January 14, 2005 -

OTTAWA -- Acclaimed stage and screen actor Colm Feore has graciously stepped in as host for the Black and White Opera Soiree. Perfectly bilingual, witty, and charismatic, Mr. Feore will add to the star power of an already glittering evening. The original host of the evening, Christopher Plummer, regrettably had to bow out for personal reasons.

A commanding presence onscreen and onstage, Colm Feore is a classically trained actor who has built his career playing both legendary characters and unknowns with unnerving conviction. Whether he’s playing a Shakespearian hero, a small but solid role in a Hollywood blockbuster, or scalding the screen with his intensity in a starring role, Colm Feore effortlessly projects intelligence, elegance and grace.

Colm Feore is currently in New York rehearsing the role of Cassius in Julius Caesar, which opens on Broadway on April 3. Also starring are Denzel Washington as Brutus and William Sadler in the title role. Director Daniel Sullivan released Mr. Feore from two days’ rehearsal so that he could participate in the Black and White Opera Soiree.

The 8^th annual Black and White Opera Soiree (an annual winter benefit for the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Opera Lyra Ottawa) lights up the NAC’s Southam Hall stage on Saturday, February 19, 2005. Headlining the evening – entitled From Vienna to Broadway -- will be Canada’s own coloratura soprano, Tracy Dahl, baritone Theodore Baerg, and tenor Chad Freeburg. The National Arts Centre Orchestra will be conducted by the NAC’s Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly, and the Opera Lyra Ottawa Chorus will be featured. Developed by Jack Everly, From Vienna to Broadway features popular favourites and memorable melodies from operas, operettas, and Broadway musicals. Proceeds from this year’s Black and White Opera Soiree will help to maintain and further develop the already high level of artistic excellence that is a hallmark of NAC Orchestra and Opera Lyra Ottawa performances.

The Black & White Opera Soiree is presented by Bell Canada with the support of Enbridge, the Casino du Lac-Leamy, and Scotiabank. Special thanks to the Lowe-Martin Group, Biddle McGillvray Advertising, the Ottawa Citizen, Le Droit, CBC, and Radio-Canada Television.

Ticket prices are $75, $65, and $50 (for concert only), $175 (for concert and post reception) and $275 (for dinner, receptions, and concert) and are available at the NAC Box Office (in person) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at (613) 755-1111; Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s web-site at www.nac-cna.ca.

Information:
Gerald Morris,
National Arts Centre,
(613) 947-7000, x249
gmorris@nac-cna.ca

Nina La Chapelle
Opera Lyra Ottawa,
(613) 233-9200, x229
marketing@operalyra.ca

COLM FEORE
Born in the United States, stage and screen actor Colm Feore spent his first few years in Ireland before his family moved to Ottawa when he was three. Adopting Canada as his own, Feore attended Canada's National Theatre School and joined the prestigious Stratford Festival of Canada, where he became Associate Director in 1981.

During his 13 seasons at Stratford, Feore achieved fame as one of Canada's premiere stage performers, playing virtually all of Shakespeare's leading men, from Richard III and Iago to Romeo and Hamlet -- as well as many other characters in classical and contemporary plays. He returned to Stratford in 2002 for the Festival’s 50^th anniversary season, where he won rave reviews for his performance as Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady. His first film experience was in a number of filmed plays at Stratford, where he had lead roles in The Boys from Syracuse and The Taming of the Shrew.

While continuing his work on stage, Colm Feore also frequently acted on television and in film and is especially well-known for his performance in the title role of François Girard's Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, for which he received a Genie nomination for Best Actor. Other notable films include Iron Eagle II, Face/Off, City of Angels, The Red Violin (which won him a Jutra Award), The Insider, Titus, Pearl Harbor, Chronicles of Riddick, Highwaymen, National Security, Paycheck, Chicago:The Musical, and The Perfect Son (for which he also earned a Genie nomination).

In television, Colm Feore has landed many roles, including Albert in the telefilm Forget Me Never, Rudolf Hess in the miniseries Nuremberg, and Admiral Aaron in Creature. He has also made numerous guest appearances on such series as War of the Worlds, Forever Knight, Due South, La Femme Nikita, The West Wing and Boston Public. In 2002, he won a Gemini award as Best Actor for his performance as Canada's controversial and flamboyant former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau in the CBC mini-series Trudeau.

Colm Feore and his wife Donna have three children; they make their home in Stratford, Ontario.