Tosca 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

Tosca

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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TOSCA by Giacomo Puccini Opera in Three Acts, Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, after Victorien Sardou’s play, La Tosca First performance: Teatro Costanzi, Rome, Jan. 14, 1900 COC co-production with Norwegian Opera and Ballet Last performed at the COC in 2008 Jan. 21, 25, 29, 31, Feb. 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 21, 23, 25, 2012 Sung in Italian with English SURTITLESTM

The CasT (in order of vocal appearance)

Cesare Angelotti, Consul of the Roman Republic A Sacristan Mario Cavaradossi, a painter Floria Tosca, a celebrated singer Baron Scarpia, Chief of Police Spoletta, a police agent Sciarrone, a gendarme A Shepherd Boy

A Jailer Conductor: Director: Set and Costume Designer: Lighting Designer: Chorus Master: Stage Manager: SURTITLESTM Producer:

Christian Van Horn Peter Strummer Carlo Ventre (Jan. 21, 25, 29, Feb. 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16) Brandon Jovanovich (Jan. 31, Feb. 21, 23, 25) Adrianne Pieczonka* (Jan. 21, 25, 29, Feb. 3, 7, 11, 13, 16) Julie Makerov (Jan. 31, Feb. 5, 9, 21, 23, 25) Mark Delavan David Cangelosi (Jan. 21, 25, 29, Feb. 3, 7, 11, 13, 16) John Kriter (Jan. 31, Feb. 5, 9, 21, 23, 25) Neil Craighead**† Emily Brown Gibson*** (Jan. 21, 25, 29, Feb. 3, 7, 11, 13, 16) Jacoba Barber-Rozema*** (Jan. 31, Feb. 5, 9, 21, 23, 25) Adrian Kramer† Paolo Carignani Paul Curran Kevin Knight David Martin Jacques Sandra Horst Jenifer Kowal Gunta Dreifelds

Performance time is approximately two hours and 45 minutes, with two 25-minute intermissions.

This production of Tosca was originally made possible through a generous gift from Delia M. Moog. *Ms Pieczonka’s performance is generously sponsored by Jack Whiteside. ** Mr. Craighead’s performance is generously sponsored by Catherine Fauquier. † Current member of the COC Ensemble Studio *** Member of the Canadian Children’s Opera Company

This production of Tosca 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 Tosca

or a director, Puccini’s Tosca represents some of the most common and most surprising challenges in creating a production of an opera. The action of the story is written in almost moment to moment perfection – no tales of knights, dragons, waterspirits or mermaids here! – and the characters are entirely both human and vivid. The challenge is: how do we bring this brilliantly written story to light in a way that is clear, relevant and worthwhile for audiences today? That really is a challenge… Fantasy operas are different; we are generally looking for effects and character traits to remind us of our own wide and varied human traits. Tosca is pure flesh and blood from the first bars to the end. In other words, there is very little to bedazzle, impress with or hide behind (Puccini already provides most of that). Characters, relationships and a credible verismo… “reality.” Another challenge! The joy and challenge of directing Tosca is not only in the glorious music and razor-sharp libretto, but ideally in working closely with the talents of the singers playing and fleshing out their roles. As the curtain rises it is the characters and relationships we must believe in. Characters are built bar by bar, phrase by phrase and discussion by discussion. No word is too small that it might not be the trigger for a singer to find a new angle into their character’s life or psyche, and the job of the

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

director, I believe, is in part to help the cast explore and discover just these subtleties. Tosca, for example, is a deeply religious woman as we learn from much of the text she sings; how then do we manifest her deep faith within a story of an enforced sexual blackmail and, eventually, murder? Cavaradossi, a wealthy nobleman who paints, is anti organized religion as we learn from his Voltairean political beliefs, yet he is painting a portrait in a church, the very institution he so opposes. Why? Is it a protest from the inside? Does he paint the Maddalena as a blue-eyed blonde purely out of deference to the Attavanti family who are paying him, or does he have another agenda? It’s a wonderful privilege to spend days working on and discussing such ideas with so talented a cast. The results will be a new creation – a moment to moment creation of a story told in words and music freshly enlivened and vital, we hope. For me, the ultimate compliment is in an audience coming out of the theatre engrossed in the story through the characters. I have long believed that opera is essentially about sex, religion and politics: our desires and loves, what we believe in to guide our lives spiritually and what we believe in to guide our lives in society. No opera encapsulates these elements of human existence quite like Puccini’s Tosca. The challenge is on… Paul Curran

SYNOPSIS

SYNOPSIS Rome, 1800

ACT I At the church of Sant’Andrea della Valle, escaped Consul of the Roman Republic Cesare Angelotti is searching for the hidden key to the Attavanti family chapel. He locates it and disappears into the chapel to hide. A Sacristan enters the church, followed a short time later by the painter Mario Cavaradossi. Cavaradossi resumes work on his latest painting, the Maddalena, portrayed as a stunning blue-eyed, curly-headed blond. While the inspiration for the painting, the Marchesa Attavanti, is lovely, it is his lover Floria Tosca, the famous opera singer, he thinks about as he carries on his work. When the Sacristan leaves, Angelotti comes out of his hiding place. Cavaradossi tells him to hide – he has heard the voice of his beloved Tosca. When she enters, Tosca demands to know why the door was locked. Was he entertaining another woman? Cavaradossi tries to appease her suspicions with a kiss but she resists, as it is not appropriate behaviour for a devout woman. They arrange to meet at his villa after her performance later that evening. Cavaradossi remembers his fugitive friend and asks Tosca to leave so that he may continue his work. As she goes, she passes the painting of the Maddalena. Her anger returns. Cavaradossi’s passionate protests and declarations of love for Tosca finally placate her, but she asks that he paint the eyes dark, like her own. After Tosca leaves, Angelotti joins Cavaradossi and tells him that the Marchesa Attavanti is his sister. Cavaradossi tells him of a hidden path to his villa and of a secret

