Canadian Opera Comapny Completes Capital Campaign to Build the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

For immediate release: March 6, 2008

CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY COMPLETES CAPITAL CAMPAIGN TO BUILD THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Toronto, ON ’Äì The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is very proud to announce the completion of the Capital Campaign to build the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Canada’Äôs new opera house. The campaign, which began in the early summer of 2002, raised $186 million, which included a final cash goal of $155 million and the gift of the land from the Province of Ontario valued at $31 million.

A recent $5 million personal gift from Toronto philanthropists Isadore and Rosalie Sharp effectively completed the campaign. In recognition of their support, the main lobby of the Four Seasons Centre will now be known as the Isadore & Rosalie Sharp City Room. As Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Mr. Sharp was also instrumental in the campaign securing $20 million in June 2002 to name the opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

The campaign received many other lead gifts in the last few months that pushed it to its conclusion. Significant contributions came from Gerald and Geraldine Heffernan, Arthur and Susan Scace, Peter and Shelagh Godsoe, The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Xstrata, Tim and Frances Price, Rudy and Cathy Bratty, Tony and Anne Arrell, and Paul A. Bernards. These gifts, as well as several others, represented an additional $5 million for the campaign.

Twenty-nine individuals, corporations and foundations donated over $1 million each to the campaign, with the COC Board contributing a combined total of over $22 million. (See attached donor list.) In all, over 5,500 individuals, corporations and foundations contributed to the campaign.

’ÄúOn behalf of the Campaign Cabinet and the Canadian Opera House Corporation, I am extremely proud that our campaign was completed successfully and in a timely fashion,’Äù says Arthur R. A. Scace, Co-chair of the Campaign Cabinet. ’ÄúAlong with my fellow Co-chairs Peter Godsoe and Gerald Heffernan, I would like to thank the members of the cabinet, all of our donors, as well as the campaign staff, who worked diligently to make this dream possible.’Äù

David Ferguson, President of the COC Board adds, ’ÄúThe Canadian Opera Company is enormously grateful for the thousands of donations that contributed to the completion of our campaign. Everyone who participated should be proud of their accomplishment and the knowledge that they helped build the first real opera house in this country, and one of the best in the world.’Äù

Final campaign costs to build the Four Seasons Centre totalled $186 million ’Äì less than 3% over the projected budget of $181 million (including a cash goal of $150 million and the value of the land at $31 million) which was created in 2002. The modest overage was due mainly to some changes to the original design materials, the construction of the TTC entrance and increased interest rates.

The Capital Campaign began May 31, 2002 with the announcement of joint Federal / Provincial capital funding under the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program, at which the Federal government donated $25 million and the Province donated the land valued at $31 million. Three weeks later Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts donated $20 million as the naming donor of the building.

Groundbreaking took place on April 11, 2003 along with an announcement of a $10 million gift from The Fraser Elliott Foundation to name the auditorium, and $13 million from the COC Board. Twenty leadership gifts totalling $35 million were announced in January of 2005 including $7 million from The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation and E. Louise Morgan. In March 2006 The Honourable Henry N. R. Jackman donated $5 million to name the lounge on Queen Street, and the Province of Ontario contributed a further $10 million in cash towards the campaign.

Inaugural celebrations for the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts took place in June, 2006, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 11, 2006 and a Gala Inaugural Concert on June 14, 2006 which was simulcast into Nathan Philips Square as a free performance. The first opera was performed in September 2006 with the COC’Äôs historic and acclaimed production of Richard Wagner’Äôs monumental Ring Cycle. Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc., the Four Seasons Centre has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike for its superb acoustics and sightlines and is already generally acknowledged as one of the best opera houses in the world. The COC performed to 99% capacity in its inaugural 2006/07 season.

About the Canadian Opera Company

Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. The COC currently enjoys a remarkable 99% attendance rate for its mainstage season of seven operas. The company’Äôs new home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, was designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. and is Canada’Äôs first purpose-built opera house. The contemporary expression of a traditional five-tiered, European horseshoe-shaped auditorium was specifically designed for opera with the highest level of acoustics in mind and provides unparalleled intimacy between the audience and the stage. Acclaimed as one of the best opera houses in the world, the

Four Seasons Centre is also the performance venue for The National Ballet of Canada.

- 30 -

Media contact:

Claudine Domingue, Dir. of Public Relations, tel: 416-306-2387, fax: 416-363-5584, claudined@coc.ca

Melissa Than, Publicist, tel: 416-306-2369, fax: 416-363-5584, melissat@coc.ca

March 6, 2008

DONOR LIST FOR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE

FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the following donors

whose outstanding support has been integral to this campaign to build the Four Seasons Centre

for the Performing Arts.

