Operanation

The fundraising event for all arts enthusiasts and the opera-curious for the Canada Opera Company (COC) took place on May 17 at the Four Season’s Performing Arts Centre. This year’s theme was “Into the Stars” – inspired by COC’s world premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s “Hadrian” – the opera house was transformed into an Ancient Roman mega-bash of fashion, art, and opera with pitchers of wine (cocktails at the open bar), flowing lute music (Toronto’s coolest DJs), and the bountiful riches of the harvest (midnight snacks deluxe).

Diego Armand spinning the tunes

This year’s event marked the 14th year of Opernation with 100% of proceeds going towards the COC’s Ensemble Studio, the nation’s premier training program for young Canadian opera artists. The Ensemble Studio artists tours the cities, neighbourhoods, and towns with performances at schools, community centres, and other public spaces in the course of their training, making Operanation a truly effective way of generating positive artistic experiences with significant social and cultural benefits.

Entertainment on the main stage was provided by the Electro-pop duo Brave Shores headlines in a genre-bending collab with #COCEnsemble artists Danika Lorèn & @brunobeloinroy!