COC's Annual General Meeting Results

Canadian Opera Company HITS a high note with A SURPLUS for THE SIXTH consecutive year

Toronto, Ontario ’Äì Today at the Canadian Opera Company's Annual General Meeting David C. Ferguson, President of the COC, announced a surplus of $41,000 for the 2007/08 season, the company's sixth consecutive surplus.

"I am pleased to report that the Canadian Opera Company's 2007/08 season was one of remarkable artistic and financial success. We have posted a surplus for the sixth year in a row, annual private sector support has increased, box office revenues have hit a record high, and, for the second straight season, our productions have played to capacity houses, with almost 100% attendance at the

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts," said David Ferguson at today's Annual General Meeting. "From the tragic loss of Richard Bradshaw in the summer of 2007 and the appointment of Alexander Neef as our new General Director in the summer of 2008, to the announcement of the completion of the Capital Campaign to build the Four Seasons Centre, it has been a momentous year for the Canadian Opera Company."

The box office revenue for the 2007/08 subscription season hit a record level of $12,300,000.

This represents a 16% increase in revenue over the previous year for comparable activity when revenue from the Ring Cycle is excluded. The 2007/08 season saw an increase in activity to 66 performances of seven mainstage productions at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and four performances of the Ensemble Studio Production at the Imperial Oil Opera Theatre. The season opened in October 2007 with a revival of the COC's 1993 production of Mozart's comedy The Marriage of Figaro, and Verdi's bold Don Carlos. The winter run continued with two new productions, Puccini's passionate Tosca, and Janˆ°Ÿçek's rarely-performed From the House of the Dead, a COC premiere. The 2007/08 season closed with Tchaikovsky's romantic Eugene Onegin, Rossini's classic comedy The Barber of Seville, and a revival of the COC's 2000 production of Debussy's sumptuous Pellˆ©as et Mˆ©lisande. Overall, the 2007/08 subscription season was performed to 99% of capacity.

During the 2007/08 season, box office revenues represented 41% of total operating revenues, with fundraising and sponsorship accounting for 33%, government funding accounting for 23%, and the remaining 3% coming from other income sources such as space and production rentals. In 2007/08, annual private sector support of the Canadian Opera Company increased from 2006/07 levels by 26%. Individual giving campaigns have been extremely successful in the past year with 27% gains over last year with patrons giving more than $6.9 million. Major Gifts and Special Projects increased by 148%, The President's Council experienced a 17% increase in monetary support and The Golden Circle increased by 40%. More than 5,400 patrons and donors supported the Friends of the COC program, an increase of 11% over last season. The company received two $100,000 lead gifts for the Year End Matching Appeal, one from an anonymous donor and one from the Appel family, making it the largest match in the company's history, helping to raise an additional $263,000. Support from Foundations increased by 85% over the previous year.

Corporate sponsorship in 2007/08 continued to be successful, nearing the $2 million mark. The company maintained significant support from Jaguar Land Rover Canada, Sun Life Financial, RBC Financial Group, BMO Financial Group, TD Bank Financial Group, CIBC World Markets and CIBC Mellon, Andrew Peller Limited, Panasonic Canada Inc., Harry Winston, National Bank Financial Group and Scotiabank Group. New corporate sponsors include: Xstrata, the Title Sponsor of the Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour; Delvinia, the Digital Marketing Sponsor; CTVglobemedia, the COC's Official Media Sponsor; and Hilton Toronto as the Opening Night Sponsor.

In March 2008, the COC announced the completion of its Capital Campaign to build the

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Thanks to a $5 million personal gift from Toronto philanthropists Isadore and Rosalie Sharp, and other leadership gifts totalling an additional $5 million, the campaign, which began in the early summer of 2002, drew to a close ’Äì on budget at $186 million, and less than six years after it began.

In August 2007, the COC experienced the sudden and tragic loss of its General Director, Richard Bradshaw. An extensive search led by the COC's Search Committee and Genovese, Vanderhoof & Associates led to the appointment of Alexander Neef in June 2008. He began his tenure as General Director of the Canadian Opera Company on October 1, 2008.

