllis Waters

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*

Please visit coc.ca for additional information

SILVER, $25,000 – $49,999 Andrew Peller Limited Mark & Gail Appel*** Paul Bernards*** Cecily & Robert Bradshaw Stephen Clarke & Elizabeth Black* Philip Deck & Kimberley Bozak*** George & Kathy Dembroski**** Mr. & Mrs. W. Humphries*** Ronald Kimel & Vanessa LaPerriere**** Susan Loube & William Acton* BRONZE, $12,500 – $24,999 Dr. & Mrs. Hans G. Abromeit**** 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 & Janet Cottrelle**** Sydney & Florence Cooper* Mr. & Mrs. Leslie Dan** Jean Davidson & Paul Spafford**** David Denison & Maureen Flanagan* David & Kristin Ferguson**** George Fierheller**** 15

Margaret & Jim Fleck* Lloyd & Gladys Fogler*** Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts** Adam & Sharin Froman Roger & Kevin Garland** Michael & Lora Gibbens Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin*** James & Joyce Gutmann**** Ethel Harris & the late Milton Harris**** Dr. W. P. Hayman & Dr. M. L. Myers*** William & Nona Heaslip Foundation**** Douglas E. Hodgson**** Michael & Linda Hutcheon**** William Ip & Kathleen Latimer* Jeff Lloyd & Barbara Henders* Mr. & Mrs. J. S. A. MacDonald**** Bobby & Gordon MacNeill* Judy & Wilmot Matthews* Jill & Geoff Matus* John & Esther McNeil*** Don McQueen & Trina McQueen, O.C.* John McVicker & B. W. Thomas**** Johanna Metcalf*** Bruce & Vladka Mitchell* Delia M. Moog** Jonathan Morgan & Shurla Gittens* 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**** Ryerson & Michele Symons Ms Kristine Vikmanis & Mr. Denton Creighton**** Jack Whiteside** Tom & Ruth Woods*** PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL 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. Avie Bennett**** Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Christ**** Mrs. A. Ephraim Diamond & Family**** 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 Lewitt* Jerry & Joan Lozinski**** Hon. Margaret & Mr. Wallace McCain** The Hon. Barbara McDougall*** Mrs. Louise O’Shea**** Ms R. Raso**** Rogan Foundation Mr. & Mrs. R. T. Ruggles**** Françoise Sutton** Dr. David Shaw* Carol Swallow*** Anonymous (1) PATRON, $3,750 – $7,499 Clive & Barbara Allen**** Mr. Peter Allen* Sue Armstrong*** Ron Atkinson & Bruce Blandford*** Mrs. N. A. Balciunas**** Mona H. Bandeen, C. M.** Karen & Bill Barnett L. H. Bartelink in memory of Oskar & Irmgard Gaube** Dr. Thomas H. Beechy**** Mr. Doug & Mrs. Alison Bell Mr. & Mrs. Eric Belli-Bivar*** 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** Sharon & Howard Campbell* Joe & Laurissa Canavan

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

Cesaroni Management Limited** Paul G. Cherry & Dean C. Noack**** Peter & Frances Chiddy* Frank Ciccolini**** The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson Marilyn Cook* Mr. & Mrs. William J. Corcoran** Lindy Cowan† & Chris Hatley** Mrs. Ninalee Craig*** Norman Curtis**** C. M. Dare**** Raul Werneck de Castro** Dr. Jeanne Deinum**** Carol Derk & David Giles* Bernard & Francine Dorval** Peter & Anne Dotsikas** Vreni & Marc Ducommun*** Bud & Leigh Eisenberg*** 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. 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*** Hampton Securities Ltd. Scott & Ellen Hand** Mr. & Mrs. William B. Harris*** Hon. & Mrs. Paul Hellyer**** Ava Marion Hillier* Prof. Michiel Horn**** Scott Irvine† & Joan Watson†** The Jackman Foundation*** Victoria Jackman*** Dr. Peter Janetos* Mr. Robert C. Jefferies**** Dr. Joshua Josephson & Ms Elaine Lewis**** Lorraine Kaake**** Patrick & Barbara Keenan**** Dr. Joel Keenleyside**** Jim & Diane King* Joseph Kerzner & Lisa Koeper**** 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**** Mr. J. Levitt & Ms E. Mah*

Daniel & Janet Li* Anthony Lisanti** Vincent & Helene Lobraico* Angelo & Grace Locilento** Tom C. Logan* Jonathan & Dorothea Lovat Dickson* John Macfarlane* Mrs. J. L. Malcolm* Dr. & Mrs. M. A. Manuel* Christa & Robert McDermott* Paul & Jean McGrath**** Kathleen McLaughlin & Tim Costigan* June McLean**** Mr. Ulrich Menzefricke**** Dr. Thomas & Mrs. Catherine H. Millar Dr. Judith A. Miller*** Professor David J. Murray*** Eileen Patricia Newell** Mrs. Sally-Ann Noznesky**** E. Oliana & A. Iu*** Keith & Brenda Ottaway*** Dr. & Mrs. William M. Park**** Douglas L. Parker**** John & Gwen Pattison* Polk Family Charitable Fund** Julian Porter, Q.C.* Mary Jean & Frank Potter*** Samuel A. Rea & Wendy J. Thompson**** Rob & Penny Richards*** Margaret A. Riggin* Gordon Robison & David Grant* Joseph L. Rosenmiller** Maxwell L. Rotstein & Nancy-Gay Rotstein**** Annie & Ian D. Sale Ms Sharon Cookie Sandler*** Judy & Hy Sarick**** Sam & Esther Sarick*** Helen & John Scott* Dr. Ralph Shaw & June Shaw**** Allan & Helaine Shiff**** Judy & Hume Smith*** Dr. Harley Smyth & Carolyn McIntire Smyth* Dr. John Stanley & Dr. Helmut Reichenbächer** Drs. Wayne Stanley & Marina Pretorius* Doreen L. Stanton**** Dr. Richard & Jane Stoneman* 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*** Ruth Watts-Gransden**** Dr. Virginia Wesson** Dr. Jack Williams & Dr. Dorothy Pringle** Mr. & Mrs. Richard Wookey***

