In the cultural and political hurlyburly that is the United States, we sometimes lose track of our friendly and excelling neighbors to the north.

Canadians will shortly celebrate, in their circumspect way, their sesquicentennial. In 1867 Queen Victoria signed the British North America Act.

July 1 is known as Canada Day (until 1982 it was called Dominion Day). It is the 150th anniversary of the day when the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec and Ontario joined in a confederation of territories to become the Dominion of Canada. In the 19th century, these provinces were joined by British Columbia, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and Yukon. Alberta and Saskatchewan came in 1905, with Newfoundland joining in 1949. Nunavut separated from the Northwest Territories in 1999 and became its own province.

We Americans sometimes forget how hospitable our northern neighbors are, especially when times are tough. Come from Away, the current Broadway musical, tells the story of how the citizens of Gander, Newfoundland, rose to the occasion on 9/11 to welcome thousands of stranded air passengers who could not land at American airports. I remember how, in 1979, the Canadian embassy in Teheran harbored and saved six Americans who escaped the occupied U.S. embassy in Iran.

Canadians are almost always friendly and welcoming. On my last trip to Toronto, an overnight to attend an opera, the immigration official at the airport charmingly remarked that most Americans she has encountered lately want to spend more than a day and a night when they come to Canada. “They seem very eager to stay.”

Canada is a vast nation populated by indigenous peoples, the descendants of British and French settlers and waves of immigrants from throughout the world. It is vast, diverse, tolerant and generally self-effacing when reminded that it routinely is ranked among the best places in the world to live.

This country has given a great deal to opera and, if they won’t boast about it, let me do it on their behalf. There are many excellent opera companies in Canada. The biggest is the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, which modestly refers to itself as “the sixth largest opera company in North America.” Opera Atelier in Toronto specializes in Baroque opera. Others companies include Montréal, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Victoria.

Vancouver Opera had a golden age in the 1970s when it was run by Richard Bonynge and his wife Joan Sutherland was the house soprano. She sang her first Norma there in 1963. City Opera Vancouver is a chamber company doing intimate works such as Pauline, which has music by Canada’s Tobin Stokes and a libretto by Margaret Atwood, the nation’s foremost living writer.

Canada has been generous in giving the world many superb singers. Several of them are not only great musicians with beautiful voices but have a compelling intensity that they generously share. Had Canada only produced soprano Teresa Stratas and tenor Jon Vickers, Planet Opera would still have an eternal debt.

Few singers could equal the emotional impact of the singing and acting of Stratas. For many opera lovers, her interpretations of roles as diverse as Violetta, Mimì, Suor Angelica and Lulu are definitive. Watch her here in the closing scene of Salome:

Other great Canadian sopranos include Pierrette Alarie, Pauline Donalda, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Erin Wall and Nancy Argenta, an outstanding performer of Baroque composers such as Handel, Vivaldi and Rameau.

I think soprano Adrianne Pieczonka is one of the finest singers in opera today. Sondra Radvanovsky grew up in the U.S. but now resides in Toronto with her Canadian husband.

Two legendary Canadian mezzos are Maureen Forrester and Judith Forst.

Canada has given opera many superb tenors. The singing and acting of Jon Vickers moved audiences as few singers of any era could match.

There are also Ben Heppner, Richard Margison, Joseph Kaiser, Michael Schade and Raoul Jobin. Léopold Simoneau, largely forgotten now, was a peerless Mozartean.

Roger Doucet (1919-1981) was a tenor most famous for singing "O Canada!", the Canadian national anthem (and occasionally the American one), at important hockey games.

Edward Johnson (1878-1959) was not only an elegant tenor but served as General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera from 1935 to 1950. He successfully saw the Met through a very rough period from the depths of the Depression though World War Two when many foreign artists were not available. Under his administration, the Met began its weekly radio broadcasts in 1940 with the corporate sponsorship of Texaco. This brought opera to millions of people in North America and then around the world.

Among Canadian baritones and basses, Gerald Finley is one of the finest artists now before audiences. George London (1920-1985) was one of the real greats for his riveting singing and thrilling acting, especially when paired with an inspiring artist such as Leonie Rysanek in Der fliegende Holländer. The George London Foundation continues his legacy with financial prizes that help recognize and support talented young singers.

Other notable Canadian baritones and basses include Allan Monk, Louis Quilico, Gino Quilico, Joseph Rouleau, Russell Braun, Daniel Okulitch, and John Relyea.

On July 1, Canada Post will issue five opera-themed stamps, including vibrant portraits of Pieczonka and Finley.

I think Toronto’s Robert Carsen is one of the finest directors and producers in opera. He is perhaps the only one whose name on the program is enough inspiration for me to secure a ticket to a performance.

Wilfrid Pelletier (1896-1982) worked at the Met as an outstanding pianist, coach and conductor from 1917-1950, leaving along with Edward Johnson. He also played a crucial role in founding Canada’s most famous orchestra, the Montréal Symphony.

And then there is Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the next music director of the Metropolitan Opera.

Merci, Canada. Thank you!