Pretty major announcements from both the COC and the TSO recently; the COC’s reinforced with an on-line Q&A with Alexander Neef last night.  The substance of the COC announcement is that the fall season (Parsifal and Marriage of Figaro) is cancelled along with all other in-person performances for the rest of 2020.  Parsifal has been rescheduled for the fall season 2022.  At this point the rest of the 2020/21 season is still on.  Officially at least.  However Alexander made it pretty clear that the Four Seasons Centre won’t be reopened until they can sell at least the bulk of the seats which would mean the end of social distancing.  I don’t see that happening until a Covid-19 vaccine is generally available and can’t imagine that being soon enough to save the winter season and maybe not the spring season either.  Meanwhile the COC is looking at its virtual options.

The TSO has cancelled its entire 2020/21 season.  The plan instead is “to perform redesigned concerts and programs in communities across the GTA, including at Roy Thomson Hall, for audience and ensemble sizes that align with current health regulations” which does actually sound like a workable plan and one that can be tweaked as events unfold.  Well done TSO!

In better news Loose Tea Music Theatre has announced the appointment of the first Indigenous Artistic Director at a Canadian opera company.  Joanna Diindiisikwe Simmons is a Saugeen Ojibwe artist from Lindsay, Ontario and a graduate of the Glenn Gould School.  Loose Tea will also be establishing a BIPOC composer/librettist programme with a view to developing new chamber operas.  Alaina Viau stays on as Executive Artistic Director.  All good news.  Now all we need is somewhere to perform those new works!