Southern Ontario Lyric Opera (SOLO), is a young, vibrant and dynamic Opera company with a dual goal of preserving and cultivating the multi-faceted art of opera for the dedicated aficionado, while also acquainting and educating those who are new to this exquisite and refined art form, through community outreach.
Under the baton of Founder and Artistic Director, Sabatino Vacca, SOLO made its debut in September of 2015 with “A Grand Night for Opera”, a celebration of opera favourites, at Burlington Centre for the Performing Arts. In September of 2016, SOLO brought to BPAC a semi-staged performance of Verdi’s “La Traviata”, followed by a full production of Puccini’s “Tosca” in March of 2017.
Another Puccini favourite, “La Bohème”, heralded the opening of SOLO’s 2017/2018 Season and in January SOLO presented “Encore”, an evening of beloved opera arias. A March double-bill of Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” and Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi,” marked the close of SOLO’s BPAC Season.
Consistent with our outreach goal of providing education and fostering an understanding of opera amongst young people, we were delighted to feature children in three of our operas. In addition, The Burlington Teen Tour Band made a special appearance in “La Bohème” and we also hosted children from local schools at a dress rehearsal, to nurture their awareness of the fascinating world of opera.
SOLO recently undertook two semi-staged performances of “La Traviata”, in collaboration with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra and the Milton Philharmonic Orchestra.
As part of our outreach initiatives, SOLO holds joint-fundraising church concerts. SOLO has performed at East Plains United Church, St. Raphael’s Roman Catholic Church and Wellington Square United Church, in Burlington. On September 30 of this year, SOLO will perform at St. James Roman Catholic Church, Oakville.
Between rehearsals, main-stage performances and church concerts, our outstanding Chorus has been true to broadening our outreach goals. Initially, they appeared in a flash mob at the Festitalia Italian Heritage Awards. Since then, they have made regular appearances at local seniors’ residences, including: Villa Italia; Tansley Woods; and Burlington Gardens. In Hamilton they performed an Easter Concert and a Concert for Syrian Refugees. More recently, they performed at the Appleby Streetfest and The Lowville Festival, and fulfilled private engagements at the Mississauga Hospital, the Oakville Golf and Country Club, and the Alumni Gallery Ceremony at McMaster University.
On September 28 of this year, the Chorus will make its fourth annual appearance during Burlington’s’ Culture Days, taking place this year at the Art Gallery and, on December 8, they will stage an opera/seasonal concert as part of the Music at St. Luke’s concert series.
The Chorus also enjoyed the honour of being invited to sing the national anthem at each of Burlington Council’s Opening Sessions in 2017.
SOLO’s Artistic Director delivers opera presentations at Burlington Central Library, seniors’ residences, and to other local groups. Popular topics are “Opera 101” and dialogues focused on specific operas in SOLO’s repertoire. These events usually feature an artist who performs excerpts from an upcoming opera.
Our 2018/19 Season is swiftly approaching and in keeping with feedback from our loyal supporters we have switched to matinee performances. Our selections this season are: Verdi’s “Rigoletto” on September 16, 2018 and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” on March 2 of 2019.
Future concerts and presentations in Oakville, Brantford and Grimsby are expected to strengthen SOLO’s artistic presence and advance our educational outreach activities further across Southern Ontario.
This season, SOLO will venture beyond the boundaries of grand opera in the traditional format by introducing an intriguing new fundraising trend – “Opera Pop-Ups”. Pop-ups are, quite simply, mini-opera fundraisers occurring in the comfort and informality of a private residence or unique venue.
If you have an approaching special occasion that you wish to celebrate in a truly memorable fashion or if you would just like to host a relaxing interlude with friends to the accompaniment of live opera, talk to us about designing a “Pop-Up” exclusively for you!
SOLO is poised for an impressive 2018/19 season, so do check the “Events” section of our website often, to learn what we have contrived to satisfy your desire for high-quality, accessible and affordable opera throughout the coming months.
