This spring, opera fans in Toronto can expect some lighter fare to go with the warming weather.

On May 1, 7pm at Lula Lounge (1585 Dundas St. W), check out the latest from Tongue in Cheek Productions: Democracy in Action. Though the title feels timely, the political stakes aren’t costly with this night of singing. The audience holds the power here - with the help of online polls, and a “wide array of eclectic selections”, listeners can cast their vote and hear the results.

For Democracy in Action, TiC has gathered a solid line-up of Canadian talent, including Teiya Kasahara, Krisztina Szabó and Julie Nesrallah. At the piano is Trevor Chartrand.

Doors open at 6:30, and the show begins at 7pm. Tickets start at $25, and seating is guaranteed with a dinner reservation. Find out more by calling Lula Lounge at (416) 588-0307.

And on June 27, 8pm at Merchants of Green Coffee (2 Matilda Street), the women of Muse 9 Productions put up Bon Appetit! A Musical Tasting Menu. The delicious-looking programme is named for Lee Hoiby’s ingenious Bon Appetit!, which essentially turns an episode of Julia Child’s The French Chef into a mini-opera.

You’ll also hear soprano/composer Danika Lorèn’s curiously titled The Secret Lives of Vegetables, and in a guarantee for laughs, the song cycle by Toronto favourite Peter Tiefenbach, Chansons de mon placard.

Anna Theodosakis directs, and Hyejin Kwon is at the piano.

Tickets start at $25, and can be purchased right here. And as a bonus, the Musical Tasting Menu will head to London, ON, June 29th and 30th at the Covent Garden Market Kitchen, in partnership with Village Opera.