Free concerts ‘a gift to the people of Toronto’
Canadian Opera Company’s lunchtime lineup offers something for everyone
An incomparable evening at the opera should be on every music aficionado’s bucket list. The heady arias, passionate storylines, spectacular costumes and sheer theatrical splendour send audiences tumbling out of the theatre transcended.
But for those unable to manage that $30-$350 ticket to see Rigoletto, opera can still be yours, thanks to the Canadian Opera Company’s (COC) Free Concert Series now underway for the 2017-18 season.
Held in the light-filled Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre inside the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, at Queen St. W. and University Ave., concerts run Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. (with occasional Wednesday and evening performances) until the end of May. It’s the perfect midday break to lower that stress quotient.
Opera is not the only offering on the ambitious schedule, however. The concert series is a cornucopia of culture, with jazz, world music, chamber music, piano virtuosos and dance. And it’s all mind-blowingly free.
Celebrating its 12th year, this season’s lineup boasts 76 performances by 400 established and emerging artists, including three of Canada’s greatest sopranos: COC artist-inresidence Jane Archibald; Erin Wall, who sings the title role in this season’s Arabella; and Sondra Radvanovsky, who recently performed Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma at the MET in New York to rave revues. She will perform An Afternoon of Bel Canto accompanied by Liz Upchurch on piano (May 1).
“That one’s going to be very exciting,” says Dorian Cox, program manager for the Free Concert Series. “Get there early. People will be turned away.”
The amphitheatre holds only 100 people with an additional 20 chairs on the top level, plus standing room.
“It’s a really amazing thing to hear these singers in an intimate setting instead of on stage with an orchestra pit in front of you,” Cox says.
“You’re so close you can feel the power of their voice and see what goes into producing the sound they produce.”
Take an hour out of your day to enjoy great opera, the noble art form that has endured for four centuries, or drum your feet to the rhythm of Arabic music from Al Qahwa Ensemble featuring Juno Award-nominated artist Maryem Tollar. Experience Indigenous dance traditions performed by the Kaha:wi Dance Theatre and listen to renditions of cabaret through the ages.
There is also a holiday program of Italian Christmas folk songs from the Vesuvius Ensemble and A Cappella Christmas from Cadence.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra will also be at the Free Concert Series, as will Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Canada’s Ballet Jorgen and Canadian dance icon Peggy Baker, who appears on Feb. 13 and will be dancing what Cox calls, “An autobiographical timeline of her work.”
Baker’s performance will be drawn from the wealth of material compiled over her decades-long acclaimed career.
In addition to the lunchtime events, there are also 5:30 p.m. “rush hour” jazz performances scheduled in October, November, January and May.
On Nov. 8 at 5:30 p.m., jazz artist and broadcaster Heather Bambrick (JAZZ.FM) performs songs from her latest album You’ll Never Know — nominated for a 2017 Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.
Two world premieres by Canadian composers are also featured.
Haven Trio presents composer Kieren MacMillan’s Three Portraits and the Glenn Gould School’s New Music Ensemble performs a new composition by Christopher Mayo.
With a diverse schedule of folk mu- sic, Latin jazz, string quartets and dance theatre by Gadfly Dance, there is truly something for everyone. And it’s the bargain of the season.
“This was really Richard Bradshaw’s vision,” Cox says.
“He wanted to remove the barriers that kept people from great art. Like the cost. Not everyone can afford it. This is about connecting to our community. It’s a gift to the people of Toronto and for artists, as well.”
The Free Concert Series is made possible in part by the J.P. Bickell Foundation and supported by an endowment established in honour of the late Canadian Opera Centre conductor Richard Bradshaw.