Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Tapestry Opera, Canada’s leading contemporary opera company, is packing its 37th season with powerful stories that champion women who overcome hardship against all odds. In celebration of Canada’s 150th year, the company’s 2016/2017 program is comprised entirely of new works by all-Canadian composers and librettists, and features the best of Canada’s vocal artists.
The season begins in November with Naomi’s Road, based on the novel by Joy Kogawa, by accomplished librettist and director Ann Hodges and acclaimed composer Ramona Luengen. Set in Vancouver during the Second World War, the opera follows 9-year-old Japanese-Canadian girl Naomi and her brother, whose lives are upturned when they are sent to internment camps in the BC interior and Alberta. Naomi’s Road is a deeply personal, moving account of a definitive moment in Canada’s history. It runs from Nov. 16 – 20, 2016, at St. David’s Anglican Church, the home of the last Japanese-Canadian Anglican parish in Toronto.
Tapestry Songbook—an annual favourite—returns in February to breathe new life into highlights from the company’s 37-year collection of works. Tapestry Songbook VII features Krisztina Szabó, one of Canada’s most fearless mezzo-sopranos, and runs on Feb. 23 and 24, 2017 in Tapestry’s intimate Ernest Balmer Studio in the heart of the Distillery District.
The season culminates with one of Tapestry Opera’s most ambitious projects to date: Oksana G., by award-winning playwright Colleen Murphy and renowned composer Aaron Gervais. The opera follows the wrenching story of Oksana, a young Ukrainian woman lured into the world of sex trafficking by a recruiter who unexpectedly falls in love with her. When Oksana escapes to a refugee shelter in Italy, she finds herself entangled in a complex triangle between the recruiter and a Canadian priest who runs the shelter. With its fierce, contemporary heroine, Oksana G. challenges the operatic convention of the tragic victim and offers uncompromising insight into the realities of modern human trafficking. The premiere will be staged by acclaimed director Tom Diamond and conducted by rising star Jordan de Souza of the Komische Oper Berlin. Presented in the Imperial Oil Opera Theatre of the Canadian Opera Company, Oksana G. runs from May 24 – 30, 2017.
“These operas tell stories of remarkable journeys defined by loss, survival, perseverance, and ultimately, the rediscovery of self and strength in the face of the incredible evils of racism and human trafficking,” says Michael Hidetoshi Mori, Artistic Director of Tapestry Opera. “There is great beauty in the courage to overcome adversity against all odds – and that is opera! We are proud to bring a season of new Canadian works to Toronto, by Canadian artists who truly grapple with the challenges of our time.”
Season subscriptions are now available and can be purchased online at tapestryopera.com or by calling (416) 537-6066, ext. 243. Single tickets for individual productions go on sale on Oct. 1, 2016.
About Tapestry Opera
Tapestry Opera is a Toronto-based company that creates and produces opera from the heart of here and now. For over 36 years, the company has presented award-winning works by preeminent artists, brought to life by some of the most talented and versatile performers of the contemporary stage. As Canada’s leader in opera development, Tapestry Opera is committed to cultivating new creators and performers to serve the evolution of the art form and build a lasting Canadian repertoire. Tapestry Opera alumni include Ann-Marie MacDonald, Atom Egoyan, James Rolfe, Marjorie Chan, and Nic Gotham.
2016-08-31
Toronto: Tapestry Opera announces its 2016/17 season