The COC’s very first staging of Verdi’s Nabucco and the Toronto premiere of La Reine-garçon are among the highlights of the Canadian Opera Company’s 2024-25 season, as announced today. Almost all the productions for the season are new to Toronto audiences, including the world premiere of a new production of Gounod’s Faust.
Beloved operas from the repertoire, and adventurous new productions, come together in 2024/25.
“I am delighted to share our 2024/2025 season,” says COC General Director Perryn Leech in a statement. “With the COC’s international reputation, I wanted to create a lineup that would be new and exciting for seasoned opera-goers while providing globally beloved classics and boundary-pushing presentations for newer audiences to explore. I’m also delighted to be partnering with opera companies here at home and around the globe in the creation of important new productions. The COC boasts exceptional technicians and artisans who are putting a distinctly Canadian stamp on opera productions that will be seen all over the world.”
COC’s 2024/2025 Season At-A-Glance
Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi
October 4, 6, 12, 17, 19, 23, and 25, 2024
Sung in Italian with English SURTITLESTM
A production from Lyric Opera of Chicago
Verdi’s Nabucco has never before been performed by the COC. The story calls for a cast of more than 120 performers and hundreds of costumes. Baritone Roland Wood stars as the ]title character with soprano Tamara Wilson as Abigaille, his supposed daughter and would-be Queen of Babylon. Lovers Fenena and Ismaele are portrayed by Ensemble Studio graduates mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb and tenor Matthew Cairns, with conductor Paolo Carignani leading the COC Orchestra.
Faust by Charles Gounod
October 11, 13, 16, 18, 24, 26; November 2, 2024
Sung in French with English SURTITLESTM
A new COC production
This iconic story about the deal with the devil sees aging philosopher Faust trade his soul for eternal youth. Naturally, the consequences are dire. Charles Gounod’s take on the story is part of the worldwide revival of French grand opera. Tenor Long Long stars as Faust opposite bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen as the demon Méphistophélès. Soprano Kseniia Proshina makes a COC debut as Faust’s love interest, Marguerite, with direction by Amy Lane.
Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini
January 24, 26; February 1, 6, 8, 12, 14, and 16, 2025
Sung in Italian with English SURTITLESTM
A production from Houston Grand Opera
The beloved Puccini opera comes back to the COC in a production that is new to Toronto audiences from Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage. Eri Nakamura stars as Butterfly (Cio-Cio San), with tenor Kang Wang as Pinkerton.
La Reine-garçon by Julien Bilodeau and Michel Marc Bouchard
January 31; February 2, 5, 7, 9, 13, and 15, 2025
Sung in French with English SURTITLESTM
The first ever co-commission and co-production between the Canadian Opera Company and the Opéra de Montréal, the story revolves around Queen Christine of Sweden, raised as a boy by her father. The production brings together two of Canada’s most innovative creatives: composer Julien Bilodeau and playwright Michel Marc Bouchard, with a cast of Canadian singers: sopranos Kirsten MacKinnon and Kirsten LeBlanc as the Queen of Sweden; tenor Owen McCausland as René Descartes, who is summoned to guide the young Queen; and bass-baritone Philippe Sly as Christine’s suitor Count Karl.
Wozzeck by Alban Berg
April 25, 27; May 3, 8, 10, 14, and 16, 2025
Sung in German with English SURTITLESTM
A co-production from the Canadian Opera Company, Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, and Opera Australia
Alban Berg’s Wozzeck was coloured by the composer’s experiences during WWI. He captures the horrors of the battlefield in a story about a soldiers disintegration into insanity. South African artist William Kentridge directs, with baritone Michael Kupfer-Radecky in the title role, and soprano Ambur Braid, as Marie, his lover. Tenor Michael Schade sings the role of the Captain.
Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
May 2, 4, 7, 9, 15, 17, and 24, 2025
Sung in Russian with English SURTITLESTM
A Canadian Opera Company revival
Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin takes a simple story of unrequited love, and turns it into a masterpiece. Soprano Lauren Fagan stars as the bookish Tatyana, with Eugene Onegin, sung by baritone Vasily Ladyuk in a COC debut. Staging from Canadian director Robert Carsen has been acclaimed worldwide, with Speranza Scappucci to conduct.
Special Events
Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition
October 30, 2024
The Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition lets audiences get an early glimpse at tomorrow’s opera stars. They’ll be competing for cash prizes, along with the chance to be part of the COC Ensemble Studio, a career development program. Finalists are selected from cross-country auditions.
Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni
May 23, 2025
The one-act operas comes to the stage in a one-night only concert presentation. A thriller of a story about love and betrayal unfolds in near real-time, with a cast that features tenor Russell Thomas as Turiddu, soprano Anna Pirozzi as Santuzza, mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel as Mamma Lucia, and baritone Simone Piazzola as Alfio.
“With the addition of Cavalleria rusticana, we’re excited to add a mainstage concert as another way to experience opera in 2024/2025,” continues Leech. “I am thrilled this season at the Canadian Opera Company will showcase some of the world’s most incredible vocal artists, extraordinary musicians, and wonderful technicians in an unparalleled venue: the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. It’s a season that has something for everyone.”
- More information about the season and subscriptions [HERE].
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