Dating back to 2002 we were looking to give back to the community which had helped accelerate the success of Enunciate Conferencing. The area was being genderfied so we launched several food drives to support families that needed food and gifts for the holidays in nearby Parkdale. Liberty Village had a deep roots as a place for emerging artists of all kinds who would live in the abandoned factories from the turn of the century along with tech start ups and the home to companies such as Corus Entertainment, Nelvana and Sony/BMG at the time. Being a Canadian company and wanting to support local artists and bring a spotlight to the community we launched Calling on Liberty in 2004. Calling on Liberty was a fusion of artists of different disciplines such as painters, photographers, musicians, poets and fashion designers. We had people from the community along with many of our clients which turned out to be a wonderful client appreciation night being exposed to fabulous art along with raising thousands for several different charities which were also clients.
Having experienced the positive impact the event had not only on the artists but on the audience and everybody involved, we sought to evolve over time and bring more formality and structure to an artistic experience. So in 2010 we launched Wish Opera which became the charitable arm of Wish Group with a mandate to support Canadian only artists, and to encourage and nurture emerging talent. Everything from the performers, set design, costumes, art, to the furniture in the lounge areas were all Canadian. World famous Canadian Conductor Kerry Stratton conducted the orchestra and franks wife Tonia the Artistic Director.
“I am confident in the vast natural resources available to fulfill this dynamic and compelling vision,” says Tonia.
Wish Opera delivers on these promises by constantly seeking to answer the question on which it is founded:
How do we nurture, empower, and fulfill on our highest artistic expression and visions, within our artistic community and ourselves?
Wish for it
Tonia has continued to give back to Canadian artists by creating a new program to inspire, enthrall and influence the Canadian arts scene. Wish Arts provides mentorship, workshops and profiles to Canadian artists of different disciplines and skills.