Happy almost-Canada Day! To celebrate our nation's 146th birthday, we're highlighting all of the talented Canadian artists you will find this fall in our mainstage productions of Puccini's La Bohème and Britten's Peter Grimes. The list includes some familiar faces, several COC Ensemble Studio graduates and some highly anticipated COC debuts.

CANADIANS IN LA BOHÈME

Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury is a recent graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, and has performed multiple roles at the Metropolitan Opera and all over the world. Most recently she has performed with companies like Palm Beach Opera, Netherlands Opera, Opéra Théâtre Saint-Étienne, Opera Lyra Ottawa and Welsh National Opera. This fall, Joyce makes her COC debut in La Bohème in a rare double casting in the roles of Mimì and Musetta! The talented soprano will sing Musetta alongside Italian soprano Grazia Doronzio's Mimì, and will sing Mimì alongside fellow Canadian soprano Simone Osborne's Musetta.

Vancouver soprano and our other Musetta, Simone Osborne graduated in June 2012 from the COC's Ensemble Studio and has been quite busy ever since she left. Over the past year Simone has travelled to Japan, Zurich, Los Angeles, Dubai and back home again! In the last year, Simone has performed at Vancouver Opera as Pamina in The Magic Flute (with fellow Ensemble Studio graduate Teiya Kasahara)  as well as made debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel as Barbarina in Christopher Alden’s production of Le nozze di Figaro and at Carnegie Hall with pianist Warren Jones as a part of the Marilyn Horne Song Celebration. You can also catch Simone performing as Oscar in Un ballo in maschera in our winter season.

Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins last performed at the COC as Morales in our 2005 production of Carmen, and his return as one of our Marcellos in La Bohème has been highly anticipated. But this isn't his first time performing in this co-production! The young star baritone recently performed the role in the Houston Grand Opera production and was praised for his "firm, focused baritone". The Pembroke, Ontario native is a graduate of the Houston Grand Opera studio and has performed all across North America at houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Vancouver Opera, and overseas at Glyndebourne and the Verbier Festival.

Fellow Canadian baritone Phillip Addis makes his COC debut while also doing double-duty in this production of La Bohème. He shares the role of the painter Marcello with Joshua Hopkins, and the role of Schaunard with Cameron McPhail. The Atelier Lyrique de L'Opéra de Montréal graduate enjoys a highly successful career at home and abroad. In 2010 he made his Paris debut as the titular character in Pelléas et Mélisande with l'Opéra Comique and has since performed with De Vlaamse Opera, Calgary Opera, l'Opéra de Montréal, Opera Atelier and more. 

Canadian bass-baritone Tom Corbeil made his COC debut in 2010 in Death in Venice and returns to Toronto to share the role of Colline with American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn. A graduate of the Merola Opera Center, Tom has performed at the Florida Grand Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, and has received acclaim for his performance as Colline at Opera Omaha and Opera Sacramento. This season, Tom will be doing double-duty, as he is also cast to perform as Swallow in Peter Grimes. Trivia time: In 2011, Tom took some time away from the opera treadmill to perform as Lurch in The Addams Family on Broadway!

Hailing from Brandon, Manitoba, current Ensemble Studio member Cameron McPhail starts his second year of the program with a mainstage role as Schaunard! In his first year, Cameron performed as Jacob Grimm in the Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour of Dean Burry's The Brothers Grimm, and was an Officer in the critically acclaimed production of Dialogues des Carmélites. This season, Cameron revives his performance as Jacob Grimm in The Brothers Grimm, performs the role of Guglielmo in the Ensemble Studio performance of Così fan tutte, and will understudy a number of mainstage roles.

Also joining Cameron onstage for La Bohème are fellow Ensemble Studio members Owen McCausland, Clarence Frazer and Gordon Bintner, performing the roles of Parpignol, Customs House Sergeant and Customs Officer respectively.

CANADIANS IN PETER GRIMES

Renowned Canadian tenor Ben Heppner wowed audiences last winter with his performance as the tormented Tristan in the COC's 2013 production of Tristan und Isolde, and promises to do the same as the title character in Peter Grimes. An illustrious graduate of the COC Ensemble Studio, he was born in Murrayville, British Columbia, attended the University of British Columbia and is known as one of the world's finest dramatic tenors. On top of everything, in 2008 he became a Companion of the Order of Canada — how much more Canadian can you get?

Performing alongside Ben Heppner is a fellow ensemble Studio graduate, soprano Ileana Montalbetti as Peter Grimes' tragic love interest Ellen Orford. Ileana was last onstage at the
Four Seasons Centre in our 2011 production of La Cenerentola, and has recently performed the role of Leonore in Michigan Opera Theater's production of Fidelio, and Antonia in the Edmonton Opera's production of The Tales of Hoffmann. The soprano from Saskatoon even has an operatic connection in her family — her mother is the artistic director of the Saskatoon Opera.

Tenor and Ensemble studio graduate Roger Honeywell returns to the COC in the role of the ever-vengeful Bob Boles. The actor-turned-opera singer is currently performing the title role in Peter Grimes at the Des Moines Metro Opera and will also understudy the role when he comes to the COC in the fall. Since graduating from the Ensemble Studio, Roger has performed with Seattle Opera, Vancouver Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Opéra de Montréal and has become known for his role of James Nolan in the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Metropolitan Opera productions of Dr. Atomic. 

Ensemble Studio graduate baritone Peter Barrett recently performed as the Jailer in Dialogues des Carmélites in May, and joins the cast of Peter Grimes in the role of Grimes's poor friend Ned Keene. Hailing from Newfoundland, Peter has also performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Vancouver Opera, and Brooklyn Academy of Music and has performed as a soloist with the Windsor Symphony, Aldeburgh Connection, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Ottawa Choral Society. He also has a musical family: his brother Michael Barrett is a fellow Ensemble Studio graduate, and his wife Lindsay Barrett is a member of the COC chorus.

You can also catch Canadian bass Robert Pomakov returning to the COC in the role of Hobson. Robert last performed at the COC as Monterone in our 2011 production of Rigoletto. Three Ensemble Studio members join the cast as well: soprano Claire de Sévigné and mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan perform as the Nieces, and tenor Owen McCausland will sing the role of Rev. Horace Adams. 

Subscription packages that include La Bohème and Peter Grimes are on sale now. Multi packs and single tickets to our 2013/2014 season go on sale in August. Visit our performance pages or contact Ticket Services for more information.

Photo Credits: (top) Joshua Hopkins as Marcello in the Houston Grand Opera production of La Bohème, 2012. Photo: Felix Sanchez;  Joyce El-Khoury. Photo: Dario Acosta;  Simone Osborne. Photo: Kevin Clark; Joshua Hopkins. Photo: Dario Acosta;  Phillip Addis. Photo: Kristin Hoebermann; Tom Corbeil; Cameron McPhail; Ben Heppner. Photo: Kristin Hoebermann;Ileana Montalbetti;  Roger Honeywell. Photo: Tim Leyes; Peter Barrett.