Partnership aims at ‘new world of opera’

By Sam Gillett

The Haliburton Highlands might seem an unlikely place to experience the future of Canadian opera.

A new partnership between the Highlands Opera Studio (HOS) and Loose Tea Musical Theatre (LTMT) will see underrepresented voices elevated as they produce fresh operatic compositions that will likely be performed far beyond the Highlands.

Opera has traditionally been an industry dominated by European cultures, with male composers steering the genre.

LTMT developed the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) ComposerLibrettist Development program to equip diverse creators with composition and performance skills to craft compelling operas.

This summer, composers will workshop their performances in the Highlands, supported by HOS mentors and performers.

“We all feel it’s about the next generation of opera, it’s not about us. It’s about whatever we can do to create the new world of opera,” said HOS co-artistic director Valerie Kuinka.

She said the LTMT vision, to expand the scope of stories opera tells, fits with what HOS wants to see happen in the art form too.

“It’s the creation of new opera that represents everybody, not just a niche of European white people. It’s about culture, it’s the diversity of all kinds,” she said,

Alaina Viau, executive artistic director of LTMT, said in a media release, “We share a vision that is passionate in believing that we can change the world for the better by thinking differently. This collaboration shows that, by effectively gathering our efforts, we can bring forward productions that further this goal.”

Both Inertia and The Museum of the Lost and Found will be workshopped and performed in the Highlands this summer through the Composer-Librettist program.

The partnership will also provide space for two creators in residence, Troy Defour and JT Rivera, to develop new works with mentors Lila Palmer, Andrew Balfour and Philip and Patricia Morehead.

Kuinka said the seasoned influence of industry professionals will help new librettists compose unique work in a safe environment.

Balfour was commissioned by HOS and L’Atelier Lyrique de l’Opera de Montreal in 2017 to compose an opera, which culminated in Mishabooz's Realm, a production exploring indigenous creation stories and the first interactions with European settlers.