VANCOUVER CANTONESE OPERA
Charitable organizationArts·13134 63A AVE · SURREY, BC · V3X 2Z6·BN 862683521RR0001·website ↗
Last reported: F2024 filing · period ending 2024-12-31
What it does — in its own words
Ongoing programs
1) FREE WORKSHOP - CANTONESE OPERA BEHIND THE SCENES. THE WORKSHOP TEACHES THE PARTICIPANTS HISTORY OF CANTONESE OPERA MIMING HAND GESTURES BODY MOVEMENT OF CHINESE OPERA ON STAGE. CHINESE OPERA MAKEUP DEMONSTRATION ON SITE. 2) CANTONESE OPERA SINGING AND PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUE CLASSES IN THE LOWER MAINLAND. 3) OPERA-IN-CARE LIVE PERFORMANCE AT LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES. 4) CANTONESE OPERA EXTRAVAGANZA AT COMMUITY CENTRES. 5) TRADITIONAL CANTONESE OPERA PERFORMANCE AT THEATRE PROVIDING ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE ENTERTAINMENT.
New programs
In 2022 Vancouver Cantonese Opera (VCO) premiered its first Cantonese Fusion Opera The Prop Master’s Dream. On November 2 2024 we remounted the production at the Vancouver Playhouse enhanced with an exquisite new lighting design and a reimagined projection design elevating the storytelling and visual impact of the performance. Following the success of this innovative work VCO is now developing a second Fusion Opera titled The Awakening. This new production explores Canadian history during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act. 2025 has been designated as the year of artistic development… Show more
In 2022 Vancouver Cantonese Opera (VCO) premiered its first Cantonese Fusion Opera The Prop Master’s Dream. On November 2 2024 we remounted the production at the Vancouver Playhouse enhanced with an exquisite new lighting design and a reimagined projection design elevating the storytelling and visual impact of the performance. Following the success of this innovative work VCO is now developing a second Fusion Opera titled The Awakening. This new production explores Canadian history during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act. 2025 has been designated as the year of artistic development for The Awakening which is scheduled to premiere in October 2026. Artistically we are pushing the boundaries of traditional Cantonese opera by incorporating contemporary and experimental approaches to musical composition stagecraft and narrative structure. Through collaborations with artists from diverse disciplines—including Indigenous performers jazz musicians and a rap artist—we are opening new pathways for creative expression and deepening engagement with a broader audience. Our work also seeks to explore the diasporic history of Cantonese opera and its complex relationship with the First Nations peoples on whose unceded Coast Salish territories we live and create. These themes of cultural intersection memory and identity remain central to our artistic vision.
Program descriptions from its F2024 T3010 filing, verbatim · self-reported · this is also the text our semantic search matches against. source ↗
Tier 1 — what we computed (open data)
From the charity's own F2024 T3010 filing. Self-reported; not independently verified. You can recompute every figure.
Cents to cause
T1 · computed (open data)54¢
Per its F2024 T3010, 54¢ of each dollar spent went to programs.
Sector median: 89¢ across 55,155 computed charities.
T3010 line 5000 ÷ 4950 · Self-reported on the T3010; not independently verified. source ↗
Operating overhead
T1 · computed (open data)35%
Management, administration, and fundraising as a share of total spending. We treat 5–35% as the typical range; we state the figure, you judge.
T3010 line (5010 + 5020) ÷ 4950 · Self-reported on the T3010; not independently verified. source ↗
Reserves
T1 · computed (open data)1.4 yr
Years current reserves could cover program spending.
Sector quartiles: 0.4 yr / 0.8 yr / 7.5 yr (p25 / median / p90).
T3010 line (4100 + 4140) ÷ 5000 · Self-reported on the T3010; not independently verified. source ↗
Total revenue
T1 · computed (open data)$201K
Last-reported total revenue.
T3010 line 4700 · Self-reported on the T3010; not independently verified. source ↗
Donor-funded
T1 · computed (open data)4%
Share of revenue from receipted donations.
T3010 line 4500 ÷ 4700 · Self-reported on the T3010; not independently verified. source ↗
Government-funded
T1 · computed (open data)74%
Share of revenue from federal, provincial, and municipal sources.
T3010 line 4570 (or 4540+4550+4560) ÷ 4700 · Self-reported on the T3010; not independently verified. source ↗
Over the years
Every figure as filed at each fiscal period end, 2019–2024.
| Period end | Revenue | Cents to cause | Overhead | Reserves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-12-31 | $138K | 41¢ | 47% | 0.7 yr |
| 2020-12-31 | $126K | 63¢ | 37% | 1.9 yr |
| 2021-12-31 | $101K | 52¢ | 48% | 3.2 yr |
| 2022-12-31 | $279K | 72¢ | 31% | 0.8 yr |
| 2023-12-31 | $185K | 42¢ | 46% | 2.7 yr |
| 2024-12-31 | $201K | 54¢ | 35% | 1.4 yr |
| trend |
From its T3010 filings (CRA annual releases) · self-reported, not audited by us · when a period is restated in a later release, the newest figures are shown · ✱ = cents-to-cause outside the valid 0–100% range (filing error; not used in rankings). source ↗
★ Tier 2 — Charity Intelligence (analyst-reviewed)
Not rated by Charity Intelligence. Their analysts cover 618 of Canada's 83,761 charities; absence of a rating says nothing about this charity. Our computed figures above stand on their own.
Board of directors
4 directors reported · 4 of 4at arm's length
- Ying, Bernie KMember at largearm's length
- Yee, Mary JTreasurerarm's length
- Min, Vincent YPresidentarm's length
- Hanzelkova, Jessica RSecretaryarm's length
From its F2024T3010 filing (public CRA record), as filed. “Arm's length” means not related to other officials by family or business ties. source ↗
Right of reply
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