Canadian Opera Company - Toronto
29 March 2024

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Performance reviews

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Madama Butterfly

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 6

Canadian Opera Company's production of 'Madama Butterfly' soars
13 Oct 14 / The Examiner
COC’s Madama Butterfly remains beautiful and problematic
13 Oct 14 / The Globe and Mail
Madama Butterfly fails to deliver on large promise
12 Oct 14 / The Toronto Star
Falstaff

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 9

Falstaff offers sheer perfection
12 Oct 14 / The Toronto Star
A gala season opener
10 Oct 14 / ConcertoNet (French)
All-Canadian cast shines in Verdi's masterpiece
8 Oct 14 / The Epoch Times
The COC’s Falstaff is a fine figure of a performance
8 Oct 14 / National Post
COC opens new season with a stunning Falstaff
7 Oct 14 / La Scena Musicale (English)
Brush up your Verdi…
7 Oct 14 / Musical Toronto
Gerald Finley is Falstaff
7 Oct 14 / barczablog
The revengers’ comedy
7 Oct 14 / Opera Ramblings
Falstaff: A comic masterpiece
5 Oct 14 / The Globe and Mail
Roberto Devereux

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 4

The real star of "Roberto Devereux" was the music
19 May 14 / The Examiner
A dramatic tour de force
8 May 14 / ConcertoNet (English)
COC’s Roberto Devereux delivers with style, eventually
28 Apr 14 / The Globe and Mail
This absolutely thrilling production of Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux puts the “grand” back into “grand opera.”
27 Apr 14 / The Toronto Star
Sondra Radvanovsky tackles opera's Triple Crown
With Canadian Opera Company’s Roberto Devereux, opening April 25, Radvanovsky will have sung all three Donizetti queens, including Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda.
Don Quichotte

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 5

Don Quichotte is a compact classic
15 May 14 / National Post
Full of charm and delight
15 May 14 / ConcertoNet (English)
Canadian Opera Company puts on production of 'Don Quichotte'
14 May 14 / The Examiner
Don Quichotte a brilliant end to a satisfying COC season
13 May 14 / La Scena Musicale (English)
Don Quichotte redeemed by star Italian bass
11 May 14 / The Toronto Star
Hercules

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 5

A stirring achievement
22 Apr 14 / ConcertoNet (English)
Update of Handel’s opera about the far-reaching effects of war touches a universal chord
10 Apr 14 / Now Toronto
With Hercules, COC’s big idea doesn’t help an in-between opera
10 Apr 14 / National Post
Hercules: A vision of life and redemption
8 Apr 14 / The Globe and Mail
COC's Hercules sears the soul
7 Apr 14 / The Toronto Star
Un Ballo in Maschera

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 3

A bold reimagining of Verdi’s timeless opera of love and political intrigue
6 Feb 14 / Now Toronto
Un ballo in Tinseltown
6 Feb 14 / ConcertoNet (English)
A Masked Ball dazzles with spectacular singing
5 Feb 14 / Broadway World
Così fan tutte

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 3

Atom Egoyan schools opera audiences on love and fidelity
22 Jan 14 / Digital Journal
Così triumphs over directorial onslaught
22 Jan 14 / ConcertoNet (English)
The Canadian Opera Company mounts clash of concepts with Così fan tutte
21 Jan 14 / National Post
Atom Egoyan
‘I’d love to direct a comedy’
Peter Grimes

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 4

A wonderful Britten centennial tribute
9 Oct 13 / ConcertoNet (English)
Anthony Dean Griffey, orchestra and chorus stunning in COC Peter Grimes
9 Oct 13 / La Scena Musicale (English)
Benjamin Britten’s tale of a troubled outsider gets a superb production by the Canadian Opera Company
8 Oct 13 / Now Toronto
What could have been a tragedy wound up as a triumph
7 Oct 13 / The Toronto Star
Ben Heppner returns in COC's Peter Grimes
Acclaimed Canadian tenor Ben Heppner was back in fine form Tuesday night, returning to the stage to star in Peter Grimes after having withdrawn from the opera's opening night performance.
Ben Heppner withdraws from opening of COC's Peter Grimes
Health reasons cited; American tenor Anthony Dean Griffey steps in for Peter Grimes.
Ben Heppner looks back on a life of opera
Star tenor, who opens in Peter Grimes for the Canadian Opera Company, still sees himself as the ‘lumpy guy from Toronto’.
La bohème

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 2

An artistic view of the artist's life
7 Oct 13 / ConcertoNet (English)
Canadian Opera Company’s La Boheme keeps me dry-eyed, and that's not good
5 Oct 13 / The Toronto Star
David Lomeli withdraws from COC's La Bohème
Dimitri Pittas and Michael Fabiano to Replace David Lomeli in Canadian Opera Company's La Bohème.
Dialogues des Carmelites

