il coraggio di ispirare.

One of British Columbia’s only semi-professional opera companies, Burnaby Lyric Opera gives emerging professional and semi-professional opera singers the opportunity to sing leading roles.

What We Do

Burnaby Lyric Opera began in the early 1980's and by 1997 had evolved into a professional intermediate opera company with its permanent home in the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby, BC. For its innovative productions and high performance standards, BLO has received outstanding praise and critical acclaim, not only from local newspaper critics, but high-profile magazines such as Opera Canada. The Company is a non-profit registered Society with a vision to give emerging professional and semi-professional opera singers, in British Columbia, the opportunity to sing leading roles in fully-staged operas.

BLO’s mandate also includes creating opportunity for young stage directors, conductors/musical directors, stage managers and designers.

Burnaby Lyric Opera is described as a "professional intermediate" company and produces one fully-staged, costumed opera each year. Our ticket prices are very affordable, especially for opera, as we want opera to be accessible to everyone who is interested in attending our performances. The operas are stage-directed by a professional Stage Director and Musical Director/Conductor.

All singers, directors and stage managers who are members of The Canadian Actors’ Equity Association receive remuneration based on the fee regulations of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. These annual operas are presented in a professional theatre, The James Cowan Theatre at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, and performed in the original languages with English sur-titles. For all these artists, Burnaby Lyric Opera is the “jumping off” place between the universities / music institutions as they move their careers forward toward performing and working in the larger opera houses.

Our Team

Burnaby Lyric Opera is a non-profit registered Society and we depend entirely on funding from donors and Grants. The Board of Directors is a working board and works strictly on a volunteer basis. No person in administration or otherwise receives any remuneration. All funding received by BLO goes directly to fund the remuneration for the singers, directors, designers, technicians and stage crew in its annual opera productions.