Jan 23, 2025

Ken and Lynn Cooper, longtime supporters of Manitoba Opera, have lived in many places, including Toronto, Vancouver, and Dallas. As Ken relates, one of the things that brought them home to Winnipeg was “the incredible cultural base of this city.

“The cultural community is so strong here,” he says. “Winnipeggers are really good at supporting the arts.”

For Ken, Manitoba Opera is “one of the cultural treasures of Manitoba and Winnipeg,” and for him, its importance for our province and city comes down to the power of live performance.

Lynn agrees. “Opera is so vibrant. When you’re sitting in your seat and the singers are right in front of you, that’s such a strong relationship.”

That passion for live opera is why they support Manitoba Opera as dedicated season ticket holders and donors. “We help by donating and attending, but we also benefit from some wonderful people who are dedicated to building our culture,” Ken points out. Lynn credits Larry Desrochers and his team, “who have the organizational skills and the professional and creative depth to bring these operas to Winnipeg.”

As an ardent opera fan, Ken finds it hard to rank his favourites but loves “anything by Puccini.” Lynn is interested in the way different stagings can “bring the past to life, but with a modern-day perspective,” citing Manitoba Opera’s recent Canuck version of Così fan tutte (complete with canoes).

The couple often takes in the movie-theatre screenings of Met operas, which they view as a complement to their Manitoba Opera attendance. Those viewings “give you a wider sense of opera and its history,” Ken suggests. “But they also make you aware of what you’re missing, which is the excitement that you only get with live performance.”

That sense of excitement is what fuels Ken and Lynn’s continuing support for Manitoba Opera.

As Ken says, “I don’t support Manitoba Opera because I have to. I support it because I love it.”