Canadian Opera Company Announces January 2022 Digital Performances And More

Canadian Opera Company has announced its January 2022 digital performances and more. Get full details below.

JANUARY 2022

VOICES OF MOUNTAINS (Digital Performance)

Fusing classical and contemporary opera repertoire with dance, Voices of Mountains features the world premiere of "Fire" by former COC Composer-in-Residence Ian Cusson. Mezzo-sopranos Rebecca Cuddy and Marion Newman perform with pianist Gordon Gerrard from the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, while choreography and dance from Aria Evans is set against some of Toronto's most stunning backdrops.

For full details, including program information and how to watch, please visit coc.ca/Mountains.

Time: January 15, 2022 (until June 15, 2022)

Admission: FREE with COC's digital membership. Sign-up now at coc.ca/stream.

GIANNI SCHICCHI (Digital Performance)

The COC's first full-scale opera in over a year and a half is a digital presentation of Puccini's lighthearted comedy Gianni Schicchi. In a new production directed by Amy Lane with Italian conductor Jader Bignamini leading the COC Orchestra, a family mourns the death of patriarch Buoso Donati-but the tears prove to be just for show when they learn that they've all been cut out of his will. British baritone Roland Wood returns to the COC in the role of schemer Gianni Schicchi, and rising South Korean soprano Hera Hyesang Park makes her COC debut as Lauretta, performing one of Puccini's most recognizable, show-stopping arias, "O mio babbino caro."

Time: Streaming now (until April 30, 2022)

Admission: FREE with COC's digital membership. Sign-up now at coc.ca/stream and visit coc.ca/Gianni for more information on how to watch, cast and creative team, and other fall programming.

FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE Richard Bradshaw AMPHITHEATRE: CITY SESSIONS (Digital Performances)

Throughout the 2021/2022 season, the COC presents the Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre: City Sessions, Presented by TD Bank Group. A diverse array of globally inspired local artists continue the spirit of the company's popular and long-standing concert series with performances being recorded in the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room at the Four Seasons Centre, the glass-enclosed space connecting the building to its surroundings and community.

All performances are released via the COC's social channels.

Admission: FREE. For more information including how to watch and other programming, please visit coc.ca/CitySessions.

ESPIRAL BY OKAN (Digital Performance)

Toronto-based, women-led ensemble OKAN perform selections from their JUNO Award-winning album Espiral. The group, with its name derived from the word for "heart" in the Afro-Cuban language of Santeria, delves into their Cuban roots and fuses it with jazz, folk, and global rhythms-all representative of the multiplicity of musical influences that can found in the cultural mosaic of Toronto.

Time: Streaming now (until May 13, 2022)

Admission: FREE with COC's digital membership. Sign-up now at coc.ca/stream and visit coc.ca/OKAN for more information on how to watch.

MOZART'S REQUIEM (Digital Performance)

In partnership with Against the Grain Theatre, the COC presents Mozart's Requiem. This multidisciplinary interpretation incorporates interviews with front-line workers and community members, connects individual stories of loss and resilience to Mozart's emotionally affecting work, and offers a powerful moment for healing and renewal. The concert features Kwagiulth and Stó:lo First Nations mezzo-soprano Marion Newman, as well as current and graduate artists from the COC's Ensemble Studio. COC Music Director Johannes Debus leads the COC Orchestra, and Price Family Chorus Master Sandra Horst leads the COC Chorus in this stirring ensemble performance.

Time: Streaming now (until May 27, 2022).

Admission: FREE with COC's digital membership. Sign-up now at coc.ca/stream and visit coc.ca/Requiem for more information on how to watch, as well as full cast and creative team details.

IN WINTER (Digital Performance)

The COC marks the change in the season with In Winter, available online from December 18, 2021. The concert features a world premiere of a new commission by Métis and French-Canadian composer Ian Cusson as well as instantly recognizable seasonal favourites, ranging from the exhilarating "Winter" section of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons to yuletide classics like "Deck the Halls." The company's full artistic ensemble is on display for this winter celebration, including Métis soprano Melody Courage in a COC debut, the COC Orchestra under COC Music Director Johannes Debus, the COC Chorus led by Price Family Chorus Master Sandra Horst, as well as artists of the COC Ensemble Studio.

Time: Streaming now (until June 18, 2022)

Admission: FREE with COC's digital membership. Sign-up now at coc.ca/stream and visit coc.ca/InWinter for more information on how to watch, as well as full cast and creative team details.

All repertoire, dates, productions, and casting are subject to change without notice.

FREE EVENTS FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES

January 13, 20, 27, 2022

Sessions available on each date at:

9:30 - 10 a.m. ET

10:30 - 11 a.m. ET

11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET

Virtual School Programs

In collaboration with the Art Gallery of Ontario, the COC invites students to a series of sessions on the AGO's current exhibition Fragments of Epic Memory. Discussions will illustrate how music and society intertwine, through the perspectives of African and Caribbean diasporas, from emancipation to present day. Each session features a discussion, musical or movement activity led by Makenzie Morgan, COC Director of Community Partnerships & Programs, COC Teaching Artist Roydon Tse, and Jordana Daumec, First Soloist from the National Ballet of Canada.

Admission: FREE. No ticket required.

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