Manitoba Opera is a full-time professional

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

company in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, based at the

Centennial Concert Hall Centennial Concert Hall is a 2,305-seat performing arts centre located at 555 Main Street in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, as part of the Manitoba Centennial Centre. The concert hall opened on March 25, 1968. It is the performing home o ...

. Founded in 1969, Manitoba Opera is one of several western Canadian opera companies that flourished under the so-called "father of opera in Western Canada,"

Irving Guttman Irving Guttman (October 27, 1928, in Chatham, Ontario – December 7, 2014, in Vancouver) was a Canadian stage director who had a profound impact on the field of opera within his own country. Described by ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' as "the fat ...

. Live music for Manitoba Opera productions is provided by the

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1947, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at the Centennial Concert Hall. Including travelling performances, the WSO presents an average of ...

. The Opera also serves

northwestern Ontario Northwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, and the

Dakotas The Dakotas, also known as simply Dakota, is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geo ...

in the US.

History

Manitoba Opera was founded in 1969 and incorporated in 1970, with its first production being a concert version of

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

's '' Il Trovatore'' in 1972. The Opera's first fully-staged production was in March 1973 with ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

''. From the 1970s through 1998, the Opera led by the artistic direction of

, known as the "father of opera in Western Canada." Guttman would be instrumental in the development of many young Canadian singers, including Winnipeg native Tracy Dahl (soprano) and Winkler's Phillip Ens (bass). Both have gone on to international careers. In November 2007, the company staged its first full-length original production, ''

Transit of Venus A transit of Venus takes place when Venus passes directly between the Sun and the Earth (or any other superior planet), becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a transit, Venus is visible as ...

'', composed by Victor Davies, with a libretto by Maureen Hunter, based on her stage play of the same name. Larry Desrochers has been the General Director since November 2000.

Alumni

Directors and conductors at the company have included Richard Bradshaw, Tracy Dahl, Nikki Einfeld, Herman Geiger-Torel, Anton Guadagno,

, Imre Pallo, and Alfredo Silipigni. The company has also seen various notable singers in leading roles, including Victor Braun, Judith Forst,

Maureen Forrester Maureen Kathleen Stewart Forrester, (July 25, 1930 – June 16, 2010) was a Canadian operatic contralto. Life and career Maureen Forrester was born and grew up in Montreal, Quebec, one of four children of Thomas Forrester, a British cabinetma ...

, Richard Margison, Allan Monk,

Leona Mitchell Leona Pearl Mitchell (born October 13, 1949, Enid, Oklahoma) is an American operatic soprano who sang for 18 seasons as a leading spinto soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In her home state of Oklahoma, she received many honors. The ...

, Diana Soviero, and Heather Thomson.

References

External links

Opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

Musical groups established in 1969 Canadian opera companies Musical groups from Winnipeg 1969 establishments in Manitoba {{Manitoba-stub