A bigger home under the Mirvish umbrella
Move from Elgin Theatre will come in spring 2019, adding 700 seats nightly
Toronto’s Opera Atelier announced on Monday morning that it will soon be moving its presentations to the Ed Mirvish Theatre, after having spent 20 years at the nearby Elgin Theatre.
Opera Atelier will continue to use the modern rehearsal space at the back of the Elgin.
The Ed Mirvish Theatre will provide the company with nearly 700 more seats, a much larger stage and orchestra pit, and possibly better theatre acoustics. The period-minded opera company will also be taking advantage of the ticketing and marketing might offered by Mirvish Productions.
Opera Atelier’s co-artistic directors Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg will open their 2018-19 season at the Elgin Theatre with a French Baroque double bill at the end of October.
Mirvish Productions helped give Opera Atelier its very first major audience boost in the late 1990s, when David Mirvish offered them the stage of the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
“Opera Atelier is an outstanding Canadian success story,” said David Mirvish in a statement.
“Marshall and Jeannette have built a passionate following here at home, as well as abroad, and it is exciting to have the opportunity to collaborate with them once again.”
Pynkoski was equally effusive about his renewed partnership with Mirvish.
“Commercial success is only a part of David’s equation as a producer,” said Pynkoski.
“He is equally passionate about innovation and excellence. We look forward to this new development in Opera Atelier’s history, as we continue to grow our brand nationally and internationally.” The company, which has toured to the United States, Asia and Europe since the early ’90s, will be touring to Chicago andwill return to the Royal Theatre at the Palace of Versailles in France in 2019. Classical music writer John Terauds is supported by the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.