Toronto, January 30, 2023 – The Ontario Arts Foundation is pleased to announce the sixth biennial Christina and Louis Quilico Awards, a vocal competition featuring the rising young stars of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio. This event marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of the prize.
The competition will take place on February 6, 2023 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, as part of the COC’s Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre Presented by TD Bank Group. The competition will be adjudicated by a panel composed of Perryn Leech, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company, Steven Philcox, Canadian collaborative pianist, and Carolyn Sproule, Canadian mezzo-soprano. The young artists featured in the February 6th competition will perform for cash prizes, singing one aria of their choice and another selected by the judges.
“Louis had wanted to establish this (award) before he died,” says Christina Petrowska Quilico. “It was really his vision to help young opera singers. Launching an award was something we could do to leave a legacy in memory of Louis’ success as a singer and as a support to future generations.”
Past winners include Rihab Chaieb (former member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program and 2018 Operalia Third Prize winner), Emily D’Angelo (winner of the 2022 Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year – Solo Artist, 2016 Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition Finals, and 2018 Operalia winner of the First Prize, Zarzuela Prize, Birgit Nilsson Prize, and Audience Prize), and Claire de Sévigné (JUNO Award nominee for Classical Album of the Year).
This event is free and open to the public, with doors opening at 5 p.m. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and is limited.
The COC Ensemble Studio is an innovative artist development program for emerging Canadian opera professionals. The company’s uniquely collaborative approach blends advanced study and practical experience through a multi-year program that’s individually tailored for each member. Artists receive intensive vocal coaching; language, movement and acting studies; as well as private masterclasses with renowned opera professionals.
Members of the Ensemble Studio are the COC’s resident artists and important community ambassadors for the company. Through performances and collaborations with local schools and organizations, Ensemble members are often the first point of contact with opera for many; their ongoing participation in this area is integral to creating inclusive and welcoming opportunities for more people to engage with the art form.
Since 1980, nearly 230 young professional Canadian singers and pianists have acquired foundational opera experience through the Ensemble Studio. Former members include Ben Heppner, Krisztina Szabó, Gordon Bintner, Ambur Braid, Miriam Khalil, and Wallis Giunta, and David Pomeroy.
About the Christina and Louis Quilico Awards
Christina Petrowska Quilico, C.M., OOnt, FRSC, established the Christina and Louis Quilico Fund in 2000 to honour her late husband, renowned baritone Louis Quilico, and to recognize outstanding young singers. During his 45 years on the stage, Louis Quilico shared performing credits with Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Joan Sutherland, and Renata Tebaldi. He was instrumental in furthering the careers of many young singers through his teaching and master classes. The Ontario Arts Foundation manages the endowment that funds the Christina and Louis Quilico Awards.
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For more information, please contact:
Bruce Bennett, Executive Director
Ontario Arts Foundation
Tel: (416) 969-7411
bbennett@oafdn.ca
Davin Leivonen-Fok, Communications Coordinator
Canadian Opera Company
Tel: (416) 306-2330
davinlf@coc.ca
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For more information, please contact:
Established in 1991, the Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) is passionately committed to building long-term support for the arts in Ontario. In 2022-2023, the OAF paid over $4.4 million in endowment income and $300,000 in awards and scholarships.
Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. General Director Perryn Leech joined the company in 2021, forming a leadership team with Music Director Johannes Debus and Deputy General Director Christie Darville. The COC enjoys a loyal audience, including a dedicated base of subscribers, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. Its diverse repertoire includes new commissions and productions, local and international collaborations with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracts the world’s foremost Canadian and international artists. The company is an incubator for the future of the art form, nurturing Canada’s new wave of opera performers and creators with customized training and support. The COC’s purpose-built opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, is hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world. For more information, visit coc.ca.