'Now it's time for us to go to those who can't come to us,' said COC general director Alexander Neef. (Michael Cooper/Canadian Opera Company)After a few seasons of luring patrons to its Toronto performances, the Canadian Opera Company is set to expand further afield by widening its radio and internet broadcasts.

The COC announced on Monday a plan to record and broadcast all seven of its mainstage productions during the 2009-2010 season, working in conjunction with current partner CBC/Radio-Canada.

"Extending the COC's reach to areas of the country not presently served by opera is one of my main goals at the Canadian Opera Company. The COC has been so successful in getting people into the opera house, that now it's time for us to go to those who can't come to us," general director Alexander Neef said in a statement.

CBC Radio 2 and Radio-Canada's Espace Musique had already been broadcasting a COC opera or two each season for some time.

According to a company spokeswoman, full seasons of broadcasts ended in the early 1990s after a main sponsor dropped out, she added.

For the new initiative, the opera company will finance and produce the recordings of this season's seven-opera slate, with each title to air twice nationally on Radio 2 and Espace Musique.

The operas will also be available via streaming from the COC website and Radio 2's Concerts on Demand, for 12 months after each title's internet debut.

The new program begins with a presentation of the COC's Madama Butterfly on CBC Radio 2's Saturday Afternoon at the O pera on Nov. 28, followed by the company's sold-out run of Robert Lepage's The Nightingale and Other Short Fables on Dec. 5.

Other broadcast and streaming dates will be confirmed in the weeks to come.

The 2009-2010 season marks the Canadian Opera Company's 60th anniversary, with the remaining productions to include Carmen, Otello, The Flying Dutchman, Maria Stuarda and Idomeneo.