Mezzo-soprano Simone McIntosh with pianists Rachael Kerr and Stéphane Mayer | Photo by Chris Hutcheson

The halls of the West Wing have been alive with music this month! Our holiday stage has been graced with amazing Canadian talent, and the performance we have planned for December 21st is no exception.

This Thursday, enjoy your lunch hour in the West Wing, and get a behind-the-scenes experience of the Opera. Members of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio will be rehearsing live at Union station, and the West Wing will be filled with melodic arias, and songs of the holiday season!

The COC Ensemble Studio is Canada’s premier training program for young opera professionals. Since the inception of the program in 1980, over 230 young professional Canadian singers, opera coaches, stage directors and conductors have acquired their first major professional operatic experience.

You’re invited to peek behind the curtain as they rehearse a number of different musical scenarios. They’ll try different languages, volumes, and speeds, all in a quest to expand their already pre-eminent skills, and find the most powerful musical presentation.

Taking you on this operatic adventure are the following talented artists:

Simone McIntosh
Mezzo-Soprano 

Photo by Gaetz Photography 

Megan Quick
Mezzo-Soprano 

Photo by Gaetz Photography 

Rachael Kerr
Pianist

Photo by Gaetz Photography 

Liz Upchurch
Head of the COC Ensemble Studio
& Event MC 

Photo by Chris Hutcheson

Join us this Thursday, December 21st, from 12pm – 1pm, and be delighted by music and the Opera in the West Wing!

The COC Ensemble Studio, underwritten in part by Peter M. Deeb, Marjorie and Roy Linden, Sheila K. Piercey, RBC Foundation and The Slaight Family Foundation, is Canada’s premier training program for young opera professionals and provides advanced instruction, hands-on experience, and career development opportunities. The Ensemble Studio is also supported by the Government of Canada, the Hal Jackman Foundation and other generous donors.