$20,000,000

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

$10,000,000

The Fraser Elliott Foundation

$5,000,000 - $9,999,999

Hon. Henry N. R. Jackman

The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation

Isadore & Rosalie Sharp

Anonymous

$1,000,000 - $4,999,999

Tony & Anne Arrell

John & Claudine Bailey

CIBC

Gerard & Earlaine Collins

Leslie & Anna Dan

George & Katherine Dembroski

Peter & Shelagh Godsoe

Milton Harris, Founder of Harris Steel Group

Jackman Foundation

Arthur & Sonia Labatt

Masonite International Corporation

Judy & Wilmot Matthews

Roger D. Moore

E. Louise Morgan

Tim & Frances Price

RBC Foundation

The Rotman Family

Arthur & Susan Scace

Scotiabank Group

Joey & Toby Tanenbaum

Jack Whiteside

Xstrata

Anonymous

$500,000 - $999,999

Paul A. Bernards

The J. P. Bickell Foundation

The Black Family Foundation

BMO Financial Group

Canadian Opera Volunteer Committee

Joe & Laurissa Canavan

Mr. Philip C. Deck & Ms. Kimberley M. Bozak

Kevin & Roger Garland

William A. & Nona Macdonald Heaslip

The Patrick & Barbara Keenan Family

Michael & Sonja Koerner

Margaret & Wallace McCain Family Foundation

In memory of John & Ruth McCarthy

Peter & Dolores Naylor

Colleen Sexsmith

Budd Sugarman Foundation

TD Bank Financial Group

Vale Inco Limited

$250,000 - $499,999

Philip & Linda Armstrong

Barrick Heart of Gold Fund

Rudy & Cathy Bratty

The Brookfield Group

CanWest Global Communications Corp.

J. Rob Collins

The Families of Alfredo, Angelo & Antonio DeGasperis

John A. Cook

Power Corporation of Canada

Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan

George A. Fierheller

Donald K. Johnson & Anna McCowan Johnson

Douglas L. Ludwig & Karen J. Rice

Gordon & Bobby MacNeill

The R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation

Donald O'Born & Jane Harvey

Sandra & Jim Pitblado

Jean Davidson & Paul Spafford

C. Alexander & Kim Squires

Staff & Artists of the Canadian Opera Company

W. Garfield Weston Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. L.R. Wilson

Anonymous

$100,000 - $249,999

Carole & Kym Anthony

Mark & Gail Appel

Marilyn & Charles Baillie

James C. Baillie

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Lawrence & Frances Bloomberg

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Walter M. & Lisa Balfour Bowen

David G. Broadhurst

Margaret & Derek Brown

Sharon & Howard Campbell

Walter Carsen, OC

The Chalmers Family

CHC Helicopter Corporation

June & Ian Cockwell

Sydney & Florence Cooper and Family

Irene Pump-Croot & Keith Croot

John & Ruth Crow

Elaine & Michael Davies

Ruth Eileen Day

Deloitte.

Jill Denham & Stephen Marshall

Mr. & Mrs. A. Ephraim Diamond

In memory of Ilona Diener

James Doak & Patricia Best

John & Vera Elder

Glen Erikson

Ernst & Young

John & Gay Evans

Anna-Liisa & Graham Farquharson

Catherine G. Fauquier

Anthony & Shari Fell

David & Kristin Ferguson

Fidelity Investments through the Fidelity Foundation

Margaret & Jim Fleck

Lloyd & Gladys Fogler

Margaret & David Fountain

The George & Helen Gardiner Foundation

Irving & Gail Gerstein

The Honourable Alastair & Diana Gillespie

The Ned Goodman Family

Dr. Noˆ´lle Grace & The Shohet Family

Ronald & Birgitte Granofsky

The Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin Charitable Foundation

Douglas & Ruth Grant

John & Judith Grant

James & Joyce Gutmann

George & Irene Hamilton

Hampton Securities Limited

The Hayes Larock Family

The Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation

Richard & Donna Holbrook

Drs. Walter, Virginia & Walter Joseph Hryshko

Ian O. Ihnatowycz & Marta A. Witer

Imperial Oil

Ronald Kimel & Vanessa LaPerriere

Hermann & Ellen Kircher

J. Hans Kluge

Robin Korthals & Janet Charlton

KPMG Foundation

John B. Lawson

Jack & Catherine Leitch

Wilfred & Anne Lewitt

In honour of Alice Lieberman

Manulife Financial

McCarthy Tˆ©trault LLP

The McLean Foundation

John & Esther McNeil

Trina & Don McQueen

Ted & Julie Medland

The Menkes Family

Melanie Whitehead Mersch

Bruce & Vladka Mitchell

Delia M. Moog

In memory of Clive Bennett Mortimer

National Bank Financial

Christl & Karl Niemuller

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Panasonic Canada Inc.

