Opera 5 Named
Canadian Opera Company’s
Newest Company-In-Residence

The Canadian Opera Company welcomes Opera 5 as its newest Company-in-Residence. The two-year artistic residency will commence on July 1, 2025, with one of the major collaborations of the partnership being the creation of an operatic work slated for presentation at the Canadian Opera Company. The COC’s Company-in-Residence program has been in place since 2016; through it, the COC is able to offer support and industry guidance to local opera companies, helping to ensure a flourishing environment for the art form to evolve.

Opera 5 is a Toronto-based independent opera company specializing in chamber opera productions, new works, web series, and artist mentorship; it is composed of General Director & Founding Member Rachel Krehm, Artistic Director Jessica Derventzis, Music Director Evan Mitchell, and Programs Manager Jaclyn Grossman.

Since 2012, the company has produced a wide range of operas from well-known titles like The Barber of Seville, Die Fledermaus, and The Turn of the Screw, to forgotten gems such as Ethel Smyth’s The Boatswain’s Mate and Reynaldo Hahn’s L’île du rêve, as well as the world premieres of new Canadian operas that include Cecilia Livingston’s The Masque of the Red Death and Darren Russo’s Storybook. In 2024, Opera 5 won Opera America’s Digital Excellence Award (Noteworthy Project) for its nine-episode web-series called Threepenny Submarine which combined opera, puppetry, and animation to showcase the unique emotional storytelling power that opera holds.

Portraits of four people labeled as the Opera 5 team, each with their name and role: General Director, Artistic Director, Music Director, and Programs Manager, against a pink background.

  • COC General Director David Ferguson says:

    “The Canadian Opera Company is proud to support fellow creators. As a national performing arts organization, one of the COC’s foundational pillars is our commitment to leveraging our platform and resources to boost the profile of emerging opera artists and collectives. We are passionate about investing in the broader Canadian opera community and are looking forward to introducing more audiences to Opera 5 and their incredible work.”

  • Opera 5 General Director Rachel Krehm says:

    “The Opera 5 team is over the moon to be the next Company-in-Residence at the COC! We are eager to maximize this life changing opportunity to be mentored by the COC so that we can grow, reach a larger audience, and create a greater impact with our work. We also hope this residency will allow us the opportunity to build and solidify our Toronto Opera Festival, a brand-new initiative which we want to be a platform for Canadian works and Canadian artists.”

  • Roberto Mauro, COC Director of Artistic Operations & Planning says:

    “At the heart of every COC residency is the unique opportunity for mutual learning. We are deeply impressed by the creative work that Opera 5 has brought to life already and are keen to share insights and ideas over the course of our collaborative work ahead. Having more—and stronger—voices across Toronto’s opera community is a win for everyone, artists and audiences alike, and we are proud to support that vision.”