{"id":124890,"date":"2026-06-05T13:19:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=124890"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:46:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:46:18","slug":"feature-look-whos-singing-cosas-arias-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/06\/05\/feature-look-whos-singing-cosas-arias-work\/","title":{"rendered":"FEATURE | Look Who\u2019s Singing: COSA\u2019s Arias After Work"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dr.
Dr. Darryl Edwards (back, far right) and participants at the COSA event, Opera at Opera Night at George! – an evening of opera at the George Restaurant, April 2026 (Photo courtesy of COSA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

COSA \u2014the Centre Of Singing Arts \u2014 is an organization that wears many hats, including education and training, advocacy and more. One of those hats is serving as a performing arts organization, and as such COSA presents many events showcasing opera and opera singers.<\/p>\n

One of those events is Arias After Work. The performance series, which has been running since 2024, features trained vocalists whose career paths have taken then out of the operatic field.<\/p>\n

The next Arias After Work, Vol. 6, for example, features a speech pathologist, lawyer, coffee barista, engineer, dentist, event planner, paramedic, psychotherapist, hospital clerk, and a real-estate agent.<\/p>\n

It takes place on June 13.<\/p>\n

LV spoke to Dr. Darryl Edwards<\/strong> (Professor, University of Toronto Faculty of Music and Co-Head of Voice Studies: Graduate Admissions & Recruitment), along with Dr. Balaji Swaminath<\/strong>, Dentist, and originator of the idea, and Claire de S\u00e9vign\u00e9<\/strong>, international soprano and voice teacher about the project. Balaji and Curtis Zhang, COSA’s Executive Director, are also two of the founding performers in the series.<\/p>\n

Arias After Work: The Interview<\/h2>\n

One of COSA\u2019s main goals is to bring opera to a broader audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur original name was the Centre for Opera Studies and Appreciation,\u201d notes Edwards. \u201cCentre of Singing Arts just casually connects to people the way we need to do today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike most traditional opera organizations, COSA\u2019s goal is to move beyond the traditional concert format, and try to reach people who don\u2019t necessarily respond to that environment. \u201cIt’s trying to redefine the same thing and capture the same audience, as they all huddle together on this shrinking iceberg of opera as it is\/was,\u201d Edwards explains. \u201cThis brings access. We’ve changed our tagline to a great time for everyone, every time. That’s for people who want access to singing that is rigorously achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n

The singers, in other words, are trained at an advanced level. \u201cIt’s more than community, it’s for really engaged people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards has known Dr. Balaji Swaminath since he was a teenager. \u201cHe’s a very successful dental professional now,\u201d Darryl adds. A dental professional and entrepreneur who just happens to also be a trained vocalist. \u201cHe said, I want to sing out there, in a really good way, a classical way. Because it takes a lot, and I want a place to do it,\u201d Edwards adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s how this came into being.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curtis Zhang, who works as a marketing specialist, coined the name Arias After Work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started about this time about two years ago,\u201d Edwards recalls. The series was immediately popular, and has grown in the ensuing years. \u201cWe have so many singers we cannot contain ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with a roster of vocalists, Arias After Work usually includes a featured performer. Previous events have showcased a mariachi ensemble, a Sri Lankan dance and music group, and a Korean flutist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time we’re going to have a Bengali traditional singer who’s playing with her daughter,\u201d Edwards notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDarryl was my teacher at the University of Toronto years ago, and honestly has become a mentor of mine over the years,\u201d says Claire de S\u00e9vign\u00e9<\/strong>. These days, her practice involves both performance and teaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of my students who come to me now are all highly trained,\u201d she continues. \u201cIt’s easy to find a teacher now, but what’s not easy to find is a platform, a venue to share [their work],\u201d Claire adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, singing needs to be heard. You get better as a musician when you are performing,\u201d de S\u00e9vign\u00e9 says. Claire looked to create a space where her students could share their singing at an advanced level. It gives them tangible goals for a real performance. \u201cIt inspired them; it inspired me,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, I have all these incredibly talented singers, and we need this place to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talent and training are challenging enough to acquire. Not everyone, however, is headed for, or wants to, pursue a professional career as a singer, which offers a whole new set of obstacles and challenges. Others sing professionally for a time, but life and circumstances take them eventually in a different direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve been really fortunate in that I’ve been able to pursue a career as a singer,\u201d de S\u00e9vign\u00e9 says. She understands that career paths can diverge. But, one essential truth remains. \u201cOnce a performer, always a performer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the people who are engaging with Arias After Work have had careers as professional performers,\u201d Darryl adds. Today, they may be corporate event planners, or arts administrators. \u201cThey have got Master\u2019s degrees in performing, and sang with one of Canada’s young artist programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he explains, Arias After Work is open to vocalists who work in other genres. \u201cIt’s not just for the super trained, it’s for the classically trained who sing in other styles. It’s not a closed loop, it’s an open loop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Darryl Edwards (back, far right) and participants at the COSA Arias After Work, Vol. 5 in April 2026 (Photo courtesy of COSA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Passion Of Performance<\/h3>\n