Linda Young* The Youssef-Warren Foundation*** Helen Ziegler** Sharon Zuckerman**** Helen & Walter Zwig**** Anonymous (7) MEMBER, $2,250 – $3,749 Mr. Herb Abramson** The Acheson Family Foundation** D. C. Adamson-Brdar**** Dr. & Mrs. Larry M. Agranove**** Donna & Lorne Albaum* Mr. & Mrs. Roberto & Nancy Albis** Mr. Thomas & Mrs. Claire 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 Arthur* Virginia Atkin*** John Bailey* James C. Baillie* Marilyn & Charles Baillie**** Andrew & Cornelia Baines**** Janice A. Baker**** Richard J. Balfour*** Schuyler Bankes & Family*** Lindy Barrow** Ms Roxanne Bartel Dr. Frank Bartoszek & Mr. Daniel O’Brien**** Florence Sharpe Barwell**** Julia Bass & David Hamilton** Alice & Tom Bastedo** Rene Beaulieu Dr. Gail Beck, O. Ont. & Mr. Andrew Fenus 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*** Lynn Blaser & John van Ogtrop**** Ian & Janet Blue** John & Ila Bossons* Mr. W. Bowen & Ms S. Gavinchuk†*** Mrs. Carolyn Bradley-Hall & Mr. William Bradley*** Mrs. Richard Bradshaw*** Sylvia Brander****

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Peter Brieger & Beverley Hamblin* Brian Bucknall & Mary Jane Mossman**** Alice Burton** Thomas J. Burton* Barrie & Betty Cade** Maureen Callahan & Douglas Gray* Margaret Harriett Cameron**** Della H. Campbell**** Brian & Ellen Carr**** Gail Carson**** Wendy M. Cecil**** Dr. & Mrs. Albert Cheskes** Birte von Chlumecky-Bauer** John D. Church Dr. Howard M. Clarke** Cogeco Data Services Edward Cole & Adrienne Hood** Brian Collins & Amanda Demers* Murray & Katherine Corlett*** Harold & Anita Corrigan*** Dr. Lesley S. Corrin**** Margaret Couch** Gay & Derek Cowbourne* Ms Wanda Crickmay Irene & Keith Croot*** Andreas Curkovic Mary Beth Currie & Jeff Rintoul Carrol Anne Curry*** Ms Lindsay Dale-Harris & Mr. Rupert Field-Marsham**** Doris J. Daughney Dr. & Mrs. Michael & Ute Davis** Brian J. Dawson** Michael & Honor de Pencier*** Mrs. Rosario de Wit-Farro*** Mrs. Leonard G. (Anne) Delicaet & Mrs. Kendra Anne DelicaetAlmasi**** Mary-Kathleen Delicaet & John Young Perry & Rae Dellio*** Angelo & Carol DelZotto*** Mr. & Mrs. Elvio DelZotto* Jill Denham & Stephen Marshall* Mr. & Mrs. A. J. Diamond* Mr. David S. Dick 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*** Judy Dunn* Mr. Albert D. Dunn* Ron Dyck & Walter Stewart*** William & Gwenda Echard**** Jean Edwards* Wendy & Elliot Eisen***

Mr. & Mrs. John J. Elder**** Genia & Stan Elkind**** Robert Elliott & Paul Wilson* Dr. & Mrs. John Evans** Virginia Evans* Fabris Inc. George A. Farkass* Gail & Bob Farquharson Catherine Fauquier*** Bill Fearn & Claudia Rogers*** Lee K. Ferrier*** William & Rosemary Fillmore** Mr. & Mrs. Cosimo & Christina Fiorenza** Dr. Sidney M. Fireman* David & Elizabeth Forster** Robert & Julia Foster** Margaret & David Fountain**** Mr. Michael A. French* Judith Ann Fullerton* Robert Fung** John & Rita Gagliano 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 * Ann J. Gibson**** Mary & Lionel Goffart 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* Mr. Carmen & Mrs. Vittoria Guglietti* Ellen & Simon Gulden**** Anna L. Guthrie**** Mr. & Mrs. Henry Hackenspiel**** Gudrun Hackert*** Dan Hagler & Family** Ms Francess G. Halpenny**** Mr. Adrian J. Hamel George & Irene Hamilton**** John & Ruth Hannigan Beverly Hargraft* Michael Harris & Carol Rak* Valerie & Brian Harris**** Mr. D. Harrison & Dr. E. Fischer* Paul & Natalie Hartman* David Harquail & Birgitta Sigfridsson* Jenny Heathcote**** Mr. Thomas G. Heintzman & Ms Mary Jane Heintzman** Caroline Helbronner**

Jacques & Elizabeth Helbronner** Ann & Lyman Henderson**** Thea Herman & Gregory King** William E. Hewitt*** Sam & Libby Ho** Chris Hoffmann & Joan Eakin* Richard & Donna Holbrook**** 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 & Hélène Hunt**** Mrs. Wilma Hysen*** Infonex Inc.* Prof. Christopher Innes & Brigitte Bogar* William Innes* Dr. Melvyn L. Iscove** Elliott Jacobson & Judy Malkin* Lynne Jeffrey*** Laurence Jewell* The Norman & Margaret Jewison Charitable Foundation**** Mrs. E. Patricia Johnson** Ms Elizabeth Johnson* Dr. Albert & Bette Johnston* Joyce Johnston** H. L. Katarynych** Joseph & Maureen Katchen 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 William & Eva Krangle**** Richard T. La Prairie* Elizabeth & Goulding Lambert*** Leslie & Jo Lander**** Robert & Judith Lawrie Dr. Connie Lee** Linda Lee & Michael Pharoah**** Neal Lee & Dominique Lee* Dr. Richard Lee & Mr. Gary Van Haren* Alexander & Anna Leggatt*** Joy Levine** Mr. Peter Levitt & Ms Mai Why** Cheryl Lewis & Mihkel Voore** L. Liivamagi Justin S. Linden Marjorie & Roy Linden**** Dr. & Mrs. W. G. Lindley**** Janet & Sid Lindsay**

