Brochure - 23/24 Season

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23/24 SEASON

The Marriage of Figaro La Reine-garçon

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one like ours is probably not what comes to mind. And yet! … We are twins, 20 years old, and it will soon be 5 years since we first became avid opera fans.

Opera came into our lives via our parents, mainly our father. We were 14 when he took us to our first performance, in Greece, before subscribing our whole family to the Opéra de Montréal in 2018. Since then, opera performances have become eagerly awaited events that also enable us spend time together as a family.

You don’t need to be a great connoisseur of classical music to enjoy opera. As a matter of fact, we listen to very little of it in our everyday lives, because we mainly enjoy the experience of a live show, in a hall, and all the thrills and powerful emotions that performances offer. The atmosphere is always open and welcoming. Artistically and culturally, each work is engaging and novel.

Since we were very little, our lives have been filled with film productions where everything happens very fast. With opera, the action may be slower, but it is anything but boring! Opera is an art that awakens us to the action, opens us up to different cultures and allows us to travel through the ages.

We also enjoy how the Opéra de Montréal skillfully incorporates technology and modern elements in its productions. Be it projected components or animation, as in The Magic Flute and La Beauté du monde, or creative stage design, like the turntable in JFK, this company dares to present works differently, and keeps its performances fresh and up to date.

Our friends are always surprised to learn that we are subscribers to the opera, but their astonishment soon turns into curiosity, and it becomes clear that their interest has been piqued. We are loyal subscribers, and we will never stop coming to the opera!”

“ If you try to picture what the typical profile of an Opéra de Montréal subscriber might be,

Constantina & Niki Vossos, subscribers since 2018

Photo: Brenden Friesen

A clever man will make the mighty pay.

Wee find ourselves in Seville, in the South of Spain. Figaro and Susanna, valet and chambermaid of the Count and Countess Almaviva, are in love and are about to join their destinies together. But their marriage preparations are threatened by a number of traps and obstacles set up by a devious Count Almaviva, who is infatuated with the bride to be. Will the union of Figaro and Susanna prevail?

Can true love shake up the social order and help fight social inequalities? The Marriage of Figaro, a landmark work by the great Mozart, is a comic opera that is intended as a critique of the French bourgeoisie of the time –a class seriously weakened and on the verge of collapsing. This is the very first time that rising star Nicolas Ellis will be conducting at the Opéra de Montréal.

In Italian with English and French surtitles

Count Almaviva Hugo Laporte

Cherubino Katie Fernandez

Figaro Leon Košavić

Bartolo Scott Brooks

Countess Almaviva Kirsten MacKinnon

Conductor  Nicolas Ellis

Susanna Andrea Núñez Stage Director Stephen Lawless

Chœur de l’Opéra de Montréal

Sets and costumes: Leslie Travers

Lighting: Thomas C. Hase

Production : Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Philadelphia, San Diego Opera, Palm Beach Opera

No need for a crown when you stand tall.

hristine, Queen of Sweden, governs a nation barely recovering from the protracted Thirty Years’ War. While great philosophical and scientific insights emerge throughout Europe, Queen Christine, raised as a boy by her father, seeks to better understand the darkness within her. Love, convictions, duty: where does one draw the line?

After the great success of Les feluettes (2016) and La Beauté du monde (2022), Quebec playwright Michel Marc Bouchard is back with his libretto for La Reine-garçon, an adaptation of his play, Christine, la reine-garçon. He is joined by composer Julien Bilodeau, with whom he has undeniably developed a privileged creative chemistry. Come and hear great Canadian voices, including those of Joyce El Khoury and Etienne Dupuis, in a production staged by Angela Konrad (Yourcenar, une île de passions – 2022).

In French with English and French surtitles

Sets: Anick La Bissonnière

Costumes: Sébastien Dionne

Lighting: Éric Champoux

Video: Alexandre Desjardins

Coproduction: Opéra de Montréal, Canadian Opera Company

Chœur de l’Opéra de Montréal

Christine, Queen of Sweden Joyce El Khoury

Librettist Michel Marc Bouchard

Count Karl Gustav Etienne Dupuis

Conductor Jean Marie Zeitouni

Countess Ebba Sparre Pascale Spinney

Stage Director Angela Konrad

Chancellor Alex Oxenstierna: Daniel Okulitch

René Descartes: Owen McCausland

Marie Éléonore de Brandebourg: Aline Kutan Assistant of Descartes: Alain Coulombe

Composer Julien Bilodeau

Count Johan Oxenstierna Isaiah Bell

BILODEAU & BOUCHARD

3 TO 11

Two hearts are better than one.

APRIL 7, 2024 AT 2:00 PM

APRIL 9 11 13, 2024 AT 7:30 PM

On one side, we have an isolated, reclusive writer. On the other, a mysterious, inquisitive journalist. And in between the two, a woman. United by the love and the grief they have in common, the two men find each other.

Do you really know the person you love? In this opera inspired by Éric‑Emmanuel Schmitt’s play, Variations énigmatiques, and with music composed by Patrick Burgan, this psychological intrigue takes us to the heart of a bizarre love triangle where tensions are palpable.

Two Quebec tenors, Antoine Bélanger and Jean Michel Richer, are accompanied by the I Musici Montreal orchestra, in an intimate staging. This is the Opéra de Montréal’s first co production with a European company.

