Toronto’s Opera 5 has announced the details of their 2024/25 season, which include the launch of the inaugural Toronto Opera Festival. The Festival will take place in June 2025, and include the world premiere of a new Canadian opera.
Opera 5’s Toronto Opera Festival is Toronto’s first-ever festival to combine opera and musical theatre in a celebration of Canadian creators and performers. It will also create a training platform for the next generation of opera artists via the Portfolio Artist Internship, a partnership between Opera 5 and Opera McGill. Both established and emerging opera artists will be featured in the Festival.
Toronto Opera Festival
For its inaugural year, the Festival’s theme is loss. Performances will be held June 2025 at Factory Theatre. Three works will be presented, including:
- The world premiere of Come Closer by Canadian Composer Ryan Trew with a libretto by Opera 5 General Director Rachel Krehm, a chamber opera about the grief of losing a sister;
- Elegies: A Song Cycle by William Finn, as Opera 5’s first production of musical theatre;
- A Gala Performance featuring our Portfolio Artist Interns.
Come Closer is based on the personal experiences of Opera 5 General Director Rachel Krehm, who lost a sister to addiction, and includes poetry by the late Elizabeth Krehm. Memories and fantasies collide, with Rachel Krehm (Big Sister) and Jacqueline Woodley (Little Sister), conductor Evan Mitchell, Music Director of the Kingston Symphony, and devising director Amanda Smith, Artistic Director of FAWN Chamber Creative. Music Staff will be led by Trevor Chartrand, with design Shannon Lea Doyle and lighting design by Noah Feaver.
“Grief is a universal experience for all of us who have loved, and yet it is often the most isolating of experiences” says General Director Rachel Krehm. “I wanted to create a show that allowed us to connect and feel less alone. Ryan Trew’s music embodies nostalgia, melody, and every feeling you can imagine. His music lifts up my sister’s words, and my story of searching for meaning after loss. I can’t wait to share this opera with Toronto audiences”
Elegies: A Song Cycle by William Finn is a piece where Finn pays tribute to his lost friends. The Tony Award-winning composer wrote “Falsettos” and “A New Brain.” Six Portfolio Artist Interns from Opera McGill will be featured in the production. Many of the artists will be making both their Toronto and professional debuts in the show, directed by Opera 5’s Artistic Director Jessica Derventzis.
The Interns will also be under the spotlight for a one-night only Gala Performance of opera’s greatest hits, along with new works and gems from the world of musical theatre.
More details will be revealed going into early 2025.
Artistic Director Jessica Derventzis comments in a statement, “We are thrilled to present our first musical with Elegies — a loving tribute to William Finn’s family, friends, and colleagues who have passed away. His stories are universal, and bring joy, hope, and laughter to the grieving process. Thematically, Elegies is a beautiful complement to Come Closer. With these two pieces, we hope to open the door to anyone who has experienced loss, or is grieving to a safe and warm community.”
The Portfolio Artist Internship Program
In partnership with Opera McGill at the Schulich School of Music, Opera 5 has announced the second round of their professional preparation program. Six early-career opera artists will take part in the program, which includes performance in the Festival, along with learning skills like design, production and administration via mentorship.
The goal is to provide them with a wide ranging background in all aspects of opera production, in preparation for a career in today’s world.
Opera 5 is an independent opera company with more than a decade’s experience programming and presenting operas, along with educational efforts like the popular Opera Cheats and Threepenny Submarine web series on YouTube.
- You can check out their brand new website, and get more information about the Festival and other programming, [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is a Toronto City Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an experienced freelance writer, blogger and writing instructor.
