Opera Five Inc.

Opera 5 was founded with the goal of finding new operatic audiences and pushing boundaries through mixed-media performances and re-envisioning performance practice in opera. Opera 5 became a Not-for-profit Corporation and was granted Charitable Status on July 15th 2013 with a mandate to promote Canadian professionals in the Operatic world through opera performances including the premiere of Canadian written operas and to find and educate new opera audiences to enjoy the medium. 1) Through the pandemic Opera 5 in partnership with Gazelle Automations wrote and produced 9 episodes for our web-series called 'Threepenny Submarine.' www.threepennysubmarine.com) This web-series introduces children and their families to the wonderful world of opera through a pair of puppets Lydian and Iona in their deep-sea adventures in the Threepenny Submarine. The project is employing young Canadian Operatic professionals and musicians to perform the music for the episodes as well as film and puppet professionals and is also commissioning new Canadian music for the final two episodes. These episodes were released on November 1 2023 online to watch for free at any time. The series received its international premiere in May 2024 when it was featured at O. Festival in Rotterdam Netherlands. O. Festival is a new music festival. 2) Opera 5’s return to the stage presenting 'The Turn of the Screw' by Benjamin Britten at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto to sold out audiences in June 2024. This show featured an all Canadian cast the full chamber ensemble and a stunning visual designs and concept. 3) Opera 5 presented a new program this season as well the Portfolio Artist Internship in partnership with Opera McGill at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University. Seven paid interns participated as a secondary cast in The Turn of the Screw and all were assigned secondary roles in production design and administration to gain skills to build a sustainable career in the arts.