What is this L ittle Oper a C om pa ny which is doing such big things in the musical life of Winnipe g? For example, what ab out the n ame? In 1995 a group of artists started The L ittle Opera with an eye to the Gr a nd Oper a of the certainly bigger Ma n itoba Oper a Associ a tion. This compa ny was formed n ot in de fi a nce but in a be lief a nd kn owledge tha t there is more to o per a in town than wha t was seen in the l arge work repertoire of Ma n itoba Oper a. Opportun ity was the key idea and even a casual gl a nce at the list of artists who have worked with The LOC over the years shows that concept was central in the artistic deve lo pment of singers, conductors, directors a nd de signers in W inn ipe g. Now look at the operas performed over its 25 years. If one thinks of a ‘little’ o per a com pa ny as doing only chamber pieces one must look ag ain at The LOC which though it certainly has presented among the best of chamber operas isn’t afraid of the challenge of a big piece if the o pportun ity ar ises as a showcase for the grea t r ising talent in the city. An o per a com pa ny which does Mozart’s Cosi fa n tutte as well as, s ay, Merry Christmas Stephen Leacock by Neil Weisense l or The Ve lveteen Rabbit by Mary C aro l War wick; Puccin i’s G ia nni Sc h icchi to La Trag é die de Carmen , with a sortie into cl assic musicals like Kismet ; a nd then p ro poses to p resent J ake Heggie’s T hr ee Decembe rs isn’t pl aying it s afe by a ny mea ns. Is it an exagger a tion for The LOC to cl aim tha t ma ny well-kn own singers (among other artists) have started with the com pa ny? Modesty may forbid tha t b oast , but the singers themse lves wil l without hesita tion put The LOC as an im porta nt step in their career. The list is long a nd distinguished and of course, can only be a partial one but, here is a list of the names of some of the singers who have gra ced the LOC stage a nd have gone on to further their careers e lsewhere: L ar a Secor d Haid, Andrian a Chuchma n , Kurt L ehma nn , Jessica Riley, J ason Ne decki, Sama ntha Hil l , Jessica Strong, Anton Dahl S ok als ki, D arren Martens, Ne lson Bettencourt , Sar a h Kirs ch, An a T ou m ine, Ann Mar ie M cIntosh, a nd Jil li a n B onner. There is no ‘home’ for The LOC. Performa nces have r a nged throughout the city f rom formal theatre spa ces to bars p roving tha t art ca n fl our ish a nywhere, more to the point tha t LOC ca n make it happen anywhere. If there is a home for The LOC, it is deep in the cultural fa br ic of Winnipe g, Man itoba, a nd Canada. Spencer D unca nson , its current Artistic Director who along with Robert C am pbell, Di a ne B erger and Peter Klymkiw, started the company 25 years ago, had a vision of giving oper a singers the o pportun ity to deve lo p their cr aft. Here to stay, LOC wil l continue to grow by eng aging r ising talent and challenging itself in repertoire. Its growing audiences await future seasons with happy a nticipa tion. — Rory R unne l ls

25TH ANNIVER SARY CO NCERT

APRIL 23RD-25TH, 2020 - 7:30PM SALLE MARTIAL CARON / UNIVERSITÉ DE SA INT-B ONIFACE 200, AVENUE DE LA CATHÉDRALE (ENTRANCE BEHIND THE LOUIS RIEL STATUE) T ICKET PRICE: $40 FOR ADULTS / $30 FOR ST UDENT S AVAILABLE THROUGH PTE BOX OFFICE (204) 942-5483 LITTLEOPERA.CA

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