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hiding spot in the wall halfway down the garden well. They quickly leave together when they hear a cannon shot announcing the discovery of Angelotti’s escape from prison. The Sacristan returns, followed by a group of rowdy choirboys and clerics, who are all excited at the news of Napoleon’s defeat. Everyone falls silent at the arrival of Baron Scarpia, the chief of police. The police are searching for the escaped prisoner and find the Attavanti chapel gate unlocked. Inside they find a woman’s fan with the Attavanti crest and an empty lunch box. Scarpia notices the painting and recognizes the features of the Marchesa. The Sacristan tells him that the artist is Cavaradossi, a suspected traitor and Floria Tosca’s lover. Tosca returns to the church intending to reluctantly cancel her date with Cavaradossi for later that evening. Showing Tosca the lady’s fan, Scarpia insinuates that her lover has been unfaithful. Tosca examines it jealously. Recognizing the Attavanti family crest, she is crushed to find evidence of her lover’s infidelity. Scarpia consoles her as she breaks down weeping. She furiously rushes off to the villa to confront her lover. Scarpia orders his men to follow her. As the cardinal’s procession enters the church, Scarpia congratulates himself on the prospect of catching Angelotti, jailing the traitor Cavaradossi and, most importantly, winning the beautiful Tosca. INTERMISSION

SYNOPSIS

ACT II In Scarpia’s room in the Farnese Palace, Scarpia is seated, eating dinner and reviewing his plot. Singing drifts up from the party below. Scarpia gives Sciarrone a letter for Tosca, requesting a meeting after her performance. Left alone, Scarpia exults in his plans to conquer Tosca, extolling the merits of violent conquest over romantic love. Spoletta enters and reports that they searched the villa but did not find Angelotti. They did find Cavaradossi, and he has been arrested. Cavaradossi is brought into the room, but he refuses to answer questions. Having finished her performance, Tosca arrives. She sees her lover and rushes to embrace him. Cavaradossi tells Tosca to say nothing to Scarpia, and he is dragged from the room. Scarpia questions Tosca about her visit to the villa, but she makes light of his questions. Scarpia threatens to torture her lover until they get a confession from him, or until she tells him what she knows. Cries of pain are heard from the next room. Tosca begs for mercy for Cavaradossi. Scarpia assures her the torture will stop as soon as they know where Angelotti is. After another anguished cry from her lover, Tosca tells Scarpia to look in the garden well. Cavaradossi is brought out from the torture chamber. As Tosca comforts him, she assures him she has said nothing. Scarpia shouts to his men to search the garden, and the well. Cavaradossi curses Tosca for betraying him, but his anger turns to joy when Sciarrone enters to tell them that Napoleon has defeated the reactionary forces at Marengo. Cavaradossi condemns tyranny. The enraged Scarpia sends Cavaradossi back to his cell to await execution. Scarpia returns to his dinner. When Tosca renews her pleas for mercy, he offers her wine. Tosca asks the price for her lover’s freedom. Scarpia tells her that 4

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

she herself is the price. The fact that she is clearly repulsed by this proposition fuels his lust. Not knowing where to turn, Tosca sings the despairing “Vissi d’arte.” She has lived for art and love, so why does God repay her with misery? Spoletta enters with the news that when Angelotti was discovered, he committed suicide by swallowing poison. Scarpia orders his corpse to be hung from the gallows. Overcome by her betrayal, Tosca agrees to Scarpia’s demands but insists that Cavaradossi be set free at once. Scarpia tells her that he cannot simply free him, but he will stage a mock execution, telling Spoletta: “just like Palmieri.” Spoletta nods in understanding and leaves. Tosca insists that she and Cavaradossi get a letter of safe conduct. Scarpia agrees and as he sits down to write, Tosca spots a knife. Scarpia rises to embrace Tosca, and as he does, she stabs him, crying: “This is Tosca’s kiss!” Tosca is overcome by her actions, and pardons Scarpia. She takes the safe conduct pass and silently leaves the room. INTERMISSION ACT III At the ramparts of Castel Sant’Angelo, a shepherd boy sings in the distance as Cavaradossi is brought out to await his execution. He offers the jailer his ring – his last possession – if he will deliver a message of farewell to Tosca. Cavaradossi begins to write, losing himself in nostalgic love of Tosca. To his surprise and joy, Tosca is brought in. She rushes to show him the letter of safe conduct. Tosca tells Cavaradossi about what happened in Scarpia’s chamber, and that he should pretend to be shot during the execution. He agrees, and they sing tenderly of their plans for spending the rest of their lives together.

