Youth and talent, advancement and reward…these are the by-words of Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, Toronto’s only summer programme for aspiring young performers on the lyric stage. “Each year, I am humbled and inspired by the high calibre of our SOLT participants”, says Founder Guillermo Silva Marín. “Their enthusiasm and eagerness to take on the challenges – dramatic and vocal - of the repertoire in our 2024 programming, is a constant inspiration for me and our amazing music staff.“

From June 9 to August 4, thirty-three gifted artists both established and emerging, will be involved in bringing to life a multitude of characters recognized the world over. The operas highlight three different eras in musical and dramatic styles this summer. Verismo with its heart-on-sleeve impact, Mozart's Idomeneo classicist style and Handel's High Baroque brilliance will thrill and intrigue patrons and the young participants.

Taking Charge at the Piano

Upholding the tradition of the Alumnae Theatre, our SOLT musical leaders this summer are Suzy Smith, Sae Hae Bae, and Jo Greenaway. Their wide-ranging experience, musical knowledge, and expertise are the perfect match for emerging artists, eager to expand their vision of opera as drama.“Bohème is ideal for young artists”, says Jo, “since it allows for youthful hijinks, the ache of first love and the realism of loss”. “But wait”, says Suzy, “Idomeneo’s cast is likewise facing love and loss, all caused by the callousness of fate in the hands of the god Neptune”. “Xerxes is a bit different”, says Sae Hae, “Handel cleverly combines the serious with the comic, and gives us one of his most famous tunes (‘Ombra mai fu’, also known as Handel’s Largo), at the top of the show”. And just wait for the gender twists, the mistaken identities and competitiveness between siblings. Guillermo, SOLT's founder, smiles, gently stating that "opera has something for everyone".

Our Mini-Opera Festival is grand in every sense of the word except size. There will only be 144 seats available at the Alumnae Theatre and the stage itself is as large as the auditorium. You can almost imagine the performance taking place in the intimacy of your living room but with the sonority of your favourite concert hall...the pleasure of beautiful singing and the charm of history are an unbeatable match.

The SOLT summer is also about discovery. Patrons will discover something new and immediate when the sung drama is but a few feet from where you are sitting. The nuances of characterization become palpable and in Xerxes, you can react to the artists as if they are telling you a story just across the table. Two brothers vie for the love of the same woman; the king's fiancé comes to court in disguise to witness his supposed philandering; complications ensue, and the romantic mayhem is exquisitely played out for your amusement.

Mozart's Opera Seria, Idomeneo, is a huge treasure trove of discovery as all the inhabitants of ancient Crete struggle with the vagaries of Neptune's cruelty and eventual change of heart.

Of our full playbill, La Bohème is the most familiar and our beloved bohemian character, their challenging lives, their search for career fulfilment, constant poverty, and the evanescence of love prove to be irresistible every time we encounter Puccini's score. All three operas provide our singers with a broad range of emotional exploration and offer you, our audience, performance excellence that opens the door to future encounters with these operas of constant wonderment and resonance.

All operas are fully staged, imaginatively dressed, and acted after barely seven weeks of dramatic discussions and insightful rehearsals. We encourage you not to hesitate this summer. Come on over to the Alumnae Theatre for a season of discovery and diversity featuring young artists in a thrilling season of opera...all at prices unmatched in the GTA.

Summer Opera Lyric Theatre and Research Centre (SOLT) was founded in 1985 by Guillermo Silva-Marin with a mandate to promote career development for young generation artists, explore top operas in their hands and provide training opportunities during the summer months. Along with building a character in music, the young cohort participates in a series of Masterclasses that cover subjects ranging from finding a manager to interpretative nuance, deportment and audition techniques. Jennifer Tarver, David Fallis, Kathy Domoney, Jennifer Tung, Derek Bate, Colin Ainsworth, Julie Nesrallah and Henry Ingram are our experts in our 2024 Season. The artists come from music schools, universities and conservatories across Canada including Western in London, the University of British Columbia, McGill University, Quebec and Toronto universities and the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Visit www.solt.ca.