Peter M. Partridge

PCL Constructors Canada Inc.

The Peterson Family Charitable Foundation

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Rosetta Raso

David Roffey & Karen Walsh

Ted & Loretta Rogers

Richard Rooney & Laura Dinner

Esther & Sam Sarick

William & Meredith Saunderson

Gerald Schwartz & Heather Reisman

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Sherrin

Victor & Rhoda Shields

Ada Slaight

Sobeys

David E. Spiro

Steve & Sally Stavro Family Foundation

Sun Life Financial

John & Liz Tory

TSX Group Inc.

Peter & Teresa van Schaik

Kris Vikmanis & Denny Creighton

Joseph Vitale Family

Judith R. Wilder & William P. Wilder

Alfred G. Wirth

In memory of C. Robin Younger

Sharon Zuckerman

The Helen & Walter Zwig Family Foundation

Anonymous (3)

$50,000 - $99,999

Clive & Barbara Allen

In memory of E. G. (Gib) Bauman

Ralph M. Barford Foundation

Jalynn H. Bennett

E.W. Bickle Foundation

The Black Brigade

Rob & Teresa Brouwer

Stewart & Gina Burton

George & Martha Butterfield

Dr. John H.C. Chiu & Mrs. Yvonne Chiu, C.M.

CIBC Mellon

John & Anne Clark

Max & Madeleine Clarkson

Camilla & Peter Dalglish

Jonathan & Katharine Davidson

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Michael & Honor de Pencier

Alexandra & Camillo di Prata

The W. Robert Farquharson Family

Fraser & Margot Fell

Hugh Furneaux & Penny Fine

Blake C. Goldring

Goodmans LLP

Michael & Anne Gough

Dan Hagler & Family

Thomas & Jacqueline Haig

William & Patricia Harris

Local 58 International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees

In appreciation of Inta Kierans

Diane M. & James F. King

Dr. Elizabeth Kocmur

Kolter Property Company Inc.

Gurney Kranz

David Leith & Jacqueline Spayne

Marjorie & Roy Linden

Angelo & Grace Locilento

Sheila & Syd Loftus Family

Jerry & Joan Lozinski

Mr. James S.A. MacDonald & Mrs. Danielle L. MacDonald

The McColl-Early Foundation

John A. McVicker & Bruce W. Thomas

The Mendelson Family Foundation

FRANCO MIRABELLI DESIGN INC.

John & Penny Pepperell

Georgia Prassas

Karen & James Prieur

Samuel A. Rea & Wendy J. Thompson

Rob & Penny Richards

Dr. Ralph Shaw & June Shaw

Philip & Maria Smith

Matthew Swarney & Laura Shuttleworth

Richard & Heather Thomson

Marc Ton-That & Denise Dubeau

William & Phyllis Waters

The Waugh Family

Tom & Ruth Woods

Richard & Suzan Wookey

John & Mary A. Yaremko

George M. Youssef & Susan E. Warren

Anonymous (3)

$25,000 - $49,999

Gary J. Adamson

Dr. Larry M. Agranove

Lillias Cringan Allward

Jamie & Patsy Anderson

Bram & Bluma Appel

Anne-Marie H. Applin & Michael R. Applin and Family

Richard J. Balfour

Robert Bandeen O.C. & Mona Bandeen C.M.

Schuyler F.E. Bankes & Family

Torunn & David Banks

Lorne & Rosemary Barclay

Karen & Bill Barnett

Dr. Frank E. Bartoszek & Daniel P. O'Brien

Alice & Tom Bastedo

Roland & Marie Bertin

Nani and Austin Beutel

Margo H. Bindhardt & Klaus D. Bindhardt

Black & McDonald

Elizabeth Stewart Black & James A. Black

Mr. Robert Blake & Mrs. Susanne White-Blake

Dr. Michael Braudo

Angelo & Elizabeth Breda

David & Constance Briant

Janet M. Roscoe

Donna Brock

Roel C. Buck & Family

Alice & Grant Burton

Thomas J. Burton

H. C. Carmichael

D. S. Celotti & Family

Chair-man Mills. Inc.

