Canadian Opera Company's Free Concert Series to Return with Exciting Collaborations

The Canadian Opera Company’s Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre Presented by TD Bank Group returns on September 20, 2023. The company’s programming features nearly 70 performances this year, giving audiences a chance to experience a world of music, dance, poetry, and so much more right in the heart of Toronto.

The Free Concert Series runs from September to May and features multidisciplinary performances including lively choreography; opera and chamber ensemble performances that provide a sampler of featured composers from the classical sphere and beyond; and jazz performances from leading local and international legends.

This season, the series celebrates a diverse range of arts and culture with:

• boundary-breaking collaborations from across Toronto’s arts and culture ecosystem, including performances by Citadel + Compagnie and Fall for Dance North, Canadian Art Song Project, and Toronto Summer Music Festival.

• engaging and moving performances from COC favourites, including Jane Archibald, Josh Lovell, Simone McIntosh, and Simone Osborne, that shine a light on the technical and artistic side of their craft as well as the creative process;

• an exclusive and intimate preview of the company’s upcoming world premiere opera, Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White.

“The Free Concert Series provides a unique opportunity to engage with some of the best performing arts creators in the country in a welcoming environment and approachable format,” says Meaghan Froh Metcalf, Manager of the Free Concert Series. “At the same time, audiences have been eager to try something new and so we have put together an exciting performance roster that includes genre-defying partnerships with some of the leading arts organizations in Toronto and throughout Canada, as well as International Artists.”

“During our first full season of live programming following lockdown, we also recognized that our audiences were hungry to connect on a deeper level with both our artists and the art that they create and perform,” continues Froh Metcalf. “And one of the most exciting things about this series is the way it allows for audiences to do exactly that. Our bright, open performance space creates more opportunities for reciprocal engagement and interaction in a way you don’t normally get in larger venues. Some of our artists have even built Q&A sessions or talkbacks into their performances because they want to hear from the public. It’s really a rare and wonderful thing for everyone involved.”

For a full calendar of events, please visit coc.ca/FreeConcerts.

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