In October 2007, the COC's successful Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre celebrated its second year with 100 free events ranging from classical, jazz, world music, and contemporary dance. Last season's series also featured a mini-festival celebrating Canadian composer R. Murray Shafer's works with four special concerts, and a new urban series which featured a world-premiere, Hip-Hopera. The Free Concert Series attracted nearly 20,000 audience members of all backgrounds and ages who experienced the artistic excellence and cultural diversity of the city.

In October 2008, the COC opened the 2008/09 season at the Four Seasons Centre with Mozart's timeless masterpiece Don Giovanni and continued with Prokofiev's powerful drama, War and Peace. In January, the COC presents a new production of Beethoven's only opera Fidelio, and Dvo‰ôˆ°k's Rusalka. The spring run opens with Verdi's grand opera Simon Boccanegra, followed by Puccini's classic La Bohˆ®me, and Britten's fairytale A Midsummer Night's Dream. The season concludes in June with the Ensemble Studio production of Mozart's Cosˆ¨ fan tutte.

COC's January Productions and Programs

Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven

3 performances: January 24, 27 and 30, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

The Canadian Opera Company kicks off its winter season with Fidelio, Ludwig van Beethoven’Äôs opera of triumphant courage and love in the face of oppression. In Beethoven’Äôs only opera, Leonore, disguised as the young man Fidelio, works at the prison where her husband is unjustly incarcerated. World-renowned Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka makes her role debut as Leonore and American tenor Jon Villars is her great love, Florestan. Gidon Saks sings the villainous Don Pizarro, who unjustly imprisons Florestan. Mats Almgren, a remarkable Hagen in the COC’Äôs Ring Cycle, is the jailer, Rocco and Virginia Hatfield is Marzelline, his daughter. Fidelio is a co-production with Opˆ©ra national du Rhin (ONR) and Staatstheater Nˆºrnberg, a COC collaboration that began last season with Eugene Onegin. German conductor Gregor Bˆºhl makes his company debut leading the COC Orchestra.

Single tickets are $60 ’Äì $290 (specially priced $20 tickets for young people under the age of 30 go on sale January 17, 2009). Tickets go on sale December 1, 2008 and are available online at www.coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or in person at the

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Rusalka by Antonˆ‚n Dvo‰ôˆ°k

1 performance: January 31, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. (Opening performance)

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

The winter season continues with the COC premiere of Antonˆ‚n Dvo‰ôˆ°k’Äôs Rusalka. In this adult fairy tale, inspired in part by Hans Christian Anderson’Äôs The Little Mermaid, the water nymph Rusalka falls in love with a mortal prince. To be with him, she sacrifices her immortality and her voice. Dvo‰ôˆ°k’Äôs dreamy and romantic music, which includes the stunning ’ÄúSong to the Moon,’Äù brings to aching life this beautiful, timeless story.

Julie Makerov returns to sing the title role, and famed Canadian tenor Michael Schade makes his first appearance with the COC in five years as Rusalka’Äôs beloved Prince. Russian powerhouse Irina Mishura, sings Je‰æibaba, the malevolent witch. Richard Paul Fink returns to sing the role of Rusalka’Äôs good-natured old friend, the Water Gnome, and former Ensemble soprano Joni Henson is the Foreign Princess vying for the Prince’Äôs heart. Helikon Opera’Äôs artistic director Dmitri Bertman, who staged the COC’Äôs From the House of the Dead, returns to direct this luminous production from Theater Erfurt in Germany.

Single tickets are $60 ’Äì $290 (specially priced $20 tickets for young people under the age of 30 go on sale January 17, 2009). Tickets go on sale December 1, 2008 and are available online at www.coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or in person at the

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE

RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE

January 15 to January 29, 2009

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre includes concerts, performances and presentations by young musicians, Canadian and international opera stars and COC staff. This is an exciting opportunity for Torontonians to experience the artistic excellence and cultural diversity of the city. All performances are free to the public.

