Back again for the 2010 and 2011!

The Backgrounder

Join host Iain Scott for an enjoyable and informative presentation about the opera and composer, 45 minutes prior to each
performance right from the stage of the Jane Mallett Theatre.

Originating in 1984, the BACKGROUNDER was a seminal idea between Stuart Hamilton and Iain Scott in pursuit of making
the OIC experience a complete success from the perspective of dramatic truth at a time when simultaneous translations or as
we know them now, surtitles, were still in their infancy. Given the company's daring and innovative programming,
THE BACKGROUNDER was a trend-setting initiative of great import to the art form and OIC's mandate. Now that Opera in Concert includes surtitles in all its opera productions, THE BACKGROUNDER is beautifully placed as a complementary service to
our audience introducing elements of the work, the composer and story line for operas seldom, if ever, presented in Canada.

Iain Scott is Canada's foremost Lecturer and Commentator on opera and related topics. He has lectured for Opera America,
Opera Guilds International, the Wagner Society of America, the New York Wagner Society, the Wagner Society of Washington DC,
the Great Books Foundation, Palm Beach Opera, the Smithsonian Institution of Washington DC and the Chautauqua Institution.
Canadian audiences have enjoyed his insights, humour and love for the art form including the Guilds and friends of the Canadian
Opera Company, Opera Hamilton, the Toronto Wagner Society, and the Mozart Society. He has introduced over 90 rare operas for
Opera in Concert alone since 1984. Iain Scott has been a regular guest quiz panelist and commentator on CBC Radio's "Saturday Afternoon at the Opera" and the "Texaco Opera Quiz" from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. His company "OPERA-IS"
develops opera appreciation courses, opera tours and opera guides.

www.opera-is.com