The unique event has proven to be a hit. Edwards notes that, at the first event, he asked Balaji and his wife to set up a reception for after the performances. \u201cPeople practically ignored the reception, they were too busy talking about their excitement of having been able to perform. They’re on fire with excitement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The audience feels that passion too. Edwards reports that an audience member at a previous event told him, \u201cI didn’t know what this was about, but it’s a feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s how we’re growing,\u201d Darryl adds. \u201cIt’s that intangible great feeling you get when you bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balaji Swaminath<\/strong>\u2019s story is emblematic. He credits Edwards as the driving force behind Arias After Work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met Darryl when I was grade nine,\u201d Swaminath says, \u201cwhich seems like an eternity ago \u2014 but also not.
\nThe Darryl you see today is the same Mr. Edwards or Darryl that was presented to me in grade nine. He was a real force, he still is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards was a high school music teacher at the time. \u201cDuring the 80s and 90s, it was kind of a special time for music in high schools,\u201d Balaji recalls. There were five music teachers at his Guelph high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up, I was exposed to a lot of different kinds of music,\u201d he continues. \u201cI played cello from grade six to grade 13. Meeting Darryl, I learned a lot about classical music, and really learned a lot about that.
\nI became a dentist, and that took a lot of time away from my music, but that was always at the back of my mind,\u201d Swaminath adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis concert series that Darryl started for me, was a bit of sanctuary for me.\u201d Balaji says that while he\u2019d sung in choirs and other groups, he hadn\u2019t sung solo publicly in some time before the first iteration of Arias After Work in 2024. \u201cHaving an environment where I can perform freely has been really profound for me. Having this opportunity with Arias After Work has really given me a focus and determination to keep going and improving as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also allowed Balaji to use his instrumental skills. \u201cWhat I’ve brought to it as well, in addition to doing an opera piece or an aria, I also play guitar well enough to accompany myself as I’m singing,\u201d he says. \u201cThat’s the really special thing about it, is that there are lot of people like me who do a lot of other things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharing the music is paramount, and the format breaks down barriers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s taken the stuffiness away from classical music,\u201d Swaminath says. That includes more casual venues, and an audience that includes music lovers who range well beyond the usual classical music crowd. \u201cIt’s just all about the music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Certainly, there are many music schools and teachers in the city, fostering an even larger number of highly trained students. \u201cThere’s a lot of exceptional talent in Toronto,\u201d Balaji notes. \u201c[Darryl]’s spoiled for choice now for the sixth series, because there’s a lot of people who want to participate,\u201d he points out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m really happy to be part of what’s going on here,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt’s got a lot of potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n

\u201cIt’s the phenomenon,\u201d Edwards says, \u201cthe audience experience \u2014 that will draw people.
\n\u201d It\u2019s the kind of experience that leaves all the participants, including performers and audience, feeling upbeat. \u201cThat’s a phenomenon I want people to share in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the first and one of a growing number of teachers who are bringing in students,\u201d de S\u00e9vign\u00e9 says. \u201cIt becomes a circle of encouragement. It’s a really great open circle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many of us are on the outside looking in,\u201d Darryl adds. \u201cWe\u2019re all ripe for creating bigger communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arias After Work, Vol. 6<\/h2>\n

The sixth iteration of Arias After Work; a concert of opera classics sung by brilliant singers (who happen to work in other industries!) takes place June 13, 2026 at College Street United Church.<\/p>\n