March Break is almost here! With the kids off from school for a week, it can be hard to find activities for the whole family to enjoy (while still maintaining a budget). Have no fear, the Canadian Opera Company is here to provide you with some fun, family-friendly options to help make this March Break a breathtaking one (without breaking the bank).

March 16

Registration opens for Youth Opera Lab: Vocal Health and Diction (The Barber of Seville)

Youth Opera Labs (YOL) are FREE events for teens and young adults ages 16 to 24, and no previous experience with opera is necessary! This YOL looks specifically at vocal health and diction, and features a vocal health Q&A with Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist Dr. Jennifer Anderson, an Italian diction workshop with Italian diction coach Francesco Pellegrino, and a viewing of a working rehearsal for the COC's The Barber of Seville. YOL participants are also given 2 tickets to watch the dress rehearsal for The Barber of Seville on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.!

Registration opens on March 16, with the YOL taking place on Saturday, April 11 from 12 to 4:30 p.m., but registration fills up quickly so be sure to register here ASAP!   

March 17

Free Concert Series: iPicante! (12 to 1 p.m.)

Spice up your March Break with Humber College’s Latin Jazz Ensemble, whose unique blend of Afro-Cuban and jazz sounds is guaranteed to get your salsa on. Percussive, melodic, zesty and always inspired, Humber College’s Latin Jazz Ensemble, led by Grammy and Juno Award-winner Hilario Durán, is a performance not to be missed at the Four Seasons Centre.

Free concert seats fill up quickly, so arrive early to ensure a seat! Doors open half an hour before the performance. Learn more about this performance and the Free Concert Series here.

 

March 19

Free Concert Series: Opera Interactive (12 to 1 p.m.)

Join opera comedienne Kyra Millan, collaborative pianist Christina Faye and COC Ensemble Studio bass-baritone Iain MacNeil in a lively interactive concert featuring favourite operatic arias and sing-along choruses. Audience members of all ages, including families with small children, can listen to, learn about and try their hand at the fascinating art of opera!

This free concert is an annual favorite, so arrive early to ensure a seat! Doors open half an hour before the performance. Learn more about this performance and the Free Concert Series here.

Kyra Millan leads audience members in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. Photo: Karen E. Reeves

March 22

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Building Tour (10:30 a.m.)

Discover why the acoustics of the R. Fraser Elliott Hall have been rated amongst the best in the world, visit private member lounges, and take in the architecture of the magnificent Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room. Then step behind the curtain of Canada’s first and only purpose-built opera house and walk in the footsteps of its greatest stars. With your backstage pass you will have the opportunity to see wardrobe and wig rooms, stars’ dressing rooms, the orchestra pit, green room, Karen Kain Dance Studio, and much more.

This tour is 90 minutes long and tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Tickets for public tours can be purchased in advance online or at the FSC Box Office, 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets will also be available on the morning of the tour starting at 10 a.m. at the welcome desk located in the main lobby. Learn more about the building tour here.

  

---

Photo Credit (Title Image): Amy McConnell & William Sperandei Quartet performing as part of the Free Concert Series. Photo: Kevin Lloyd.