Pacific Opera Victoria

05/30/2026

🎶 Pacific Opera Victoria, in collaboration with the , is delighted to welcome Alex Chen back to the Awakening Chinatown Festival on May 31. 🏮

A remarkable baritone, collaborative pianist, and vocal coach, Alex brings a dynamic range of artistry to this special performance, featuring opera and Chinese art song.

Drawing on his diverse musical background, he returns to the balcony of the for what promises to be another unforgettable performance!

05/29/2026

Join Belfry Theatre for Some Kinda Fun – the Belfry’s 50th Anniversary Season Celebration.

Billed as “Shy on Speeches, High on Music,” guests will be treated to songs from some of the musicals produced during the Belfry’s 50 years.

Created by Michael Shamata and Tobin Stokes, the performance features Brent Jarvis and Chelsea Rose Winsby from I Think I’m Fallin’: The Songs of Joni Mitchell, alongside Stephanie Roth and Jonathan Winsby singing hits from Harold Arlen to Gordon Lightfoot, from Leonard Cohen to Patsy Cline, from Chet Baker to Kurt Weill.

Following the performance, guests are invited to attend an Afterparty in the Carpentry Shop and enjoy a live band in the Belfry’s BMO Studio.

It is an opportunity to reconnect, reminisce, and raise a glass to five decades of unforgettable theatre and the many stories still to come.

📅 Saturday, May 30 at 7:30 pm
🎫 $50 - linktr.ee/belfrytheatre

05/29/2026

05/23/2026

There’s still time to join the adventure 🌿🏹

Pacific Opera Victoria’s Youth Summer Performance Program has a few remaining slots for Robin Hood by Ben Moore and Kelley Rourke.

This immersive summer program gives youth ages 8–18 the opportunity to perform in a fully staged production while working alongside professional artists and production staff in a supportive, creative environment. No previous experience is required.

✨ Lead roles performed by youth participants
✨ Work with industry professionals
✨ Perform onstage with professional singers
✨ Bursaries available

Step into Sherwood Forest with us this summer.

🌱 Rehearsals begin June 8
🎭 July 17–19 performances
📍 Baumann Centre
🎟️ Learn more & register at pacificopera.ca

📸 Genevieve Roszmann as Penelope and Kaidyn Robertson as Odysseus with the chorus in Ben Moore and Kelley Rourke's Odyssey, Pacific Opera Victoria, 2025. Photo by Arcade Pallot.

05/15/2026

🌿 Pacific Opera Victoria’s Administrative Office will be closed on Monday, May 18 for Victoria Day.

As summer returns to Victoria and the hummingbirds reappear in our gardens, we’re sending warm wishes for a restful long weekend.
We’ll reopen Tuesday, May 19 at 10:00 AM.

📸 - Olivia Kang as Dukdukdiya (Hummingbird) in Flight of the Hummingbird, Pacific Opera Victoria, 2024. Photo by Arcade Pallot.

05/13/2026

📣 Pacific Opera Victoria is hiring a Stage Manager for our 2027 production of The Magic Flute.

We are seeking an experienced and collaborative Stage Manager to join our production team from March 1 – April 10, 2027.

The ideal candidate will have experience working in opera or musical theatre, confidence in stage management systems, be proficient in reading music, and demonstrate key leadership and organizational skills in an Equity, AFM and IATSE working environment.

Pacific Opera Victoria is one of the most influential professional opera companies in Canada. Its inspired repertoire comprises original productions of classic favourites and lesser known works, as well as new commissions, co-productions, and collaborations with other companies and arts organizations across the country. From its home in the Baumann Centre, Pacific Opera Victoria creates significant career opportunities for creative and performing artists and curates opera in surprising ways – enticing newcomers and captivating loyal opera-goers.

Pacific Opera Victoria identifies Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Reconciliation among its Core Values and encourages applications from candidates of diverse backgrounds.

🗓 Applications due by end of day Monday, May 25, 2026
🎭 Contract Dates: March 1 – April 10, 2027
📍 Victoria, BC

Learn more and apply at pacificopera.ca

05/08/2026

A season by the numbers!

From haunting ghosts and red gloves to unforgettable arias, breathtaking spectacle, and moments of beauty beyond calculation, our 2025/26 season filled the stage with drama, wonder, and unforgettable stories. A big thank you to I.A.T.S.E. Local 168 Ballet Victoria Victoria Symphony and Royal Theatre & McPherson Playhouse
Thank you for joining us for another remarkable year at Pacific Opera Victoria. We can’t wait to welcome you back for the next season!

📷 Slide 2 background: Isaiah Bell as Peter Quint, Kirsten MacKinnon as the Governess, and Mars Young as Miles in The Turn of the Screw, Pacific Opera Victoria 2025. Photo by David Cooper Photography
📷 Side 3 Background: Yongzhao Yu as Cavaradossi and Catherine Thornsley as Tosca in Tosca, Pacific Opera Victoria 2026. Photo by David Cooper Photography
📷 Slide 4 Background: Andriana Chuchman as Eurydice and Christian Sanders as Orpheus with Allison Ward in the background in Orpheus & Eurydice, Pacific Opera Victoria 2026. Photo by Emily Cooper Photography.

05/07/2026

Our first ever Opera Sprouts workshop has commenced! 🌱

Opera Sprouts is a co-commissioning initiative between Vancouver Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria to create brand-new, professionally crafted operas for young audiences — works that take children and their imaginations seriously, built from the ground up by some of Canada's most exciting composers and librettists.

After an open call that drew submissions from across the country, three finalist works have been selected: HOWL (composer Chris Thornborrow, librettist Sarah Henstra), How the Tortoise Broke Its Shell (composer Tawnie Olson, librettist Blessing C. Nwodo), and Bossy Girl Saves the World (composer Mishelle Cuttler, librettist Scott Button).

This week, all three creative teams are gathered with our singers, directors, and workshop team from both companies — plus one very dedicated face joining by screen 💻 — to dig into these works together for the very first time.

It's a beginning we've been looking forward to for a long time.
—
PERFORMERS - Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program

Julia LoRusso () Soprano
Marianne Bertrand () Mezzo
Lyndon Ladeur () Tenor
Mihnea Nitu () Baritone

WORKSHOP TEAM
Leslie Dala () Vancouver Opera – Head of Music
Giuseppe (Joey) Pietraroia Pacific Opera Victoria – Principal Conductor
Rebecca Hass () Pacific Opera Victoria – Director of Engagement & New Work
Ashley Daniel Foot () Vancouver Opera – Director of Engagement
Tayte Mitchell () Director - Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program
Derek Stanyer () Répétiteur - Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program

CREATIVE TEAMS
Chris Thornborrow Composer – Howl
Sarah Henstra () Librettist – Howl
Tawnie Olson () Composer – How the Tortoise Broke Its Shell
Blessing C. Nwodo (.nw) Librettist – How the Tortoise Broke Its Shell
Mishelle Cuttler () Composer – Bossy Girl Saves the World
Scott Button () Librettist – Bossy Girl Saves the World

STAGE MANAGEMENT
Marijka Asbeek Brusse () Stage Manager