Founded in 1979, Tapestry Opera is an award-winning Toronto-based company dedicated to creating, developing and performing original, progressive opera. We are passionate about timely, resonant stories told in innovative settings and interpreted by extraordinary artists. We create space to unite diverse art forms, creators, and communities to develop powerful, boundary-breaking opera that reflects and changes the world. We believe in embedding our values in everything we do, on and offstage, and work to create an equitable, adaptable, and accountable culture for our time and communities.
Vision:
We envision a performing arts culture that pushes artistic boundaries, respects artists, surprises audiences, and advocates for a better world.
Mission:
Tapestry Opera has a mandate to create powerful opera that reflects and changes the world around us, bringing together art forms, creators, artists, and communities to create boundary-pushing art.
Values:
- Lead – drive positive change in the opera and performing arts
- Act – do the right thing, because it is the right thing
- Effect – deepen the impact of our art, our culture, our ideas, our leaders, and our artists
- Innovate – practices, principles, performances
Tapestry Opera is an award-winning Toronto-based company dedicated to creating, developing, and performing original, boundary-defying opera. For more than 45 years, Tapestry has been at the forefront of new opera in North America, commissioning and premiering 37 full-length works and nearly 200 short pieces. We are passionate about telling timely, resonant stories through extraordinary artists and innovative settings, pushing the limits of what opera can be and who it can represent.
In 2025, Tapestry Opera entered a new chapter with the launch of the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre at 877 Yonge Street, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility designed to support Canadian independent artists and the next generation of creators. This vibrant hub, established through a groundbreaking partnership with Nightwood Theatre and St. Clare’s Housing Society, features a 150-seat theatre, rehearsal studios, offices, and community spaces, all with a focus on accessibility, affordability, and artistic excellence.
Our commitment to bold, impactful arts is reflected in everything we do: commissioning and developing new operas, championing Canadian artists, and collaborating across communities to contribute meaningfully to the broader arts and public ecology. Our work doesn’t stop at the stage; it extends into leadership, education, and systemic change.
Through Tapestry Opera’s flagship initiative, Women in Musical Leadership, one of the most substantial programs of its kind globally, we are reshaping the future of opera and classical music. This national program, founded in 2020, empowers women and non-binary conductors to overcome historic barriers while simultaneously working with partner organizations coast to coast to shift the sector’s culture toward greater equity and inclusivity.
Co-led by General and Artistic Director Michael Hidetoshi Mori and Executive Director Jaime Martino, Tapestry Opera is recognized for its dynamic, socially engaged artistry and leadership. Under their direction, the company has produced genre-defying, award-winning works like R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, Gould’s Wall and Of the Sea, and built a resilient, artist-centred organization recognized across Canada and internationally.
As Canada’s only top-ten opera company led by a BIPOC General Director and a queer woman Executive Director, equity and innovation are not just guiding principles — they are embedded into our organizational DNA. We are committed to reflecting the richness of contemporary Canada on our stages and in our processes, from supporting emerging creators through the Composer-Librettist Laboratory (LibLab) to providing community-based free concerts and mentorship initiatives.
At Tapestry Opera, we believe opera can be a transformative force — a living art form that embraces new voices, new stories, and new audiences. As we step into our next era, we are proud to be building a home where artists, audiences, and communities come together to create the future of opera, right here in Toronto and beyond.
Opera With Impact
From a Canadian perspective, Toronto represents innovation, inclusivity, thoughtful approaches, and art and culture. Tapestry embraces Toronto and reflects its heart to Torontonians.
We promote Toronto culture by hiring Torontians and actively animating its features. Tapestry presents its work at unique Toronto venues and incorporates them into our operas and events. We’ve performed our shows in spaces around the city like the Evergreen Brickworks, Todmorden Mills, stackt market, Sidewalks Labs, and soon on the Toronto waterfront.
When you come to a Tapestry show, you experience a deeper Toronto.
From Caribbean mythology to Indigenous storytelling to robot dramas. Opera that engages the world around us. Opera in exciting spaces. Opera and new technologies. Opera in the community.
Leadership
Artistic and General Director Michael Mori and Executive Director Jaime Martino lead Tapestry Opera.
Annual Report
As we reflect on the 2023-2024 season and over four decades of championing Canadian artists and advancing the art of opera, we stand at a pivotal moment in our journey. Tapestry Opera’s commitment to innovation and new approaches has never been more critical, particularly when the arts face many challenges and performance venues vanishing from our vibrant cultural landscape.
Read the full Annual Report by clicking the button below.