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

Dr. Vance Logan*** A. Benson Lorriman**** Douglas L. Ludwig & Karen J. Rice** Dr. Robert G. Luton**** Ms Jane Loughborough* Mary Lu & Bruce MacDonald**** James & Connie MacDougall**** Mr. Jed MacKay**** Dr. & Mrs. Richard Mackenzie**** Mrs. R. MacMillan**** Tom & Catharina MacMillan**** Macro Properties Ltd.* Susan & Scott Maidment** Dr. Colin McGregor Mailer**** R. Manke**** Mr. & Mrs. R. Gordon Marantz**** Gerald & Helen Marr**** Kenneth & Kathleen Mathieson* Pauline and Dipak Mazumdar at the Toronto Community Foundation**** Mrs. Ettore Mazzoleni** Dr. & Mrs. John A. McCallum**** Wendy & Chris McDowall* Dr. & Mrs. Donald C. McGillivray**** Darcy & Joyce McKeough* Don McLean & Diane Martello Guy & Joanne McLean**** M. E. McLeod**** Jean M. McNab**** Margaret C. McNee Mark & Andrea McQueen*** Shawn McReynolds & Elaine Kierans* Mr. Ian McWalter* Dr. Don Melady & Mr. Rowley Mossop** Eileen Mercier**** MI9 Business Intelligence Systems Ingrid & Daniel Mida* Marvene (Cox) & Gordon Miller** Lee Milliken† & Doug MacNaughton* Patricia & Frank Mills** Ms Kamini Milnes* Audrey & David Mirvish** Dr. David N. Mitchell & Dr. Susan M. Till*** Mr. Donald Mitchell Robert & Janet Mitchell* Eva Mocarski* Dr. & Mrs. S. Mocarski* Donald Moggridge & Susan Howson** Anne Moore**** Mr. Robert Morassutti**** Alice Janet Morgan*** Ada & Hugh G. Morris* Edith Patterson Morrow*** Ms Rosalind Morrow* Drs. Christopher & Pippa Moss** Gael Mourant & Caroline Hubberstey

Mr. Noel Mowat** Mr. Joseph Mulder* Taketo & Vija Murata* Ethel Myers**** David & Mary Neelands*** Dr. Shirley C. Neuman* Dr. John & Pamela Newall**** Dr. Emilie Newell* Dr. Steven Nitzkin*** Simon & Marlene Nyilassy Dr. James & Mrs. Valda Oestreicher** Janice Oliver** Benson Orenstein*** Martin & Myrna Ossip* Julia & Liza Overs*** John Pahapill* Dr. & Mrs. N. Pairaudeau**** Isabel Pargana & Raimondo Maltese Lee Parsons 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*** Jill† & Ron Planche Georgia Prassas**** C. Edward Rathé**** Margrit & Tony Rahilly**** Stephen Ralls & Bruce Ubukata** The Carol & Morton Rapp Foundation**** Kenneth F. Read**** Grant L. Reuber*** Mrs. Gabrielle Richards** Carolyn Ricketts*** Ms Nada Ristich Emily & Fred Rizner* Clara Robert* Ms Virginia Robeson Sidney Robinson & Linda Currie**** Dr. Michael & Mary Romeo**** John & Hannah Rosen* Ken & Helen Rotenberg* Rainer & Sharyn Rothfuss**** Drs. Orest & Maureen Rudzik**** David A. Ruston*** Mallory Morris Sartz & John Sartz**** Stewart & Dianne Saxe**** Dr. & Mrs. Bruce Schaef**** Beverly & Fred Schaeffer**** 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* Dorothy Cohen Shoichet** David & Hilary Short*** William Siegel & Margaret Swaine* In memory of Dr. Bernard Slatt Dr. & Mrs. Jeremy Sloan* Jay Smith & Laura Rapp* Kenneth & Catherine Smith*** Ms Muriel Smith & Mr. Eric Ojala*** Dr. Joseph So*** Philip Somerville* John & Ellen Spears*** Martha E. Spears*** Alex & Kim Squires**** Oksana R. Stein*** Mr. & Mrs. Gary & Sula Stern* Dr. & Mrs. Stephen Stern*** John D. Stevenson*** James H. Stonehouse* Dr. Peter Stroz & Dr. Sophia Pantazi*** Janet Stubbs Sunny Crunch Foods Ltd. Eric Tang & Dr. James Miller* Mr. Arthur Paul Tarasuk* Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Taylor*** Tesari Charitable Foundation** John Todd & Jenny Ginder**** John & Liz Tory**** Diana Tremain**** Ian Turner** Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen* Cindy & Gary Ullman** Sandra & Guy Upjohn** Dita Vadron & James Catty* Tony & Mary van Straubenzee*** Dr. R. B. Van Winckle Edmond & Sylvia Vanhaverbeke*** Mr. & Mrs. Henry & Ann Louise Vehovec*** Dr. Yvonne Verbeeten** Dr. Helen Vosu & Donald Milner**** Richard & Nathalie Wachsberg Samara Walbohm & Joe Schlesinger Dr. O. R. Waler* Elizabeth & Michael Walker** Peter Webb & Joan York**** Philip & Diana Weinstein* Dr. Bogomila Welsh* Ms Eleanor Westney* Melanie Whitehead** Ms Anne-Marie Widner & Mr. Paul Szymanski*** Mr. Brian Wilks* Elizabeth Wilson & Ian Montagnes**** Jeffrey Stewart Wilson* Dr. Jackson Wu & Dr. Viviana Chang

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Erik Yeo Morden Yolles**** Marina Yoshida*** Dr. Howard & Sybil Young**** Tricia Younger* George Zeman Susan Zorzi** Anonymous (27) FRIENDS OF THE COC As of Dec. 16, 2011. SUSTAINING FRIENDS $1,600 – $2,249 In memory of M. Baptista** Dody Bienenstock* Iivi Campbell**** Ruth & John Crow*** Jayne & Ted Dawson**** Mrs. Lois Fleming**** J. E. Fordyce**** Mr. A. Mafrici**** Mrs. Annette Oelbaum* Clarence & Mary Pace** Dr. Roger D. Pearce*** Dr. Norbert V. Perera**** Go Sato**** Jim Stewart & Deborah Swail* Mr. Alex Tosheff Mr. & Mrs. Vernon & Beryl Turner*** Gordon Waugh*** Ms June Yee** Anonymous (2) ASSOCIATE FRIENDS $1,100 – $1,599 Ms I. M. Allen**** Howard A Back Michael & Janet Barnard* Michael Benedict & Martha Lowrie**** Don Biderman**** Dr. Wendy C. Chan Patricia Clarke** Cogeco Data Services Mr. John A. Crocker & Mrs. Mary Crocker*** Elaine & Michael Davies**** Mr. Darren Day** Prometheum Institute*** Dr. Domville** Miss Gillian Foster*** R. Dalton Fowler**** John H. Galloway**** Dr. Gabriela Gohla Aviva & Andrew Goldenberg** Mr. Henry Gooderham** Suzy Greenspan** Jean & Bill Heaslip**** Lawrence & Beatrice Herman*** Mr. David Holdsworth & Ms Nicole Senecal* Mr. Josef Hrdina* Donald Hughes*** James Hughes**