Date	Series	Artist
January 15, 2009 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Dance Series	Founded in 1992 by George Randolph, the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts nurtures Triple Threat’Ñ¢; talent from Canada and abroad. The Triple Threat Cabaret is packed with song and dance, showcasing musical theatre hits, featuring the Academy’Äôs recent graduates as well as current students.
January 20, 2009 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Chamber Music Series	Artists of the University of Toronto’Äôs Faculty of Music perform Sound Exploration: New Music Festival Launch. U of T’Äôs distinguished music department perform a series of new works from various chamber ensembles.
January 22, 2009 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Chamber Music Series	Tokai String Quartet, poised to become one of Canada’Äôs leading string quartets, presents Dvo‰ôˆ°k’Äôs Quartet No. 12 in F major, the ’ÄúAmerican.’Äù Written during Dvo‰ôˆ°k’Äôs sojourn in the United States, the quartet explores themes and colours from Native American and African American music.
January 27, 2009 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Chamber Music Series	Under the direction of Kathleen Rudolph and Paul Widner, the wind and string ensembles of The Glenn Gould School perform a program of Russian chamber music featuring Rimsky-Korsakov’Äôs charming wind quintet as well as music for strings.
January 29, 2009 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Piano Virtuoso Series	Pianist Younggun Kim performs Prokofiev’Äôs legendary Sonata No. 7 ’ÄúWar Sonata 2/Stalingrad.’Äù This sonata is a powerful and convincing synthesis of youthful exhibitionism and mature reflection on the most profound issues of the time. The agonizing intensity of the first two movements gives way to an exhilarating jazz-toccata in the finale.

EDUCATION & OUTREACH

After School Opera Program

The Canadian Opera Company’Äôs popular After School Opera Program returns. The program, which introduces young people to all the exciting elements that make up an opera, is $10 for a 10-week session and is held at four convenient locations in Toronto: East York Community Centre; Barbara Frum Community Centre; St. Christopher House Music School; and the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre. Under the guidance of Canadian composer Dean Burry, young people ages 7-12 create an original operatic work based on their own ideas and improvisations. Mr. Burry has worked closely with the COC over the years, composing several children’Äôs operas, including Isis and Seven Scorpions and The Brothers Grimm. No previous music experience is necessary.

After School Opera Program

$10 per session

LOCATION 1 EAST YORK COMMUNITY CENTRE 1081-1/2 Pape Ave. (Pape and O’ÄôConnor) Winter Session: January 12 ’Äì March 9, 2009 Time: Mondays, 4 ’Äì 6 p.m. Call 416-396-2896 to register	LOCATION 2 BARBARA FRUM COMMUNITY CENTRE 20 Covington Rd. (Lawrence and Bathurst) Winter Session: January 13 ’Äì March 10, 2009 Time: Tuesdays, 4 ’Äì 6 p.m. Call 416-395-6122 to register
LOCATION 3 ST. CHRISTOPHER HOUSE MUSIC SCHOOL 248 Ossington Ave. (Dundas and Ossington) Winter Session: January 14 ’Äì March 11, 2009 Time: Wednesdays, 4 ’Äì 6 p.m. Call 416-532-4828 to register	LOCATION 4 JOEY AND TOBY TANENBAUM OPERA CENTRE 227 Front St. E. (Front and Berkeley) Winter Session: January 15 ’Äì March 12, 2009 Time: Thursdays, 4 ’Äì 6 p.m. Call 416-306-2377 to register

For more information please contact the COC’Äôs Education and Outreach department at 416-306-2377 or visit www.coc.ca.

The After School Opera Program is generously supported by the Imperial Oil Foundation and

Kraft Canada.

Opera 101

The Canadian Opera Company presents Opera 101, a FREE event that treats young adults to a friendly, interactive, and informal discussion. Hosted by CBC Radio’Äôs Brent Bambury, special guests Adrianne Pieczonka and Virginia Hatfield discuss Beethoven’Äôs only opera, Fidelio. World-renowned soprano, Adrianne Pieczonka makes her role debut as Leonore in Fidelio, and soprano Virginia Hatfield, a graduate from the COC Ensemble Studio, returns to sing Marzelline. Together they discuss their experiences in the production; Ms Hatfield as an up-and-coming artist and Ms Pieczonka as an established artist.

