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As our tagline says... Vancouver Concert Opera Society ("VanCOCO") is "all about the music". We offer original language in-concert operatic experiences to our audiences, focussing solely on the beauty of the music. Founded in September 2010, VanCOCO is an organization that creates performance opportunities for established and emerging operatic professionals with a focus to those based out of British Columbia.
Our mandate is to bring together teams of creative minds and voices to produce events that will elevate and challenge each individual to bring the highest standard of musical excellence to the concert stage. To assist in achieving these standards we invite seasoned industry professionals (i.e. Conductors and Répetiteurs) to participate in the preparation and execution of our concerts.
2011 was a busy year for VanCOCO! Described by Opera Canada as "riveting, passionate, poignant and totally satisfying" our "standing-room only" debut of Bizet's Carmen was a hit with both audiences and critics alike. By popular demand we mounted a reprise performance of this production the following May in Vancouver and added an additional performance in Victoria.
In September 201, our "small but vivacious cast drew the audience in from the first bars" with our debut of Leonard Bernstein's rarely performed one-act opera, Trouble In Tahiti; the first opera presented at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival in over 10 years! Immediately following the Fringe, we were invited by the City of Richmond to remount our production of Carmen for a third time as part of the Minoru Chapel Opera Series.
Our 2012 season kicked off in February with Verdi's Rigoletto. In addition to our successful Vancouver performances we also added an outreach performance in White Rock.
This year we were proud to add our first operetta to our repertoire with Strauss's Die Fledermaus in a brand new venue! Described by Edette Gagné, Artistic Director, Coast Symphony Orchestra as an "outstanding performance in an incredibly intimate venue" we hope to make the VSO's new state of the art Pyatt Hall our permanent home.
As audiences and critics will attest, VanCOCO has proven to be a welcomed addition to BC's lush musical landscape and we are committed to offering our community an affordable and high-quality musical experience.
Natalie Burdeny, Contralto
Managing and Artistic Director
Vancouver Concert Opera Society
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