Ms Suanne Kelman & Dr. Allan J. Fox* Ms K. Margot Khan Mr. Martin Kirr Mr. & Mrs. Owen & Margie Kurin* M.J. Horsfall Large** Alan & Marti Latta**** Duncan & Sondra Lear Claus & Heather Lenk* P. Anne Mackay**** Brian Miron & Monica Vegelj* Mr. Carl Morey*** Mr. Sean O’Neill*** Barbara & Peter Pauly* Ms Alexandra Petrenko Ms Victoria Pinnington** Mr. & Mrs. Porporo* Mrs. Gertrude Rosenthal**** Dorothy & Robert Ross*** A. K. Sigurjonsson*** C. Anderson Silber* Dr. & Mrs. Bernie & Bobbie Silverman** David Smukler & Patricia Kern** Norma and George Steiner**** Ms Peg Thoen* Wendy Thorburn* Dr. M. Lynne Thurling & Dr. John Treilhard** Bill MacKenzie & Alan Westbrook*** Janet White* Ron Williams* Anonymous (3) CONTRIBUTING FRIENDS $700 – $1,099 Carol A. Albright*** Dr. Doron Almagor Dr. I. L. Babb Fund at the Toronto Community Foundation*** Peter & Leslie Barton** Jeniva Berger*** David W. Binet Dr. B. Derek & Dr. Anne W. Birt**** Dr. Jennifer Blake* Ms Marlene Bohn* Mary Brock & Brian Iler**** Mr. Thomas N. Bryson** Miss Maria Buisman* Ms Judith Burrows** Theresa & John Caldwell**** Betty Carlyle**** Mark Cestnik**** Harold Chmara & Danny Hoy **** Joe T. R. Clarke**** D. M. Cook*** Valerie Cowie Mr. & Mrs. Norman & Louise Coxall*** Mr. Neil Crawford Professor K. G. Davey, OC** Don DeBoer & Brent Vickar*** Mrs. Grace Diez*

Mr. Michael Disney* Maureen & Jack Ditkofsky Howard & Kathrine Eckler** Peter & Shashi Eden* Mr. Ray Eleid Mr. Arthur English* Mr. Larry Enkin ** Joe & Helen Feldmann** Brian A. Ferguson*** Richard & Gail Flack** Tom Flemming**** Mr. Morris Flicht**** Mrs. & Mr. Jennifer & Francis Flower*** Dr. & Mrs. A. Mervyn Fox**** Linda & Ken Foxcroft* Douglas G. Gardner*** Elinor Gill Ratcliffe C.M., O.N.L. Alison Girling and Paul Schabas* Mr. Alexander Globe Lisa & Harvey Golombek in memory of Hilda & Isie Golombek* Ricardo Gomez-Insausti* Dr. Wilfred S. Goodman**** Mrs. Marion A. Green**** Dr. & Mrs. Voldemars Gulens Gisele Hall Mr. James Hamilton* Philo Handler** Dr. & Mrs. Brian & Cynthia Hands**** Mr. & Mrs. E. Roy Harrison**** Ms Leslie Hart Mr. & Mrs. H. C. Hatch*** Sandra Hausman** W. L. B. Heath**** In memory of Pauline Hinch* Richard & Susan Horner**** Dr. Ivan & Mrs. Diana Hronsky**** Pierre Hurtubise**** Ms Catherine Hutt* Mr. Sumant Inamdar* Mr. Jai Jayaraman Mr. Kazik Jedrzejczak**** Frances E. Johnson**** Douglas & Dorothy Joyce**** Heidi & Khalid Khokhar*** Mai Kirch**** Dr. & Mrs. L. A. Kitchell**** Mr. & Mrs. I. P. & O. M. Komarnicky*** Mr.& Mrs. Armin Kratel*** Mr. Jonathan Krehm* Horace & Elizabeth Krever**** Gediminas P. Kurpis**** Mr. James R. Lake**** Harry Lane** Giles le Riche & Rosemary Polczer** Mr. Yakov Lerner Mrs. Mary Liitoja**** Craig & Karen * Ms Dzidra M. Martinaitis* Kathy Marton

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

Mary McClymont**** Mary McGowan*** Jil McIntosh* Mr. Bruce McKeown*** Mr. & Mrs. Martin & Deborah McKneally* Georgina McLennan**** Sylvia McPhee**** Mr. Jeffrey Mesina Suzanne Mess*** Dr. Alan C. Middleton** Kathryn Mikoski & Hope Clement* Murray & Ruth Miskin Eve Nash**** David Northcote & Suzanne Betcke** Jean O’Grady* Ms Cristina Oke** Karen Olinyk† Mr. Martti Paloheimo* Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Letizia Paradiso*** David Peachey & Georgia Henderson** Dr. A. Angus Peller* Mrs. Dorothy K. Piepke**** Margaret Ramsden**** Dr. Peter Ray*** Dr. Shelley Rechner**** Marat Ressin Mr. David E. Roman**** M. Sanvido**** Barbara Sawaszkiewicz**** Miss Elisabeth Scarff**** Patti & Richard Schabas** Mrs. Sylvia Schmid**** The Derick Brenninkmeyer Charitable Foundation Henry & Mary Seldon*** Anci Shafran**** Cheryl Shook* D. Bruce Sinclair** Joan Sinclair & John McConnell** Fern Sitzer**** Mr. Warren Sorensen & Mr. Gregory Williams**** John Spears**** Tony Stapells** Dr. & Mrs. W. K. Stavraky*** Scott Steele & Jan Korman* Helga & Klaus Stegemann*** Jane & Ted Stephenson*** Robert & Nancy Stephenson* Marta Stewart**** Ms Michelle Tan* Mrs. Yoka Terbrugge Dr. R. Paul Thompson* Dr. Claude Tousignant* David & Diana Trent**** Tobias & Jeanne van Dalen* Dr. Nancy F. Vogan**** Mr. Wayne Vogan†**** Dr. Peter Voore*** Rick & Virginia Walker* Mr. John M. Welch****

