Opera Atelier is thrilled to announce the return of ALL IS LOVE, the fully staged mixed program celebrating love in all its splendour at Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, on stage from April 11 to April 14, 2024. ALL IS LOVE features the music Opera Atelier loves most and includes repertoire by J.P. Rameau, M.A. Charpentier, and Renaldo Hahn in addition to excerpts by Henry Purcell, Matthew Locke, and G.F. Handel, enhanced by the full corps of Artists of Atelier Ballet. ALL IS LOVE breaks new ground for Opera Atelier by staging Act 1 of Debussy’s operatic masterpiece Pelléas et Mélisande, played on 19th century period instruments by Tafelmusik.

“In February 2022, Opera Atelier was one of the first Toronto theatre companies out of the gate, following the lifting of COVID restrictions, with its fully staged production of ALL IS LOVE in Koerner Hall,” says Marshall Pynkoski, Founding Co-Artistic Director. “Ironically, the one night only performance coincided with the Freedom Convoy truckers’ takeover of the city, which resulted in a complete shutdown of access to Koerner Hall and surrounding areas, coupled with an unprecedented winter storm. Nevertheless, the stunning mixed program played to a wildly enthusiastic audience of 250 intrepid theatregoers, and I was determined at that time that ALL IS LOVE would return to the stage as soon as possible.”

ALL IS LOVE includes stage direction by Founding Co-Artistic Director Marshall Pynkoski C.M., the full corps of Artists of Atelier Ballet, featuring dancer Eric César De Mello Da Silva, formerly of the Royal Danish Ballet, with choreography by Founding Co-Artistic Director Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg C.M., and additional solo contemporary choreography created and performed by Artist of Atelier Ballet Tyler Gledhill. The production also features Composer/Violinist Edwin Huizinga, and the renowned Tafelmusik under the baton of Opera Atelier Music Director David Fallis.

In addition to soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, ALL IS LOVE includes Opera Atelier audience favourites: tenor Colin Ainsworth, soprano Karine White, soprano Meghan Lindsay, mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan, soprano Cynthia Smithers, bass-baritone Douglas Williams, and baritone Jesse Blumberg.

“Returning to ALL IS LOVE after a two-year hiatus allows our cast to approach this unique production with renewed confidence and enthusiasm. New excerpts and artists have been added to the program by Opera Atelier’s artistic team, and we are thrilled to at last be able to share ALL IS LOVE in a fresh, positive environment with Toronto audiences,” adds Pynkoski.

The program will run approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes without intermission and includes:

"ALL IS LOVE" - a mix of Henry Purcell and Renaldo Hahn, created specifically for Measha Brueggergosman-Lee by Christopher Bagan

"La Nuit" - M.A. Charpentier

"Nuit d’étoiles" - Claude Debussy

Pelléas et Mélisande opening scene - Claude Debussy

"L’heure Exquise" - Reynaldo Hahn

"Mi Lusinga" - G.F. Handel

"O Sleep, Why dost thou leave me?" - G.F. Handel

"Where’er you walk" - G.F. Handel

"Lay your doubts and fears aside" - G.F. Handel

“Inception" - Edwin Huizinga

"Curtain Tune" - Matthew Locke

"Music for a While" - Henry Purcell

"Entrance of Swans" - Henry Purcell

"Two Daughters" - Henry Purcell

“Passacaille" from King Arthur - Henry Purcell

"Entrance of Mercury" - J.P. Rameau

"Plus j’observe" - J.P. Rameau

"Enchantment of Renaud" - J.P. Rameau

Minuets from Les Indes Galantes - J.P. Rameau

“Opera Atelier’s artistic team is particularly thrilled by this opportunity to further expand the definition of period performance by including our fully-staged excerpt of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande – a moment that was enthusiastically applauded by audience and critics alike,” says Zingg.

ALL IS LOVE features a collection of paintings by Opera Atelier Resident Set Designer Gerard Gauci that reflect each movement of the production, with costumes by Michael Legouffe.

Single tickets for ALL IS LOVE are on sale now with a limited number of $40 Operatix available for patrons under 35 and arts workers.

Tickets and information at: OperaAtelier.com

Opera Atelier gratefully acknowledges the support of The Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council and the Institut Français of Paris.

Photo: Eric Da Silva and Meghan Lindsay. © 2022 Bruce Zinger.