The History of A R I A S
Over 60 Years of Promoting and Supporting Opera in Canada
Since its beginnings over 60 years ago, A R I A S: Canadian Opera Student Development Fund (formerly Canadian Opera Volunteer Committee - COVC) has remained committed to promoting and supporting opera in Canada. Established in 1947 by the late Mrs. Jean A. Chalmers as the Opera and Concert Committee of the Royal Conservatory of Music, the committee has continued to maintain its strong support of young singers in Canada as well as the Canadian Opera Company (COC). It is now recognized as the longest running volunteer supporter of the COC and the leading volunteer organization for the promotion of opera in Canada.
After several other name changes, the organization became the Canadian Opera Women's Committee in 1959 and later, in 2001, the Canadian Opera Volunteer Committee, reflecting the committee's desire to include both men and women in its membership. In 2010, the organization changed its name once again to A R I A S: Canadian Opera Student Development Fund to reflect its new mission of support focused totally on young people pursuing operatic studies, operatic training and potential operatic careers.
During the organization's first years, members assisted the opera company through fundraising at special events, helping out backstage painting sets and making costumes and props, as well as handling ticket sales. In fact when it was said by some pessimists that selling opera in Toronto would be too difficult, the committee sold out all the performances at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. In 1950, when the Opera Festival Association was formed and incorporated (the forerunner of the COC), A R I A S members also surprised many people by raising the necessary $18,000 for incorporation within 48 hours. Also during that year, the organization awarded its first scholarship to a deserving student studying opera, a program that has since grown to more than 35 scholarships awarded annually to young opera students.
In 1959, the organization established the COC student performances, which now attract more than 6,000 students each year to COC dress rehearsals. In 1963, the first Opera Ball in Toronto was organized, thus creating an annual event that has become one of the city's major social events as well the organization's major fundraising project. And in 1970 the organization joined Opera Volunteers International (OVI), which culminated in 2002 with the then named COVC hosting the combined OVI and Opera America Conference in Toronto.
Today, A R I A S actively creates and develops fundraising projects under its mandate of providing financial support for the COC and scholarships for gifted opera students. In 2004, A R I A S made a major capital commitment under a matching grants program in support of the new opera house in Toronto, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
In recognition of the organization's significant financial contribution of more than $6 million, the COC has honoured A R I A S in its E. Louise Morgan Society, which features major donors and foundations that have contributed a total of more $1 million over the past 15 years.
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