The company also announced the schedule for a series of events in June 2006 marking the opening of the Four Seasons Centre. These include an official ribbon-cutting on June 11, a gala on June 14, concerts on June 16 and 17, and open houses for major donors (June 3-4), subscribers (June 17-18), students (June 23), and the public (June 24-25). Tickets for the gala and concerts will go on sale to donors and subscribers in March and to the public on May 1.

Dmitri Berman, the young founder of Moscow's Helikon Opera, will stage two of the COC's productions this year: the new Lady Macbeth (January 31-February 23, 2007) and a revision of his own 1999 version of La traviata (May 4-26), which made use of leather and bondage.

The company will import productions of Gounod's Faust and Verdi's Luisa Miller. Faust (February 1-24), which comes from the Lyric Opera of Chicago, will be directed by Amy Hutchinson; Luisa Miller (April 10-May 11) originated at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. Revivals include Strauss's Elektra (April 21-May 19), directed by James Robinson.

Prominent singers on the schedule include baritone Russell Braun as Guglielmo in CosÐ, soprano Susan Bullock and contralto Ewa Podles as Elektra and Klyt‹mnestra in Elektra, and soprano Inva Mula and tenor Daniil Shtoda as Violetta and Alfredo in La traviata.

The C$181 million Four Seasons Centre will seat 2,000. It will host the National Ballet of Canada as well as the COC.