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Welcome as OPERA IN CONCERT
celebrates its Thirty-Fifth Season of presenting rare operas, new sounds and
thrilling voices. Here are some highlights of our achievements: Opera in Concert’s 20th Anniversary performance
of HAMLET (1974) was broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and
by Radio Canada. In 1994 Guillermo Silva-Marin, the original Hamlet, was appointed General Director
of Opera in Concert. Mr. Silva-Marin has extended OIC’s programming with an
adventurous repertoire including Marschner’s DER VAMPYR, Verdi’s LUISA
MILLER, Bellini’s LA SONNAMBULA and Catalani’s LA WALLY, as well as Canadian
works FLORENCE, THE LADY WITH THE LAMP by Timothy Sullivan, THE SHIVAREE and
NIGHT BLOOMING CEREUS by John Beckwith, DEIRDRE by Healey Willan and THE FOOL
by Harry Somers. Opera in Concert’s 25th Anniversary performance of
Thomas’ MIGNON featuring sopranos Isabel Bayrakdarian and Tracy Dahl, tenor
Benjamin Butterfield and bass Marcel Beaulieu was broadcast by CBC Radio Two
– Saturday Afternoon at the Opera – on Nov. 6, 1999. The legacy of
rarely-heard repertoire performed by Canadian artists continued with Opera in
Concert’s Handel Trilogy (ALCINA, ARIODANTE and SEMELE). Canadian artists who began
their careers with Opera in Concert include Richard Margison, Ben Heppner,
Joanne Kolomyjec, Rosemarie Landry, Paul Frey, Jean Stilwell, Russell Braun,
Brett Polegato Isabel Bayrakdarian, Michael Schade, Frederique Vézina, Marc
Boucher, Susan Eyton-Jones and David Dong Qyu Lee. Many are still singing on
important opera stages around the world. Among the 123 OIC concert productions
which have been loved and admired by audiences, there have been many
Canadian premieres such as Schumann’s GENOVEVA, Montemezzi’s L’AMORE DEI TRE
RE, Thomas’ HAMLET, Verdi’s GIOVANNA D’ARCO, Rimsky-Korsakov’s SADKO and
Handel’s SEMELE. There have been performances
at the Algoma Fall Festival, the Shaw Festival, and special performances of
our Opera in Concert Chorus for the Stratford Festival, the Toronto and
Montreal Symphonies and the National Ballet of Canada. Add to this two CBC
Radio broadcasts, CDs of Rameau’s CASTOR ET POLLUX, Handel’s RINALDO and the
soon to be released LA GRISELDA by Vivaldi, all on the Naxos Label and you
can see why OIC has ample reasons to celebrate. Opera in Concert’s 31st
Season of fire and ice presented some great music from Penella to Prokofiev,
from Donizetti to our very own Canadian composers: Timothy Sullivan and
Charles Wilson, Opera in Concert strives to accomplish its mandate of presenting
rarely heard operas with the best of Canadian talents. We hope to see you
during the 2008-2009 Season with more "rarities in performance". In
the meanwhile, please consider joining our PATRONS CIRCLE and help support
one of Canada’s premiere opera companies. Click here
to see our exciting 2008-09 Season operas. |
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