COC Releases - Fall Season

THE COC OPENS ITS 2008/09 SEASON WITH MOZART'S TALE OF MURDER, LUST, AND VENGEANCE: DON GIOVANNI

Toronto, Ontario ’Äì The Canadian Opera Company opens its 2008/09 season with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's enduring masterpiece about literature's most famous womanizer, Don Giovanni. Inspired by the legend of Don Juan, Don Giovanni follows the devious seducer whose insatiable appetite eventually leads to his demise. American director Robin Guarino, who recently directed productions with Seattle Opera and Glimmerglass Opera, makes her COC directorial debut bringing this COC favourite back to the stage. British conductor William Lacey makes his company debut leading the COC Orchestra. Don Giovanni runs October 5 at 2 p.m., 8 at 7:30 p.m., 11 at 7:30 p.m., 15 at 7:30 p.m., 18 at 4:30 p.m., 20 at 7:30 p.m., 23 at 7:30 p.m., 26 at 2 p.m., 28 at 7:30 p.m., and 31 at 7:30 p.m., 2008 and is sung in Italian with English SURTITLES’Ñ¢.

Chilean set and costume designer Jorge Jara, who designed the 1992 production which was remounted in 2000, returns to bring this timeless tale to life with his rich and vibrant designs. Robert Wierzel, who was the original lighting designer for the COC's 2005 production of Carmen, returns to light this production.

Mozart's score seethes with music of passion, wit and elegance. Bringing it all to life is a largely Canadian cast. Singing the title role is baritone Brett Polegato, who returns after his critically-acclaimed portrayal of Eugene Onegin. COC favourite, bass Robert Pomakov, is Leporello, Don Giovanni's loyal servant. Mr. Pomakov most recently appeared in last season's productions of Tosca and From the House of the Dead. Former COC Ensemble Studio soprano Jessica Muirhead, the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, returns to sing Donna Anna, victim of Don Giovanni's forced advances. Bass Richard Wiegold, Arkel in Pellˆ©as et Mˆ©lisande, sings Donna Anna's father, Il Commendatore, while Canadian tenor Gordon Gietz, the Steuermann in the popular 2000 production of Der fliegende Hollˆ§nder, sings the role of Donna Anna's fiancˆ©, Don Ottavio. Last with the COC for her company debut in the internationally acclaimed Ring Cycle, American soprano Julie Makerov is Donna Elvira, one of Don Giovanni's conquests. Former Ensemble soprano Virginia Hatfield is Zerlina, a peasant girl and another of Don Giovanni's trophies, while Russian bass Stanislav Shvets makes his COC debut as Masetto, Zerlina's fiancˆ©. A podcast interview with Brett Polegato, Robert Pomakov and Virginia Hatfield will be available at www.coc.ca in September. See below for more information.

Mozart's version of Don Giovanni premiered in Prague in 1787. The character of Don Juan first appeared in El burlador de Sevilla, a play written by the Spanish monk Tirso de Molina in 1630. Since then, Europe has had a fascination with this famous character who has appeared in numerous plays, stories, operas, and ballets, in various incarnations.

Single tickets for Don Giovanni may be purchased online at www.coc.ca, by calling 416-363-8231, or in person at the Four Seasons Centre Box Office (145 Queen St. W., Toronto). Ticket prices for all performances range from $60 to $290. Special young people's tickets for all performances throughout the season are priced from $30 to $98. These ticket prices apply to those who are 15 years of age or under, accompanied by and sitting next to an adult.

Starting Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 10 a.m., $20 tickets are available for patrons between the ages of 16 and 29 through the Opera for a New Age program presented by TD Bank Financial Group and may be purchased online at www.coc.ca or in person at the Four Seasons Centre Box Office

(145 Queen St. W., Toronto). Student group tickets are $20 per student and may be purchased by calling 416-306-2356. Remaining Opera for a New Age tickets will be released as $20 rush seats at 11 a.m. the morning of the performance, subject to availability.

Production Sponsor of Don Giovanni: RBC Financial Group

Presenting Sponsor of SURTITLESˆ§: Sun Life Financial

Official Automotive Sponsor of the COC at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts: Jaguar Land Rover Canada

Official Media Sponsors: CTV and The Globe and Mail

The COC Ensemble Studio is Canada's premier training program for young opera professionals and provides advanced instruction, hands-on experience, and career development opportunities. The Ensemble Studio is supported by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, RBC Financial Group, and other generous donors.

BMO Financial Group Pre-Performance Opera Chats

The COC offers free 20-minute introductions to the opera and its theme in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 45 minutes prior to every performance.

Appetite for Opera: Don Giovanni

Appetite for Opera returns to Hilton Toronto's Tundra Restaurant on Thursday, September 25, 2008 for Appetite for Opera: Don Giovanni, an evening inspired by the evocative and passionate music of Mozart's famous opera. A joint venture of Hilton Toronto and the COC, Appetite for Opera: Don Giovanni is an innovative event combining cultural and culinary arts. Preceded by a cocktail reception at 6:15 p.m., the $75 multi-course dinner begins at 7 p.m. with a menu that explores the love and fate of Don Giovanni. COC Volunteer Speakers Bureau representative Robert Morassutti and Chef Kreg Graham provide fascinating links and insights between food, wine and opera. Reservations can be made by calling 416-860-6800 or e-mailing tundra.toronto@hilton.com and citing "Don Giovanni Dinner."

Love Bites: Don Giovanni

The Canadian Opera Company and Hilton Toronto's Tundra Restaurant present an evening of cultural

and culinary arts for patrons under 30 with Love Bites: Don Giovanni, on Saturday, October 11, 2008. Young patrons can enjoy a prix-fixe dinner inspired by the devious and seductive Don Giovanni, while learning about Mozart's passionate opera. Following the 5 p.m. dinner, guests will attend a performance of

Don Giovanni at Canada's new opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Participants must be under 30 years of age and provide a valid photo ID when purchasing tickets. The dinner and opera package is $70 and can be purchased at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office (145 Queen St. W., Toronto) or online at www.coc.ca. Tickets for the dinner and performance must be picked up at the Four Seasons Centre Box Office prior to the event.

Canadian Opera Company Podcast Series: Don Giovanni

The Canadian Opera Company and Universal Music present a FREE podcast series that explores the depths of music in opera. Baritone Brett Polegato, bass Robert Pomakov and soprano Virginia Hatfield discuss the passionate music in Mozart's Don Giovanni. The podcast is available on www.coc.ca or through Universal Music at www.getmusic.ca/classical in September 2008. COC podcasts are entertaining programs designed to give listeners a chance to learn about opera, COC productions, and hear interviews from the artists and creative team. Throughout the year, listeners can tune in to hear music from the COC's 2008/09 season, roundtable discussions with artists, as well as preview operas in the COC's 2009/2010 season. Each podcast is created and hosted by COC personnel.

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. The company's new home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, was designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. and is Canada's 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 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.

Canadian Opera Company Website

The Canadian Opera Company website, at www.coc.ca, contains information on all productions including synopses, historical background, and production photographs.