“It was nice they didn’t have to go too far to take part in the theatre experience—our gym transformed into a theatre with very talented singers/actors and musicians.” – Candace Lombard, Holy Name Catholic School

The Ensemble Studio School Tour has officially kicked off with its production of Second Nature by Matthew Aucoin, one of America's most promising young composers. The group of talented COC Ensemble Studio artists will be travelling throughout southern Ontario, performing and educating thousands of students on the importance of opera and the performing arts. Already on the roster for this season's tour are schools in the Toronto District School Board, the Limestone District School Board, the York Region District School Board, the Peel District School Board, and the Grand Erie District School Board.

On Sunday, November 27, audiences of all ages can enjoy Second Nature in its only public performance at the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre in Toronto.

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Second Nature

Set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian future where humans have retreated from nature because of the deteriorating environment, Second Nature is about two curious and courageous pre-teens who decide to leave the safety of their artificial habitat and work to heal the planet. Dora Award-winning duo, director Ashlie Corcoran and designer Camellia Koo, bring the futuristic, zoo-like enclosure of Second Nature’s “Habitat” to life, and the opera is performed by the rising stars of the COC Ensemble Studio, Canada’s premier training program for young opera professionals.

Second Nature has been hailed as "entertaining yet thoughtful" with an "absorbing and inventive" score (Chicago Tribune). The inspirational work is the creation of award-winning American composer, pianist and poet Matthew Aucoin, who has been called "the next Leonard Bernstein" (Wall Street Journal) and "Opera's Great 25-Year-Old Hope" (New York Times).

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The Ensemble Studio School Tour of Second Nature runs from November 10 to December 4. For more information on hosting a performance of Second Nature, click here.

On Sunday, November 27 at 1:30 p.m., the COC is hosting a public performance of Second Nature in the Imperial Oil Opera Theatre at 227 Front Street East. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth 15 and under. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

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Photo credits (top - bottom): Lauren Eberwein, Aaron Sheppard (behind prop), and Iain MacNeil in Second Nature (COC, 2016), photo by Chris Hutcheson; Danika Lorèn, Aaron Sheppard, Samantha Pickett, Lauren Eberwein, and Iain MacNeil in Second Nature (COC, 2016), photo by Chris Hutcheson; (front) Betty Allison, Bruno Roy, Megan Quick, (back) Charles Sy, and Emily D'Angelo in Second Nature ​(COC, 2016), photo by Chris Hutcheson.