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 8

Simply marvelous
24 May 13 / ConcertoNet (English)
“A terrible beauty is born”
17 May 13 / Stage Door
One of the COC’s best productions
16 May 13 / Now Toronto
Two 20th-Century works that still shock and awe
14 May 13 / Wall Street Journal
Dialogues Of The Carmelites offers fear, faith, and grace
11 May 13 / Digital Journal
A masterful Dialogue
11 May 13 / Toronto Sun
Judith Forst, Adrianne Pieczonka and Isabel Bayrakdarian stunning in Canadian Opera Company production
10 May 13 / The Toronto Star
Dialogues des Carmélites: Its faults are redeemed by its intensity and power
10 May 13 / The Globe and Mail
Salome

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 5

Two 20th-Century works that still shock and awe
14 May 13 / Wall Street Journal
Still a shocker
2 May 13 / ConcertoNet (English)
Salome soars
25 Apr 13 / Now Toronto
Salome survives the Egoyan touch
24 Apr 13 / National Post
Atom Egoyan’s Salome
22 Apr 13 / The Toronto Star
How opera singer Alan Held lost his head in Salome
Baritone who plays John the Baptist had gruesome replica of his head made for Canadian Opera Company production.
Lucia di Lammermoor

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 4

Spookily effective
2 May 13 / ConcertoNet (English)
Lucia di Lammermoor not yet worth the price of admission
20 Apr 13 / National Post
A bold vision gives new depth to this rich score
19 Apr 13 / The Toronto Star
Dark, claustrophobic, and highly enjoyable
19 Apr 13 / The Globe and Mail
La clemenza di Tito

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 5

Bliss and exasperation
9 Feb 13 / ConcertoNet (English)
The performances are superb
6 Feb 13 / Mooney on theatre
How the COC’s La Clemenza di Tito is like rooting for the Leafs (seriously)
6 Feb 13 / National Post
Fine performances make this imperfect production worthwhile
5 Feb 13 / The Globe and Mail
La clemenza di Tito sounds great but tough to watch
4 Feb 13 / The Toronto Star
Mezzo Isabel Leonard
Down-to-earth diva on the rise.
Tristan und Isolde

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 4

A special event indeed!
4 Feb 13 / ConcertoNet (English)
Tristan und Isolde is Wagner-riffic
31 Jan 13 / National Post
Musical perfection was in the air
31 Jan 13 / The Globe and Mail
A transcendent experience
31 Jan 13 / The Toronto Star
Peter Sellars brings Tristan und Isolde to the COC
The Canadian Opera Company has scored a major coup in bringing this world-renowned talent here to mount a new production of Wagner’s immense Tristan und Isolde.
Heppner makes a Wagnerian return with Tristan und Isolde
The new year can’t come fast enough — if only for Ben Heppner’s impassioned return to the Canadian Opera Company for the first time since the Clinton/Chrétien era.
Die Fledermaus

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 6

Lúgubre producción escénica
31 Jan 13 / Mundo Clásico (Spanish)
A welcome return
28 Oct 12 / ConcertoNet (English)
You can’t suck the fun out of Die Fledermaus
10 Oct 12 / National Post
Psychoanalysis and an ominous batman add a couple of fascinating layers to well-known Strauss confection
7 Oct 12 / Now Toronto
COC's Fledermaus leaves you looking for Strauss
6 Oct 12 / The Globe and Mail
Die Fledermaus a rich, racy triumph
5 Oct 12 / The Toronto Star
Il Trovatore

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 7

La casa por la ventana
14 Nov 12 / Mundo Clásico (Spanish)
A welcome return of Verdi’s great work
13 Oct 12 / ConcertoNet (English)
Voices, not the acting or staging, drive opera
2 Oct 12 / The Toronto Star
COC's Trovatore surpasses the libretto's limits
2 Oct 12 / The Globe and Mail
There’s plenty of lyricism and good singing in Verdi’s passionate opera but little stage drama
2 Oct 12 / Now Toronto
The Canadian Opera Complany’s Il Trovatore is thunderous
2 Oct 12 / National Post
A must-see for Opera fanatics
1 Oct 12 / Toronto Sun
Interview: Ramón Vargas
World-renowned tenor Ramón Vargas sails the high Cs in Il Trovatore.
Semele

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 5

Hot Handel
17 May 12 / Now Toronto
A perplexing show
14 May 12 / ConcertoNet (English)
The stage steals the show in the Canadian Opera Company’s Semele
12 May 12 / National Post
Opera production saved by spectacular music
11 May 12 / The Toronto Star
East and West meet as strangers in COC’s Semele
11 May 12 / The Globe and Mail
Sumo wrestlers recruited for Canadian opera
Talk about a couple of heavyweight performances: The Canadian Opera Company has cast two sumo wrestlers for its upcoming production of Semele.
Gianni Schicchi

