Bravissimo!
New Year's at the Opera
December 31, 2024 at 7:00 pm
Featuring The Canadian Opera Company Orchestra
Toronto's classiest
New Year's Eve event
Looking for a glamorous way to start your New Year’s Eve festivities?
Opera’s greatest hits are presented at Toronto’s classiest New Year’s Eve event, featuring world-class opera stars and the colossal power of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra.
About the concert
Opera’s greatest hits are presented at Toronto’s classiest New Year’s Eve event! Featuring world-class singers and the colossal power of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra led by its esteemed conductor, Johannes Debus, this glamorous concert is perfect for both seasoned opera-lovers and soon-to-be fans.
World renowned opera stars Eri Nakamura, Viktoria Vizin, Kang Wang, and Mihai Damian perform sumptuous arias and duets from Carmen, Turandot, Marriage of Figaro, and more.
Bravissimo! New Year’s at the Opera returns to Roy Thomson Hall on December 31st, 7PM-9:15PM.
Celebrate in style and end your year on a high note!
Cast
Featuring
The Canadian Opera Company Orchestra
Johannes Debus, Music Director
Eri Nakamura, soprano (Japan)
During the 2024-25 season, Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura debuts with the Canadian Opera Company as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly and sings Amelia in Un ballo in maschera with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
Last season marked her debut at the Royal Swedish Opera as Cio-Cio San and at the English National Opera in 7 Deaths of Maria Callas. She also sang her first Amelia in Simon Boccanegra with The Hallé, under the baton of Sir Mark Elder.
For the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as a Jette Parker Young Artist, Ms. Nakamura performed Musetta in La bohème, Frasquita in Carmen, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi. She later returned as guest to sing Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro (Sir Colin Davis), Sophie in Werther (Sir Antonio Pappano) and Liù in Turandot. As an ensemble member with the Bayerische Staatsoper, her many roles included Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Susanna, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Liù. She has also appeared with the Wiener Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Ópera de Oviedo, New National Theatre Tokyo, Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile, and Washington National Opera.
Viktoria Vizin, mezzo-soprano (Hungary)
Viktoria Vizin’s dramatic mezzo-soprano repertoire features roles including Charlotte (Werther), The Composer (Ariadne auf Naxos), Phèdre (Hypolite et Aricie), Dejanira (Hercules), Nerone (L’incoronazione di Poppea), and Waltraute in Graham Vick’s production of Götterdämmerung (Teatro Massimo, Palermo).
With more than 100 performances as Carmen, Ms. Vizin has graced some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the Metropolitan Opera. Her interpretation of Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle has been featured in major productions with the Oregon Symphony, the Budapest Festival Orchestra (conducted by Iván Fischer), and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Peter Eötvös). She appeared at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg as Preziosilla and made her Danish debut at Den Jyske Opera - Aarhus as Dulcinée. She debuted as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Bartók Plus Opera Festival.
Beyond opera, Ms. Vizin starred in the theatrical play Carmen Disruption, written by Tony Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens at the Almeida Theatre. As a contemporary opera co-creator, her work includes The Witch, the original one-act opera “...and Echo” composed by Peter Zombola, and Aldegunda (Jarvis Opera Hall, Chicago).
Kang Wang, tenor (Australia/China)
Australian-Chinese tenor Kang Wang is a distinguished alum of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. In the 2024-25 season, he takes on roles including Macduff in Macbeth at Washington National Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Canadian Opera Company, Alfredo in La traviata with the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, and Rodolfo in Luisa Miller at Washington Concert Opera.
Mr. Wang debuted as Rodolfo in La bohème at the Canadian Opera Company and Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, portrayed Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni at Houston Grand Opera, performed the title role in Les contes d’Hoffmann at Palm Beach Opera, and starred as the Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera. He has performed on the stages of esteemed venues including Opernhaus Zürich, Seattle Opera, Opera Australia, and Welsh National Opera.
Originally from Harbin, China, he grew up surrounded by music as the son of two acclaimed opera singers. He holds an International Artist Diploma from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and a Master’s degree in opera performance from the Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith University in Australia.
Mihai Damian, baritone (Romania)
Mihai Damian recently made his international opera debut as Giacomo in Giovanna d’Arco at Mexico’s Palacio de Bellas Artes. He has also performed as Escamillo in Carmen at both the Bucharest National Opera House and in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
His impressive career includes a notable performance at the prestigious Konzerthaus Berlin, where he sang Guglielmo in Le Villi with the Berliner Operngruppe. Prior to that, he collaborated with the Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra and later became a soloist with the Romanian National Opera, working with acclaimed conductors such as Lawrence Foster (USA), Hannu Lintu (Finland), Felix Krieger (Germany), David Crescenzi (Italy), Tiberiu Soare (Romania), Mihnea Ignat (Romania), and Cristian Spătaru (Republic of Moldova).
A graduate of the Gheorghe Dima National Academy, Mr. Damian holds degrees in both classical singing and conducting. His training included participation in exclusive masterclasses with renowned artists like Ramón Vargas, Ruxandra Donose, Leontina Văduva, Michele Kalmandy, Karola Theill, Vlad Iftinca, Roland Börger, Patrick Russil, Cristian Hodrea, and Veronica Anușca. Recently, he won 2nd Prize at the Eva Marton International Singing Competition.
Johannes Debus, conductor (Germany)
Johannes Debus has been Music Director of the Canadian Opera Company (COC) since 2009, having been appointed immediately following his debut. Outside of Toronto, Debus conducts regularly at the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Staatsoper unter den Linden, Oper Frankfurt, and the Santa Fe Opera.
Debus graduated from the Hamburg Conservatoire before being engaged as répétiteur and, subsequently, Kapellmeister by Oper Frankfurt where he acquired an extensive repertoire from Mozart to Thomas Adès. As an advocate for contemporary music, he has collaborated with internationally acclaimed ensembles such as Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Modern, Klangforum Wien, and Ensemble Musikfabrik. He enjoys an ongoing relationship with the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Produced by Roy Thomson Hall and Attila Glatz Concert Productions. Artists subject to change without notice.
How to get there
Roy Thomson Hall
60 Simcoe Street
Toronto, ON
M5J 2H5
Venue Phone: 416-872-4255
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