Toronto Opera Repertoire
OPERA FOR THE REST OF US!
1967-2010: Celebrating 43 Years of Great Community Opera!
The TOR Story
Toronto Opera Repertoire can trace its roots back to 1946, when a Mr. G. Rosselimo established an opera workshop in Toronto. The organization as we know it today began in 1967, when Giuseppe Macina was asked to revitalize and direct the program under the auspices of the Toronto Board of Education.
Toronto Opera Repertoire is a unique collaboration between a community-based, volunteer-run organization, and a continuing education course offered by the Toronto District School Board.
How the program works
You can join TOR as a soloist (if you audition and are accepted) or as a member of the chorus.
Chorus members rehearse on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Extra rehearsals are added as we get close to performance.
Soloists (who must also sing in the chorus) rehearse three evenings a week: Tuesdays, with the chorus, and Wednesdays and Thursdays with their fellow soloists.
Participants in the program must pay a tuition fee to the Toronto District School Board, and must also pay a membership fee to TOR. The program is usually 19 weeks long, with rehearsals in October and November, holidays in December, rehearsals in January and performances in February.
There are six performances of each of the operas chosen, over a three-week period. Performances are professionally directed and costumed, though with piano accompaniment only.
For more information, contact us.
Performance photographs, from our 2009 production of Carmen, courtesy James Thomson
