Upcoming Performances
About Opera Atelier
Opera Atelier is an opera and ballet company committed to creating historically informed productions that are realized as complete artistic statements — always built from the ground up with equal attention given to music, dancing, acting, and design.
Opera Atelier is committed to the tangible application of the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the company’s administrative and artistic goals.
While our core repertoire extends from Monteverdi to Mozart, we also explore productions of later repertoire. In doing so, we keep pace with the finest international ensembles and conductors who are performing productions of Beethoven, Massenet, and Debussy on period instruments in major venues to great acclaim.
We are also committed to commissioning new music for period instruments, and the creation of original works. For Opera Atelier, the pivotal aspect of period production lies in the in-depth examination of the original intentions of composers, choreographers, and librettists in order to find new ways to challenge ourselves as artists in the 21st century. A period production is not a museum piece; it is a new creation and takes its own place in history.
Opera Atelier’s productions are performed in partnership with Tafelmusik, Canada’s internationally acclaimed period-instrument orchestra. Recently, the company has forged an important relationship with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale. The Nathaniel Dett Chorale is Canada’s first professional choral group dedicated to Afrocentric music of all styles, including classical, spiritual, gospel, jazz, folk, and blues.
Since its inception, Opera Atelier has promoted an exceptionally diverse group of Canadian artists in its work and is committed to training the next generation of Canadian singers, dancers, designers, and technicians in the practices of historically informed production through apprenticeships and extensive workshops for dancers and singers. Opera Atelier is committed to expanding the company’s audience, and to making period opera and ballet accessible to a wide and diverse public through touring, community-based education programs, and the creative use of media.
Led by founding Artistic Directors Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg since 1985, Opera Atelier has garnered acclaim for its performances at home as well as in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Opera Atelier continues to evolve and takes artistic risks — always striving to reimagine opera and ballet as compelling storytelling for the 21st century.