Image by Kaitlyn Hunter
Il Barbiere di Siviglia
BURNABY LYRIC OPERA
in association with Shadbolt Centre for the Arts
presents
A Burnaby Lyric Opera production
Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)
by Gioachino Rossini
February 21, 26, 2026 | 7:30pm
February 23, 25, 28, 2026 | 2pm (Matinée)
Stage Director: Tayte Mitchell | Music Director: Angus Kellett
Count Almaviva is in love with the young and beautiful Rosina; Rosina is in love with the poor student Lindoro; Rosina’s guardian Dr. Bartolo wants to marry her for her inheritance and has imprisoned her in his house; Don Basilio the music teacher is helping Dr. Bartolo with his treacherous scheme; and Figaro, the town barber, is helping Count Almaviva in his romantic quest, while cleverly manipulating all the players. This brightest star in Gioacchino Rossini’s repertoire is his comic masterpiece filled with romance, deception, mistaken identities and glorious music as only Rossini could write. ”Il barbiere di Siviglia” (The Barber of Seville) has stood the test of time not only as one of the ‘top 20’ operas performed, but it has been famously parodied in Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker and Homer Simpson cartoons and the overture is played in the Beatles film “Help!” See and hear this work of art come alive at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts Studio Theatre. Don’t miss it!
Sung in Italian with English surtitles.
Tickets: Adult $40 Student/Senior $35
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Studio Theatre
6450 Deer Lake Avenue, Deer Lake Park, Burnaby
BOX OFFICE: 604-205-3000
We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.
Our Performances & Concerts
Each year in an opera season, Burnaby Lyric Opera produces one fully-staged, costumed opera and a Concert Series entitled, “Opera for a Sunday Afternoon”. There are four Concerts in a season and each of these Concerts are on a Sunday afternoon in October, November, April and June. The Concerts present “Highlights” from a specific opera. These “Highlights” are presented in a 75 to 80 minute version of the opera’s most memorable music, sung in the original language and interspersed with a spoken English narration. BLO also produces a touring show of free outdoor summer concerts sponsored by the City of Burnaby. These shows also present young operatic singers from British Columbia on the threshold of their careers.
PAST PERFORMANCES
Le Nozze di Figaro
From the opening notes, Mozart’s masterpiece is filled with lively characters meeting life’s unexpected twists and challenges with humour, grace and poignancy, all the while singing some of the most glorious music ever written. Stage Director Richard Berg and Music Director Richard Epp worked their magic on “Le Nozze di Figaro” (“The Marriage of Figaro”) together with the best of B.C.’s young professional opera singers and Burnaby Lyric Opera’s production team in Feb 2025.
La Bohème
La Bohème is a beloved classic and one of the brightest stars in Giacomo Puccini’s repertoire. This musical masterpiece is a timeless tale of love, loss, deception and heart-break, with glorious music as only Puccini could write. It stands the test of time as one of the most popular operas ever performed and came to life again with Burnaby Lyric Opera’s production team and the best of B.C.’s operatic talent in April 2024.
GIANNI SCHICCHI & PAGLIACCI
Two musical masterpieces came to life with Burnaby Lyric Opera’s production team and the best of B.C.’s young professional opera singers in March 2023. The first short opera features Puccini’s one-act comic tour de force, “Gianni Schicchi”; a story of greedy relatives fighting over the will of their recently deceased wealthy patriarch, Buoso Donatti, only to be tricked out of their inheritance by the ingenious scheming of Gianni Schicchi.
The second opera portrays the tragedy of “Pagliacci”, Leoncavallo’s celebrated and heartbreaking story of Canio, the clown who makes people laugh, while he himself is suffering.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
A tragic story of a beautiful young geisha, Cio-Cio-San who falls in love and marries B.F. Pinkerton, an American naval lieutenant. Shortly after their wedding Pinkerton returns to America, and three long years pass as Cio-Cio-San raises their son and faithfully awaits Pinkerton’s return. When he finally returns, it is to take his son back to America with him. Puccini’s magnificent music soars throughout this heartbreaking story of love, betrayal, and the clashing of two cultures in the late 1890’s. Madama Butterfly is one of the world’s most popular operas and has some of the most beautiful music ever written, including the famous aria “Un Bel Di” and the unforgettable Love Duet. Burnaby Lyric Opera’s production team and the best of BC’s young opera singers brought this “must see” opera to life at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in February, 2020.