Mission
Vancouver Opera is dedicated to creating extraordinary experiences that entertain, inspire, and engage communities through the power of voice, music, and theatre.
Our History
Vancouver Opera is the second largest opera company in Canada. It is regarded worldwide for its fine mainstage productions; for its country-leading education programs, which have reached more than 1.6 million children and their families in more than 50 years; for its innovative and award-winning community programs; and for forging groundbreaking cross-cultural creative partnerships that have brought opera to new generations of Canadians in recent history. Vancouver Opera was founded in 1958 by a group of visionary community leaders who believed in the essential value of the performing arts to the life of a great city and who recognized the power of opera to connect people to the universal human drama. In their view, a resident professional opera company was vital to the future of Vancouver. After its founding, Vancouver Opera quickly moved to the centre of the city’s and region’s cultural life and has remained there ever since. In recent years, the company has intensified and broadened its role as a major creative, educational, and collaborative resource in the community.
Education Programs
Vancouver Opera leads the community and the country in its Education programs. Vancouver Opera In Schools (VOIS), which began in 1972 as an initiative of the Vancouver Opera Guild, is the largest touring program of its kind in Canada. Each season, VOIS introduces the power and beauty of opera to about 50,000 school children and their families across B.C. and beyond. More than 1,600,000 children have enjoyed specially adapted short operas, sung in English, and performed by an energetic cast of professional young singers. In 2009, VOIS presented a new commissioned opera, Jack Pine, by renowned local musician Veda Hille, based on the children’s book of the same name by award winning Saltspring Island poet, Christopher Patton. Jack Pine toured to schools and theatres throughout B.C., to schools in Ottawa, and on to The National Arts Centre. Vancouver Opera also offers enriched programs for secondary school students. Find out more about VO’s Education Programs.
Mainstage Productions
The company’s inaugural production was 1960’s Carmen, starring Nan Merriman, Richard Cassilly, and Louis Quilico. It was directed by Irving Guttman, founding Artistic Director, who led the company until 1974 and again from 1982 to 1984. Vancouver Opera is admired around the world for presenting exciting productions of a very high quality, for the estimable playing of its orchestra, and for attracting artists of international stature. This reputation, which is refreshed each season, originated in several now-legendary appearances: in 1963, Richard Bonynge made his conducting début with Faust; that same year, he conducted Joan Sutherland’s and Marilyn Horne’s role débuts in Norma (1963). In 1968’s Tosca, Plácido Domingo made his first Vancouver appearance, and in 1972, Joan Sutherland débuted the title role of Lucrezia Borgia. Over the years, the company has attracted such internationally acclaimed singers as Ewa Podles, James Morris, Samuel Ramey, Ruth Ann Swenson, James McCracken, Reri Grist, Victor Braun, John Alexander, Maria Pellegrini, Huguette Tourangeau, Paul Plishka, Regina Resnik, and Elizabeth Futral. A rich and varied history of artists.
Quality of Productions
Over the decades, VO has achieved an enviable level of consistency in its productions. One of the company’s main strengths is its capacity for continually enhancing the quality of physical productions to match and support the high musical values. In recent years, the company has dramatically increased its investment in the look of its shows, in direct proportion to its increased investment in top-level international singers and conductors. Vancouver Opera presents a balance of traditional and innovative productions of established repertoire along with newer operas and less frequently produced works by master composers. Among the most memorable innovative productions of established repertoire have been a controversial Lucian Pintile staging of Carmen in 1986, a visually compelling production of La traviata in 1989 directed by Goran Jarvefelt, a multi-media production of Salome in 1997 directed by filmmaker Atom Egoyan, and, in 2006, a spectacular production of Faust, directed by Nicholas Muni.
In the Community
Fulfilling and broadening the vision of the company’s founders, Vancouver Opera has developed an ongoing series of community programs that explore meaningful issues and themes that arise from each season’s operas. The inaugural project was a “community forum,” a series of community events leading up to the 2002 production of Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men . The events addressed poverty, life with disabilities, and the role of art in effecting social change. Since then, the company has produced several public forums on topics ranging from the plight of women during wartime (Aida) to the place of faith in politics (Dialogues of the Carmelites) to the boundaries of comedy (Rigoletto). In the spring of 2004, in advance of its new production of The Threepenny Opera, VO worked with more than a dozen cultural organizations to produce Berlin in the 20s, a city-wide series of events and performances focusing on the ideas and creations of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. For the 2004 production of Madama Butterfly, VO forged deep relationships with many Japanese-Canadian individuals and organizations to produce a series of 22 events and performances, collectively called Views of Japan, which explored the rich and complex relationship between Japanese and Canadian Cultures. In 2005, leading up to Dialogues of the Carmelites, VO produced “Church and State: Dialogues on Religion and Politics”, a provocative series of lectures, forums and performances. And in 2006-2007, in the months leading up to The Magic Flute, Vancouver Opera collaborated with First People’s Heritage, Language and Culture Council to produce “Where Cultures Meet”, a series that explored issues such as cultural appropriation and intellectual property in the arts, and the degree to which cultures can merge in artistic endeavour. For the 2010 Canadian premiere of Nixon in China, an extensive series of events was produced, examining the legacy of the groundbreaking meeting between Nixon and Mao. The series included events with Alexandre Trudeau, Margaret MacMillan, and Ambassador John Negroponte, as well as a host of public forums, music and dance performances and film screenings. Community events around 2011’s world premiere of the new, VO-commissioned opera Lillian Alling explored themes of immigration and history, with film screenings, open rehearsals, historic walking tours and public lectures.
