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“Johannes Debus made an excellent impression in his company debut, leading a tight, disciplined performance of this difficult score. … when it came to communicating the essential character of the piece, Debus was right on the mark, finding thrilling tension in the lean, hard edges of the score.”

New York Classical Review

“COC music director Johannes Debus keeps his 100-plus orchestra on a tight leash, rarely, as so often occurs with Elektra, allowing their enthusiasm to drown out the singers. And, while Strauss’s score may have come as a shock in 1909, it is a wondrous marvel for today’s ears when so expertly elucidated by Debus.”

The Toronto Star

“The conducting … was superb …. Johannes Debus, in Hoffmann, kept textures light and agile, but didn’t stint on grandeur.”

The New York Times

“Debus was a … large presence on the podium. His conducting technique was vigorous and broadly physical. He leaned into his cues with big full-armed sweeps, prompting enthusiastic playing from the orchestra…He employed a flexible rubato, lingering on phrase endings, pushing ahead to build momentum. The orchestra responded in kind, persuasive collaborators in his musical vision.”

San Diego Union-Tribune

“Lepage’s fantasy world would never be complete without the marvelous music performed by the COC Orchestra – led by Maestro Johannes Debus. Debus pulled some of the most delicious colours out of the orchestra, creating an other-worldly atmosphere with his intuitive understanding of Stravinsky’s score.”

Broadway World

“Conductor Johannes Debus and the COC orchestra wring lots of emotion from the score, whether it’s in the elegiac arias, exciting ballroom waltzes or those urgent, heart-stopping moments of unbridled passion.”

Now Toronto

German-born conductor Johannes Debus was appointed Music Director of the Canadian Opera Company in 2009, having already established himself in many of the great opera houses and festivals worldwide. Over the course of his tenure, he has captivated Toronto and international critics alike, skillfully leading productions that include Götterdämmerung, Eugene Onegin, Otello, Salome, and the COC world premiere of Hadrian in 2018. Throughout the pandemic disruption of 2020-2022, his work for digital included the hosting of Solo Spotlights, a video series highlighting musicians of the COC Orchestra, as well as conducting for several of the company’s online presentations, including: In Winter, In Concert with Jane Archibald, and Bluebeard’s Castle. Debus most recently conducted the COC’s productions of Fidelio, Don Giovanni, and The Cunning Little Vixen, and will conduct Faust, La Reine-garçon, and Wozzeck in the company’s 2024/2025 season.

When he is not conducting at the COC, Debus is very active with international engagements that include appearances with the BBC Proms, the orchestras of Boston, Baltimore, Cleveland, Aspen, the National Arts Centre, Houston, and Toronto, at the Spoleto, Bregenz, and Tanglewood festivals, and at opera companies such as San Francisco, Berlin Staatsoper, Komische Oper Berlin, Oper Frankfurt, and Bayerische Staatsoper, among many others. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2016 conducting Salome, and returned the following year to conduct Les contes d’Hoffmann.

In 2021, Debus co-founded the Biglake Festival in Prince Edward County, Ontario. The annual summer event showcases music that bridges the past and present, originating from various countries and influenced by a diverse range of cultures from around the world.

SEPTEMBER 2024