Canadian Opera Volunteer Committee - President’s Message

Welcome to the website of the Canadian Opera Volunteer Committee (COVC). The COVC is a registered charitable organization dedicated to promoting and supporting opera through fundraising initiatives. Over the years, our enthusiastic and hard-working members have raised over six million dollars to donate to the Canadian Opera Company and awarded over 750 scholarships to talented young students at the Opera Division of the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto.

It has been a great pleasure for all of us to know that we have significantly contributed both to realizing the goal of a new opera house for Toronto and supporting promising students, many of whom have subsequently gone on to major singing careers.

First established in 1947 by a group of dedicated opera-loving women, our organization has over the years evolved into a large, dynamic and diversified group of volunteers.

The year 2007 marked the 60th anniversary of this commitment to opera and the COVC's integral part in the cultural mosaic of Toronto through both financial and volunteer assistance. We were pleased and proud that this contribution was recognized in many ways throughout the anniversary year, culminating in the designation of December 5, 2007 as COVC DAY in the City of Toronto.

We also took the opportunity during this celebratory year to re-assess how best to continue our commitment to opera in Toronto.

The COVC concluded that moving forward its support would be centered on young people pursuing operatic studies, operatic training and potential operatic careers. For a more details, please view our Vision of Volunteerism.

We have now embarked on new and exciting fund-raising initiatives in support of these goals, goals that we believe are a vital and integral component of the Canadian opera scene.

Please continue to browse our web pages for updates. We would welcome your participation. Join us!

To become a member, we invite you to contact us at the COVC office in Toronto at 416-963-0364, or alternatively, by e-mail.

Arija Stiver
President, COVC