Production History
2024-2025 Die Fledermaus Flight Madama Butterfly 2023-2024 The Magic Flute Don Pasquale Carmen 2022-2023 The Pearl Fishers A Midsummer Night’s Dream The Flying Dutchman 2021-2022 Orfeo Ed Euridice Cavalleria Rusticana in Concert HMS Pinafore 2020-2021 Digital Season La Voix Humaine Amahl and the Night Visitors The Music Shop La Tragédie de Carmen 2019-2020 La Traviata The Barber of Seville Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera (cancelled) The Flight of the Hummingbird (VOIS) 2018-2019 The Merry Widow La Bohème Faust La Cenerentola 2017-2018 Turandot L’Elisir d’amore Eugene Onegin The Overcoat – a musical tailoring Requiem for a Lost Girl The Scorpion’s Sting (VOIS) 2016-2017 Hansel and Gretel Macbeth The Marriage of Figaro Otello Dead Man Walking 2015-2016 Rigoletto Dark Sisters Madama Butterfly Evita Stickboy (VOIS) 2014-2015 Carmen Stickboy Die Fledermaus Sweeney Todd 2013-2014 Tosca Albert Herring Don Giovanni Don Carlo The Barber of Barkerville (VOIS) 2012-2013 La Bohème The Pirates of Penzance The Magic Flute Tea: A Mirror of Soul Naomi’s Road (VOIS) 2011-2012 West Side Story Roméo et Juliette The Barber of Seville Aida Hansel & Gretel (VOIS) 2010-2011 Lillian Alling Lucia di Lammermoor La Clemenza di Tito La Traviata Cinderella (VOIS) 2009-2010 Norma Nixon in China The Marriage of Figaro Madama Butterfly Jack Pine (VOIS) Golden Anniversary Concert + Gala 2008-2009 Eugene Onegin Carmen Rigoletto Salome The Barber of Barkerville / Jack Pine (VOIS) 2007-2008 Cavalleria Rusticana/ I Pagliacci The Italian Girl in Algiers Fidelio La Bohème The Barber of Barkerville (VOIS) 2006-2007 I Puritani (Concert) Werther (Concert) Macbeth The Magic Flute Ariadne auf Naxos Tosca The Magic Flute: Quest for the Box of Shadows (VOIS) 2005-2006 Der Freischütz (The Marksman) (Concert) Turandot Dialogues of the Carmelites Don Giovanni Faust Naomi’s Road (VOIS) 2004-2005 The Pearl Fishers (Concert) Der Rosenkavalier Madama Butterfly Così fan Tutte The Masked Ball Hansel & Gretel (VOIS) 2003-2004 Pelléas et Mélisande (Concert) The Girl of the Golden West The Barber of Seville The Abduction from the Seraglio (Concert) The Threepenny Opera La Traviata La Cenerentola / Hansel & Gretel (VOIS) 2002-2003 Aida The Daughter of the Regiment VO Orchestra 25th Anniversary Concert Elektra La Bohème Figaro, Figaro, Figaro / Cinderella (VOIS) 2001-2002 The Marriage of Figaro Die Fledermaus Of Mice and Men Carmen The Magic Flute / Figaro, Figaro, Figaro (VOIS) 2000-2001 Lucia di Lammermoor Ben Heppner Concert The Rake’s Progress The Flying Dutchman The Magic Flute The Magic Flute (VOIS) 1999-2000 Rigoletto The Elixir of Love Vancouver Opera 40th Anniversary Gala Concert Don Giovanni Madama Butterfly Bryn Terfel Concert The Magic Potion (The Elixir of Love) (VOIS) 1998-1999 Tosca Roméo et Juliette Vancouver Opera Studio & Touring Ensembles Concert La Traviata Bluebeard’s Castle / Erwartung Richard Margison Concert The Pirates of Penzance (VOIS) 1997-1998 Il Trovatore Salome X-Treme Opera La Bohème The Barber of Seville Hansel & Gretel (VOIS) 1996-1997 The Marriage of Figaro Bryn Terfel Concert (co-presented with Vancouver Recital Society) Jenufa Three Tenors Concert Susannah Shenyang Peking Opera Turandot The Mikado La Cenerentola (VOIS) 1995-1996 Faust Così fan Tutte Luciano Pavarotti Concert Carmen Ben Heppner Concert The Makropulos Case Anne Sofie von Otter Concert (co-presented with Vancouver Recital Society) Candide The Barber of Seville – Code Name: Figaro (VOIS) 