Opera Atelier invites you on a hero’s journey of the heart.
Marc Antoine Charpentier’s extraordinary masterpiece recounts the timeless story of the poet Orpheus and his journey to hell and back to rescue his lover from death. Charpentier’s opera unfolds with all the extravagant splendour and drama unique to the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV.
Opera Atelier’s elite cast of singers, dancers, and soloists from Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra welcome American tenor Daniel McGrew, who makes his Canadian debut in the title role.
Charpentier’s miniature masterpiece, The Descent of Orpheus, is an exciting introduction to opera and ballet for your family and friends, and becomes all the more accessible with a subscription!
Join us for this fully staged Canadian premiere in the glorious acoustic of Toronto’s Koerner Hall.
Dog Days is a contemporary opera that combines classical vocals with dark ambient noise and amplified electric guitars. Set during a fictional wartime blackout, the story follows a rural working-class family attempting to survive amidst military collapse and severe food shortages. The psychological drama explores human resilience, desperation, and moral breakdown when social structures disintegrate.
Critically acclaimed by The New York Times, this breakthrough work from the writing team of composer David T. Little (Soldier Songs, JFK) and Canadian librettist Royce Vavrek (Angel’s Bone, Listen, Quiet) put them on the map. They have since gone on, both together and in collaboration with others, to revolutionize opera in North America.
Based on Cherie Dimaline’s bestselling novel, Empire of Wild unfolds against the landscape of Georgian Bay, where a woman searches for her missing husband—all the while treading a delicate line between their small-town life and the eerie allure of the spirit world.
Music Director Johannes Debus leads the COC Orchestra through composer Ian Cusson’s electric score, which thrillingly evokes the myth of the Rogarou, a Métis werewolf-like figure that stalks both the forest and the human heart.