SYNOPSIS

The firing squad enters to lead Cavaradossi to his execution. He stands to face them, declining a blindfold. An officer lowers his sword, the shots are fired and Cavaradossi falls. Tosca thinks he has done a great acting job and waits for everyone to leave before she calls out to him. He doesn’t get up. Tosca sobs over Cavaradossi’s lifeless body, realizing Scarpia’s final deceit. Having discovered the murdered corpse of Scarpia, Spoletta and Sciarrone enter to arrest Tosca. Upon seeing them, Tosca runs to the parapet, and jumps to her death, shouting, “Scarpia, we shall meet before God!”

MusiC sTaFF

assisTanT liGhTinG DesiGners

Timothy Cheung (Ensemble Studio Intern Coach) Jenna Douglas (Ensemble Studio Intern Coach) Anne Larlee Felice Venanzoni (Head Coach)

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

iTalian lanGuaGe CoaCh

Manuela Scarci assisTanT ConDuCTor

unDersTuDies

Cesare Angelotti A Sacristan Baron Scarpia Sciarrone A Jailer

Philippe Sly Neil Craighead Niculae Raiciu Philippe Sly Philippe Sly

Giuseppe Finzi assisTanT DireCTor

Ashlie Corcoran assisTanT sTaGe ManaGers

Lesley Abarquez Stephanie Marrs

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(l â&#x20AC;&#x201C; r) Adrian Kramer as Papageno, Michael Barrett as Monostatos and Simone Osborne as Pamina in the COC Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute, 2011. Photo: Michael Cooper

Ensemble Studio The Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio is the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier opera training program. Since 1980, more than 150 young Canadian singers, stage directors, apprentice opera coaches and conductors have acquired their first professional operatic experience through this program, including such well known singers as Ben Heppner, Joanne Kolomyjec, Wendy Nielsen, Joni Henson, John Fanning, and Isabel Bayrakdarian. For more information about supporting the COC Ensemble Studio, please call 416-847-4949 or visit coc.ca.

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES DAVID CANGELOSI spoletta

American tenor David Cangelosi is making his COC debut and has performed with all the major opera companies and symphony orchestras in the U.S. and abroad. In 2004 he made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Mime in Das Rheingold, conducted by James Levine, returning in Andrea Chenier, Il Tabarro, Madama Butterfly and The Tales of Hoffmann. Other performances include Mime in San Francisco Opera’s new production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, directed by Francesca Zambello, as well as Shuisky in Boris Godunov with Dallas Opera. Recent appearances with Lyric Opera of Chicago include Goro (Madama Butterfly) and Spalanzani (The Tales of Hoffmann). Mr. Cangelosi returns to Dallas this spring as Monostatos in The Magic Flute. NEIL CRAIGHEAD sciarrone

Bass-baritone Neil Craighead is a member of the COC Ensemble Studio and recently appeared with the COC as the Usher in Rigoletto, the First Priest on the mainstage and the Speaker in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute, and Japanese Envoy 2 in the COC’s The Nightingale and Other Short Fables at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Other COC roles include a Youth and Russian Father in Death in Venice, the Oracle and a Trojan Man in Idomeneo and the Official Registrar in Madama Butterfly. This spring he appears as Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi and Cadmus/Somnus in the Ensemble Studio performance of Semele. Please visit coc.ca for additional information

MARK DELAVAN Baron scarpia

American baritone Mark Delavan is making his COC debut. His repertoire of over 40 operas includes the title roles in Falstaff, Rigoletto, Der fliegende Holländer, Gianni Schicchi, Simon Boccanegra and Sweeney Todd, as well as such signature roles as Wotan, Iago, Gerard, Scarpia, Jochanaan, Germont and Amonasro. Recent appearances include Wotan in Das Rheingold/Die Walküre with Deutsche Oper Berlin; Wotan in San Francisco Opera’s new production of the Ring Cycle; Jupiter in Die Liebe der Danae, Iago in Otello and Scarpia in Tosca, all with Deutsche Oper Berlin; Count Anckarström in A Masked Ball with Lyric Opera of Chicago; Iago with Opera Company of Philadelphia; and, Amonasro in Aida with Atlanta Opera. BRANDON JOVANOVICH Mario Cavaradossi

American tenor Brandon Jovanovich is making his COC debut. Appearances in the 2011/2012 season include Don José in Carmen with Deutsche Oper Berlin and Bayerische Staatsoper, Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Cavaradossi with Oper Köln, and the title role in Don Carlos with Houston Grand Opera. In concert, he appears at the Hollywood Bowl performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Choral Fantasy, both with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with the Gürzenich Orchester Köln. Mr. Jovanovich is the Winner of the 2007 Richard Tucker 7

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES

Award and a two-time winner of the New York City district Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. ADRIAN KRAMER Jailer

Canadian baritone and Ensemble Studio member Adrian Kramer recently appeared with the COC as Marullo in Rigoletto, Papageno in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute, the Wig-maker in Ariadne auf Naxos, the Hotel Waiter in Death in Venice and Japanese Envoy 3 in the COC’s The Nightingale and Other Short Fables (Brooklyn Academy of Music). Mr. Kramer has performed with Glimmerglass Opera, Châteauville Festival, Chautauqua Institution and the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival. Concert credits include performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center and the Kennedy Center. Upcoming appearances include Sasha in Shostakovich’s Moscow Cheryomushki with Chicago Opera Theater and Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale with Saskatoon Opera. JOHN KRITER spoletta

