The loss of musical chief Richard Bradshaw along with a record box office take marked a season of both tragic lows and celebratory highs for the Canadian Opera Company, officials said Tuesday.

At its annual general meeting Tuesday, the Toronto-based company reviewed the 2007-08 season and also announced a surplus of $41,000.

"We have posted a surplus for the sixth year in a row, annual private sector support has increased, box office revenues have hit a record high and, for the second straight season, our productions have played to capacity houses, with almost 100 per cent attendance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts," said COC president David Ferguson, who hailed the past season "one of remarkable artistic and financial success."

According to the company, box office revenue for the 2007-08 subscription season amounted to a record $12.3 million. The company staged more performances (66 on the mainstage) than before and saw the Four Seasons Centre generally filled to 99 per cent capacity.

In August 2007, the sudden death of general director Richard Bradshaw — who over nearly two decades worked to elevate the COC's reputation and was an outspoken champion of building a stand-alone opera house — left a tragic void in the company that opened the doors to its new home just over a year earlier.

Officials launched a search for his successor, with German-born Alexander Neef named general director in June. He officially began his tenure on Oct. 1.

This past spring, the COC also completed its capital campaign to build the Four Seasons Centre. The fundraising campaign, started in 2002, closed in March with a budget of $186 million.