James and Margaret Whitby**** Mr. and Mrs. Karl Wildi David B. & Virginia Wortman** Ms Iris Zawadowski* Anonymous (17) THE ENCORE LEGACY The Encore Legacy is the planned giving program of the Canadian Opera Company. Planned giving is making the decision today to provide a gift for the Canadian Opera Company that may not be realized until after your lifetime. 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 Lindy Barrow Mr. L. H. Bartelink J. Linden Best & James G. Kerr David Bowen Marnie M. Bracht Walter Carsen Earl Clark Brian Collins & Amanda Demers Earlaine Collins David H. Cormack Ann De Brouwer Helen Drake Rowland D. Galbraith Douglas G. Gardner Ann J. Gibson Michael & Anne Gough L. A. Grover George & Irene Hamilton Joan L. Harris James Hewson John R. Higgins Mr. Kim Yim Ho & Walter Frederic Thommen Douglas E. Hodgson Matt Hughes

Lynne Jeffrey Ann Kadrnka Kathryn Kossow Mr. Gurney Kranz Jo Lander Peggy Lau† Marjorie & Roy Linden J. Bruce MacDonald Ms Lenore MacDonald Dr. Colin M. Mailer R. Manke Tim & Jane Marlatt Mr. Shawn Martin Margaret McKee Sylvia M. McPhee Dr. Alan C. Middleton Eleanor Miller Sigmund & Elaine Mintz Donald Morse Sue Mortimer Mr. & Mrs. James D. Patterson Mervyn Pickering Gunther & Dorothy Piepke Ms Georgia Prassas K. F. Read 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 Tricia Younger Anonymous (45) OPERATOURS DONORS $700 + From Jan. 2011 – Dec. 2011 Dr. Eric W. Amann Andrew & Cornelia Baines**** Howard & Ruth Barrett Ian & Janet Blue** Suzanne & James Bradshaw**** Ms E. Burton*** Norman Curtis**** Brian A. Ferguson*** Ben & Sarah Glatt**** Dr. Irene Gulka Donald Gutteridge & Anne Millar David & Antje Laidler**** Dr. & Mrs. Richard Mackenzie****

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Mrs. J. L. Malcolm* Ms Antonieta Marticorena Judy & Wilmot Matthews* John & Esther McNeil*** Ms Felicia Melino Mr. Alex Moraru Dr. Ago Peters Peter & Lili Rechnitzer Joan L. Reid Paul & Maria Szasz**** Mrs. Ria Tietz**** Ms Diane Visentin & Mr. Mark Siolek Melanie Whitehead** Marion Wilson**** Ms June Yee** Anonymous (6) CORPORATE MATCHING PARTNERS The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges the following organizations that have matched gifts by their employees: Canadian Tire Corporation Limited IBM Canada Ltd. Ivanhoe Cambridge Inc Goodman & Company, Investment Counsel Ltd. FM Global Foundation Ketchum Canada Inc.

The above Individual Support Gifts were made as of January 2, 2012. * ** *** **** † ‡

five to nine years of support 10 to 14 years of support 15 to 19 years of support 20 or more years of support COC administration, chorus or orchestra member Endowment

Despite the staff’s extensive efforts to avoid errors and omissions, mistakes can occur. If your name was omitted, listed incorrectly or misspelled, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We would appreciate being notified of any errors at 416-847-4949.

MAJOR CORPORATE SPONSORS 2011/2012 SEASON Sun Life Financial Accessibility Program Encompassing SURTITLES™, Wheelchair Seating, Hearing-Assistive and Vision-Impaired Devices

Official Automotive Sponsor of the COC at the FSCPA

BMO Financial Group Pre-Performance Opera Chats and BMO Financial Group Student Dress Rehearsals Production Sponsor Saariaho’s Love from Afar

Production Sponsor Handel’s Semele

Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour

RBC Foundation Major Supporter, Ensemble Studio

Official Canadian Wine of the COC at the FSCPA

Official Spirit of the COC at the FSCPA

Presenting Sponsor Opera Under 30 and Operanation 8: A Muse Ball

Title Sponsor KPMG Opera Golf Classic

Preferred Hospitality Sponsor

Preferred Fragrance

Official Media Sponsors

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

Production Co-sponsors Zemlinsky’s A Florentine Tragedy and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi

Official Airline Sponsor

Digital Marketing Sponsor

201 1/2012 SPONSORS RENTALS SUPPLIER

PREFERRED FLORISTS

Quince Flowers Tidy’s Flowers OTHER SUPPLIERS

THE BUTLER DID IT Nestlé Waters Torrié Coffee Mill Street

DIAMOND PERFORMANCE SPONSORS

PROGRAM SPONSORS Great West Life, London Life and Canada Life, Living Opera Program Sponsor The Globe and Mail, Ticket Back Sponsor KPMG LLP, Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour Performance Sponsor

2011/2012 MEDIA SPONSORS & IN-KIND SUPPORTERS CBC Radio Two Remenyi House of Music Ltd.

CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION DONORS MaJoR giFTS

OPERANATION 8 PReSenTing SPonSoR TD Bank Group

$10,000+ Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation The Hope Charitable Foundation The Hal Jackman Fund at the Ontario Arts Foundation The McLean Foundation Anonymous (1)

oFFiCiaL FRagRanCe Calvin Klein forbidden euphoria

PERFORMANCE SPONSORS Delvinia Fionn MacCool’s Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

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

oPeRaTing SuPPoRT

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $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

SPeCiaL PRoJeCT FunDing For the many programs and special initiatives undertaken each year by the Canadian Opera Company, we gratefully acknowledge project funding from: Department of Canadian Heritage Human Resources and Skills Development Canada Ontario Arts Council Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund

CREDITS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Canadian Opera Company would like to thank all those who volunteer both on a daily basis and for special events with the company. Michael Cooper: Official photographer The COC is a member of Opera America and Opera.ca. The COC operates in agreement with Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. The COC operates in agreement with I.A.T.S.E., Local #58, Local #822, Local #828.

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

REVISITING

TOSCA BY SUZANNE VANSTONE

he acclaimed creative team of director Paul Curran (photo left), set and costume designer Kevin Knight (photo right) and lighting designer David Martin Jacques, remount the COC’s sumptuous production of Tosca, originally presented in 2008. These photos and remarks give insights into the

production’s design. As Paul Curran remarked at the time, “Kevin and David have collaborated with me for quite some time now. Our ‘language’ of theatre is very similar and we share a common aesthetic of how we like to tell stories. It means our work is helped by a great fluidity of communication and execution.”