Canadian tenor John Kriter most recently appeared as Borsa in the COC’s Rigoletto. Included in his over 30 roles performed with the COC are the Hotel Porter in Death in Venice, Goro in Madama Butterfly, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, Emperor Altoum in Turandot, Bardolfo in Falstaff, the Reverend Horace Adams in Peter Grimes, Red Whiskers in Billy Budd, Nick in La fanciulla del West, the Ringmaster in The Bartered Bride, Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, and Don Basilio and Don Curzio in The Marriage 8

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

of Figaro. Mr. Kriter has also performed with Calgary Opera, Edmonton Opera, Hamilton Opera, Toronto Masque Theatre and Queen of Puddings Music Theatre. JULIE MAKEROV Floria Tosca

American soprano Julie Makerov’s last appearance with the COC was her Dora Award-winning performance as Senta in The Flying Dutchman. Other COC roles include the title role in Rusalka, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Freia in Das Rheingold and Gerhilde in Die Walküre (complete Ring Cycle). Other credits include Margherita in Mefistofele with Oper Frankfurt; Rusalka with Cesky Kremlov Festival; Tosca with Frankfurt Opera and Theater Erfurt; Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Seattle and Sarasota Opera; and with the Metropolitan Opera in Macbeth, Die Walküre and War and Peace. ADRIANNE PIECZONKA Floria Tosca

Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka returns after starring in last season’s Ariadne auf Naxos. Other COC roles include Leonore in Fidelio, Elisabeth in Don Carlos, Sieglinde in Die Walküre (Dora Award) and Mimì in La Bohème. She debuted as Tosca in Los Angeles (2008) and has subsequently performed the role in the U.S. and Europe. In addition to appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Los Angeles and La Scala, she frequently performs at Europe’s finest summer festivals including Salzburg, Bayreuth, Glyndebourne and Lucerne. Award-winning recordings include Adrianne Pieczonka sings Puccini

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES

(Juno Award) and Lohengrin (Hännsler Classic – BBC Music Magazine Disc of the Year/2010 Opera Award). Ms Pieczonka is an Officer of the Order of Canada and was named Kammersängerin by the Austrian government. PETER STRUMMER a sacristan

Canadian bass-baritone Peter Strummer last appeared at the COC as Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro. Recent engagements include Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Atlanta Opera, Pasha Selim in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Arizona Opera, Taddeo in L’Italiana in Algeri with Austin Lyric Opera, Sacristan with Manitoba Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre, Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Manitoba Opera and Arizona Opera, and Dulcamara with Kentucky Opera. This season and beyond, engagements include Sacristan at Arizona Opera, Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Tulsa Opera, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro at Arizona Opera, and Benoît/Alcindoro in La Bohème at Opera Lyra Ottawa. CHRISTIAN VAN HORN angelotti

American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn has recently performed with companies such as San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Bayerische Staatsoper, Salzburg Festival, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Staatsoper Stuttgart. His roles include the title role in Le nozze di Figaro, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Timur in Turandot, Colline in La Bohème, Oroveso in Norma, Banquo in Macbeth, Mephistopheles in Faust, and Claudio in Agrippina. This season Mr. Van Horn performs Crespel in Les Contes Please visit coc.ca for additional information

d’Hoffmann and Raimondo with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Timur with San Francisco Opera, Zuniga in Carmen with the Salzburg Festival, and Banco with Grand Théâtre de Genève. CARLO VENTRE Mario Cavaradossi

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Carlo Ventre is making his COC debut. He made his operatic debut in 1994 as the Duke in Rigoletto at La Scala under conductor Riccardo Muti. Recent appearances include Radames in Aida at Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, San Diego, Verona, and Leipzig; Arrigo in I vespri siciliani in Tokyo; Andrea Chénier at Gran Teatre del Liceu; Tosca with Frankfurt Opera, Hamburg State Opera, San Francisco Opera, Arena di Verona and Opéra Bastille Paris; Il tabarro in Frankfurt; Simon Boccanegra in Berlin; Cavalleria rusticana with Lyric Opera of Chicago; Madama Butterfly at San Diego Opera; and, Un ballo in maschera at Frankfurt Opera where he also most recently made an acclaimed debut in Otello. Mr. Ventre is a Pavarotti International Voice Competition winner.

