The COC announcement of the 2026/27 season dropped this morning with zero fanfare; not even an embargoed presser in advamce. It’s pretty mixed and, rather to my surprise not far off what I predicted; at least in my more pessimistic version. So…
Toronto City Opera’s third annual Macina Voice Competition is set for February 21, 2026 at Church of the Redeemer. The finalists are:
Here’s a few things to look forward to next month. Weirdly everything I know about so far is in the first half of the month so I’ll maybe do a supplemental for the back half in a couple of weeks time. Continue reading
It’s about the time of year when one starts to think about what might be in the next season at the COC. The last couple of years the announcement has just been an email drop and there’s really no way of telling when it will happen. In about a month’s time is likely so if I’m going to make some predictions now is a pretty good time.
Once upon a time there were some pretty good indicators of what the next COC season might look like. Rumours aside, one could look at:
The trouble is none of this seems to be relevant anymore. Co-pros and commissions disappear without trace and the regularity patterns seem no longer to apply. The only real certainty is that three or four shows will be revivals. All of which makes trying to make predictions a bit daft… which makes me ideally suited to do it. So here goes… Continue reading
Here’s some of what January has to offer…
Toronto Operetta Theatre is doing Imre Kalman’s The Czardas Princess over the New Year holiday. It’s st the Jane Mallett Theatre and there are shows on December 30th and January 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
Following on from this year’s successful festival at Theatre Passe Muraille Opera 5 are once again running a sort of mini festival at that venue in June next year. There will be two programmes. There’s a Puccini double bill of Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi which, I’m guessing will be given with chamber ensemble accompaniment. Rachel Krehm headlines as the theologically unsound nun while Gianni Schicchi has Greg Dahl in the title role. Krisztina Szabó will appear in both operas as Princess Zia and Zita. Jessica Derventzis directs and Evan Mitchell is in charge of matters musical. This one runs June 3rd to 7th. Continue reading
This season’s main stage production from Tapestry Opera will be Ten Days in a Madhouse; music by Rene Orth, music by Hannah Moscovitch. It’s based on the true story of 19th century journalist Nellie Bly who pretended to be insane in order to expose the conditions women patients were being kept under at New York’s Women’s Lunatic Asylum. It’s the Canadian premiere of a Tapestry/Opera Philadelphia commission co-presented with the COC and Luminato. This follows a critically acclaimed run last year at Opera Philadelphia.
‘Tis the season of family holiday shows and Messiahs. Not that I’m planning to do much of either but here are some shows that you might be interested in…
I’ve only just found out about a couple of events this week that may be of interest.
Soulpepper has a free showing of Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 masterpiece The Seventh Seal. It’s on Wednesday, November 12th at 7pm and it’s free. If you have seen The Comeuppance and the movie you’ll get the connection! If you haven’t seen the movie I would say it’s one of the most important post war films. It has a fantastic performance by Max von Sydow as a world weary crusader and an equally fine one by Bengt Kerot as Death. The cinematography, by Gunnar Fischer is exceptional. No gimmicks. No special effects. Just a very beautiful and moving film.
Then on Sunday November 16th at 7.30pm at Arrayspace Lindsay McIntyre is performing and producing Morton Feldman’s Three Voices in which the live singer works with two pre-recorded vocal tracks. It’s a most interesting hour long piece. I recently reviewed a recording of it by Dory Hayley for La Scena Musicale. Tickets for that are “at the door” or here.
Here’s what’s coming up next month as best I know.