KEVIN KNIGHT: “People remember the pageantry of Tosca and the ritualistic side of it, but they should also remember the intimacy and the sexual tension.” PAUL CURRAN: “Our Tosca has an entirely ‘modern’ or ‘enlivened’ feel to the characters and relationships.”

KEVIN KNIGHT: “R. Fraser Elliott Hall is a really great space to focus people’s attention on small details. The closer the audience can be to the action, to Tosca’s suicide or Scarpia’s murder, the better. It is quite a challenging and revealing space to be in for the performers because they have to work hard to give us a performance that we can believe in. We should see their thought processes that lead to the drama that is unfolding in front of our eyes.”

Mikhail Agafonov as Mario Cavaradossi and Eszter Sümegi as Tosca, COC, 2008.

Robert Pomakov as the Sacristan and Mikhail Agafonov as Mario Cavaradossi, COC, 2008.

Photo: Michael Cooper

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

Alan Opie (centre) as Scarpia, COC, 2008. Photo: Gary Beechey

A scene from the COC’s production, 2008. Photo: Gary Beechey

KEVIN KNIGHT: “I started to become interested in the idea that churches are incredibly cool, dark, sacred places, and I loved the idea that the people were entering to escape the heat, and that the clothes and the fashion would reflect the extreme temperature outside. That gave us this balance of having the cool, greyness of the inside of the church contrasted against the wonderful sepia, beige, creamy, peachy tones of the clothes that people are wearing.”

KEVIN KNIGHT: “There are side sections of the church that are downstage and then, as you move through Act I, they open up and reveal a much larger space for the ‘Te Deum’ which is then filled with the colour of the procession and the lovely blood-red of the cardinal’s clothes.” Eventually the architecture of the church evolves into quite a monumental structure with oversized columns, large double-doors and a real sense of space and grandeur.

Catch up with blogs and enjoy COC Radio at coc.ca.

Alan Opie as Scarpia and Eszter Sümegi as Tosca, COC, 2008. Photo: Michael Cooper

A scene from the COC’s production, 2008. Photo: Gary Beechey

Police chief Scarpia’s apartment is simple, but very classical – mahogany furniture, beautiful curtains, large paintings and magnificent windows that open. KEVIN KNIGHT: “Design mustn’t tell you what the scene is ultimately going to become, it can only give you space for it to develop into drama.”

For instance, when Tosca leaps to her death at the end of the opera, the design for that scene has to serve the drama as much as possible. KEVIN KNIGHT: “We tried various ways and the solution is incredibly simple, but it was a long journey to get to that simplicity. I think we quite successfully brought all of the requisites of the end into one place.”

Suzanne Vanstone is Senior Communications Manager, Editorial at the Canadian Opera Company. Material for this article is based on interviews conducted by her with Paul Curran (Souvenir Book) and Kevin Knight (Prelude), 2008. This production of Tosca was originally made possible through a generous gift from Delia M. Moog. FOR FURTHER INSIGHTS INTO TOSCA PLEASE READ SUZANNE VANSTONE’S INTERVIEWS WITH ADRIANNE PIECZONKA, JULIE MAKEROV AND PAOLO CARIGNANI IN THE WINTER ISSUE OF PRELUDE, AVAILABLE ONLINE AT COC.CA.

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

SONY CENTRE IN CO-OPERATION WITH ANDREW KAY & DAVID VIGO PRESENT DIRECT FROM SOUTH AFRICA

Celebrate

BLACK HISTOR HISTORY OR RY Y MONTH MONT at the Sony Sony Centr Centre Centr e SONY CENTRE IN CO-OPERATION WITH ANDREW KAY & DAVID VIGO PRESENT DIRECT FROM SOUTH AFRICA

Robert Battle Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya Associate Artistic Director

FEB 24 & 25, 2012 The crowd starts cheering before the curtain goes up”

AFRICAN GRACE

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INTRODUCING THE

12 13 SEASON

Top: The COC presents Il Trovatore. Ines Salazar as Leonora and Vladimir Galouzine as Manrico, Opéra de Marseille, 2003. Photo: Christian Dresse

Bottom: Helen Field as Salome, COC, 2001. Photo: Michael Cooper

BY GIANMARCO SEGATO

As we unveil our exciting 2012/2013 season, the Canadian Opera Company continues to be “home to the best.” Join us and be thrilled by exceptional artists and vital, stimulating productions all presented within an opera house specifically designed to showcase the power and passion of opera. It’s no wonder people are saying: “Opera doesn’t get any better than this.” (Toronto Star, 2010)

he season opens with the quintessential Italian opera, Verdi’s Il Trovatore. Enrico Caruso famously remarked that all one needs for a good performance of this piece are “the four greatest singers in the world.” Our production boasts no less than the best: internationally renowned tenor Ramón Vargas makes his much-anticipated role debut as Manrico; baritone Russell Braun also makes his role debut as the Conte di Luna; mezzo-soprano Elena Manistina reprises her acclaimed interpretation as the gypsy Azucena; and fast-rising soprano Elza van

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

2011|12 season is presented by

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The Sleeping Beauty March 10â&#x20AC;&#x201D;18, 2012 national.ballet.ca 416 345 9595 Made possible by generous contributions from Margaret & Jim Fleck, The Catherine & Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Sandra & Jim Pitblado, Gretchen Ross and Nancy Pencer & Michael Benjamin.

Celebrating 60 years of Partnership with The Volunteer Committee, The National Ballet of Canada

INTRODUCING THE 2012/2013 SEASON

The COC presents Dialogues des Carmélites. Felicity Palmer as Madame de Croissy and Isabel Bayrakdarian as Blanche de la Force, Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2007. Photo: Robert Kusel

den Heever, soon to make her Met debut, is Leonora. This world-class cast helms Verdi’s most searing melodrama. Abduction, delirium, witch-burnings, poison, and a gypsy’s curse combine to establish a savage, violent atmosphere. Three mesmerizing plots – that of vengeful Azucena’s dark secret, her son Manrico’s romance with noblewoman Leonora, and his rivalry with the Conte di Luna – swiftly carry the opera to its fateful final act. The dusky atmosphere of Spain pervades every corner of the music, from the popular arias of Azucena (“Stride la vampa!”), Manrico (“Di quella pira”) and the gypsies’ Anvil Chorus to the finely nuanced cantabiles sung by Leonora and Conte di Luna. Celebrated conductor Marco Guidarini will lead Verdi’s rich score, highlighting some of Romantic opera’s most beautiful and recognizable music. Il Trovatore will be mounted in Charles Roubaud’s acclaimed production in which designer Jean-Noël Lavesvre’s sets sweep the audience into a sepulchral Romanesque hall that is at once castle, gypsy camp, and lovebirds’ haven. To balance the fall’s dose of Verdian tragedy, Johann Strauss II’s effervescent 26