PAOLO CARIGNANI Conductor

Making his COC debut, Italian conductor Paolo Carignani’s repertoire spans from Donizetti to Puccini and from Rossini to Strauss and Verdi. He has conducted at the world’s most prestigious theatres, including Wiener Staatsoper, Berliner Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Opéra Bastille, Zurich 9

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES

Opernhaus, Concertgebouw, Royal Opera House in Amsterdam, Metropolitan Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, and opera houses in Brussels, Antwerp and Oslo, as well as Italy’s major houses. He is a regular guest at international festivals, including Spoleto, Rossini Opera in Pesaro, Glyndebourne, Schleswig Holstein, and Rheingau. Mr. Carignani was Generalmusikdirektor of Oper Frankfurt from 1998/1999 to 2008/2009 and the Musical Director of the Museumsorchester, also in Frankfurt. PAUL CURRAN Director

Scottish director Paul Curran returns with his COC signature production of Tosca. He also presented the COC’s critically acclaimed Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Otello. His extensive directorial credits include Rusalka with the New National Theatre, Tokyo; The Tsar’s Bride at Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Die Frau ohne Schatten and Lulu with Lyric Opera of Chicago; Peter Grimes, Billy Budd and La Bohème with Santa Fe Opera; Tosca with Mariinsky Theatre; Tannhäuser with Teatro alla Scala; Lucia di Lammermoor with Opernhaus Halle; Mirandolina and Eva at the Wexford Festival; Ariadne auf Naxos and Daphne at La Fenice; Il Trovatore in Tokyo, Teatro dell’Opera Roma, and Teatro Comunale di Bologna; Die Königskinder, La Statira and La Cenerentola at Teatro San Carlo; and, Hamlet with designer Vivienne Westwood in London.

leading opera companies, and has designed several award-winning plays and musicals of international recognition that have toured throughout Europe and America. His recent credits include Rusalka (Oslo and Japan), The Tsar’s Bride (Royal Opera House Covent Garden), The Marriage of Figaro (Oslo), Albert Herring and La Bohème (Santa Fe Opera), Lulu and Die Frau ohne Schatten (Lyric Opera Chicago), The Importance of Being Earnest (Regents Park Open Air Theatre), Il Trovatore (Bologna, Japan, Bilbao), Tannhäuser (La Scala), Die drei Pintos and Mirandolina (Wexford Festival), as well as Daphne and Ariadne auf Naxos (La Fenice, Venice). DAVID MARTIN JACQUES lighting Designer

David Martin Jacques’ COC lighting credits include Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Otello, and the 2008 Tosca. He has designed worldwide for many prestigious opera companies including Royal Opera House Covent Garden, English National Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Teatro la Fenice, and the New National Theatre of Tokyo. Future productions include A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Teatro dell’Opera Roma, Tristan und Isolde for Teatro la Fenice, and the double bill of Gianni Schicchi and A Florentine Tragedy for the COC. In addition to his design engagements, Mr. Jacques serves as professor of stage design at California State University, Long Beach.

KEVIN KNIGHT set & Costume Designer

SANDRA HORST Chorus Master

Kevin Knight has designed the COC productions of Tosca and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. He has worked at most of the world’s

Sandra Horst’s recent COC credits include Rigoletto, Iphigenia in Tauris, La Cenerentola and Orfeo ed Euridice.

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES

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 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 Love from Afar, The Tales of Hoffmann and Semele. JENIFER KOWAL stage Manager

Jenifer Kowal recently appeared with the COC as stage manager for Rigoletto. She was the production stage manager for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s Miss Saigon, which also toured to Toronto and Schenectady. This is Ms Kowal’s 20th season with the COC. Previous COC credits include Aida, The Nightingale and Other Short Fables at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carmen, The Flying Dutchman, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Fidelio, War and Peace, Eugene Onegin, Tosca, Don Carlos, La Traviata, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and all COC productions of the Ring Cycle. Ms Kowal studied theatre at Indiana University.

La Bohème (2008), The Abduction from the Seraglio (2009), Faust, La fanciulla del West and Aida (2010), and Turandot and Carmen (2011). He made his conducting debut in 2003 with Tosca at the Teatro Rendano in Cosenza, returning for La Traviata and Madama Butterfly. Previously Mr. Finzi served at La Scala for nine seasons as assistant conductor, coach, and pianist. Other credits include Rigoletto, L’elisir d’amore and Così fan tutte at Milan’s Piccolo Teatro and Tokyo’s Kunitachi College of Music. ASHLIE CORCORAN assistant Director

Former COC Ensemble Studio intern director Ashlie Corcoran directed the COC’s production of The Bear and the school tours of Cinderella and Isis and the Seven Scorpions. Other COC projects include apprentice director for the Ring Cycle, Faust and La Traviata; and, assistant director for The Magic Flute, Idomeneo, Tosca, Don Giovanni and Fidelio. Overseas, she worked for Opera North, U.K. and Städtische Bühnen Münster. As the artistic producer of Theatre Smash, she has directed five projects. Ms Corcoran directed Bedtime Story as the Shaw Festival intern director and was recently the Urjo Kareda Emerging Artist at Tarragon Theatre. Future projects include directing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Western Canada Theatre.

GIUSEPPE FINZI assistant Conductor

Giuseppe Finzi is currently the resident conductor of the San Francisco Opera where his credits include Please visit coc.ca for additional information

Be dazzled by Tosca-inspired Jewellery at the Opera Shop! This winter, we feature Nancy Ciccone’s magnificent Tosca-inspired jewellery. A unique necklace and tiara set will be available for sale, with multiples of the outstanding matching earrings. Visit us on the main floor of the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, open before, during and (sometimes) after all performances.