Opera neophytes have the chance to enjoy drinks and free munchies while getting the scoop on what opera is all about. Topics covered in the past include the design, production and directorial decisions involved in creating an opera. New this season, audience members are invited to stick around following the discussion to enjoy FREE, live musical entertainment.

Opera 101

FREE

Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St. W.)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

at 7:30 p.m.

For more information please visit www.coc.ca.

The Opera Exchange

The Canadian Opera Company, in collaboration with the Jackman Humanities Institute, the Munk Centre for International Studies, and the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, presents

The Opera Exchange, a symposium that provides a thorough and entertaining look at the operas performed during the COC’Äôs 2008/09 season. An extraordinary array of academic specialists present lectures, followed by panel discussions with members of the COC’Äôs creative teams.

During the second instalment of the series, participants have the opportunity to discover new insights about Love and Liberation: Beethoven’Äôs Fidelio, in which a panel of experts explore Beethoven’Äôs only opera. Topics include: the revolutionary and philosophical roots of the opera, its relevance today; the music, politics, and themes of triumph, love and tenderness, highlighted by musical excerpts performed by members of the COC Ensemble Studio.

Love and Liberation: Beethoven’Äôs Fidelio

Saturday, January 31, 2009

9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

$25 per participant ($15 for U of T Faculty and $5 for students)

Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building,

The Faculty of Music;

80 Queen’Äôs Park (at Museum subway station)

Order online at www.coc.ca

or call COC Ticket Services at 416-306-2377

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.

COC Surpasses $10 Million in Advance Ticket Sales

COC DOES IT AGAIN: surpassING $10 MILLION IN ADVANCE TICKET SALES

Toronto, Ontario ’Äì For the second year in a row and the second time in its history, the Canadian Opera Company has surpassed $10 million in gross subscription sales for the forthcoming season. This equates to over 96,000 seats sold and 16,000 subscribers so far for 2008/09.

Since the opening of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in 2006, the COC has celebrated an average attendance of 99%.

Tickets are still available for the 2008/09 season. Single tickets for Don Giovanni and War and Peace are on sale Monday August 25, 2008, as well as subscription packages and Multi Packs for 2008/09 season may be purchased by calling 416-363-8231, online at www.coc.ca, or in person at the

Four Seasons Centre Box Office (145 Queen St. W., Toronto).

Production Sponsor of Don Giovanni: RBC Financial Group

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’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 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.

COC's October Listings

OPERA

Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

10 performances: October 8, 11, 15, 20, 23, 28 and 31, 2008 at 7:30 p.m., October 5 and 26

at 2 p.m., and October 18 at 4:30 p.m.

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

The COC’Äôs 2008/09 season opens with a revival of Mozart’Äôs timeless masterpiece Don Giovanni, a comic drama in its most perfect form. It’Äôs a wry and insightful portrait of literature’Äôs most famous womanizer, his victims and nemeses. Every page of Mozart’Äôs score seethes with music of passion, wit and elegance.

The production features a largely Canadian cast led by baritone Brett Polegato as the notorious lover and COC favourite Robert Pomakov as Leporello, Don Giovanni’Äôs faithful servant. COC Ensemble Studio graduate Jessica Muirhead returns to sing Donna Anna, a victim of Don Giovanni’Äôs forced advances and tenor Gordon Gietz sings the role of Donna Anna’Äôs fiancˆ©, Don Ottavio. American soprano Julie Makerov is Donna Elvira, one of Don Giovanni’Äôs conquests, while former Ensemble soprano Virginia Hatfield is Zerlina, a peasant girl who becomes Don Giovanni’Äôs latest exploit.

