Reflecting on 50 Years of Calgary Opera
September 22, 2023
More than 50 years ago, a small but determined group of visionaries had a dream to bring opera to Southern Alberta. The seed was planted by Maurice Lorieau and John Limacher and nurtured by many more who gave unselfishly of their time, talents, and finances to establish what is known today as Calgary Opera. 7:00 am meetings on kitchen tables led to the establishment of a Steering Committee in January 1972 that included Mr. Lorieau, Mr. Limacher, Gladys Hogarth, Peter Dezman, Fred Scott and Polyna Savridi leading to the formal incorporation of the Southern Alberta Opera Association in April that same year.
From the very beginning, the founders of the organization wanted to make sure that the Opera would be for everyone, most especially young people. A network of volunteer area representatives was established to organized busloads of patrons to travel from Southern Alberta to Calgary, often selling out shows. “Opera in Schools”, an early priority, still lives on today enriching the lives of thousands of children who might otherwise never experience the magic of opera.
La Bohème, the company’s debut production in March 1973, was the most exciting musical event Southern Alberta had seen in years. Alexander Gray had been appointed Artistic Director, James Beer headed up the newly formed Calgary Opera Chorus, and a notable cast of Canadian guest stars accompanied by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, brought the beauty of opera in real and living form to the people of Calgary and Southern Alberta. Carmen, the company’s second production the following year, starred Calgary’s own Allan Monk, who went on to perform with the Metropolitan Opera.
Brian Hanson guided the Association for 12 years as it grew to be a highly regarded company, continuing its mandate to present high calibre opera and develop new audiences. In 1983, the organization changed its name to Calgary Opera Association, and in 1988, then General Director David Speers ensured opera played a significant role in the Olympic Arts Festival.
W.R. (Bob) McPhee joined Calgary Opera as General Director and CEO in 1998. During his almost 20-year tenure, McPhee put the company on the international map by championing eight new works and presenting numerous Canadian premieres, including Dead Man Walking, Moby-Dick, starring Canadian Tenor Ben Heppner, Silent Night, and Die tote Stadt. New works included two co-commissioned operas with the Banff Centre - Filumena and Frobisher - both by composer John Estacio and librettist John Murrell. Intent on creating operas with Canadian content, two Alberta stories were commissioned for the company’s School Tour program - Turtle Wakes and Hannaraptor. McPhee also founded one of only four comprehensive young artist training programs in Canada - now named the McPhee Artist Development Program in his honour – as well as Canada’s first outdoor summer opera festival – Opera in the Village.
The past five years have seen valuable contributions from interim Artistic Director, Taras Kulish, General Director and CEO, Keith Cerny, and Artistic Director, the late Bramwell Tovey. All were committed to the founder’s original vision while exploring new frontiers of operatic storytelling. Today, General Director and CEO, Heather Kitchen, along with Artistic Director, Jonathan Brandani, look to set the stage for the company’s next 50 years with confidence and excitement.