Passion, politics, and betrayal collide in Tosca—a breathtaking opera where love burns bright against the dark tides of tyranny. Set amidst upheaval and war in 1800s Rome, the fiery singer Floria Tosca is caught in a deadly triangle between her beloved, the revolutionary artist Mario Cavaradossi, and Baron Scarpia, the corrupt, sadistic chief of police.

Puccini’s masterful score will crackle with emotion under the baton of VO Music Director Jacques Lacombe, as Floria navigates a brutal game of power and sacrifice where even her voice—the thing she holds most sacred—becomes a weapon. This new co-production with Pacific Opera Victoria is directed by their celebrated Artistic Director, Brenna Corner, with a cast that includes baritone Gregory Dahl, who has recently stunned VO audiences as both Marcello in La Bohème and Don Pasquale, David Pomeroy, who The New York Times called “a powerful, agile tenor,” and the captivating Lebanese-Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury in the title role.

More than a tale of doomed love, Tosca is a searing portrait of resistance in the face of oppression, where art and faith are tested against cruelty and injustice. It’s opera at its most visceral—intimate yet grand, deeply human and tragically heroic. In Tosca, the personal becomes political, and every choice cuts deep.

EPSG:4326

Tosca

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata premiered in 1853 and has since become one of opera’s most beloved works. Today, it stands as the second-most-presented opera worldwide since 2022—an enduring favourite whose popularity shows no signs of slowing.

A sweeping story of impossible love, set to some of Verdi’s most emotionally-charged music, La Traviata tells of Violetta, a courtesan desired, elevated, and ultimately undone by the society that fixes its gaze on her. Alfredo sees her through the soft blur of infatuation, believing he alone can capture her truth. Alfredo’s father, however, sees Violetta as a “fallen woman” and demands that she break off her relationship with Alfredo for the sake of his family’s reputation. Heartbroken sacrifice made, her health worsens. Alfredo rushes to her side, but is it too late to undo what’s done?

Helmed by internationally acclaimed Vancouver-based director Idan Cohen, this new co-production with Pacific Opera Victoria closes out 2026–2027 with a striking stage design that draws from Pop Art, classic Hitchcock aesthetics, and mass media culture, while Vancouver Opera’s esteemed Music Director Jacques Lacombe steers Verdi’s score through the intoxicating desire lines of romance, high drama, and exquisite melody.

Callum Alden

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 24 - Nov 1, 2026

Tosca · Vancouver Opera

Apr 24 - May 2, 2027

La Traviata · Vancouver Opera

Future and recently performed repertoire

Gastone de Letorières in La traviata by Verdi

Vancouver Opera

Spoletta in Tosca by Puccini

Vancouver Opera

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