Tickets for Don Giovanni go on sale August 25, 2008. Single tickets are $60 ’Äì $290 (specially priced $20 tickets for young people under the age of 30 go on sale September 27, 2008) and are available online at www.coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or in person at the

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Don Giovanni Production Sponsor: RBC Financial Group

War and Peace by Sergei Prokofiev

8 performances: October 10, 14, 16, 22, and 29, 2008 at 7 p.m., October 19 at 2 p.m. and

October 25 at 4:30 p.m.

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Ave.)

The fall season continues with the COC premiere and the first fully-staged Canadian production of Prokofiev’Äôs powerful drama, War and Peace. A co-production with English National Opera, this masterpiece follows the Russian people and their hard-won victory over Napoleon’Äôs devastating military force. From the ballroom to the battlefield, stirring choruses and a huge ensemble cast bring Tolstoy’Äôs novel to epic, heart-breaking life.

With over 60 named roles, this production features a cast that is truly international. One of the most sought-after lyric baritones on the international stage today, Canada’Äôs Russell Braun makes his role debut as Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. Russian soprano Elena Semenova makes her COC debut singing the role of Andrei’Äôs fiancˆ©e, Countess Natasha Rostov. Prince Anatole Kuragin is sung by Moscow-born tenor Oleg Balashov, while Russian bass Mikhail Kit makes his company debut as Field Marshal Kutuzov. Mezzo-soprano Larisa Kostyuk sings the role of Prince Anatole’Äôs sister, Countess Hˆ©lˆ®ne Bezukhova, and COC favourite Mikhail Agafonov returns as Hˆ©lˆ®ne’Äôs husband Count Pierre Bezukhov. COC Ensemble Studio graduate Lauren Segal is Sonya, Natasha’Äôs loyal cousin. Canadian Judith Forst returns to the COC as Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova, while baritone Vassily Gerello sings Napoleon. Gregory Dahl sings the roles of Balaga and General Yermolov, and Canadian mezzo-soprano Jean Stilwell is Madame Peronskaya.

Tickets for War and Peace go on sale August 25, 2008. Single tickets are $60 ’Äì $290 (specially priced $20 tickets for young people under the age of 30 go on sale September 27, 2008) and are available online at www.coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or in person at the

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE

RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE

October 1 ’Äì October 30, 2008

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Ave.)

The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre includes concerts, performances and presentations by young artists, Canadian and international opera stars and COC staff. This is an exciting opportunity for Torontonians to experience the artistic excellence and cultural diversity of the city. All performances are free to the public.

Date	Series	Artist
October 1, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	World Music Series	Tabla player Vineet Vyas and dancer/choreographer Bageshree Vaze present A Tapestry of Indian Rhythm. The dynamic duo, along with guest artists (harmonium and sitar), bring alive the grandeur of the ancient Indian arts of Kathak dance and the tabla, the ’Äútalking’Äù drums of North India.
October 2, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Dance Series	ProArteDanza presents Up Close and Intimate, a sneak preview of the ProArteDanza 2008 season. The program features works influenced by the best of both classical ballet and contemporary dance.
October 7, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Vocal Series	The COC Ensemble Studio and pianist Liz Upchurch present The Rake Punished: Highlights from Don Giovanni.
October 8, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Vocal Series	Queen of Puddings Music Theatre presents The All-Canadian Classical Cabaret Show. Two singers and a pianist delve into the weird and wonderful world of Cabaret from a distinctly Canadian perspective.
October 9, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Piano Virtuoso Series	Pianist Lucas Porter performs Prokofiev’Äôs Piano Sonatas No. 3 and 4. Both sonatas create a contrast between the lyrical and ’Äúscherzando-motoric’Äù style. The symphonic third sonata is a work of great passion and drama, while the fourth is extremely lyrical and introverted.
October 14, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Piano Virtuoso Series	Canadian Pianist Joel Hastings presents Expressions of Melody and Virtuosity, a scintillating program of pieces not usually heard on the piano. The recital includes three delightful sonatas by Scarlatti, Resphigi’Äôs Ancient Airs and Dances, a Schubert love song, and Franz Liszt’Äôs transcription of Wagner’Äôs Tannhˆ§user overture.
October 16, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Dance Series	Opera Atelier presents Mozart’Äôs The Abduction from the Seraglio. Tenors Frˆ©dˆ©ric Antoun and COC Ensemble Studio graduate Lawrence Wiliford are joined by sopranos Amanda Pabyan and Carla Huhtanen, bass Bustav Andreassen and baritone Curtis Sullivan with artists from Atelier Ballet.
October 21, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Chamber Music Series	Three distinguished musicians, Kathleen Rudolph, Theresa Rudolph-Koczˆ„ and Rita Constanzi, join forces to present music for the delightful trio of flute, viola and harp, featuring Debussy’Äôs seminal Sonate pour flˆªte, alto, et harpe.
October 23, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Piano Virtuoso Series	Acclaimed contemporary specialist Rˆ©a Rebecca Beaumont presents In Search Of..., an eclectic program of works for solo piano that exemplifies global connectedness and explores a universal theme: mankind’Äôs innate desire to search.
October 28, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Dance Series	¬°ARTE FLAMENCO! Spanish Dance Company presents Flamenco Dance Theatre, the merging of drama, dance, cante and guitar in order to tell a captivating story.
October 30, 2008 12 ’Äì 1 p.m.	Vocal Series	Riveting Russian mezzo-soprano Larisa Kostyuk presents Russian Romances, a rich and romantic program of songs from her native Russia, featuring the mesmerizing ballad-lament from Rimsky-Korsakov’Äôs rarely-heard opera, The Tsar’Äôs Bride.