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 5

A winning pair
14 May 12 / ConcertoNet (English)
COC serves up a Florentine double bill
1 May 12 / The Globe and Mail
Double bills come in a few flavours...
28 Apr 12 / National Post
Two courses of Italian hit the spot
28 Apr 12 / Toronto Sun
A Florentine Tragedy tepid while Gianni Schicchi soars
27 Apr 12 / The Toronto Star
Eine florentinische Tragödie

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 5

A winning pair
14 May 12 / ConcertoNet (English)
COC serves up a Florentine double bill
1 May 12 / The Globe and Mail
Double bills come in a few flavours...
28 Apr 12 / National Post
Two courses of Italian hit the spot
28 Apr 12 / Toronto Sun
A Florentine Tragedy tepid while Gianni Schicchi soars
27 Apr 12 / The Toronto Star
Les Contes d'Hoffmann

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 6

Hoffmann’s visions come to life
27 Apr 12 / ConcertoNet (English)
The Canadian Opera Company production is a marvel to see and hear
20 Apr 12 / Now Toronto
The vocal delights were considerable
12 Apr 12 / National Post
Unfocused Hoffman still fine operatic entertainment
12 Apr 12 / The Toronto Star
Beautiful singing, but Tales of Hoffman are really musical sugar
12 Apr 12 / The Globe and Mail
Hoffmann stories great individually, but fail to come together into a whole
12 Apr 12 / Toronto Sun
For John Relyea, opera is a family affair
Samuel Johnson famously called opera “an exotic and irrational entertainment,” but there are a few people in the world who can also justifiably call it something else: the family business.
L'Amour de loin

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 5

Opera from the 21st Century
7 Feb 12 / ConcertoNet (English)
Love from Afar provides suspense by the sea
4 Feb 12 / National Post
Stunning COC production of Finnish composer’s opera a feast for the senses
4 Feb 12 / Toronto Sun
COC delivers a distant love letter from a medieval poet
4 Feb 12 / The Globe and Mail
Modern opera at its very best
4 Feb 12 / The Toronto Star
Kaija Saariaho gets lots of love for Love from Afar
Love from Afar, the most-performed opera from this young century, has proven to be a game-changer for composer Kaija Saariaho.
Tosca

Canadian Opera Company


No. of reviews: 4

La cosa vera!
2 Feb 12 / ConcertoNet (English)
Adrianne Pieczonka made a formidable impression as Tosca
23 Jan 12 / National Post
Simple telling of timeless tale highlights stunning performances, orchestration
23 Jan 12 / Toronto Sun
Adrianne Pieczonka’s Tosca the best thing in COC’s production of Puccini classic
23 Jan 12 / The Toronto Star
Tosca tumbles at Canadian Opera Company
Having sustained a knee injury in her death scene in the title role on Friday, Adrianne Pieczonka didn’t jump to her death Tuesday night at the Canadian Opera Company.
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Performance schedule
Donizetti
26 Apr to 18 May 2024
Cherubini
3 to 25 May 2024
HAUI x Sean Mayes
14 to 16 Jun 2024
Verdi
4 to 25 Oct 2024
Gounod
11 Oct to 2 Nov 2024
Puccini
24 Jan to 16 Feb 2025
Bilodeau
31 Jan to 15 Feb 2025
Berg
25 Apr to 16 May 2025
Tchaikovsky
2 to 24 May 2025
Mascagni
23 May 2025

News & Articles

Canadian Opera Company’s 2024-25 season
Tamara Wilson, Anna Pirozzi, Eri Nakamura and Long Long lead Canadian Opera Company’s 2024-25 season.
23 Feb 2024 / OperaWire
Canadian Opera Company announces winter & spring 2021-22 season
The Canadian Opera Company has announced three new mainstage productions at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts for the 2021-22 season.
19 Sep 2021 / OperaWire
Canadian Opera Company receives new funding
The Department of Canadian Heritage has announced that the Canadian Opera Company will receive $644,372 in crucial funding provided through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund.
24 Feb 2021 / OperaWire
Canadian Opera Company announces new General Director
Canadian Opera Company has announced that Perryn Leech will be its new incoming General Director, effective March 1, 2021.
2 Dec 2020 / OperaWire
Canadian Opera Company cancels remainder of 2020-21 season
The company announced that productions of Bizet’s “Carmen,” Janáček’s “Katya Kabanova,” Verdi’s “La Traviata,” and Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice” will no longer be performed.
7 Oct 2020 / OperaWire