Love is in the air in February, and after a pandemic- and cold-filled January, we couldn’t need a return to live music more. Thankfully, there’s an exciting – and romantic – lineup of operas coming your way this month. As always, we don’t want you to miss a thing.
Here are six productions on Canadian operatic stages this month:
1. February 2 & 4 – Calgary Opera, The Merry Widow
Conducted by Tania Miller and directed by award-winning Israeli director Omer Ben Seadia, this live production of Lehár’s whimsical romantic comedy features a stellar Canadian cast, including Aviva Fortunata (Hannah Glawari), Andrew Love (Danilo), Jacqueline Woodley (Valencienne), Colin Ainsworth (Camille) and Clarence Frazer (Bogdanowitsch), among others. Tickets available here.
Jacqueline Woodley (Valencienne) in Calgary Opera’s The Merry Widow. Photo: Trudie Lee
2. February 2,3 & 5 – Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Gimeno + Schumann’s “Spring”
The TSO returns to in-person concerts this month, kicking off with Gimeno + Schumann Spring at Roy Thomson Hall. Under the baton of Gustavo Gimeno, the TSO returns with a program that includes: Beethoven’s Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus; Jordan Pal’s Scylla: Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra; and R. Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 “Spring”. Get your tickets here.
3. February 5, 8, 11 – Edmonton Opera, La Bohème
Puccini’s masterpiece kicks off Edmonton Opera’s 2022 season with a live production featuring lavish period costumes, scenery and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Simon Rivard is on the podium and François Racine directs. Don’t miss an all-star Canadian cast including Miriam Khalil (Mimì), Andrew Haji/Adam Luther (Rodolfo), Lara Ciekiewicz (Musetta) and Peter Barrett (Marcello). Get your tickets here.
A scene from Edmonton Opera’s La Bohème, 2010. Photo: Kelly Redinger
4. February 11 & 12 – Amplified Opera & Confluence Concerts, The Butterfly Project
This two-day symposium explores issues surrounding Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and features the premiere of Nikkei-Canadian creator/performer Teiya Kasahara’s 笠原貞野 new film, The Butterfly Project: The Ballad of Chō-Chō San. The symposium panel discussions, originally planned around the Canadian Opera Company’s now-cancelled staging of Madama Butterfly, calls attention to the problematic nature of this opera in a contemporary environment of growing cultural awareness. The symposium events, co-presented by the COC, the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto and the Humanities Initiative at UofT’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, will take place online and are free of charge. Full programme and registration here.
5. February 12 & 13 – Vancouver Opera, Cavalleria Rusticana In Concert
Opera returns to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre this month with a live “in concert” production of Mascagni’s classic, Cavalleria Rusticana. Under the baton of Music Director Emeritus Jonathan Darlington, this Vancouver Opera production features Canadians Othalie Graham (Santuzza), Leah Giselle Field (Mama Lucia), David Pomeroy (Turridu), Gregory Dahl (Alfio) and Hillary Tufford (Lola), alongside the Vancouver Opera Orchestra & Chorus. Don’t miss this one-act opera featuring memorable music and incredible arias. Tickets available here.
Ojibwave, a Synthwave band from Toronto, Ontario. Photo: OH Canada Creative
6. February 2022 – Loose Tea Music Theatre, Dream a Dream
This upcoming in-person concert from Loose Tea Music Theatre features Synthwave band Ojibwave from Toronto, Ontario. The production will fuse opera with synthwave, pop, indigenous pow wow and rock & roll. The goal is to produce a concert that incorporates indigenous heritage and culture and, through music and sound, to confront issues and help others heal. Watch for more details here.
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Angela Bell is Opera Canada’s Digital Media Specialist. She has held digital and PR roles with various businesses including the Walt Disney Company, Sullivan Entertainment and Toronto International Film Festival.
