Pacific Opera Victoria facts for kids

Pacific Opera Victoria is a professional opera company. It is located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This company creates and performs amazing opera shows. They build their own sets and costumes. Their main shows happen at the Royal Theatre. The Victoria Symphony often plays music for their operas. They also have smaller shows and programs at the Baumann Centre.

History of Pacific Opera Victoria

How Pacific Opera Victoria Started

Pacific Opera Victoria began as the Vancouver Island Opera Society. Their first show was The Marriage of Figaro in November 1976. In 1979, they changed their name to the Pacific Opera Association. They put on their first professional opera, The Merry Wives of Windsor. This opera was by Carl Otto Nicolai. In 1987, the company became Pacific Opera Victoria.

Growing and Adapting

By 1990, Pacific Opera Victoria was putting on three shows each year. From 2009 to 2012, they even had four main shows. Now, they usually have three big shows at the Royal Theatre. They also perform smaller chamber operas and concerts. These often take place at other venues, like the Baumann Centre.

When the COVID-19 pandemic happened, Pacific Opera started more online programs. They recorded chamber and concert works for people to watch digitally. This included films of The Italian Lesson and Bon Appétit! by Lee Hoiby. They also filmed The Garden of Alice by Elizabeth Raum.

Leadership Through the Years

Timothy Vernon was the first Artistic Director of Pacific Opera. He led the company for 43 years until he retired in 2023. He conducted most of their shows. He chose a mix of classic operas and less-known works. This included old Baroque operas and new ones. He also helped create new operas and worked with other companies.

As of 2024, the company has new leaders. Ian Rye is the CEO. Brenna Corner is the Artistic Director. Giuseppe Pietraroia is the Principal Conductor.

Where Pacific Opera Victoria Works

Royal Theatre: Main Stage

Pacific Opera's shows first took place at the McPherson Playhouse. This theatre had 772 seats. By the 1990s, more people wanted to see the operas. So, the company moved its shows to the Royal Theatre. This theatre has 1400 seats. It is now the main place for Pacific Opera's big shows.

Baumann Centre: Rehearsals and More

The Baumann Centre opened in 2015. This gave Pacific Opera its own space. It is used for smaller chamber shows. It is also where they rehearse operas. The centre hosts concerts and trains new artists. Many community programs happen there too.

The main area in the Baumann Centre is Wingate Studio. It is a 2,500 square foot space for performances. The ceiling has a special cedar art piece. It is 1000 square feet and helps the sound in the room. This art piece is called Mind, Body, and Spirit. It was made and given by artist Carey Newman (Hayalthkin’geme). He used to be an opera singer. The Baumann Centre also has Pacific Opera's offices and ticket sales. Other groups, like the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, use it too.

The Opera Shop: Building Magic

Pacific Opera Victoria is special because it builds its own sets and costumes. It has its own production building. In the beginning, they had to build their own sets. This was because the McPherson Playhouse stage was small. It was hard to rent sets from other companies.

As the company grew, they kept building their own productions. They also started renting their sets to other companies. A team of local theatre experts creates sets, costumes, and props. They work in the company's 10,000 square foot warehouse. This place is called The Opera Shop.

Amazing Opera Productions

Pacific Opera Victoria has put on many first-time shows. These include Canadian and world premières. They have also asked for new operas to be written.

New Operas Created for Pacific Opera

• The Flight of the Hummingbird: The music is by Maxime Goulet. The story is by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas and Barry Gilson. This opera is based on Yahgulanaas' book Flight of the Hummingbird: A Parable for the Environment.
  • This opera was created and produced with Vancouver Opera.
  • It had its first performances and a school tour from January to March 2020. It was shown online from May to August 2020.
  • It toured schools in British Columbia from March to May 2024.

• Missing: The music is by Brian Current. The story is by Marie Clements.
  • This opera was created and first performed with City Opera Vancouver.
  • It had its world première in November 2017 in Vancouver. Then it was performed at the Baumann Centre in Victoria.
  • Missing was performed again in November 2019. Shows were in Victoria, Regina, and Prince George. Pacific Opera worked with local Friendship Centres and orchestras for these shows.
  • The first USA performance of Missing was by Anchorage Opera in March 2023.

• Les Feluettes: The music is by Kevin March. The story is by Michel Marc Bouchard. It is based on his play Les Feluettes (Lilies in English).
  • This opera was created and first performed with Opéra de Montréal. It was shown in Montreal in May 2016. It came to Victoria in April 2017.
  • Les Feluettes was performed again at Edmonton Opera in October 2017.

• Mary's Wedding: The music is by Andrew Paul MacDonald. The story is by Stephen Massicotte. It is based on his play of the same name.
  • Pacific Opera Victoria asked for this opera to be written.
  • It had its world première in November 2011.
  • In November 2015, Pacific Opera presented a shorter, one-hour version. This was for community and school performances.

First-Time Canadian Performances

Pacific Opera Victoria has also been the first company to stage many operas in Canada. Here are some of them:

• February 2025: The Little Prince by Rachel Portman.
• February 2023: The Birds (Die Vögel) by Walter Braunfels.
• February 2020: Flight by Jonathan Dove and April De Angelis.
• November 2017: Rattenbury by Tobin Stokes. This was its first full stage performance.
• February 2010: Capriccio by Richard Strauss.
• April 2008: Regina by Marc Blitzstein.
• February 2007: Daphne by Richard Strauss.
• February 2004: The Tempest by Lee Hoiby.
• February 2001: The Taming of the Shrew by Vittorio Giannini.
• February 2000: Erewhon by Louis Applebaum and Mavor Moore. This was its first performance anywhere in the world and in Canada.
• February 1996: The Love of Three Kings by Italo Montemezzi.
• February 1994: Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber.