Canadian Opera Company: Otello — Dora Awards announces 2019 nominees and grant Opera its own stand-alone division, along with Musical Theatre, and Touring. (Photo: Michael Cooper)

The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced 282 nominees for the upcoming 40th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards, which will be held at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts on June 25. The Silver Ticket Award and the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award will also be presented.

New this year, the Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the 2018-19 season will become the first professional theatre, dance and opera awards show in Canada to be entirely gender inclusive. The award categories for this year are gender neutral, notably applicable to the Outstanding Performance categories.

The big news for classical music lovers is that Opera has been granted its own stand-alone division, along with Musical Theatre, and Touring.

In the Opera Division, the COC retakes its top spot this year with a total of 33 nominations that incorporate six different productions. the COC’s acclaimed presentation of the English National Opera production of Verdi’s Otello leads the way in the number of nominations with a total of eight. Against the Grain Theatre’s production of Canadian composer Claude Vivier’s complex work, Kopernikus, racked up seven, tying it with the COC’s Eugene Onegin and Hadrian. Kopernikus, along with COC’s Otello, Eugene Onegin, Hadrian and La Bohème are all in the running for the Outstanding Production award.

Hadrian was one of the COC’s more innovative offerings last season, and in addition to Outstanding Production, it’s up for Outstanding New Opera for writer Daniel MacIvor and composer Rufus Wainwright, along with Outstanding Performance of an Individual for both soprano Ambur Braid, and American baritone Thomas Hampson, along with the nods for Scenic Design, Projection Design, Outstanding Costume Design, and Outstanding Lighting Design.

Indie opera continues to make a strong stand in Toronto’s opera scene, with a total of 15 nominations. Surprisingly, Tapestry Opera clocks in for a single nomination for Outstanding New Opera award for writer Julie Tepperman and composer Chris Thornborrow for Hook Up, a co-production with Theatre Passe Muraille. The Canadian Children’s Opera Company weighs in with three nominations for The Monkiest King and The Snow Queen, and Opera 5 with three nominations, including the Outstanding Direction nod for Jessica Derventzis, and Outstanding Performance of an Individual for Johnathon Kirby for their production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

In other categories, DanceWorks leads the Dance Division with 13 nominations, while Solar Stage comes in first in the Theatre for Young Audiences Division with 10 nods. Soulpepper Theatre garnered 14 nominations in the General Theatre Division, with The Musical Stage Company and Young People’s Theatre in a tie in the Musical Theatre Division with 14 nominations apiece. Coal Mine Theatre leads the Independent Theatre Division with 10 nods.

Tapestry Opera co-production with Theatre Passe Muraille

Hook Up

Outstanding New Opera – writer Julie Tepperman and composer Chris Thornborrow

Canadian Children’s Opera Company

The Monkiest King

Outstanding New Opera – writer Marjorie Chan and composer Alice Ping Yee Ho
Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble – Children and Youth of the CCOC

The Snow Queen

Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble – Members of the Canadian Children’s Opera Company

Against the Grain Theatre

Kopernikus

Outstanding Production
Outstanding Direction – Joel Ivany and Matjash Mrozewski
Outstanding Musical Direction – Topher Mokrzewski
Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble – Anne-Marie MacIntosh, Jonelle Sills, Krisztina Szabó, Bruno Roy, Dion Mazerolle, Alain Coulombe, Anisa Tejpar, William Yong, Brad Cherwin, Marc Blouin, Peter Stoll, Carly Gordon, Michael Fedyshyn, Paul Tarussov, Brenna Hardy-Kavanagh
Scenic Design – Jason Hand
Outstanding Costume Design – Marissa Kochanski
Outstanding Lighting Design – Jason Hand

Canadian Opera Company

Otello

Outstanding Production
Outstanding Direction – David Alden
Outstanding Musical Direction – Johannes Debus
Outstanding Performance of an Individual – Gerald Finley and Tamara Wilson
Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design and Outstanding Costume Design – Jon Morrell
Outstanding Lighting Design – Andrew Cutbush
Scenic Design – Jon Morrell
Outstanding Costume Design – Jon Morrell
Outstanding Lighting Design – Andrew Cutbush

Eugene Onegin

Outstanding Production
Outstanding Musical Direction – Johannes Debus
Outstanding Direction – Robert Carsen
Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble – COC Chorus
Scenic Design – Michael Levine
Outstanding Costume Design – Michael Levine
Outstanding Lighting Design – Christine Binder

Elektra

Outstanding Musical Direction – Johannes Debus
Outstanding Performance of an Individual – Christine Goerke

Cosi fan tutte

Outstanding Musical Direction – Bernard Labadie
Outstanding Performance of an Individual – Tracy Dahl
Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble – COC Chorus

La Bohème (COC co-production)

Outstanding Production
Outstanding Direction – John Caird
Outstanding Performance of an Individual – Angel Blue
Scenic Design – David Farley
Outstanding Costume Design – David Farley
Outstanding Lighting Design – Davida Tkach

Hadrian

Outstanding Production
Outstanding New Opera – writer Daniel MacIvor and composer Rufus Wainwright
Outstanding Performance of an Individual – Ambur Braid
Outstanding Performance of an Individual – Thomas Hampson
Scenic Design – Michael Gianfrancesco;
Projection Design – Laurie-Shawn Borzovoy
Outstanding Costume Design – Gillian Gallow
Outstanding Lighting Design – Bonnie Beecher

Opera 5

Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Outstanding Direction – Jessica Derventzis

Outstanding Performance of an Individual – Johnathon Kirby

Open Chambers: Hindemith & Shostakovich

Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble – Jacqueline Woodley, Rachel Krehm, Yosuke Kawasaki, Wolfram Koessel, Vadim Serebryany, Melissa Scott

Congratulations to all the nominees!

For a complete list of all Dora Award categories, check out the website.

LUDWIG VAN TORONTO

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