Frank & Irene Chau

Dean C. Noack & Paul G. Cherry

Frank & Jennie Ciccolini

Dorota & Greg Cidylo

Linda Haynes & Martin Connell

Murray & Katherine Corlett

Bea & Purdy Crawford

Brian J. Dawson

Louise & Bill Dimma

Steven D. Donohoe

Francine & Bernard Dorval

In memory of Arthur Wesley Downe

The Duboc Family

Vreni & Marc Ducommun

Stanley & Genia Elkind

Joseph Fantl & Moira Bartram

William Fearn & Claudia Rogers

Rupert & Lindsay Field-Marsham

M. Patricia Fischer

David & Elizabeth Forster

Robert & Julia Foster

Dr. Manfred Frenkel

Andy & Wanda Giancamilli

Mary & Lionel Goffart

The Hon. William C. Graham & Mrs. Catherine Graham

Henry & Manuela Hackenspiel

S.R. Harcourt Vernon

Dr. W. P. Hayman & Dr. M. L. Myers

Mrs. Mary Campbell Hecht

Mr. & Mrs. W. Lawrence Heisey

Jacques & Elizabeth Helbronner

Tom Higgins

In memory of Eva M. Haddad

The Patrick Hodgson Family Foundation

Richard & Martha Hogarth

Roy Hogg & Ann Jervis

Michiel Horn & Cornelia Schuh

John & Daisy Hort

Susan Crocker & John Hunkin

Hurley Corporation

Michael & Linda Hutcheon

Imperial Tobacco Canada Foundation

The Charles H. Ivey Foundation

Dr. Peter Janetos

The Jarislowsky Foundation

Dr. Laurence D. Jewell

Dr. Josh Josephson & Family

Bernhard & Hannelore Kaeser

May & Fred Karp

Elaine & Jimmy Kay

Sheryl & David Kerr

Joseph Kerzner & Lisa Koeper

Richard J. Kostoff

The S. E. Lam Family Foundation

Elizabeth & Goulding Lambert

Marion Lambert

Hon. Justice Dennis Lane & Sandra Lane

Harold & Larraine Langer

Guild Electric Limited

Joy Levine

Michelle & Michael Levy Family Foundation

Colleen and Bill Lindley & Elizabeth Lindley

Robert & Jean Liss

London Opera Guild

Amy & John Macfarlane

Mr. Jed MacKay

Peter F. MacKenzie

The Honourable Barbara J. McDougall

Nancy & John McFadyen

Paul & Jean McGrath

Joyce & Darcy McKeough

McMillan Binch Mendelsohn LLP

Mark & Andrea McQueen and Family

Mary Mogford & Tom Campbell

Alice J. Morgan

Rosalind Morrow

Nancy & Larry Murray

Dr. John & Pamela Newall

Janet & Gordon Nixon

Dorothy Novotny-Brandenburg

Lilly Offenbach Strauss & Nathan Strauss Q.C.

Joyce & Benson Orenstein

Steven Page

Ralph Palmisano & Family

Dr. & Mrs. William M. Park

Douglas L. Parker

Roger & Maureen Parkinson

Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen

In memory of Edwin J. & Charlotte Pivnick

Polaris Realty

Mary Jean & Frank Potter

Margrit & Tony Rahilly

Carol & Morton Rapp

Kenneth F. Read & Gilles Longchamps

In memory of Robert Leonard Richard

Carolyn Ricketts

In memory of Barbara Anne Robertson

Sidney Robinson & Linda Currie

Dr. Michael & Mary Romeo

Barrie Rose & Family

Gretchen & Donald Ross

Helen & Kenneth Rotenberg

Maxwell L. Rotstein & Nancy-Gay Rotstein

Mrs. Monina & Miss Christine Rudin

Cookie & Stephen Sandler

Judy & Hy Sarick

In honour of Bernice & Percy Saxe

Katalin Schˆ§fer

Jean Nathanson Shawn

Sandra Simpson

Andrew Smith & Dr. Ruth Bothern

Judy & Hume Smith

Stephen & Jane Smith

Dr. Joseph K. So

Ellen & John Spears

Colin McGregor Mailer & David Stanley-Porter

Stantec Consulting Ltd.

The Stratton Trust

Franˆßoise Sutton

Carol Swallow

Kathryn J. Thornton

Marvin & Esther Tile

The Tinnerman Family

David & Diana Trent

Mr. & Mrs. Henry & Ann Louise Vehovec

Carol Mitchell & Richard Venn

Gary Smith Klein & Joan Wakely

Diane Walker & Robert Bell

Margaret J. Walter & Donald P. Walter

Philip & Diana Weinstein

George Whalen

Florence & Mickey Winberg

The Rose & Ray Wolfe Family Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Yontef

Wilf & Helen Ziegler

Adam Zimmerman

Susan Zorzi

Anonymous (3)

Government Support:

The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges the Government of Canada and the government of Ontario for their support of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

La Compagnie d’Äôopˆ©ra canadienne remercie le gouvernement du Canada et le gouvernement de l’ÄôOntario de leur appui accordˆ© au Centre des arts du spectacle Four Seasons.

A complete list of all donors will be available at a later date.