{"id":33067,"date":"2016-01-14T06:52:59","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T11:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=33067"},"modified":"2016-01-14T07:16:26","modified_gmt":"2016-01-14T12:16:26","slug":"the-scoop-coc-announce-2016-17-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2016\/01\/14\/the-scoop-coc-announce-2016-17-season\/","title":{"rendered":"THE SCOOP | COC Announce 2016-17 Season Highlighted With Debuts And Reappointments"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"COC
COC 2016-17 Season: COC Music Director Johannes Debus and COC General Director Alexander Neef in R. Fraser Elliott Hall at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 2013. Photo: bohuang.ca<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Debuts and reappointments highlight COC 2016-17 season featuring 6 operas: Norma<\/em>, Ariodante<\/em>, The Magic Flute<\/em>, G\u00f6tterd\u00e4mmerung<\/em>, Louis Riel<\/em>, and Tosca<\/em>.<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s that time of year again folks!\u00a0 Every January, Toronto opera lovers eagerly await the launch of the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s upcoming season. I\u2019ve been attending these announcements for many years now. It used to be a much more modest affair, in the form of a press conference at the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre on Front Street. The late COC General Director Richard Bradshaw was the main speaker, attended by members of the media, and the occasional COC board member and supporters from the President\u2019s Council.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, the event was moved to the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre in the new opera house, the Four Seasons Centre. It was moved again a couple of years ago to the main auditorium, complete with slick audiovisual presentation, even a performance or two by artists engaged for the new season, with the full COC Orchestra. At last season\u2019s announcement, there was something like 1,000 people in attendance, including subscribers, supporters, donors, patrons, and, of course, the press. This event is important for marketing and publicity values alone, and a great way to attract potential subscribers.<\/p>\n

Norma, Ariodante<\/em><\/h3>\n
\"Sondra
Sondra Radvanovsky as Norma in Norma (San Francisco Opera, 2014), (Photo: Cory Weaver)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A scene from Ariodante (Festival d\u2019Aix en Provence, 2014), (Photo: Pascal Victor\/ArtComArt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The attendance at tonight\u2019s launch was the biggest I\u2019ve seen. I venture to say the 2,100 seat opera house was nearly full.\u00a0 Johannes Debus led the COC Orchestra in selections from the six operas being produced next season. The 2016-17 season is an excellent one, a combination of warhorses and the unfamiliar, the traditional and the avant-garde. The season opens with a blockbuster – Bellini\u2019s Norma<\/em> \u2013 with a dream cast. Sharing the role are two great sopranos, Sondra Radvanovsky (a terrific Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux<\/em>) and Elza van den Heever (a superb Leonora in Il trovatore<\/em>). \u00a0American mezzo Isabel Leonard returns as Adalgisa. I was disappointed when she cancelled a Toronto recital last fall due to illness, so it\u2019s great to know she\u2019s coming back. Russell Thomas, our Hoffmann a few seasons back, is Pollione, and Dimitry Ivashchenko (a terrific Hunding last season) is Oroveso.\u00a0 Stephen Lord returns to conduct the eight performances from Oct. 6 to Nov. 5.\u00a0 It is paired with Handel\u2019s Ariodante<\/em>, conducted by Johannes Debus with Brit Richard Jones as director. Alice Coote, the Komponist in Ariadne<\/em> a few seasons ago, sings the title role. Jane Archibald is Ginevra. Armenian mezzo Varduhi Abrahamyan debuts as Polinesso, and former Ensemble Studio coloratura soprano Ambur Braid sings Dalinda. Seven performances Oct. 16 to Nov. 5.<\/p>\n

G\u00f6tterd\u00e4mmerung, The Magic Flute<\/em><\/h3>\n
\"John
John Fanning as Gunther and Mats Almgren as Hagen (in foreground) in G\u00f6tterd\u00e4mmerung (COC, 2006), (Photo: Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Michael
Michael Schade as Tamino (centre) in The Magic Flute (COC, 2011), (Photo: Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s winter, it must be Wagner\u201d \u2013 well, it\u2019s been true for the COC lately! The last segment of the COC production of the Ring, G\u00f6tterd\u00e4mmerung<\/em>, is slated for seven performances Feb. 2 to 25.\u00a0 The great American Wagnerian soprano Christine Goerke returns as Brunnhilde, partnering her is Austrian heldentenor Andreas Schager as the mature Siegfried. I last heard him in Bravissimo<\/em> on New Year\u2019s Eve 2014. And believe it or not, he was Tamino at Opera Mississauga, at least, a dozen years ago!\u00a0 A huge transformation to be sure, but he won\u2019t be the first \u2013 none other than the famous German tenor Siegfried Jerusalem started out as Tamino and Max and \u201cgraduated\u201d to Siegfried and Tristan! Estonian bass Ain Anger debuts as Hagen, and German baritone Martin Gantner is Gunther. Johannes Debus continues his first Ring Odyssey as the conductor. The COC tends to pair a heavy piece with a comedy. This time, it\u2019s Mozart\u2019s The Magic Flute<\/em>, with Bernard Labadie making his belated COC conducting debut. Two former COC Ensemble tenors, Andrew Haji and Owen McCausland, take on Tamino, opposite Russian Elena Tsallagova and Canadian Kirsten MacKinnon as Pamina. I fondly remember Tsallagova as an enchanting Melisande in Munich last July. Two terrific Canadians, Josh Hopkins and Phillip Addis share Papageno. There\u2019ll be a total of 12 performances from Jan. 19 to Feb. 24.<\/p>\n

