The Canadian opera company has unveiled the details of their 2026/27 season, featuring a Canadian world premiere, along with two productions that are new to Toronto stages, and a new work by Opera 5, the COC’s Company-in-Residence.
Time honoured and much beloved operas combine with new works for a dynamic season.
“I am thrilled to introduce audiences to a phenomenal new season at the COC — one that invites us all to rediscover opera’s capacity to bring us together in shared wonder,” says COC General Director David C. Ferguson in a statement.
“We are especially proud to present the world premiere of Empire of Wild. This landmark moment for Canadian storytelling is the result of nearly a decade of collaboration and consultation the Canadian Opera Company has undergone with local Indigenous artists and creators as part of our deep commitment to supporting visionary voices and perspectives on the country’s largest operatic stage.”
On the Mainstage
September 18, 26, 27, October 2, 4, 7, 9, 13, 15, and 17, 2026
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COC co-production with Houston Grand Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago
Verdi’s much loved La Traviata makes a return to the COC in a popular production that features lavish design. It features soprano Kathryn Lewek in her COC debut as Violetta Valéry, the glamorous courtesan who sees her whole world threatened by a tragic secret. Lewek shares the role with soprano Lucia Cesaroni, also in a COC debut. Violetta’s lover Alfredo will be sung by Long Long, who recently wowed Toronto audiences as Faust in 2024. He’ll share the role with Luke Norvell, making his COC debut. The production be directed by Arin Arbus, with Paolo Carignani returning to Toronto to conduct the COC Orchestra.
October 3, 6, 8, 10, 14, 16, and 18, 2026
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A Canadian Opera Company revival
The fickle human heart sits at the centre of Mozart’s popular opera. Filled with love and laughter, the opera will be led by Canadian film and stage director Atom Egoyan, who takes inspiration from the work’s subtitle (“The School for Lovers”), and sets the story in a private school. There, two young men takes bets on whether their girlfriends will recognize them in disguise. Bass-baritone and Ensemble Studio graduate Joel Allison and soprano Lauren Fagan return to the COC as the lovers Guglielmo and Fiordiligi, with tenor Laurence Kilsby as Ferrando and mezzo-soprano Martina Myskohlid as Dorabella, both making their COC debuts. Bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch takes on the role of Don Alfonso, with soprano Tracy Dahl as the maid Despina, a role she reprises. COC Music Director Johannes Debus conducts, with Price Family Chorus Master Sandra Horst leading the COC Chorus.
January 23, 30, February 5, 7, 9, 11, and 17, 2027
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A Canadian Opera Company production, originated at Garsington Opera
This new production of Britten’s 20th century masterwork stars two acclaimed Canadian sopranos. Jane Archibald is the governess who is convinced her young charges are threatened by ghosts, and JUNO Award winner Adrianne Pieczonka performs as Mrs. Grose, the trusted household servant. Kirsten LeBlanc and Isaiah Bell, who last appeared with the COC in La Reine-garcon (COC, 2025), perform the roles of the deceased governess Miss Jessop and valet Peter Quint. Louisa Muller directs the opera, based on Henry James chilling 1898 novella, and Patrick Summers, Music Director Emeritus of Houston Grand Opera, conducts the COC Orchestra.
February 4, 6, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 20, 2027
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Production rental from Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro la Fenice, and Teatro Verdi Trieste
Richard Strauss’s 1912 opera combines elements of low commedia dell’arte with those of high opera seria, comedy with tragedy, in a story about creative decisions. Will high art or low art best succeed in seizing the attention of the public? In another new to Toronto production, a wealthy patron insists that both a classic opera and comedic play be performed at the same time. It’s a story about making art, setting both the absurdity and the beauty of it on a collision course. Rachel Willis-Sørensen, familiar to audiences of the Metropolitan Opera, performs as both the Prima Donna and the mythological character Ariadne. Likewise, baritone Russell Braun, last seen in the COC’s Fidelio (2023), plays both the Music Master, and Clay Hilley. Paul Curran directs the work in all its layers, with a stage that is divided between a grandiose Viennese villa, and a miniature Baroque theatre. COC Music Director Johannes Debus leads the COC Orchestra with Price Family Chorus Master Sandra Horst leading the award-winning COC Chorus.
May 1, 9, 11, 13, 15, 19, and 21, 2027
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A world premiere opera co-produced with the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, Orchestra, and Indigenous Theatre. Empire of Wild’s music score is co-commissioned with the NAC Orchestra.
This world premiere opera is based on librettist Cherie Dimaline’s national best-selling novel Empire of Wild, with music by composer Ian Cusson. The story features a blend of Indigenous folklore and contemporary drama that takes place across the landscape of Georgian Bay, Ontario, hometown to both of the opera’s creators. The daily life of a small town and the spirit world, through the myth of the Rogarou — a Métis werewolf-like figure — come together in the tale of Joan, who’s searching for her missing husband. She finds him in a revival tent with a completely new identity as a reverend, and no memory of her as his wife. Award-winning soprano and 2023 Ensemble Studio Competition winner Elisabeth St-Gelais stars as Joan, who learns about the Rogarou, who roams through the forests and human hearts alike.
May 8, 14, 16, 18, 20, 26, and 29, 2027
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A Canadian Opera Company revival
Donizetti’s opera makes a return to the COC stage in the production by director James Robinson. The opera exudes warmth and humour, and is filled with gorgeous melodies. Nemorino is a shy young man, but he’ll do what it takes to win over the winsome Adina — even buy an “elixir of love” from the smooth-talking salesman Dr. Dulcamara. But, the elixir is not what it seems…. and comedy ensues. Tenor Duke Kim debuts with the COC as Nemorino, with Ensemble Studio soprano Emily Rocha in the role of Adina. Dr. Dulcamara is sung by bass-baritone and COC regular Luca Pisaroni. Conductor Lorenzo Passerini returns to the COC to lead the orchestra in Donizetti’s delightful score.
June 18, 19, and 20, 2027
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Presented by Canadian Opera Company and Opera 5 in the Canadian Opera Company Theatre
This new production by Opera 5, the COC’s Company-in-Residence, was created by composer Ryan Trew and librettist Rachel Krehm. Inspired by the loss of Krehm’s sister Elizabeth, it’s an examination of grief as a universal emotion, and trying to make sense of the loss of a loved one. Big Sister drifts through a landscape of waking dreams that are inspired by Little Sister’s poetry, weaving together memory and imagination. Big Sister tries to understand who her sister was, and delves into the meaning of their relationship. How can she move forward? It’s a lyrical and emotional work, using art as a bridge between the living and those we’ve lost.
The 2026/2027 season marks the 20th anniversary of performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
“It is a joy to be able to host the world’s greatest performers in a spectacular venue that ensures the same crystal-clear acoustics for every single member of our audience. That care for the democratization of the opera-going experience, the idea that opera really and truly is for everyone, is foundational to the COC’s values and we are delighted to see new opera-goers fall in love with this glittering gem of a world-class opera house,” says David C. Ferguson.
The Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition and Gala makes a return on October 22, 2026.
The COC’s popular Free Concert Series continues in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre.
This year’s featured loon artwork, as well as the creative imagery for Empire of Wild, was created by Halie Finney, a multidisciplinary Métis artist and tattooist from the Lesser Slave Lake region of Alberta.
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