It’s time to fall into fantasy with the start of our 2019/2020 season! 

In this edition of eOpera, we have everything you need for our two upcoming operas, Puccini’s Turandot and Dvořák’s Rusalka, including a new video with maestro Carlo Rizzi.

We’ve also been busy welcoming the newest members of our Ensemble Studio, the COC’s renowned training program for rising opera stars – you’ll have a chance to see them perform at tomorrow’s “Meet the Young Artists” free concert.

Let’s get started!

When Less is More

Soprano Tamara Wilson's voice “has the power to ride effortlessly over the chorus” (The Independent) but in Puccini's final masterpiece, Turandot, it’s all about the vocal control.

Hear Tamara’s candid thoughts on the challenging title role.

A Musical Calling Card: “Nessun dorma”

Popularized by Luciano Pavarotti at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, it’s the tune that films, commercials, and reality shows reach for when things get larger than life.

Conductor Carlo Rizzi breaks down what makes Puccini’s show-stopping aria such a classic.

Turandot Reimagined

One of opera’s biggest blockbusters is getting the Robert Wilson treatment. The visionary artist and director has created an immersive theatrical experience that transports us from the everyday.

Read how Wilson and his team reimagined Turandot.

Diving into Rusalka

You’re probably familiar with Disney’s The Little Mermaid, but its folklore roots tell a darker tale – of a lovelorn sprite doomed to lure her beloved to a watery grave. This season’s Rusalka weaves a bit of sweet and a bit of sinister into an opulent, indulgent production.

Delve into the opera’s origins and evolution in this helpful primer.

Top of Their Class

It’s back to school for the 2019/2020 COC Ensemble Studio! This year we have four new artists joining the ranks of the top training program for young opera singers in the country: tenor Matthew Cairns, bass-baritone Vartan Gabrielian, mezzo-soprano Jamie Groote, and pianist/intern coach Alex Soloway.

Find which of our newest members you'll likely spy at a Raptors game, which one fell in love with snowboarding before music, and which one uses downtime to compete in triathalons!

Competition and Camaraderie

Ensemble Studio grad Simone McIntosh knows exactly how an invitation to the program can catapult a career. She now travels all over North America for work but just three short years ago, she was singing for judges at the Ensemble Studio Competition. (Spoiler alert: she won!)

Flash back to the beginning as Simone shares how she turned her first video audition into a party with fellow music friends.

Photo credits: A scene from Turandot (Teatro Real Madrid, 2018), photo: Javier del Real; Ana María Martínez in the title role in Rusalka (Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2014), photo: Todd Rosenberg; 2019/2020 Ensemble Studio, photo: Gaetz Photography; Simone McIntosh performing in the Canadian Opera Company's Centre Stage - Ensemble Studio Competition (2016), photo: Michael Cooper; Simone Osborne as Marguerite Riel in COC’s Louis Riel (2017) photo: Michael Cooper; Miren Urbieta Vega as Liù in the Robert Wilson production of Turandot in Madrid (2018), photo by Javier del Real.

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