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

operetta Die Fledermaus makes a welcome return to our stage in a brand new production. With this hilarious comedy, Strauss virtually outdid his own reputation as the “waltz king” of Vienna by penning some of the most gorgeous dance music on either side of the Danube. COC Music Director Johannes Debus will lead our orchestra and chorus with a sterling ensemble cast of acclaimed voices, including Michael Schade, Tamara Wilson, Peter Barrett, Ambur Braid, Mireille Asselin, James Westman and Laura Tucker who, together, will give this comic masterpiece its due as it returns to our stage after 20 years. The plot is pure slapstick: bourgeois and affluent Gabriel von Eisenstein is due to begin a short prison sentence for a minor civil offence. But he sees nothing wrong with a quick frolic before he reports to jail. An extravagant party thrown by a young, world-weary Russian prince offers him the perfect opportunity to do just that. The only problem is that Eisenstein’s wife Rosalinde shows up at the party herself, disguised as an Hungarian countess. Set in early 20th-century Viennia, our new production by director Christopher Alden conjures a fantasy world bubbling with

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INTRODUCING THE 2012/2013 SEASON

champagne and sophisticated wit. Die Fledermaus is an exquisite entertainment that gently mocks the duplicity of people and the larger social hypocrisies they inhabit. Escapism with substance. Although it’s difficult to single out one production in a given season, the winter of 2013 just might afford that opportunity when, in his thrilling COC debut, legendary director Peter Sellars brings his awe-inspiring, production of Tristan und Isolde to Canadian audiences for the first time. Sellars teams up with internationally renowned artist Bill Viola whose video responds to the elemental forces present in the sweeping story. Forests and a sunrise unfolding in real time, mix with staged scenes of actors plunging into water or walking through fire. Sellars says of Viola, “he has come up with an image of the scale and scope, grandeur and immensity, and genuine transcendence that Wagner was imagining.” Originally a Welsh myth set in Arthurian legend, it was left to Wagner to develop an entire opera from the short-lived romance between the fiery Irish princess and her knight, Tristan. A love potion binds Tristan to Isolde, yet their violent longing does not reach its resolution until Isolde’s Liebestod – the opera’s ecstatic musical climax for love finding fulfillment in the transfiguration of death. Under the baton of Jiˇrí Beˇlohlávek, Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, leading dramatic tenor Ben Heppner returns to the COC in his signature role that critics hailed as “translucent and exalted.” German soprano Melanie Diener, making her COC and role debut, joins him as Isolde. Burkhard Fritz and Margaret Jane Wray also sing performances as the fated lovers. Rounding out this celebrated cast are Daveda Karanas, Alan Held, and Franz-Josef Selig. The winter season also marks our presentation of Mozart’s final masterpiece, La clemenza di Tito. During 1791, the last 28

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

year of his life, Mozart was well on his way to finishing The Magic Flute when he was asked to compose an opera to commemorate the coronation of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, as King of Bohemia. What was intended as a simple operatic ode to an emperor became, in Mozart’s hands, a sophisticated piece of musical theatre with a sublimely beautiful score. The title character is a wise, just, and beloved monarch, whose virtues would have been flattering to the new sovereign. In the face of betrayal by those closest to him, the Emperor Tito chooses to forgive rather than punish, becoming the symbol The COC presents Tristan und Isolde. Video still by Bill Viola, Opéra national de Paris, 2004. Photo: Kira Perov

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INTRODUCING THE 2012/2013 SEASON

of enlightened leadership for generations to come, inspiring countless composers, poets, painters and sculptors to immortalize his clemency. Canadian tenor and Mozart specialist Michael Schade returns as Tito, a role which has won him acclaim from Salzburg to Washington where his singing was praised for its “unflagging intensity and musical intelligence.” (Washington Post) Making her COC debut as the impetuous yet ultimately loyal Sesto, is American mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard whose high profile engagements this season include Rosina and Zerlina at the Met. We also welcome back two Ensemble Studio alumni: mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta and bass Robert Gleadow. COC music director Johannes Debus leads the soloists, COC Orchestra and Chorus. Director Christopher Alden’s approach illuminates the real, human emotions at the

heart of the opera. When it premiered in 2009, his production was universallypraised: “Behold, if you will, La clemenza di Tito boldly liberated from the stilted conventions of opera seria. This is an evening of modern music theater you mustn’t miss.” (Chicago Tribune) The spring season opens with Gaetano Donizetti’s bel canto masterpiece, Lucia di Lammermoor which returns to the COC in a riveting production from English National Opera. Making a much-anticipated COC debut, director David Alden transports us into the darkly brooding world of the iconic Sir Walter Scott Gothic novel in which Lucia is treated as little more than chattel within a brutal, power-driven society. In the operatic iteration of the tale, she ultimately finds release – but only after severing all ties with reality, escaping into the dream world offered by Donizetti’s cascading romantic melodies.

INTRODUCING THE 2012/2013 SEASON

The COC presents La clemenza di Tito. Charlotte Dobbs as Servilia, Chicago Opera Theater, 2009. Photo: Rich Hein

A huge part of this production’s success stems from American coloratura soprano Anna Christy’s shattering portrayal of the title role which she’ll bring to Toronto for her COC debut. Hers is a doll-like, Alice-inWonderland-inspired Lucia. The character’s resultant, harrowing slide into insanity inspired Donizetti to compose one of the most moving, virtuosic scenes ever written for the soprano voice. In Christy’s hands the “dazzlingly sketched coloratura in the mad scene is electrifying.” (The Daily Telegraph) As Lucia’s forbidden love Edgardo, we welcome the fast-rising, young American tenor Stephen Costello who “sounded fresh and virile” (New York Post) in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2011 season opening of Anna Bolena. American baritone Brian Mulligan sings Lucia’s abusive brother Enrico, a portrayal described as “thrilling” (The Guardian), when he appeared in the role for the ENO’s 2010 revival of this production. Another iconic operatic female returns in the spring of 2012 when Richard Strauss’s Salome is revived in celebrated Canadian Catch up with blogs and enjoy COC Radio at coc.ca.

