TORONTO CITY OPERA

Toronto City Opera concluded its 2023-2024 season with two fully staged fully costumed operas Susannah and Carmen in February and June 2024. We continued to venture to creative stage settings by providing opportunity to a projection artist who fully utilized his talents and technological skills to enhance the visual effects of the entire opera. The audienc members enjoyed the projections as they added colours and dynamic background to the productions unlike the still and mundane stage settings in the old time. TCO continued its charitable activities by providing early career artists opportunities to perform principal roles with coaching in musicianship and stagecraft. We give our amateur choristers inspiration and skills so they too can perform together on stage. Through discounted tickets to students youths arts and cultural groups we provide the communities affordable access to the grand synthesis of opera. The conductor apprentice program continued in 2023-2024 season where an aspiring musician was selected to receive practical training from our Artistic and Music Directors which ultimately allowed him to conduct for the rehearsals and the opening night of a public performance. The TCO Board is made up of six Board members who are all volunteers. Each offers one or several responsibilities for the organization according to his/her training and expertise. Thanks to the new funding from the Ontario Charitable Gaming Association TCO is able to hire an administrative and development staff to lead TCO forward strategically and administratively. Alongside the Board of Directors the team has more time to search for collaborative opportunities and corporate sponsorship. All Board members contributed their time to assist in fundraiser ticket sales and front of house. Very often choristers also helped in organizing costumes and transportation during the production period on a voluntary basis.

The new programs for 2023-2024 season are summarized as follows: 1) The annual Macina Voice Competition 3) Viva Voce Fundraising event 4) Mentoring program 5) Apprentice programsp The Macina Voice Competition was inaugurated in May 2024 with moderate success. Th objective of this annual event is to honour the great legacy of our founder Giuseppe Macina and to further our commitment to nurturing and championing young Canadian operatic artists. This competition will offer its winners financial support for their career goals as well as vital stage experience in future TCO productions. TCO's Mentoring Program is to assist the singers in their final years of undergraduate or graduate degree programs to learn and perform roles in the classic opera repertoire. The main objective is to assist them to advance their careers to the next stage such as joining a young artists program with a major opera company. TCO's Apprentice Program enables young conductors to gain practical experience to enhance their credentials. The Apprentice Program has been extended to two assistant stage managers and assistant stage director positions to learn the skills in acting and managing back stage. Our Opera Mentoring Program and Apprentice Program will deliver significant benefits to the Toronto and Canadian opera ecosystem where we gauge the singers musicians and arts personnel with adequate training and development to ensure their future career growth. The Mentoring Program will create learning opportunities for the choristers as well help them to fine tune their singing skills and musicality.