Opera 5 can look back on 2025 as a banner year. Early in the year, the Toronto indie opera company was named as the new Company-in-Residence of the Canadian Opera Company for a two-year tenure that officially began on July 1, 2025, and includes a collaborative creation of an opera that will be presented by the COC.
In June 2025, Opera 5 presented the inaugural Toronto Opera Festival, consisting of three productions. The festival was deemed “a smashing success” by Ludwig-Van’s own Paula Citron.
The company brings back the Toronto Opera Festival in June 2026, featuring a Puccini double bill along with a world premiere by composer Cecilia Livingston and librettist Duncan McFarlane. The casts for each show will include established Canadian artists along with the next-gen talent of Opera 5’s Portfolio Artist Internship Program, a professional development initiative.
Toronto Opera Festival 2026
The Toronto Opera Festival will take place June 3 to 14, 2026, with performances at Theatre Passe Muraille.
Double Bill: Giacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi
The Puccini double bill contrasts a tragedy and a comedy. Performances take place June 3 to 7, 2026 at Theatre Passe Muraille. The double bill will feature a creative team with Opera 5’s Jessica Derventzis and Evan Mitchell, along with set and costumes by Carlyn Rahusaar Routledge and lighting design by Siobhan Sleath.
“Suor Angelica is a heartbreakingly beautiful work, where Puccini’s luminous orchestration illuminates themes of sacrifice, grief, and spiritual transcendence. Gianni Schicchi, by contrast, dazzles with razor-sharp wit and brilliant comic timing, its lively score propelling the zany antics of a greedy, deceitful family — and one cunning outsider determined to outsmart them. Together, these operas have taken my emotional range (and my Kleenex budget) to new heights,” comments Jessica Derventzis, Artistic Director of Opera 5 in a statement.
Puccini’s Suor Angelica, or Sister Angelica, is a one-act tragedy that revolves around the story of a young noblewoman in the 17th century who’s been forced into the isolated life of a nun at a convent after the birth of her illegitimate child. She agonizes over her past, and the son she’s lost. The intimate work is part of Puccini’s triptych Il trittico, and features atmospheric music while exploring themes of faith, the judgment of society, and the love of a mother.
General Director of Opera 5 and soprano Rachel Krehm will sing the role of Suor Angelica.
Puccini’s one-act comic opera Gianni Schicchi, the third and final work of the composer’s Il trittico triptych, features an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, and is based on an event that is mentioned in Dante’s Divine Comedy. Gianni Schicchi de’ Cavalcanti is a historical figure, an Italian knight who lived in the 13th century. He’s mentioned in Dante’s Divine Comedy when Dante visits the 8th circle of hell, designed for frauds, forgers, and cheats. Dante sees one man attacking another. The attacker is Schicchi, who has been condemned to hell for impersonating someone called Buoso Donati in an attempt to steal Donati’s fortune. The social satire, Puccini’s only comic opera, revolves around a scene in Donati’s bedroom just after his death as his self-serving relatives pretend to grieve while searching for his will.
Canadian baritone Gregory Dahl will be performing the role of Gianni Schicchi, with mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó as both the Zia Principessa and Zita.
World Premiere: Parḗlios by Canadian composer Cecilia Livingston and librettist Duncan McFarlane
Performances take place June 11 to 14, 2026 at Theatre Passe Muraille.
Cecilia Livingston and Duncan McFarlane comment, “Inspired by Olafur Eliasson’s installation The Weather Project, Parḗlios is the latest in a series of works we’ve created that respond to visual art as a starting point for explorations of voice, movement, and staging — blurring the boundaries of genre. We’re so excited to collaborate with the incredible musicians of TorQ Percussion Quartet to bring a startling sound palette to this new work and we look forward to sharing it with Opera 5’s audiences!”
Parḗlios is an innovative new opera that delves into themes of climate change, migration, and our connections to the planet we live in via a blend of choir, soloists, a percussion ensemble, movement, and installation. The multidisciplinary work represents an intersection of opera, oratorio, and installation, and features TorQ Percussion Quartet. The diverse, gender-expansive cast of Canadian soloists — soprano Len Crino, alto Brenden Lengsfeld, tenor Ryan Nauta, and baritone Aaron Dimoff — will be joined by three contemporary dancers.
The production will be directed and choreographed by Jennifer Nichols, with music direction by Evan Mitchell. The design team will include Siobhan Sleath (lighting), Chris Faris (costumes), and Nathan Bruce (projections.)
- The festival cast will be featured in one of the Canadian Opera Company’s Free Concert Series on May 13, 2026 at 12 p.m.
Opera 5 Portfolio Artist Internship
Opera 5 has also announced the third iteration of the Portfolio Artist Internship program in partnership with Opera McGill at the Schulich School of Music. A total of 13 early-career artists will take part in the program, and cover roles in the Puccini double bill, along with participating in professional development workshops that will take them through the skills required for design, production, or administration. The program uses a mentorship model, offering hands-on practical experience that goes beyond performance.
- The interns will be featured in a concert presented by the Canadian Opera Company’s Free Concert Series on May 4, 2026 at 12 p.m.
Stay Tuned…
Additional announcements will be coming down the pipe as the year progresses, including the Portfolio Artist Interns 2026, and more cast and crew for the Toronto Opera Festival 2026.
- Tickets will be available in 2026. Check for updates via the Opera 5 website [HERE].
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