The CCOC, Canada’s only permanent children's opera company, continues its exciting journey with Artistic Director Ann Cooper Gay at the helm! Ann conducts the Main Chorus (ages 11-16) and Apprentice Chorus II (9-11), as well as a new Youth Chorus (16-21). Conductors Claire Preston and Bronwen Low conduct the Apprentice Chorus I (7-9) and the Ruby Chorus (5-6) respectively. Two drama coaches, Jennifer Parr and Bill Walker, complete the artistic team.

The 2002-2003 season features workshop performances of staged opera excerpts (Grace Church on the Hill, November 15/16), a Winter Concert “Make We Merry” (Glenn Gould Studio, December 14) and Harry Somers’ “A Midwinter Night’s Dream” (Bluma Appel Theatre, May 8-11).  This opera, co-produced by Soundstreams Canada, is the flagship production of “Musicools: A Festival of Northern Music.”  The season ends with an Apprentice Chorus Spring Concert (May 30).

Other fall/winter engagements include “Queen of Spades” (COC, October), Opera Canada’s Ruby Awards (November 19), Orchestra Toronto (December 8) and TSO concerts with Erich Kunzel (December 10/11)

Commissioned opera for 2003-2004: “The Hobbit” by composer Dean Burry.