- Support -

Essential Opera is grateful to everyone who has supported us, including both private and corporate sponsors, our talented casts, brilliant volunteers, ever-patient friends and family, and granting organizations. The response to our productions since our inaugural performance in 2011 has been incredibly encouraging.

You can make a financial donation to us via Paypal, e-transfer, or cheque. Anyone providing cash donations or other support has the option of being highly visible in the printed programs at performances, and can be recognized here on the website and on social media.  

Current Project

We are currently working on our next show, which is a Canadian opera in development. Fiona Ryan’s  In Her Hands is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth through a queer, feminist lens, telling the stories of the powerful and multilayered women characters. Scored for a combination of Western classical and traditional Celtic folk instruments, with a cast of treble voices of mostly non-specified genders, In Her Hands is an ongoing collaboration leading toward a full première production. 

Other Ways to Support Essential Opera

Hire Essential Opera to present a show (this is open to individuals as well as presenter/producer organizations – and this is open to shows we’ve already presented as well as newly curated shows)

Hire Essential Opera to perform at a special event (think party pieces!)

Hire Essential Opera to come do a workshop at your university/school (this can be tailored to any level or genre of singing/acting, group or individual sessions)

Rent Essential Opera’s translations for your own production

Commission a composer and Essential Opera together

Become Part of the Team

Essential Opera is looking for volunteers in the area of arts admin, producing, and development. Please be in touch if this is you. We also occasionally have paid internship and other job opportunities available. Check our social media for updates!

Auditions

To hear about when we’re having auditions, sign up for our e-newsletter and/or follow us on social media facebook.com/essentialopera.com and @essential_opera on Twitter , Bluesky and Instagram.

“Pivot!”

From 2018 to 2020, we worked to commission and produce Monica Pearce’s poignantly funny one-act opera, December, for 3 sopranos and string quartet, focuses on two women (Julia and Natasha) in the first year of their relationship. The couple are preparing to meet Julia’s parents for the first time on a trip home for Christmas. Due to the amazing new Work Commissioning Assistance Grant from the SOCAN Foundation, our $2000 raised were MATCHED and we are beyond thrilled. See below for a list of our donors to this project so far.

This project was originally conceived as a site-specific touring performance in airports around Atlantic Canada – scheduled for winter 2020. Thanks to the support we received from everyone on this list, the Canada Council for the Arts, and Arts Nova Scotia, we were able to turn December into a beautiful film that premiered online in December 2020. Stay tuned for a re-release if you missed out on an earlier chance to watch this touching and hilarious piece.

December Opera Donors

Canadian Premières Triple Bill: A Crowdfunding Success Story

Three emerging composers wrote short operas to be premiered as a triple-bill on our spring 2014 performance. We applied for and received numerous grants for the new-works project. However, even this success does not cover the cost of the project, including rewarding the composers and librettists for their hard work at creating these wonderful pieces for us. In February 2014, we launched an Indiegogo campaign for the remainder of our budget, and not only met but exceeded our goal, thanks to the generosity of 90 funders.

Following the spring performance, we were invited back to the New Hamburg Live! Festival of the Arts to remount a comic double bill, and just one week later, we reproduced the new works programme for the Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound.

Triple Bill of New Canadian Works Acknowledgements
Official Sponsors
Dr. Judah and Dr. Susan Denburg
Roger D. Moore

Major Sponsors
Susannah Dalfen
Bill and Louise Ford
Owen Jacobson

Indiegogo Contributors (Solo level and up)

The Deserted Island Acknowledgements

Two Weddings & A Funeral Acknowledgements

Threepenny Opera Acknowledgements

Alcina Acknowledgements

Chérubin Advertisers & Silent Auction Donors

Chérubin Volunteers & Donors of Goods/Services

Figaro Volunteers & Donors

Thank You to All Our Current and Past Supporters