Louis Riel,\u00a0<\/i><\/span>Tosca<\/em><\/h3>\n
\"Harry
Harry Somers’ Louis Riel. A COC co-production with Canada’s National Arts Centre.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mark
Mark Delavan as Scarpia and Adrianne Pieczonka as Tosca in Tosca (COC, 2012), (Photo: Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With 2017 being Canadian\u2019s sesquicentennial year, it\u2019s good to have a Canadian work \u2013 a new production of Harry Somers\u2019 Louis Riel<\/em>. I\u2019ve only seen it in the mid 70\u2019s in Ottawa, but a version of that production is also available commercially on DVD. Now, the COC, in conjunction with the National Arts Centre, is presenting a brand new production, with COC Music Director Johannes Debus conducting. Canadian baritone Russell Braun is Louis Riel, joined by Simone Osborne (Marguerite), James Westman (Sir John A. Macdonald), Allyson McHardy (Julie), Michael Colvin (Thomas Scott) and John Relyea (Bishop Tach\u00e9). Seven performances from April 20 to May 13. \u00a0\u00a0The COC season closes with Tosca<\/em>. It wasn\u2019t that long ago that we had this Puccini warhorse starring Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka.\u00a0 She is back for a reprise, sharing the role with soprano Keri Alkema. Tenors Ramon Vargas and Andrea Car\u00e8 share Cavaradossi, and German bass-baritone Markus Marquardt makes his Canadian debut as Scarpia. Canadian conductor, Keri Lynn Wilson is at the helm \u2013 she\u2019s the first woman conductor at the COC mainstage since Anne Manson, who conducted A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em> in 2009. Twelve performances from April 30 to May 20.<\/p>\n

COC Music Director Johannes Debus Renews Contract Through 2020\/2021<\/h3>\n
\"COC
COC Music Director Johannes Debus, 2014. (Photo: Photo: bohuang.ca<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to the unveiling of this interesting season lineup, it was also announced that the contract of COC Music Director Johannes Debus has been renewed through the 2020-21 season. This is great good news. He\u2019s a marvellous conductor, full of youthful energy and abundant creative imagination. His presence has elevated the already excellent COC Orchestra to a new level. If I may allow myself a little anecdote \u2013 I first experienced Debus\u2019 conducting at the Bavarian State Opera in 2008, in a performance of Elektra<\/em>.\u00a0 I was so blown away by this 34-year old conductor that I wrote him a \u201cfan email.\u201d\u00a0 Little did I know that by a huge stroke of coincidence, shortly afterwards it was announced that Debus would be making his COC debut in War and Peace<\/em>!\u00a0 I wrote again to congratulate him, and he wrote back to say that not only would this be his first War and Peace<\/em> but his first Prokofiev. And he only had a short time to prepare this monumental piece. Wouldn\u2019t you know, Maestro Debus showed up with the whole opera committed to memory!\u00a0 The COC Orchestra musicians were bowled over by him, and within a year, Debus was appointed Music Director. Having secured him for the next five years, it means the COC Orchestra will be in good hands.<\/p>\n

COC Ensemble Studio<\/h3>\n

Last but not least was the announcement of the new young artists joining the COC Ensemble Studio, a total of six singers \u2013 an unusually large number \u2013 and one pianist.\u00a0 They are sopranos Danika Loren<\/a> and Samantha Pickett<\/a>, mezzos Emily D\u2019Angelo<\/a>, Lauren Eberwein<\/a> and Megan Quick<\/a>, baritone Bruno Roy<\/a>, and pianist Stephane Mayer<\/a>. Current Ensemble artists who will be returning are singers Karine Boucher, Aaron Sheppard, Charles Sy and pianist Hyejin Kwon.<\/p>\n

There you have it \u2013 all the ingredients for an exciting season ahead!<\/p>\n

#LUDWIGVAN<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Debuts and reappointments highlight COC 2016-17 season featuring 6 operas: Norma, Ariodante, The Magic Flute, G\u00f6tterd\u00e4mmerung, Louis Riel, and Tosca.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":33068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5723,39,43],"tags":[223,628,825,5779,5780,5778,1744,5777,5776],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/01\/AlexanderNeefJohannesDebus-BH-3500.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-8Bl","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33067"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33067"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33089,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33067\/revisions\/33089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33067"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=33067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}