About Us

About OOTA

Opera on the Avalon brings opera to the East Coast of our country. As Atlantic Canada's only professional opera company, we focus on creating work that resonates with today's audiences and being the voice for opera in the East. OOTA is upending the idea of traditional opera with a commitment to commission new work, produce contemporary pieces, and reimagine what the opera genre is and could be.

The Pandemic gave us time to reflect on our sector and our place within it. This reflection has allowed us to reevaluate how we want to work and how we want to create. At its core, opera is about connection, collaboration, and community; in Newfoundland, our community is everything. Our goal is to create a new operatic community that extends beyond the traditional hierarchy and welcomes artists of all kinds to our table, becoming the change we want to see in the opera world. In a rapidly changing world, OOTA looks to be a disruptor of tradition. We have a fierce commitment to experiment, innovate, and take artistic risks. We are cultural instigators who are moving forward with an artist-centred approach. As we evolve, we will continue to focus on providing opportunities for Young Artists, showcasing dynamic artists in the field, and creating partnerships with the community around us.

Story

OUR MISSION

OOTA is committed to embracing innovation and developing opera for the 21st century by

Delivering outstanding productions of new repertoire that engage our public and propel our genre forward;
Identifying extraordinary artists from equity-deserving communities, both established and emerging and providing opportunities for them to create their most imaginative and inspired work;
We are presenting innovative programming relevant to the multicultural country of Canada that broadens and diversifies the opera audience.

OUR VISION

Opera on the Avalon envisions a community that reflects diverse art-making, where communities most often have been excluded and feel welcome and empowered to participate.

OUR VALUES

We believe in the power of the arts. We believe that art is fundamental to flourishing, inclusive societies. We are committed to knowledge sharing and creation globally, highlighting voices and stories that are often unheard.

Who Knit You?

Our Team

Cheryl Hickman

General & Artistic Director

Judith Yan

Music Director & Resident Conductor

KEITH ROBERTS

RESIDENT COSTUME DESIGNER

Deborah Jarrell

Executive Assistant & Project Coordinator

Christopher Payne

Marketing & Communications Specialist

Michaela Chiste

Emerging Artist Program Coordinator

Caroline Kennedy

Cultural Content Lead

Maïka Hearson

Video Editor

Madame De Pompadour

VP of Wags & Well-Being

A fine kettle o'Fish

Board of directors

Maria French

Chair

Halina Avery

Vice-Chair

Kevin Woodbury

Anna Cook

Dr. Doug Angel

Judy Dobbin

Matthew Flynn

Cheryl Hickman

General & Artistic Director

Dr. Delores Mullings

Karina Byrne

Jenny Smith

John Thompson

Geoff Wedgwood

Melanie Jardine

Opera on the Avalon is a proud member of The Association of Opera in Canada and Opera America, and works under the auspices of the Canadian Actors Equity Association (CAEA); The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA); and The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE). Opera on the Avalon is also a proud member of the Theatre Green Book.

Land Acknowledgement

We respectfully acknowledge the land we gather on as the ancestral homelands of the Beothuk [bee-oth-uck], whose culture has been lost forever and can never be recovered. We also acknowledge the island of Ktaqmkuk [uk-dah-hum-gook] (Newfoundland) as the unceded, traditional territory of the Beothuk and the Mi’kmaq [mee-gum-maq]. And we recognize Labrador as the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Innu [in-new] of Nitassinan [ne-tass-eh-nen], the Inuit [in-new-eet] of Nunatsiavut [nu-nat-see-ah-vut], and the Inuit of NunatuKavut [nu-nah-tuhk-ahvut]. We recognize all First Peoples who came before us, those who live with us now, and the seven generations to come. As First Peoples have done since time immemorial, we strive to be responsible stewards of the land and to respect the cultures, ceremonies, and traditions of all who call it home. We commit to working in the true spirit of truth and reconciliation.