{"id":120648,"date":"2026-01-02T14:32:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T19:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=120648"},"modified":"2026-01-05T07:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T12:00:02","slug":"preview-opera-5s-toronto-opera-festival-returns-in-june-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/01\/02\/preview-opera-5s-toronto-opera-festival-returns-in-june-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Opera 5\u2019s Toronto Opera Festival Returns In June 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"From
From the Gala opener of Opera 5\u2019s inaugural Toronto Opera Festival 2025 (Photo courtesy of Opera 5)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

In June 2025, Opera 5 presented the inaugural Toronto Opera Festival, consisting of three productions. The festival was deemed \u201ca smashing success<\/a>\u201d by Ludwig-Van\u2019s own Paula Citron.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Portfolio Artist Internship Program, a professional development initiative.<\/p>\n

Toronto Opera Festival 2026<\/h2>\n

The Toronto Opera Festival will take place June 3 to 14, 2026, with performances at Theatre Passe Muraille.<\/p>\n

Double Bill: Giacomo Puccini\u2019s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi<\/h3>\n

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\u2019s Jessica Derventzis<\/strong> and Evan Mitchell<\/strong>, along with set and costumes by Carlyn Rahusaar Routledge<\/strong> and lighting design by Siobhan Sleath<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuor Angelica is a heartbreakingly beautiful work, where Puccini\u2019s 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 \u2014 and one cunning outsider determined to outsmart them. Together, these operas have taken my emotional range (and my Kleenex budget) to new heights,\u201d comments Jessica Derventzis<\/strong>, Artistic Director of Opera 5 in a statement.<\/p>\n

Puccini\u2019s Suor Angelica, or Sister Angelica, is a one-act tragedy that revolves around the story of a young noblewoman in the 17th century who\u2019s 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\u2019s lost. The intimate work is part of Puccini\u2019s triptych Il trittico, and features atmospheric music while exploring themes of faith, the judgment of society, and the love of a mother.<\/p>\n

General Director of Opera 5 and soprano Rachel Krehm<\/strong> will sing the role of Suor Angelica.<\/p>\n

Puccini\u2019s one-act comic opera Gianni Schicchi, the third and final work of the composer\u2019s Il trittico triptych, features an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, and is based on an event that is mentioned in Dante\u2019s Divine Comedy. Gianni Schicchi de’ Cavalcanti is a historical figure, an Italian knight who lived in the 13th century. He\u2019s mentioned in Dante\u2019s 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\u2019s fortune. The social satire, Puccini\u2019s only comic opera, revolves around a scene in Donati\u2019s bedroom just after his death as his self-serving relatives pretend to grieve while searching for his will.<\/p>\n

Canadian baritone Gregory Dahl<\/strong> will be performing the role of Gianni Schicchi, with mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szab\u00f3<\/strong> as both the Zia Principessa and Zita.<\/p>\n

World Premiere: Par\u1e17lios by Canadian composer Cecilia Livingston and librettist Duncan McFarlane<\/h3>\n

Performances take place June 11 to 14, 2026 at Theatre Passe Muraille.<\/p>\n

Cecilia Livingston<\/strong> and Duncan McFarlane<\/strong> comment, \u201cInspired by Olafur Eliasson’s installation The Weather Project, Par\u1e17lios 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 \u2014 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!\u201d<\/p>\n

Par\u1e17lios 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 \u2014 soprano Len Crino<\/strong>, alto Brenden Lengsfeld<\/strong>, tenor Ryan Nauta<\/strong>, and baritone Aaron Dimoff<\/strong> \u2014 will be joined by three contemporary dancers.<\/p>\n

The production will be directed and choreographed by Jennifer Nichols<\/strong>, with music direction by Evan Mitchell<\/strong>. The design team will include Siobhan Sleath<\/strong> (lighting), Chris Faris<\/strong> (costumes), and Nathan Bruce<\/strong> (projections.)<\/p>\n