This winter we recommend the following recordings from Universal Classics: Tosca What more can be said about one of the most universallypraised opera recordings of all time? We have Maria Callas at the peak of her powers virtually defining this role for all future Toscas; her favoured tenor collaborator Giuseppe di Stefano, in sweetest voice; and Tito Gobbi, the greatest singing actor of his time, as a chilling Scarpia. At budget price, this is a cornerstone for any operatic CD collection! Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Victor de Sabata, conductor. Membran. $27 inc. tax. L’amour de loin Salzburg audiences saw the premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s astoundingly beautiful L’amour de loin in 2000. The same production was recorded four years later in Helsinki for this DVD. It features stunning performances by Dawn Upshaw, Gerald Finley and Monica Groop; superb conducting by Esa-Pekka Salonen and a production of simple, ecstatic beauty by Peter Sellars. Finnish National Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Deutsche Grammophon. $25.75 inc. tax.

Shop for much more at the Opera Shop or at coc.ca!

The Opera Shop is a project of the Canadian Opera Company, in partnership with L’Atelier Grigorian and Decca – The Opera Label. All proceeds support the Canadian Opera Company.

CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY ORCHESTRA VIOLIN I Marie Bérard, Concertmaster The Concertmaster’s chair has been endowed in perpetuity by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Benjamin Bowman, Associate Concertmaster, on leave of absence Stephen Sitarski, Acting Associate Concertmaster* Diane Tait, Assistant Concertmaster Anne Armstrong Sandra Baron, on leave of absence Bethany Bergman Michele Fox* Pamela Hinman* Hiroko Kagawa* Nancy Kershaw, on leave of absence Dominique Laplante Yakov Lerner Renée London* Jayne Maddison Neria Mayer Aya Miyagawa VIOLIN II Paul Zevenhuizen, Principal Csaba Koczó, Assistant Principal James Aylesworth Christine Chesebrough* Andrew Chung* Corey Gemmell* Elizabeth Johnston Louise Tardif Marianne Urke Ashley Vandiver* Sonia Vizante* Joanna Zabrowarna

VIOLA Keith Hamm, Principal Joshua Greenlaw, Assistant Principal Carolyn Blackwell* Ivan Ivanovich* Valerie Kuinka* Nicholaos Papadakis* Rhyll Peel Theresa Rudolph Koczó, on leave of absence Angela Rudden* Beverley Spotton Yosef Tamir CELLO Bryan Epperson, Principal, on leave of absence Alastair Eng, Associate Principal Paul Widner, Assistant Principal Olga Laktionova, Acting Assistant Principal Maurizio Baccante Peter Cosbey* Garrett Knecht* Olga Laktionova Elspeth Poole* Elaine Thompson BASS Alan Molitz, Principal Robert Speer, Assistant Principal Tom Hazlitt Paul Langley Eric Lee* Robert Wolanski* FLUTE Douglas Stewart, Principal Shelley Brown Christine Little*

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PICCOLO Shelley Brown Christine Little*

TIMPANI Michael Perry, Principal

OBOE Mark Rogers, Principal Jasper Hitchcock*

PERCUSSION Trevor Tureski, Principal Ryan Scott* John Thompson*

ENGLISH HORN Lesley Young

ORGAN/CELESTE Wayne Vogan*

CLARINET James T. Shields, Principal Colleen Cook

HARP Sarah Davidson, Principal

BASS CLARINET Michele Verheul*

BANDA

BASSOON Eric Hall, Principal Elizabeth Gowen CONTRA BASSOON William Cannaway* HORN Joan Watson, Principal Janet Anderson Bardhyl Gjevori Gary Pattison TRUMPET Robert Grim, Principal Brendan Cassin Valerie Cowie* TROMBONE Robert Ferguson, Principal Ian Cowie Herbert Poole CIMBASSO Scott Irvine

FLUTE Douglas Stewart VIOLA Yosef Tamir HARP Sanya Eng* PERCUSSION Trevor Tureski Ryan Scott*

LIBRARIAN Wayne Vogan ASSISTANT MUSIC LIBRARIAN Capella Sherwood STAGE LIBRARIAN Paul Langley PERSONNEL MANAGER Ian Cowie * 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

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

CANADIAN CHILDREN’S OPERA COMPANY Ann Cooper Gay, Executive Artistic Director Ken Hall, General Manager CHILDREN’S CHORUS Claire Abhari Alexander Amato Alexandra Bernstein Saba Siphiwe Blyden-Taylor Sara Cerovic Spencer Charlton Sophie De Goey Vannessa Gadoutsis Sebastian Gayowsky Gabriel Gough Aliya Hamid

Claire Hamilton Sophia Hirst-Barsoski (Shepherd Boy understudy)

Zoe Kertes Yaryna Kudla Jacqueline Levitan Michaela Okumura Frances Quilty Devin Vyas Tristan Winfield-Hicks Jessie Zusmanovski

SUPERNUMERARIES Chloe Blair Sonny Johnston Talia Kertes

Members of the Canadian Children’s Opera Company are used in all Canadian Opera Company productions requiring children’s voices. The CCOC is the only permanent children’s opera chorus in Canada and specializes in the development and performance of choral and operatic repertoire for children.