1994-1995 Nabucco Dmitri Hvorostovsky Concert (co-presented with Vancouver Recital Society) The Pearl Fishers Samuel Ramey Concert (co-presented with Vancouver Recital Society) Peter Grimes Kathleen Battle Concert The Pirates of Penzance Madama Butterfly The Magic Flute: The Space Tour (VOIS) 1993-1994 La Traviata Ben Heppner Concert Jenufa Don Giovanni Die Fledermaus Marilyn Horne Concert The Architect (World Premiere) Pinafore! (VOIS) 1992-1993 Rigoletto The Magic Flute Dialogues of the Carmelites La Bohème Kathleen Battle Concert (co-presented with Vancouver Recital Society) Jessye Norman Concert (co-presented with Vancouver Recital Society) Hansel & Gretel / H.M.S. Pinafore (VOIS) 1991-1992 Carmen Tosca The Marriage of Figaro Cecilia Bartoli Concert Don Pasquale Hansel & Gretel (VOIS) 1990-1991 Alcina The Barber of Seville Salome Madama Butterfly Kiri Te Kanawa Concert (co-presented with Vancouver Recital Society) Dr. Miracle (VOIS) 1989-1990 The Rake’s Progress Norma Werther The Merry Widow La Bohème (VOIS) 1988-1989 Don Giovanni Ariadne auf Naxos Rigoletto La Traviata The Barber of Seville (VOIS) 1987-1988 La Bohème The Cunning Little Vixen The Turn of the Screw Die Fledermaus Opera Allsorts (VOIS) 1986-1987 From the House of the Dead The Marriage of Figaro Madama Butterfly Lucia di Lammermoor The Tales of Hoffmann (VOIS) 1985-1986 Fidelio The Barber of Seville The Magic Flute Carmen Don Pasquale (VOIS) 1984-1985 The Masked Ball I Puritani Eugene Onegin Così fan Tutte Cinderella (VOIS) 1983-1984 Nabucco Madama Butterfly The Tales of Hoffmann Norma Rigoletto (VOIS) 1982-1983 La Bohème La Traviata Carmen The Barber of Seville (VOIS) 1981-1982 Turandot Cinderella Lucia di Lammermoor Roméo et Juliette The Man of La Mancha The Barber of Sevillle / Il Trovatore (VOIS) 1980-1981 Tosca Rigoletto Otello Faust (VOIS) 1979-1980 Cavalleria Rusticana / I Pagliacci The Bartered Bride Il Trovatore Rigoletto (VOIS) 1978-1979 Aida Carmen La Traviata Carmen (VOIS) 1977-1978 Le Roi de Lahore La Fille du Régiment Don Giovanni Madama Butterfly The Magic Flute The Barber of Seville The Barber of Seville (VOIS) 1976-1977 La Bohème Mignon Die Fledermaus The Masked Ball Il Trovatore (VOIS) 1975-1976 Semiramide The Queen of Spades Faust The Merry Widow Resident Artists’ Programme Concert: Opera Through the Time Machine Faust (VOIS) 1974-1975 Lucia di Lammermoor Rigoletto Resident Artists’ Programme Concert: La Buona Figiuola Die Walkure The Gondoliers or “The King of Barataria” Rigoletto (VOIS) Rodelinde (Resident Artists’ Programme) 1973-1974 Don Carlo Carmen Resident Artists’ Programme Concert La Traviata Carmen (VOIS) 1972-1973 Lucrezia Borgia The Marriage of Figaro Tosca The Marriage of Figaro / Tosca (VOIS) 1971-1972 Il Trovatore Cavalleria Rusticana / I Pagliacci Turandot Montserrat Caballé Concert 1970-1971 Aida Madama Butterfly The Tales of Hoffmann 1969-1970 Salome The Elixir of Love La Bohème The Masked Ball 1968-1969 The Barber of Seville Faust Manon 1967-1968 Rigoletto The Flying Dutchman Tosca 1966-1967 Cavalleria Rusticana / I Pagliacci Lucia di Lammermoor La Traviata The Girl of the Golden West (Vancouver Festival) 1965-1966 Madama Butterfly Il Trovatore Renata Tebaldi Concert Hansel & Gretel (Vancouver Festival) 1964-1965 The Marriage of Figaro The Italian Girl in Algiers Carmen 1963-1964 Norma Gala Endowment Fund Concert The Barber of Seville La Bohème The Consul 1962-1963 Tosca Faust Aida 1961-1962 The Tales of Hoffmann Rigoletto 1960-1961 La Bohème La Traviata 1960 Carmen
