Stage Door News
Stage Door News
The Bicycle Opera Project will be pedalling the Canadian premiere of Sweat by Juliet Palmer and Anna Chatterton July and August, 2017 to a location near you. Sweat, an a cappella chamber opera for nine voices, explores the lives of the women who sew our clothes. In a newly released video, Sweat creators Juliet Palmer and Anna Chatterton discuss the creation of the opera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n3jb4eUW9k&t=11s
The tour kicks off in the historically industrial town of Hamilton, and travels on to Kitchener-Waterloo. A subsequent portion to the east of Toronto includes a residency with Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, and visits to the Isabel Bader in Kingston, the Baxter Arts Centre in Prince Edward County, Trinity United in Cobourg and culminating at Daniels Spectrum Theatre in Toronto.
The performance schedule includes some extracurricular activities this season. In Hamilton, the cast will be joining staff from the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre to conduct a bicycle-led historical tour of former industrial sites around the city.
During their residency with Ottawa International Music Festival, the company will offer a participatory bike ride along with local cycling clubs. Anyone can join the group as they cycle from Ottawa to Almonte, a leisurely 52 km with snack breaks along the way, and pop-up operatic performances.
“I think I might be most excited about our three-day cycle from Ottawa to Kingston,” says Artistic Director, Larissa Koniuk. The company will be covering 187 km over the course of three days, with of course, their usual trailers full of production gear. “We will be pedaling 50 to 60 k per day and will have enough time to jump in a lake or two.”
Sweat is directed by Banuta Rubess, conducted by Geoffrey Sirett designed by Sonja Rainey with lighting design by Kai Masaoka. The opera features Canada’s next generation of opera stars: Catherine Daniel, Caitlin Wood, Stephanie Tritchew, Keith Lam, Larissa Koniuk, Justine Owen, Emma Char, Alexandra Beley and Cindy Won.
Sweat was commissioned and developed by Soundstreams with the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council and Opera.ca and received its world premiere October 2016 in New York City’s Center for Contemporary Opera.
Tour dates:
July 15 & 16 – HAMILTON
July 15, 8:00 pm, July 16, 2:00 pm
Workers Art and Heritage Museum
51 Stuart Street
Pay-what-you-can performance made possible by WAHC's community, public and union supporters: The City of Hamilton, the Hamilton Community Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council, the Province of Ontario – Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
July 19 – WATERLOO
The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery
25 Caroline Street North
7:30 pm
July 22 – Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival
Ride with Bicycle Opera
Join the cast of Bicycle Opera as they ride leisurely from Ottawa to Almonte, with pop up performances along the way! Full route and pop-up locations TBA, contact vgoymour(at)chamberfest.com to add your name to the list to find out first about the route and timing of the day!
July 23 – ALMONTE - Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival
Mississippi Valley Textile Museum
3 Rosamond Street East, Almonte
2:00 pm
July 24 – OTTAWA - Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival
La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins
333 King Edward Avenue
10:00 pm
July 28 - KINGSTON
The Isabel (Performance Hall)
7:30 pm
July 30 - PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY
Baxter Arts Centre, Bloomfield
3 Stanley Street
2:00 pm
Pay-what-you-can performance generously sponsored by friends of the Baxter Arts Centre
August 1 – COBOURG
Presented by The Mill at Piper Creek
Trinity United Church
284 Division Street
7:00 pm
August 3, 4, & 5 - TORONTO
Aki Studio
Daniel Spectrum Theatre
585 Dundas Street East
8:00 pm
August 6 - TORONTO
Aki Studio
Daniels Spectrum Theatre
585 Dundas Street East
2:00 pm
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit bicycleopera.com
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About Bicycle Opera:
The Bicycle Opera Project is the only Canadian opera company that tours by bicycle. Designed to bring contemporary Canadian music to smaller communities where there is little opportunity to hear it, the company closes the gap between audiences and singers by performing in intimate spaces, in the vernacular, and by engaging in an annual tour that is ecologically responsible.
2017-05-25
Toronto: The Bicycle Opera Project tours "Sweat" throughout Ontario this summer