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

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

EXECUTIVE OFFICE Marguerite schabas Executive Assistant to the General Director ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION roberto Mauro Artistic Administrator MUSIC

Production Assistants Morgan-leigh hearty ariel Martin-smith

sandra Gavinchuk Music Administrator

PROGRAMMING

sandra horst Chorus Master

nina Draganić Director of Programming – Free Concert Series

Wayne Vogan Music Librarian, Coach

PRODUCTION

elizabeth upchurch Head of the Ensemble Studio & Coach

lee Milliken Production Manager

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

David Feheley Technical Director Barney Bayliss Associate Technical Director

David retzleff Head Scene Shop Carpenter andrew Walker Assistant Scene Shop Carpenter

Additional Costumes by adrienne Baker arana enterprises industry Costumes hayley stolee-smith Additional Dyeing by Chrome Yellow Marilyn rodwell Wardrobe Mistress rafe Macpherson Wardrobe Assistant

Scene Shop Carpenters hugh Maclachlan David nicholson Mark Washuck

sharon ryman Wig & Make-up Supervisor

richard Gordon Head Scenic Artist

Cori Ferguson Head of Wig & Make-up Crew

Assistant Head Scenic Artists Katherine lilly Jana osterman

shawna Green Production Co-ordinator

scott Williamson Rehearsal Head Technician Guy nokes Properties Supervisor stephanie Tjelios Resident Properties Builder/Co-ordinator

Gunta Dreifelds SURTITLES™ Producer Zane Kaneps SURTITLES™ Editor olwyn lewis SURTITLES™ Assistant Supernumeraries Co-ordinators analee stein elizabeth Walker

Wendy Greenwood Lighting Supervisor

Kathy Frost Properties Buyer/ Co-ordinator

Assistant Technical Directors Melynda Jurgenson Wendy ryder

Tracy Taylor Properties Builder/ Co-ordinator

Christie Darville Director of Development

Janice Fraser Head Electrician

Properties Builders Carolyn Choo Wulf

Jill Planche Associate Director, Individual Giving

Joel Thoman Assistant Electrician

sandra Corazza Costume Supervisor

DEVELOPMENT

al Merson Head of Sound

ren Cahill Costume Co-ordinator

Dawn Marie schlegel Senior Development Officer, Individual Giving & Donor Programs

Michael Barrs Assistant Scheduling Manager

Paul Watkinson Head Carpenter

Costume Assistants Kiyomi hidaka lina Marques

leeanne rorabeck Senior Development Officer, Individual Giving

Karen olinyk Administrative Assistant, Music

Mike Gelfand Assistant Carpenter

sue Furlong Resident Tailor

natalie sandassie Senior Development Officer, Annual Programs

Kathryn Garnett Scheduling Manager

Birthe Joergensen Archivist, Joan Baillie Archives ian Cowie Orchestra Personnel Manager

rupert Baker Head Flyman alison Potter Head of Properties Core Crew scott Clarke Terry hurley

Assisted By Deniz Cakin Gulay Cokgezen Karen hancock ilana harendorf Barbara nowakowski

FSCPA – Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

andrea lauzon Foundations and Government Relations Officer

stephen radbourn Donor Relations Officer

Jennifer Dougall Digital Marketing Manager (on leave)

aisha Talarico Development Officer, Friends of the COC

Jennifer Pugsley Media Relations Manager

siva Vijenthira Individual Giving Co-ordinator, Friends of the COC

Cecily Carver Social and Interactive Media Co-ordinator eldon earle Marketing Co-ordinator

stephanie hunt Development Officer, Individual Giving & Ensemble Circle

olga Kwak Digital Marketing Co-ordinator

adriana Formusa Individual Giving Co-ordinator

Gianmarco segato Retail and Editorial Co-ordinator

nikita Gourski Development Communications Assistant Carlie Weppler Senior Development Officer, Corporate Development

Maria lioutaia Publicist amanda hadi Communications Assistant John Kriter Volunteer and Creative Assistant

Ticket Services Representatives Terry Bursey ernest Cayemen holly Coish Danielle D'ornellas anna Kay eldridge Peter Genoway Keith lam ian McDonnell amber Mills Kevin Pook Mary Porter Mitch Yolevsky Call CenTre sarah Frankel Call Centre Manager Call Centre Representatives Peter Counter alex Gladwell richard Paradiso Tomasz smereka adriano sobretodo Jr. Margaret Terry Mauro Victoriano FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Security Supervisors Videsh Dookhu Dave samuels Maintenance Assistants ryszard Gad (CoC) Branislav Peterman (CoC) Julian Peters (CoC) Tymen de Vries (FsCPa) James esposito (FsCPa) Wojtek Plichta (FsCPa) Piotr Wiench (FsCPa/CoC) Security Officers George Balyasin Joel Grannum Tammy hill natalia Juzyc usman Khalid Kathleen Minor heather reid Building Operators Dan Bisca radu Chereji Dan Popescu

sybil Choles Development Officer, Corporate & Foundation Giving

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Peggy lau Co-ordinator, Corporate Development

Katherine semcesen Senior Manager, Education and Outreach

Tracy Briggs Manager, Special Events

Carly anderson Manager, Child and Youth Programs

General Accountants Florence huang Zoran orlić (FSCPA)

