Our work

Full-length opera

Cantonese opera is a unique art form that combines singing, dialogue, movements, and gestures. The movements and gestures of the performers are highly stylized and symbolic. Cantonese opera is characterized by a great variety of tunes, a lyrical style of singing, a large instrumental ensemble, and spirited and clamorous percussion music.

Extravaganza — excerpts, concerts & recitals

In addition to presenting full-length operas, Vancouver Cantonese Opera also presents:

• Excerpts or Opera Highlights are sections of famous classic operas being performed on stage in one act. These highlights can be the soul of the whole opera.

• Concerts and Recitals emphasize Cantonese opera singing skills, with special attention to the art of vocal tones and techniques. With the essence of Cantonese opera music, the tune is extremely rich.

VCO hosts these shows featuring international guest performers and troupe performers.

Bamboo Theatre

Vancouver Cantonese Opera is an enthusiastic and devoted presenter/participant of multicultural events in the Lower Mainland. In 2012 VCO presented our first Multicultural Heritage Festival in Vancouver. From 2013-2015 the Multicultural Heritage Festival, in partnership with the City of Richmond, was presented at the Minoru Park in Richmond.

Starting from 2016 to 2019, the City of Richmond invited VCO to activate a “BambooTheatre” at the Richmond World Festival at the Minoru Park. The VCO Bamboo Theatre showcases a lineup of amazing artists from a myriad of ethnic cultures.

What is a Bamboo Theatre

Bamboo theatre is a very unique architectural building. It is a temporary built theatre made with bamboos. It has a front stage, backstage, and public area for the audience. The main structure is bamboo and large poles. It only appears in Guangdong Province the southern part of China and Hong Kong. The Cantonese Opera is always combined with entertainment for local people and religious purposes. The bamboo theatre usually stands in front of temples or ancestral halls. Cantonese opera is often performed during deities’ birthdays in the bamboo theatre to amuse devotees as well as deities. An altar, which serves as a VIP balcony for watching the performance, would be placed inside the bamboo theatre to accommodate the statues of deities.

Outreach & workshops

Singing Lesson

Traditional Cantonese opera music scales / notes / rhythms /phrasing / singing technique, etc.

• Group lessons / semi-private / private
• On-line zoom lessons
• Student recitals are held periodically.

Cantonese Opera Signature Makeup Lessons

Traditional “white and red” face stage makeup technique.

Headdress & Costume

Learn how to get ready for a stage performance – the proper way to put on an elaborate headdress and a complicated/cumbersome costume.

Opera in Care

Perform Cantonese Opera excerpts at senior facilities – in modern day dress, or in full Cantonese opera regalia.

For detail, call 604-764-8181, or email vancanopera@gmail.com.

Collaborations

Collaboration – Langara College

New Works Pitch Program

Vancouver Cantonese Opera “The Prop Master’s Dream” was chosen as one of the 5 projects to receive a special boost of support.

The Association for Opera in Canada is a membership-based association for opera companies, opera artists, businesses, teaching institutions, and individuals. Our mandate is to create and sustain an environment that makes opera central to Canadian life. We work with members across the sector to mitigate challenges, celebrate successes, and help opera thrive in a changing environment. We are a communications hub, a connector and convenor, a champion and catalyst for change, and a relentless advocate.

AOC has launched a program to support new works, with a focus on Equity-seeking artists. This program, in its pilot year, helps new creators in the fields of opera and music theatre to produce their works, get them on stage, and get them on the road.