EDUCATION & OUTREACH

The Opera Exchange

In collaboration with the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company presents The Opera Exchange: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Opera. Monster Opera: Prokofiev’Äôs War and Peace is the first instalment of three symposia that provide an in-depth and entertaining look at opera. Participants have the opportunity to listen to a series of lectures on War and Peace from an astonishing array of academic specialists, followed by panel discussions with members of the COC’Äôs creative teams.

The Opera Exchange

Monster Opera: Prokofiev’Äôs War and Peace

Saturday, October 18, 2008

9:30 a.m. ’Äì 4 p.m.

$25 per participant

($15 for U of T Faculty and $5 for students)

Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, The Faculty of Music

80 Queen’Äôs Park (at Museum subway station)

Order online at www.coc.ca or call COC Ticket Services at 416-306-2377

Tour the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

The COC invites the public to experience behind-the-scenes views into the workings of an opera company by touring the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Public tours provide the opportunity for attendees to learn more about the opera house, its history, architecture and innovative acoustic design. Each hour-long tour is led by trained docents and includes background information and access to the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and

R. Fraser Elliott Hall. Public tours are $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and free for children 12 and under. Public tours take place Saturday mornings at 11:45 a.m. and 12 p.m. (with some exceptions). Please call for availability and book your tour at 416-306-2377, or visit the COC website at www.coc.ca.

EVENTS

Operanation V ’Äì La Vie Bohˆ®me
October 24, 2008 ’Äì 9 p.m.

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

The Canadian Opera Company’Äôs fifth annual fundraiser Operanation, takes place on Friday, October 24, 2008. This elegant affair is the premier event for young urban professionals, melding the inspirational venue of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts with the must-attend arts fundraiser of the fall social season. This year’Äôs French theme, La Vie Bohˆ®me welcomes guests to incredible sights and sounds as life and art come together in the style of Bohemian Paris. La Vie Bohˆ®me embraces the free-spirit and artistry of Parisian culture, ensuring an unforgettable evening of pleasure for all. Students from the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts bring dramatic flair to the occasion as they mill through the crowd playing the parts of 19th-century French performers, while painters and sketch artists are also on hand to capture artistic renderings of guests. Attendees can enjoy live operatic performances, cocktails, hors d’Äôoeuvres, a silent auction and a raffle for a lavish vacation.

Operanation V ’Äì La Vie Bohˆ®me

Friday, October 24, 2008 ’Äì 9 p.m.
$125 per person

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

Tickets can be purchased online at www.operanation.ca

or by calling 416-363-8231

Operanation Event Sponsor: TD Canada Trust Music