Vanessa smith Manager, School Programs

Payroll Accountants Jovana Bojovic Jeanny Won

Carrie Flood Donation Database Officer

Dean Burry School Tour Manager

steven sherwood Manager, IT Services

olena Moldovan Data Processing Co-ordinator

sarah Mumford Interim Adult Programs Co-ordinator

Tony sandy IT Services Assistant

Kim hutchinson-Barber Assistant Manager, Front of House

COMMUNICATIONS

TiCKeT serViCes alan Moffat Patron Relationship Manager

nick Mitropoulos Computer Services Assistant

Brigitte lang Assistant Manager, Food & Beverage

Katarina Božović Receptionist/ Switchboard

Christine Tizzard Co-ordinator, Special Events

Claudine Domingue Director of Public Relations

lindy Cowan, Ca Director of Finance and Administration 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 elizabeth Jones Business Manager Jefferson Guzman Patron Services Manager

Jeremy elbourne Director of Marketing

andrea salin Associate Manager, Ticket Services

Phil stephens Senior Manager, Sales and Customer Service

nikki Tremblay Assistant Ticket Services Manager

suzanne Vanstone Senior Communications Manager, Editorial

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

Gianna Wichelow Senior Communications Manager, Creative

Ticket Services Supervisors erin Cook lilian Fung Victor Widjaja

Piro Milo Assistant Building Services Manager

Patron Services Lead Carianne hill hooman Zadegan

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Branka hrsum Mailroom Clerk/ Courier BUILDING SERVICES

!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*

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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**** 19

Christian Franz as Siegfried (back to camera) in the COC’s Siegfried, 2005. Photo: Michael Cooper

The President’s Council and Golden Circle programs help make possible many of the company’s activities. New productions, the COC Ensemble Studio program, our education and outreach initiatives – these are just a few of the reasons why President’s Council and Golden Circle gifts are so crucial to our future. President’s Council and Golden Circle members share in the excitement of opera in new ways through events and activities, receive personalized service for ticket purchases and exchanges, and enjoy exclusive use of the Henry N. R. Jackman Lounge at all opera performances. For further information, contact us at presidentscouncil@coc.ca or call 416-363-5801.

*The COC recognizes donations from all individual giving programs with a charitable tax receipt for the maximum amount allowable under the Canada Revenue Agency guidelines.

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

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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****

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

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**

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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

Shannon Mercer, Krisztina Szabó and Joni Henson in the COC’s Così fan tutte, 2006. Photo: Michael Cooper

Join us! Today’s performance has been made possible, in part, by the generosity and loyal support of the Friends of the COC. Our Friends also support our education and outreach programs and Ensemble Studio training program. Become a Friend of the COC* and you can join us in the Friends Lounge at all COC performances, enjoy special behind-the-scenes working rehearsals and events, receive our newsletter Prelude, as well as gain access to single tickets one week prior to the public. All gifts will be gratefully acknowledged with a charitable tax receipt. For more information, please stop by the Friends Lounge located on Ring 3, visit coc.ca, or call 416-847-4949.

*Friends of the COC give a charitable membership gift between $150 – $2,249 annually.

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**

20 2012路2013 SEASON N

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ASK US TODAY on Ring 3 or the main level.

The COC presents Tristan und Isolde. Video still by Bill Viola, Opera national de Paris, 2004. Photo: Kira Perov. Creative: Endeavour

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

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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****

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

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.

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Photo: Sam Javanrouh

Corporate Sponsorship The Canadian Opera Company welcomes financial support from corporations that appreciate the advantages of partnering with one of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier performing arts companies. A variety of sponsorship opportunities can be customized to meet branding, marketing and corporate entertainment needs including production, performance, official orchestra and chorus sponsorships, as well as official supplier partnerships at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Corporate sponsorship offers exciting privileges that you and your company can enjoy all year long. For further information, please contact Carlie Weppler at 416-306-2321 or carliew@coc.ca.

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

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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

$5,000 to $9,999 Local 58 Charitable Benefit Fund SNC Lavalin Unit Park Holdings Inc.

OPENING NIGHT SPONSOR Fionn MacCool’s

$3,000 to $4,999 The Calgary Foundation – Nellie Hicks Memorial Fund

HOSTING SPONSOR

KPMG OPERA GOLF CLASSIC TiTle sPonsor KPMG LLP

Dinner sPonsor E-L Financial Limited ANNUAL FINE WINE AUCTION 2011 hosT sPonsor Crush Wine Bar Cheese sPonsor Cheese Boutique ChoColaTe sPonsor Rhéo Thompson Candies

$2,000 to $2,999 Classical 96.3 FM Jarvis & Associates MAC Cosmetics Shinex Window Cleaning Inc. $1,000 to $1,999 Aeroplan Canada LoyaltyOne Milgram Group of Companies Ltd. Truck ’N Roll The Powis Family Foundation

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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.

SUPERNUMERARIES Ken Alexander Paul Ciantar Mike Gibbons Julie-Ann Guselle Heather E. Hunter

Murphy Katelyn Rick Lobodzinski Colleen Mathieu Ian McIntosh Ralph Iorio

Canadian Opera Company 2011/2012 Season

Gary Ramsay Jason Smith Patrick Stepien-Scanlon Courtland Thomson

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.

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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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presents

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.

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