Tag Archives: Canadian Opera Company

Virtuoso Traviata to close COC fall season

Posted on October 18, 2026 by barczablog

I was glad to see the final show in the Canadian Opera Company’s fall run of La Traviata Saturday afternoon October 17th, a chance to hear the trio of principals (soprano Kathryn Lewek, tenor Long Long & baritone Russell Braun) … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alex Halliday, Andriana Chuchman, Ariana Maubach, Arin Arbus, Atom Egoyan, Canadian Opera Company, Cosi fan tutte, Emma Pennell, Giuseppe Verdi, Kathryn Lewek, La Traviata, Long Long, Luke Norvell, Nick Murphy, Owen McCausland, Russell Braun, Verdi | Leave a comment

Third time’s a charm with Egoyan-COC Cosi fan tutte: starring Johannes Debus

Posted on October 11, 2026 by barczablog

I got lucky. The Canadian Opera Company Cosi fan tutte that I saw Saturday October 10th is the best one yet. This is the third time that the COC have staged the Atom Egoyan production of the Mozart opera “Così … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged American Idol, Atom Egoyan, Bernard Labadie, Canadian Opera Company, Cosi fan tutte, Daniel Okulitch, Debra Hanson, Frida Kahlo, Ian Derrer, Ingmar Bergman, Joel Allison, Johannes Debus, Lauren Fagan, Laurence Kilsby, Lorenzo Da Ponte, Marilyn Gronsdal, Martina Myskohlid, Owen McCausland, recitative, Russell Braun, Sir Thomas Allen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Woody Allen | 9 Comments

Irresistible Traviata from Canadian Opera Company learning the lessons of Avis.

Posted on September 28, 2026 by barczablog

I feel fortunate that I had the privilege of seeing Verdi’s La Traviata today through the eyes of someone discovering the work for the first time, the Canadian Opera Company matinee at the Four Seasons Centre. When I arrived Erika … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Andriana Chuchman, Avis Rent a car, Canadian Opera Company, Emma Pennell, Four Seasons Centre, Franco Zeffirelli, Giuseppe Verdi, Ileana Cotrubas, Kathryn Lewek, La Traviata, Long Long, Luke Norvell, Matthew Polenzani, Paolo Carignani, Placido Domingo, Reginald Smith Jr, Russell Braun, Teresa Stratas | 1 Comment

Elissa Lee talks about the upcoming BIGLAKE Festival

Posted on August 18, 2026 by barczablog

Founders and Directors Elissa Lee and Johannes Debus present BIGLAKE, an annual festival in Prince Edward County (PEC). Founded in 2018 by classical musicians Elissa Lee and Johannes Debus in Toronto, the BIGLAKE Festival has become a cornerstone of quality … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology | Tagged BIGLAKE Festival, Canadian Opera Company, classical-music, Elissa Lee, Ensemble Made In Canada, Ilya Poletaev, Johannes Debus, Kerson Leong, Lorand Fenyves, Philharmonisches Streichquartett Berlin, Philip Chiu, Prince Edward County, Sheila Jaffé, Trey Lee | Leave a comment

Last Werther to end an era

Posted on May 25, 2026 by barczablog

The matinee of Werther Saturday May 23rd to end the current Canadian Opera Company Spring Season was not without a bit of ceremony. At the end of the curtain call, Music Director Johannes Debus brought out a microphone and began … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged Alex Hetherington, Alexander Hajek, Andreas Schager, Canadian, Canadian Opera Company, Christine Goerke, Crow's Theatre, David Ferguson, Douglas Stewart, Ernesto Ramirez, Holly Chaplin, Ian Derrer, Jules Massenet, Krisztina Szabo, Mandle Phil, Mark Rogers, Michael Colvin, Michael Patrick Albano, Paolo Santalucia, Robert Lepage, Robert Pomakov, Russell Thomas, Stefan Vinke, Victoria Karkacheva | 2 Comments

Multidimensional Michael Patrick Albano: an interview

Posted on May 20, 2026 by barczablog

Michael Patrick Albano is Associate Professor Emeritus with the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, where you can see his bio and this photo: but that only tells you part of the story. Michael is resident Stage Director of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera, University life | Tagged Canadian Children's Opera Company, Canadian Opera Company, Cecilia Livingston, Constance Fisher Craig, Fall River, Herman Geiger-Torel, Macmillan Theatre, Michael Patrick Albano, Sandra Horst, Tapestry Opera, the legend of Lizzie Borden, University of Toronto, writing | 2 Comments

Witnessing the birth of romanticism with young Werther

Posted on May 10, 2026 by barczablog

Excuse me as I gush. I love the new Canadian Opera Company production of Werther, featuring some of the best singing we’ve heard in years. I want people to come see this opera, so that the COC decides to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alain Coulombe, Alain Gauthier, Ann Cooper Gay, Ben Wallace, Canadian Opera Company, Emma Pennell, Four Seasons Centre, Johannes Debus, Jules Massenet, Kenneth Baker, Michael Colvin, Robert Pomakov, Russell Thomas, stuart hamilton, Victoria Karkacheva | 4 Comments

Interviewing soprano Sarah Dufresne

Posted on March 5, 2026 by barczablog

Reviewers work after the fact, which means that sometimes we only notice stars when the show is over, especially when we are seeing the artist for the first time. So here I am belatedly interviewing Sarah Dufresne, long after her … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged art, Barrie Kosky, Canadian Opera Company, Carmen, Florence Pugh, Gilda, Hamlet, Ian Sabourin, opera, Opera de Montreal, Ophélie, Pacific Opera Victoria, Rigoletto, Royal Opera, Sarah Dufresne, Siegfried, Teatro alla Scala, Verdi | 2 Comments

A closer look at the COC’s zany Barber of Seville

Posted on February 22, 2026 by barczablog

Your tickets to the opera really are a case of “location location location”. When I saw the Canadian Opera Company’s Barber of Seville two weeks ago seated in the middle of the downstairs at the Four Seasons Centre, yes I … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Press Releases and Announcements, Reviews | Tagged Ariadne auf Naxos, Barber of Seville, Benjamin Britten, Canadian Opera Company, Cherie Dimaline, classical-music, Cosi fan tutte, Daniela Candillari, Dave Monaco, David Ferguson, Deepa Johnny, Elixir of Love, Four Seasons Centre, Gioachino Rossini, Ian Cusson, Ian Derrer, Joan Font, Joan Guillén, La Traviata, Luca Pisaroni, Luke Sutliff, music, Nathan Keoughan, opera, Perryn Leech, Pietro Adaini, Renato Girolami, Richard Strauss, Robert Lepage, Rossini, theatre, Turn of the Screw | Leave a comment

A last Rigoletto on the cusp of a regime change

Posted on February 15, 2026 by barczablog

For Valentine’s Day 2026 this subscriber attended the Canadian Opera Company’s last performance of Rigoletto in their winter season at the Four Seasons Centre, in Christopher Alden’s rather un-romantic production. The rose petals fall from above as the young girl … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Andriana Chuchman, Ben Bliss, Canadian Opera Company, Christopher Alden, David Ferguson, Family Day, Four Seasons Centre, Ian Derrer, Johannes Debus, Lunar New Year, Peixin Chen, Quinn Kelsey, Rigoletto, Sarah Dufresne, Simona Genga, Valentine's Day, Verdi | Leave a comment