As Opera Atelier builds its international profile in major opera houses and festivals throughout Canada, the United States and Europe, the challenge is to maintain its current standard of excellence in a world where government and corporate sponsorship no longer keeps pace with the escalating cost of production. Opera Atelier needs to refurbish iconic OA productions and build new productions on a regular basis (the lifeblood of any company). OA must find the means to continue and expand its workshops with Canadian singers and dancers, and to continue our history of artistic innovation. Our challenge, simply put, is not only to survive – but to thrive. Opera Atelier continues to evolve and take artistic risks – always striving to reimagine opera and ballet as compelling storytelling for the 21st century. To this end, OA’s costumes and set design have been gradually streamlined from their original baroque extravagance. The company has integrated the work of young Canadian videographers into its traditionally painted set designs, incorporated actors to enhance productions with spoken prologues combined with full orchestra, and commissioned new compositions for baroque instruments. The company recently combined new music and contemporary choreography with baroque opera and ballet as a hugely successful theatrical intervention. These creations of new work has put OA on the cutting edge of period performance practice – stretching our artists in new directions while enhancing our approach to OA’s core repertoire. These are the fundamental reasons that Opera Atelier will thrive into its fourth decade and will need your support to ensure transformative excellence, innovation, collaboration, and community engagement as a legacy of excellence for the future.