director Atom Egoyan’s searing COC production. Adapted from Oscar Wilde’s play, the opera recounts the biblical story of Salome, who – to the horror of her stepfather Herod – demands the head of John the Baptist in return for performing the Dance of the Seven Veils. Upon seeing the play, Richard Strauss immediately set to work on the opera. It seemed to be tailor made for musical adaptation. In fact Wilde, himself, described his play as containing “refrains whose recurring motifs make it so like a piece of music and bind it together as a ballad.” Strauss described the character of Salome as “a 16-year-old princess with the voice of Isolde.” Rarely can a soprano meet both the physical and vocal demands of the title role. With Swedish-American soprano Erika Sunnegårdh, the COC presents a stunning, singing actress who totally embraces Strauss’s ecstatic and intoxicating music. Rounding out the impressive cast are opera stars Richard Margison as Herod, Martin Gantner and Alan Held sharing the role of 31

INTRODUCING THE 2012/2013 SEASON

The COC presents Lucia di Lammermoor. Mark Stone as Enrico and Anna Christy as Lucia, English National Opera, 2008. Photo: Clive Barda

Jochanaan, and Julia Juon as Herodias. At the opera’s premiere, the audience and critics were shocked by its subject matter and erotic themes, which include the infamous “dance” and the final scene in which Salome declares her love to the severed head of John the Baptist. Salome’s world of voyeurism and sexual abuse still elicits an equally visceral response today. Our 12/13 season concludes with Francis Poulenc’s haunting 20th-century masterpiece, Dialogues des Carmélites. It will be presented in Robert Carsen’s consummate production which has already garnered spectacular critical praise at some of the world’s great opera houses, including La Scala, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Nederlandse Opera. Returning for the third consecutive

season, Carsen has become the toast of Toronto after directing back-to-back operas at the COC (Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and Iphigenia in Tauris) that met with overwhelming critical and popular acclaim. The Toronto Sun declared that “Robert Carsen’s genius knows no bounds,” and COC audiences rewarded his productions with standing ovations after every performance. The opera revolves around Blanche, a young aristocratic woman who tries to escape the turmoil of the French Revolution and her own demons by joining an order of Carmelite nuns. She enters the convent desperate for a safe haven, but instead finds herself inevitably pulled towards a confrontation with both her personal terrors and The Terror itself. In a final scene that is one of the most devastating in all of opera, Blanche discovers her personal strength amid the violence of history. COC music director Johannes Debus leads the orchestra and a cast of nearly 150, including beloved Canadian stars Isabel Bayrakdarian, Judith Forst, and Adrianne Pieczonka. Our 12/13 season is marked by a tantalizing combination of works long absent from the COC repertoire combined with more familiar operatic favourites, all presented within compelling productions of the highest international standard. Join us and prepare to be thrilled and engaged by the most encompassing of art forms! n Gianmarco Segato is Retail and Editorial Co-ordinator at the Canadian Opera Company.

FOR FURTHER INSIGHTS INTO THE COC’S 2012/2013 SEASON, PLEASE READ THE SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT IN THE WINTER ISSUE OF PRELUDE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT COC.CA.

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

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PATRON INFORMATION AND POLICIES Etiquette Patrons are reminded that R. Fraser Elliott Hall is an extremely lively auditorium and that all audience noise will be accentuated and 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. In consideration of patrons with allergies please avoid wearing strongly perfumed beauty products and fragrances. Please remain in your seat until the performance has completely ended and the house lights have been turned on. Electronic Devices The use of mobile and smartphones and all other electronic devices is extremely disruptive and is strictly prohibited during performances. If a patron has an emergency and needs to be contacted during a performance, he or she should contact Patron Services for assistance before the performance. Cameras/Recording Devices The use of cameras, video cameras or sound-recording devices of any kind is prohibited in R. Fraser Elliott Hall during performances. Any person using an unauthorized recording device while the performance is in progress will be required to surrender or erase any recordings, photographic or digital images and may be asked to leave. No refunds will be issued. Latecomers In the interest of safety and for the comfort of all patrons and performers, latecomers may not enter the auditorium or be seated unless there is a suitable break in the performance (usually intermission). Patrons leaving the auditorium during the performance or returning late after intermission may not be readmitted or will be accommodated in an alternate viewing location. Children and Babes-in-Arms All patrons, including children, must have a ticket for the performance. All children must be seated next to an accompanying adult. Young children should be able to sit quietly throughout the performance. If unable to do so, children and their accompanying adult will be asked to leave the auditorium. Babes-in-arms will not be admitted. Patron Services Located in the Lower Lobby, the following services are available: coat and parcel check, booster seats, back supports, infrared hearing-assistive devices and rental of binoculars, on a first-come, first-served basis. Medical Emergencies and First Aid A house doctor is present at all performances. Please contact an usher if medical services are required. Lost and Found During performances please speak with an usher or visit Patron Services at the Coat Check in the Lower Lobby. Following performances, all lost and found items will be stored at the security desk at Stage Door. Please call 416-363-6671 for information.

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

Ticket Services Canadian Opera Company subscriptions and individual 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 for the Performing Arts Box Office also services ticketing needs for The National Ballet of Canada and all other Four Seasons Centre events. Group Sales Groups of 10 or more enjoy savings on regular individual ticket prices. For more information or to reserve seats call 416-306-2356. Parking There is parking on a first-come, first-served basis for about 200 vehicles underneath the Four Seasons Centre. The entrance is located on the west side of York Street, south of Queen Street. Additional parking is conveniently located just steps away in the Green P lot underneath Nathan Phillips Square. For directions visit www.greenp.com. Four Seasons Centre Facility Tours Tours of the Four Seasons Centre now include backstage access! For more information, visit fourseasonscentre.ca. BMO Financial Group Pre-Performance Opera Chats The Canadian Opera Company Volunteer Speakers Bureau offers free, insightful chats about the stories, music and background of all COC performances, 45 minutes prior to each performance in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. Food and Beverage Service A pre-order system for intermission refreshments is available at all bars throughout the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room. Food and beverages are not permitted in R. Fraser Elliott Hall. Special Events and Catering The Four Seasons Centre is available for rental for all of your presentation, meeting or special events needs, with spaces accommodating from 20 to 2,000 people and full catering services. For further details visit 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.

euphoria Calvin Klein is proud to be the Preferred Fragrance of the Canadian Opera Company