Out of the concert hall and into the city, the COC will showcase its artists and highlights of the operatic repertoire in a series of performances across downtown Toronto. In September, the company will present four one-hour concerts outside the usual Four Seasons concert hall.
One programme, titled Canadian Opera Company Presents: Opera’s Greatest Hits, will be presented in the Meridian Arts Centre, and the Canadian Opera Company at Harbourfront Centre series will offer three concerts over two days on the shores of Lake Ontario.
The performances
In a one-hour format, the performances will feature the emerging opera stars of the company’s Ensemble Studio. The Ensemble Studio recently welcomed four new members: Korin Thomas-Smith, Karoline Podolak, Mattia Senesi and Wesley Harrison. They join returning sopranos Ariane Cossette and Charlotte Siegel, mezzo-sopranos Alex Hetherington and Queen Hezumuryango, and pianist Brian Cho.
Canadian baritone Korin Thomas-Smith was a finalist in the 2022 Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto Masters of Opera program and the Masters of Musical Arts in Opera program at Yale University. He also studied at the Royal Conservatory as a fellow of the Rebanks Family Fellowship.
Tenor Wesley Harrison tied for Third Place in our 2022 Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition. Wesley earned his bachelor’s in voice performance at Wilfrid Laurier University and his master’s in opera and voice performance at McGill University.
Soprano Karoline Podolak took home first prize at the 2022 Centre Stage competition. She earned a master’s degree from the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Poland, and her most recent roles include Violetta in La Traviata at the National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria.
Pianist Mattia Senesi holds a bachelor’s degree from the Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali Rinaldo Franci in Siena and master’s degree in piano from the Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali Pietro Mascagni in Livorno. He’s won several major competitions, and is currently completing his doctorate in collaborative piano at the University of Montreal.
They will be accompanied by the COC Orchestra led by COC Music Director Johannes Debus.
The programme will include popular selections from operas such as Beethoven’s Fidelio, Puccini’s La Bohème, Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Cherubini’s Medea, and Donizetti’s Don Pasquale.
Details
Canadian Opera Company Presents: Opera’s Greatest Hits (George Weston Hall, Meridian Arts Centre, North York)
- September 7 at 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Canadian Opera Company at Harbourfront (Harbourfront Centre)
- September 16 at 7:30-8:30 p.m.
- September 17 at 1-2 p.m.
- September 17 at 3-4 p.m.
Tickets for the Meridian Arts Centre performance are available [HERE]. The performances at Harbourfront Centre are free of charge.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the Ludwig van Daily — classical music and opera in five minutes or less HERE.
*Note: The article has been amended to include the names of all the new members of the COC Ensemble Studio.
- PREVIEW | Oriental Legend Dance Drama Makes Its North American Premiere In Toronto December 12 - December 5, 2025
- PREVIEW | The Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra Presents New Year’s On December 13 - December 5, 2025
- INTERVIEW | Supervising Music Editor Jack Dolman Talks About Wicked: For Good - December 5, 2025
