Diversity in opera

n May last year, a news item appeared in which caught the eye of Toronto opera goers. City Council, reported Arianne Robinson, was cutting part of the Canadian Opera Company and Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s cultural grants. An advisory panel had found that COC and TSO audiences, programming, boards and staff were not enough—and not reflective of Toronto’s multicultural makeup. The COC’s grant was reduced from $1.6 to $1.5 million..