An inspiration to playwrights and composers for over two thousand years, the character of Medea—a spurned sorceress who takes revenge on her unfaithful ex-lover in a shocking act of violence—presents one of the most physically and artistically daunting roles for any performer.

Cherubini’s Medea is today considered the ultimate vehicle for truly great sopranos: a challenge comparable to the role of Hamlet for actors, in which the profound psychological struggle between love and hatred arouses our sympathy and horror in equal measure. Demanding both vocal skill and physical endurance, the part is considered one of the most difficult in the entire operatic repertoire—and only a few in the opera’s two hundred-year history have been up to the task. 

Read on to discover some of the role’s most notable performances, as well as the stars of our upcoming production, and be sure to join us for this landmark event when Medea opens on May 3!

Meet Karen Kane, the opera fan who won the COC’s Guess the Season Contest, earning a pair of complimentary Grand Ring tickets!

She sat down for a Q&A with us after her win.

Against the grey backdrop of a Toronto winter, an entire forest of colourful creatures has taken up residence downtown, as the Canadian Opera Company presents The Cunning Little Vixen by Leoš Janáček. The opera, making its first appearance in more than 25 years on the COC stage, follows a young female fox—our title Vixen—as she is captured then breaks free… with a little help from her friends. Using clever and colourful design elements, director Jamie Manton has incorporated thought-provoking metaphors throughout that invite audiences to contemplate the contemporary resonance of Janáček’s cautionary tale of humanity’s impact on the natural world.