Demand for opera tickets still remains high in Canada, with the Canadian Opera Company (COC) reporting average attendances of 99.7 per cent for the third consecutive year.

A total of 132,000 patrons attended COC performances over the 2008/09 season, creating revenue of almost $10 million (£5.6 million) for the company.

COC general director Alexander Neef believes that the high attendance level is a "remarkable achievement" given the current economic climate.

He said: "The COC's 2008/09 season surpassed my expectations.

"Even though this difficult economic climate has brought us unexpected challenges, our main stage season finished over 99 per cent capacity, which must be the highest rate for an opera company in north America."

There were a total of seven different main stage productions that ran throughout the season, including Don Giovanni, War and Peace and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The COC will bring its year of success to a close with a new production of Mozart's masterpiece Cosi fan tutte after 12 months of training and preparation.