ARCHIVES

TIMELINE

1971

  • First official meeting, November 2

  • First public meeting, December 14

1972

  • Alexander Gray, Artistic Director

  • Southern Alberta Opera Association incorporates on April 12, Maurice Lorieau President

  • Calgary Opera Guild forms, Gladys Hogarth President

1973

  • La Bohème

  • Rigoletto

1974

  • Carmen

  • Madama Butterfly

1975

  • Faust

  • La Traviata

1976

  • Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci

  • Die Fledermaus

  • Brian Hanson appointed as both General Manager and Artistic Director

1977

  • The Barber of Seville

  • Aida

1978

  • Don Giovanni

  • Lucia di Lammermoor

  • Un Ballo in Maschera

1979

  • The Merry Widow

  • Tosca

  • Il Trovatore

1980

  • Hansel & Gretel

  • La Bohème

  • The Mikado

1981

  • Turandot

  • Rigoletto

  • Carmen

1982

  • Marriage of Figaro

  • L’Elisir d’Amore

  • La Forza del Destino

1983

  • The Gondoliers

  • Norma

  • Madama Butterfly

  • Tales of Hoffman

  • Southern Alberta Opera Association changes name to Calgary Opera

1984

  • La Traviata

  • Cinderella

  • Don Pasquale

1985

  • Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci

  • Otello

  • Faust

  • Hansel & Gretel

1986

  • La Bohème

  • Die Fledermaus

  • The Mikado

  • Hansel & Gretel

1987

  • Tosca

  • Il Barbiere de Siviglia

  • Don Giovanni

1988

  • Porgy & Bess

  • Il Trovatore

  • Gala Tribute Concert to Brian Hanson

  • Carmen

  • Amahl and the Night Visitors

  • David Speers appointed as General Director of Calgary Opera

1989

  • Un Ballo in Maschera

  • The Magic Flute

  • Rigoletto

  • Amahl and the Night Visitors Tour

1990

  • La Fille du Regiment

  • Salome

  • The Pearl Fishers

  • Candide

  • Romeo & Juliette

1991

  • Madama Butterfly

  • Falstaff

  • Manon Lescaut

  • Marriage of Figaro

1992

  • The Flying Dutchman

  • Kathleen Battle in Recital

  • Carousel

  • L’Elisir d’Amore

1993

  • Nabucco

  • Frederica von Stade in Recital

  • The Merry Widow

  • Pirates of Penzance

  • Kiri Te Kanawa in Recital

  • Werther

1994

  • Lucia di Lammermoor

  • Cosi fan Tutte

  • Christmas Concert with the Calgary Opera Chorus

1995

  • Samuel Ramey in Recital

  • Albert Herring

  • Cecilia Bartoli in Concert

  • La Traviata

  • La Bohème

  • Tracy Dahl & Richard Margison in Recital

1996

  • La Cenerentola

  • Ben Heppner in Concert

  • Eugene Onegin

  • Turandot

1997

  • The Mikado

  • The Magic Flute

  • Mozart’s Magic Fantasy

  • Jessye Norman in Recital

  • Tosca

1998

  • The Barber of Seville

  • Faust

  • Ben Heppner in Recital

  • Verdi’s Requiem

  • W.R. (Bob) McPhee C.M. appointed as General Director & CEO

  • Rigoletto

1999

  • Don Giovanni

  • Richard Margison in Concert

  • Carmen (New Production)

  • The Pearl Fishers (New Production)

2000

  • Aida (New Production)

  • Die Fledermaus

  • Kathleen Battle in Recital

  • John Estacio appointed Composer-in-Residence

  • Il Trovatore

  • Mary Lou Fallis: Primadonna

2001

  • Susannah (Company Premiere) 

  • Turtle Wakes (Calgary Opera New Work, World Premiere)

  • Madame Butterfly

  • Kiri Te Kanawa

  • Marriage of Figaro

2002

  • Dialogues of the Carmelites (Company Premiere, New Production)

  • La Bohème

  • 30th Anniversary Gala Celebration Concert

  • Don Pasquale (New Production)

  • Hansel & Gretel (New Production)

2003

  • Filumena (Calgary Opera New Work co-commissioned with the Banff Centre, World Premiere)

  • La Traviata

  • Romeo & Juliet

2004

  • Sweeney Todd (Company Premiere, New Production)

  • Tales of Hoffmann

  • The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets (Company Premiere)

  • Jubilee Auditorium closed from July 2004 – September 2005 for renovations

  • Lakmé (Company Premiere)

  • Laura Whalen & Marc Hervieux in Recital with Accompanist Kinza Tyrrell

2005

  • Valdine Anderson & Kimberly Barber in Recital with Accompanist Peter Tiefenbach

  • Turtle Wakes School Tour

  • A Kurt Weill Cabaret Featuring The Seven Deadly Sins (Company Premiere)

  • John Tessier in Recital with Accompanist Emily Hamper

  • Jubilee Auditorium Re-Opens

  • Homecoming Celebration with Alberta Ballet in the Newly Renovated Jubilee

  • Turandot

2006

  • Dead Man Walking (Canadian Premiere, New Production)

  • The Magic Flute

  • La Cenerentola (New Production)

2007

  • Frobisher (Calgary Opera New Work, World Premiere)

  • Carmen

  • Renée Fleming in Concert

  • Kiri Te Kanawa in Recital

  • Rigoletto (New Production)

2008

  • The Ballad of Baby Doe (Canadian Premiere)

  • Tosca

  • Hannaraptor (Calgary Opera New Work, World Premiere)

  • Faust

  • L’enfant et les Sortilèges (The Enchanted Child) (New Production)

2009

  • Gordon Gerrard is appointed Resident Conductor & Repetiteur 

  • Ariadne auf Naxos (Company Premiere)

  • The Barber of Barrhead (School Tour)

  • The Barber of Seville

  • Manon

2010

  • Little Women (New Production, Canadian Premiere)

  • Cinderella (School Tour)

  • Don Giovanni (New Production)

  • Lucia di Lammermoor

2011

  • The Inventor (Calgary Opera New Work, World Premiere)

  • The Brothers Grimm (School Tour)

  • Aida

  • Così fan tutte (Emerging Artist Showcase, New Production)

  • Pagliacci / Gianni Schicchi

2012

  • Moby Dick (Calgary Opera New Work co-commissioned with San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, Dallas Opera & The State Opera of South Australia, Canadian Premiere)

  • The Magic Flute (School Tour)

  • La Bohème

  • Ariodante (Emerging Artist Showcase, New Production)

  • What Brought Us Here (World Premiere)

  • Otello (New Production)


2013

  • Christopher “Topher” Mokrzewski is appointed Resident Conductor & Repetiteur 

  • Falstaff

  • La Traviata

  • Hannaraptor (School Tour)

  • The Spanish Hour / Susanna's Secret (Emerging Artist Showcase, New Production)

  • Pirates of Penzance (Opera in the Village, New Production)

  • The Italian Girl in Algiers

2014

  • The Flying Dutchman (New Production)

  • Madame Butterfly (New Production)

  • Hansel and Gretel (School Tour)

  • The Rape of Lucretia (Emerging Artist Showcase, New Production)

  • Candide (Opera in the Village, New Production)

  • Silent Night (Calgary Opera New Work, Canadian Premiere)

  • Christmas at the Opera (Emerging Artist Showcase)

2015

  • The Marriage of Figaro

  • The Scorpions' Sting (School Tour)

  • Carmen

  • The Mikado (Opera in the Village, New Production)

  • Lakmé

  • The Enchanted Child (L’enfant et les sortilèges) (Emerging Artist Showcase, New Production)

2016

  • Die tote Stadt (Canadian Premiere, New Production)

  • The Magic Flute

  • Die Fledermaus

  • Doctor Miracle (Le Docteur Miracle) (Emerging Artist Showcase, New Production)

  • Hansel & Gretel (Opera in the Village)

  • Archiebaldo - Cowtown Opera (Opera in the Village)

2017

  • Kimberley-Ann Bartczak is appointed Resident Conductor & Repetiteur 

  • Filumena (Remount of Calgary Opera's original work, co-commissioned with the Banff Centre)

  • Cinderella (School Tour, New Production)

  • Turandot 

  • South Pacific (Opera in the Village)

  • Cinderella (Opera in the Village)

2018

  • Keith Cerny appointed General Director & CEO

  • The Barber of Seville

  • Eugene Onegin 

  • Tosca 

  • Così fan tutte (Emerging Artist Showcase)

  • Magic Piano & the Chopin Shorts

  • Roméo & Juliette

  • Amahl and the Night Visitors

2019

  • Leadership Team of Bramwell Tovey (Artistic Director) and Heather Kitchen (Managing Director and CEO) Announced

  • Everest (Canadian Premiere)

  • Nemorino and the Magic Potion (School Tour, New Production)

  • Rigoletto

  • Ghost Opera with Old Trout Puppet Workshop and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (World Premiere, Emerging Artist Showcase)

  • La Bohème

  • Christmas at the Opera featuring Amahl and the Night Visitors

2020

  • Norma

  • The Bremen Town Musicians (School Tour)

  • March 13, 2020 - The remainder of the 2019-20 season (Béatrice et Bénédict and Ariadne auf Naxos) is suspended due to COVID-19

  • June 25, 2020 - 2020-21 season programming is postponed due to COVID-19

  • The Yuletide Sessions (Digital)

2021

  • Hansel + Gretel (Digital, School Tour)

  • Opera Labs (Digital) are introduced to document new work creation.

  • Jonathan Brandani is appointed Artistic Director.

  • The Emerging Artist Development Program is renamed the McPhee Artist Development Program in honour of past General Director, Bob McPhee.

  • The Enchanted Child - L'enfant et les sortilèges (New Production)

2022

  • The Merry Widow

  • La Traviata

  • The Brothers Grimm (Digital School Tour)

  • Carmen

  • Stone Soup & Festive Favourites (Canadian Premiere, Company Premiere)

2023

  • The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Canadian Premiere)

  • Cinderella (School Tour)

  • Macbeth (Company Premiere, New Production)

  • Béatrice & Bénédict (McPhee Artist Showcase)

  • The Marriage of Figaro

  • Sue Elliott is appointed CEO and General Director (November)

  • Beauty and the Beast (by Vittorio Giannini) (Holiday production and Digital School Tour)

2024

  • The Elixir of Love

  • Das Rheingold (Company Premiere)

  • 2023-24 will be the company’s 51st season

  • World Premieres: 7

  • Canadian Premieres: 9

PAST ARTISTIC & GENERAL DIRECTORS

  • Alexander Gray (Founding Artistic Director) — 1972-76

  • Brian Hansen — 1976-88

  • David Speers — 1988-98

  • W.R. (Bob) McPhee — 1998-2017

  • Taras Kulish (Interim Artistic Director) - 2017-2018

  • Keith Cerny — 2018

  • Heather Kitchen (Managing Director & CEO), Bramwell Tovey O.C. (Artistic Director) - 2019-2020

  • Heather Kitchen (General Director & CEO) and Jonathan Brandani (Artistic Director) - 2021 - 2023

  • Sue Elliott (General Director & CEO) and Jonathan Brandani (Artistic Director) - 2023 - present