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THE SCOOP | Canadian Opera Company Cancels Mainstage Productions Through 2020

By Michael Vincent on June 22, 2020

Toronto: Four Seasons Centre (concert hall and opera house) (Photo Wikipedia/Copyleft)

The Canadian Opera Company (COC) has announced they have cancelled all in-person events through the fall of its 2020/2021 season.

“Since the cancellation of our spring season back in March, we have been actively exploring every option regarding what our return to the stage might look like in our current reality,” says COC General Director Alexander Neef.

“There was much to consider,” Neef explained. “Opera gathers talent from all around the world to work together in close quarters, requires an extensive rehearsal schedule, plenty of advance planning, and – to remain economically viable – an auditorium full of people, without whom no live performance is complete. Taking all of these factors into account, plus the many unknowns around public health guidelines in the fall, this was the only viable course of action to ensure the continued safety of our artists, staff, and audiences.”

Cancelled programming includes all mainstage productions slated to run between September 25 – November 7, 2020: Wagner’s Parsifal, (rescheduled for 2022/2023), and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.

“I realize that Parsifal’s cancellation for this season will initially come as a disappointment to many,” says Neef. “This production caps a decade-long, community-led effort to stage Wagner’s final work here, and we are so thankful for the ongoing support of our donors. The passion and commitment of our Monumental Campaign supporters has ensured that we can bring Parsifal to our stage, and it is thanks to them that we can still share this magnificent opera with Canadian audiences in the near future.”

The world premiere of the COC’s Opera for Young Audiences, Fantasma, will be rescheduled to a later date in the 2020/2021 season. The annual Ensemble Studio Competition and Centre Stage Gala have also been cancelled.

The COC’s Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre will continue in a digital format. All Education & Outreach activities have been paused until further notice.

Events previously scheduled for the 2021 year will continue as planned. These include Bizet’s Carmen, Janáček’s Katya Kabanova, Verdi’s La Traviata, and Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice.

Ticket holders will have the option of donating tickets, converting their value to a gift certificate credit that will never expire, or receiving a full refund.

#LUDWIGVAN

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Michael Vincent
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