Opera Atelier Brings The Descent Of Orpheus To Koerner Hall
Four October performances pair Charpentier’s opera with ballet, Tafelmusik musicians and staging that reaches into the audience.
Love sends Orpheus to the underworld. This October, it also brings Opera Atelier back to Koerner Hall with a production that moves beyond the stage.
In its September 15 press release, Opera Atelier announces Canada’s first fully staged production of Charpentier’s The Descent of Orpheus. The Toronto run takes place October 22–25, 2026, and opens the company’s 2026/27 Season of Heroes.
Alongside the singers, the production brings together the Artists of Atelier Ballet and musicians from Tafelmusik. A custom-built walkway will also extend the action into the audience, according to the company’s media invitation.
The Descent Of Orpheus Dates, Venue And Tickets
- Venue: Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning
- Address: 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto
- Evening performances: October 22, 23 and 24, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday matinee: October 25, 2026, at 2:30 p.m.
The press release lists tickets at $85–$250, including taxes and fees. However, the Royal Conservatory’s October 22 event listing currently shows a starting price of $45. Check the price, seat category and conditions for your chosen performance before paying.
Sunday offers the only afternoon performance in the announced run. For an evening visit, choose Thursday, Friday or Saturday instead.
A Love Story With The Underworld At Stake
The Opera Atelier production page describes Orpheus’s attempt to rescue his lover from death. His search for Eurydice takes him into the underworld, placing love and loss at the centre of the story.
This production uses Charpentier’s 17th-century French opera, rather than another composer’s treatment of the same myth. In the press release, Opera Atelier traces the work to Ovid’s Metamorphoses and a commission from Charpentier’s patron, Mademoiselle de Guise.
The company also gives dance a central role in its staging. As a result, audiences will follow the drama through movement as well as singing.
Koerner Hall Becomes Part Of The Staging
Set designer Gerard Gauci leads the hall’s visual transformation. Meanwhile, Marshall Pynkoski directs and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg choreographs the production. The two artists co-founded Opera Atelier and serve as its co-artistic directors.
Pynkoski says the staging will take a more contemporary visual approach while retaining the company’s grounding in period performance. In other words, a 17th-century score does not mean the design will simply recreate a historical setting.
The company’s media invitation describes a purpose-built walkway that brings performers into the audience. Lighting designer Kimberly Purtell and costume designer Michael Gianfrancesco complete the design team. Together, those elements make the hall’s layout part of the storytelling, rather than just its backdrop.
Daniel McGrew Makes His Opera Atelier Debut
American tenor Daniel McGrew joins Opera Atelier for the first time as Orpheus. Soprano Mireille Asselin, who introduced him to the company, sings Eurydice. In the release, she points to his connection with both words and musical phrasing as a reason to hear him.
Meanwhile, French baritone David Witczak returns as Pluto. French-Canadian bass Olivier Bergeron also makes his company debut, singing Apollo, while Canadian mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel takes the role of Persephone.
Measha Brueggergosman-Lee Opens The Evening
Before Charpentier’s opera begins, Opera Atelier artist-in-residence Measha Brueggergosman-Lee will sing Ralph Vaughan Williams’ art song “Orpheus with his Lute.” The company has added this prologue to introduce the story and its themes.
Brueggergosman-Lee will portray the Goddess of Music in that opening. Her introduction will establish the power of Orpheus’s music before the main opera unfolds. The Vaughan Williams song is therefore an addition to this production, not part of Charpentier’s original score.
Dance And Live Music Share The Story
Opera Atelier says dance forms part of almost every scene in this French courtly drama. Rather than limiting ballet to a brief interlude, the production includes a full complement of the Artists of Atelier Ballet.
Associate Music Director Christopher Bagan will conduct an ensemble of soloists from Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra from the harpsichord. Meanwhile, members of Tafelmusik Chamber Choir will provide the off-stage chorus, working with the on-stage soloists.
For audiences, that combination offers several ways to follow the work: the lead voices, the chorus, the instruments and the choreography. Listen for the relationship between the singing and dancing, especially where choral passages accompany the movement.
Before You Book Your October Performance
First, decide between an evening performance and Sunday’s matinee. Then check the live ticket listing for your chosen date and seat, rather than treating either advertised starting price as a quote for every performance.
Also confirm the running time, interval arrangements and surtitles with the box office if those details affect your plans. The supplied press release does not specify them.
The four-performance run brings staged opera, ballet and Tafelmusik musicians together at Koerner Hall. For Toronto audiences planning an October arts outing, the next step is simple: choose a date and check the current booking details.
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