NYCO goes Operatic!

The North York Concert Orchestra and maestro Rafael Luz invite you to join us on presenting Leonard Bernstein’s comic operetta, Candide! This project is intended to give opportunities to perform a repertoire that is not normally accessible to many. With the help of everyone involved, this community initiative is sure to be a memorable event. Singers, instrumentalists, choristers, stage managers, and many more – we want to connect with you! Below you will find more information about the project and how to get involved.

WHEN AND WHERE?

Concert

Concerts will be held on June 17th at 7:30pm, and June 18th at 3pm. Both will take place at the East End United Minister – 310 Danforth Ave.

Rehearsals

All rehearsals will take place Mon-Fri, June 5th to June 15th, 7-10pm. 

The rehearsal venues are located at:

York Mills Collegiate Institute – 490 York Mills Rd 

Borochov Cultural Center – 272 Codsell Ave 

East End United – 310 Danforth Ave

See detailed rehearsal schedule attached.

Rehearsal Schedule (as of Apr 1st)

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Chorus

We welcome applications from all singers who cannot wait to sing some beautiful and exciting tunes. Join us and share the stage with the emerging stars of today. Isabel Bernaus will lead the chorus.We aim to have a chorus of 40 singers. We will review applications on a weekly basis and will advise of remaining openings below. To apply, follow this link  and complete the form shortly describing your musical experiences, voice type, which choir you regularly sing, and if you have been with us before. Note that two choral pieces, ‘Auto-da-fe’ and ‘Make our garden grow’, will need to be memorized. While this is a Concert Version, some movement will be necessary – please advise us of any challenges. 

Instrumentalists

Some positions may be open for instrumentalists wanting to join us for this opera experience. Remaining openings will be listed below. Please send your interest to candide.orchestra@nyco.ca, let us know your musical experience, what instrument you play, and if you have played with us before.

An opera cannot happen without the work of all the people in the background. Stage manager, assistant, librarian, orchestra and choir manager(s), props, set up and tear down, surtitle operator, marketing, and more. If you would like this opportunity to put your knowledge to test, we’d love to work with you! This is also perfect for students looking to complete volunteering hours.

Below you will find some of the functions and their descriptions. On your application you will have a space to indicate how you would like to help. You are welcome to bring ideas and suggestions.

Stage Manager

The stage manager will be responsible for all activities on stage. Some of the activities are: making sure props are where they should be at the start of the show; assisting singers with their stage entrance; communicating between the Props team and Setup/Teardown team; assisting them as necessary. It is necessary to read music as you’ll be reading from a piano score.

We cannot wait to have all pieces together starting on June 5th, culminating in two wonderful concert experiences on June 17 and 18. Don’t forget to invite friends and families.