Over the next couple of weeks we're going to be looking back at some of the biggest stories in Canadian arts and culture from the year 2000. Today, some high notes from the world of music.

Well, another year has come and gone and the Canadian Opera Company is still up-in-the-air with its plans for a new opera house. It's hard to believe that this is the new millennium, and Toronto is the only major city in North America bereft of a decent theatre for its world-class opera productions. Over the past six seasons, director Richard Bradshaw has led the COC to new creative heights, keeps pulling in larger audiences and new subscribers. He has the funding in hand for design and construction of the building, but various levels of government keep pulling the plug on land agreements.

Let's just hope that Bradshaw doesn't get frustrated by the politics and pull up stakes and move on... because away from the politics he's created a remarkable legacy with the COC's major productions and ongoing recital series. The company's free summer concerts at Harbourfront are highlights for many who can't afford the regular season tickets or tend to be intimidated by operas.

The COC's failure to find a new home is one of the few sour notes on the Canadian music scene. (The Toronto Symphony is back in red ink, but it may have more to do with management issues and touring losses than local attendance.)

Across the country, other opera and symphony companies are reporting high audience turnouts, record audiences, and artistic achievements unparalleled in this country. The Vancouver Opera announced $115,000 surplus, and has solved a number of management issues that plagued the joint the past decade. Vancouver has a lively recital society, and introduced a new music festial this summer that broke audience expectations. In Alberta, the symphonies and operas are doing well, in Montreal the symphony under the leadership of Charles Dutoit has had some successful international gigs, and the National Arts Orchestra in Ottawa is doing better than ever. It's a real Canadian renaissance!

What's up? All through the 1980s and early 1990s, symphonies and opera companies were in dire straits -- begging for money and clamouring for audiences. There are a number of theories about the big rebound. You pick:

Theory #1: The aging baby boomer population is tuning out of rock concerts and opting for a more a placid form of entertainment, something more gratifying in the long term.

Theory #2: Canadian musical companies are getting craftier about marketing, by bringing in high-profile guest stars, conductors, etc. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra does a fine job of balancing its classic repertoire with guest artists ranging from Natalie McMaster to Bobby McFerrin to Yo-Yo Ma.

Theory #3: Prominent Canadian musical stars like Ben Heppner and Richard Margison have probably done more benefit performances in Canada this past year than paid performances. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these generous fundraisers and attention-getters.

I think it's a bit of all three -- plus, Canadian classical music is really starting to rock (please forgive the expression, I couldn't help myself). For a taste of what else is out there, check out this website: La Scena Musicale, a complete Canadian music resource.

Reasons to look forward to the New Year: In January, the COC tries something new with Venus and Adonis, a production marked by the convergence of opera and dance ... This spring, Tapestry New Opera Works debuts The Iron Road, a new opera set in 1886 during the final dangerous stage of laying the Canadian Pacific Railway. This provocative opera promises history, romance and tragedy in epic proportions, with an innovative blend of Canadian-Chinese music and language. Tapestry's artistic director Wayne Strongman is laying some new tracks with this one.

What's your favourite musical moment for 2000? Come on, share with the group in our Music & Opera forum

Fine Tuning: Ever wonder what motivated Charles Dickens to write -- other than the money? The Ghosts of Dickens' Past explores the drama of the struggling young writer trying to support his family in 1843, haunted by fears of poverty and conjuring up the story of A Christmas Carol. Tonight at 8 p.m. on CBC TV.

More from our year-end review: