Facing the ongoing crisis of COVID-19 with a spirit of innovation and flexibility, Tapestry Opera announces a 2020/2021 season of creative opera and music “immune to cancellation”, designed to withstand the uncertainty of the times ahead. 

The season will premiere new digital commissions, feature monthly live-streamed performances, invest in development with five commissions by leading theatre and musical creators, and culminate in a FREE, in-person world premiere in June 2021.

This digital-forward season will make opera more accessible by presenting stages without borders, where audiences from across Canada and around the world can discover and tune in to live concerts, award-winning operas and new commissions featuring great Canadian artists.
 
Innovative Digital Programming

• A broadcast premiere of the recently digitally-rehearsed Rocking Horse Winner, originally slated for live performance in April 2020
• Monthly live-streamed concerts from Tapestry’s Ernest Balmer Studio in partnership with Yamaha Music Canada
• Newly commissioned works for online video channels
• Recording and broadcasting of Tapestry’s contemporary repertoire

“Considering the uncertain future of live audiences in a pre-vaccine Canada, we made the difficult but ultimately exciting decision to create a season that is immune to cancellation,” says Michael Mori, Tapestry’s General and Artistic Director. “It is very important to us to safely employ artists, no matter the restriction level. If it becomes safe again for audiences to gather before June 2021, we have the flexibility to add live audiences to our concert series - and even to add a full production to our season!”
 
“Tapestry has always been a home for opera that is deeply connected to the issues of our modern era,” continues Mori. “During this uncertain time, the company will continue to do what it is known for, as we innovate new ways to reach audiences and tell the stories that resonate with us all.”
 
New Operas in Development
This season shows a remarkable commitment to Canadian opera with five commissions in development, partnering with Canadian and international co-producers. Theatre artists and librettists include Hannah Moscovitch, Nicolas Billon, Liza Balkan, Kanika Ambrose, and Mark Brownell. Music artists and composers include Nicole Lizée, Brian Current, Rene Orth, Ian Cusson, and Ka Nin Chan.
 
A World Premiere 
In June 2021, Tapestry Opera co-presents the world premiere of Dragon’s Tale by the award-winning creative team of composer Ka Nin Chan and librettistMark Brownell, for a free, outdoor production in partnership with Soundstreams. Dragon’s Tale runs June 17-20, 2021. Further details will be announced later this season.
 
Live Audience Flexibility
Should conditions change for the better to allow people to safely come together, Tapestry Opera will open its livestreamed concert series to invite a live audience and explore larger opportunities for adding a production to this season.

Visit tapestryopera.com.