In French with English and French surtitles

Abel Znorko Antoine Bélanger

Erik Larsen Jean Michel Richer

Sets and lighting: Patrick Méeüs

Costumes: Dominique Louis

Coproduction: Opéra Théatre de Metz Métropole, Opéra de Montréal

Composer Patrick Burgan

Librettist Éric Emmanuel Schmitt

Conductor Daniel Kawka

Stage Director Paul Émile Fourny

Chœur de l’Opéra de Montréal

BURGAN & SCHMITT

APRIL 7 TO 13

THÉÂTRE MAISONNEUVE

Self‑love will  never break your heart.

ourtesan Violetta lives her life in a self indulgent, proud, almost arrogant way. Until the very day when her eyes and her heart are cast on the young Alfredo, who comes from a prominent family. Ready to give up everything to fulfill their passionate romance, one they both believe they deserve, the couple challenges the beliefs and standards of their time.

How far would you go, in the name of love? La Traviata, one of Verdi’s – and of the entire repertoire’s – most popular operas, introduces us to a kind of love both unbridled and doomed. Set in Paris in the 1920s, the incredible story of the courtesan Violetta is rooted in the boldness of a woman who fought so hard for Black emancipation, Josephine Baker. Proving that we are never bound to a single path, nor to a single journey.

Sets and costumes: Christina Poddobiuk

Lighting: Kevin Lamotte

Choreography: Noëlle Émilie Desbiens

Production: Edmonton Opera, Manitoba Opera, Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Opéra de Montréal

In Italian with English and French surtitles

Violetta Valéry Talise Trevigne

Conductor Jordan de Souza

Alfredo Germont Rame Lahaj

Stage Director Alain Gauthier

Giorgio Germont James Westman

Flora Bervoix Martina Myskohlid

Chœur de l’Opéra de Montréal

Gastone: Angelo Moretti

Annina: Chelsea Kolić

Baron Douphol: Mikelis Rogers Dr. Grenvil: Jean Philippe Mc Clish

B.

C.

Credit Enigma: © Luc Bertau – Eurométropole de Metz

Credit La Traviata: © C. Corneau – Manitoba Opera

Credit The Marriage of Figaro: © Sohm Photografx

Pierre Mercure

In Italian with English and French surtitles

November 18, 2023 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 2 PM

THE CORONATION OF POPPEA MONTEVERDI

Enhance your subscription by adding this opera presented by the Atelier lyrique in a co‑production with the Orchestre de l’Agora.

Salle

OPERA À LA CARTE

Ambitious and cruel, the emperor Nero will do anything to achieve his ends. With no regard to his wife Octavia, he takes the irresistible Poppea as his mistress. Equally ambitious, she has her eyes set on the crown. Together, nothing and no one can stop them. With Octavia exiled, Poppea will take her place on the throne. Which one will triumph: adulterous love or carnal desire?

An air of mystery surrounds Monteverdi’s last opera. As the original version has been lost, musicologists have had no other choice but to use a copy whose libretto differs greatly. Nevertheless, The Coronation of Poppea remains a gem of Italian opera and stands out as an innovative and powerful work, where the music combined with dramatic action confronts us with our own contradictions.

Production: with the financial support of

Musical Director Nicolas Ellis

Stage Director Aria Umezawa

Emma Fekete

Soloists

Ian Sabourin

Ilanna Starr

Angelo Moretti

Sophie Naubert

Matthew Li

Chelsea Kolić

Mikelis Rogers

“Hello: Opéra de Montréal, how can I help you today?”

If you’ve ever called our customer service team, you’re probably familiar with this sentence! We are the voices on the other end of the line, ready to answer all of your questions. Experts of seating plans, magicians of subscription formulas, specialists of all kinds of information: to this day, there is no challenge that our team was not able to meet. And let’s face it: there have been plenty of them in the past year. Like moving La Beauté du monde attendees one by one, from one venue to another, and then from one date to another, because of the pandemic. Nevertheless, it is always with great enthusiasm and a profound sense of duty that we respond to your calls and emails.

Our General Director often tells us that we are the backbone of the company, and that is a role we all take to heart.

This year, in an effort to provide an even better service to you, our team has expanded! Whether it’s for our long time subscribers whom we recognize by their first “hello,” or for our first‑time customers, we are here for you.

Oops, the phone is ringing...

Talk to you soon,

The Customer Service Team

A subscription secures your date with the opera!

The Marriage of Figaro

La Reine-garçon

Enigma*

La Traviata

Saturday 7:30 PM

September 23

February 3

April 13*

May 4

Tuesday 7:30 PM

September 26

February 6

April 9

May 7

Thursday 7:30 PM

September 28

February 8

April 11

May 9

Sunday 2 PM

October 1

February 11

April 7*

May 12

*ATTENTION: Enigma’s opening is scheduled for Sunday’s matinee, and closing is on Saturday.

18 ‑34 discount

Did you know we offer special rates for people between the ages of 18 and 34?

Tickets cost only $34 per seat in seating categories C and D for the following operas: The Marriage of Les Noces de Figaro, La Reine-garçon and Enigma. +

30% off the regular price for La Traviata, excluding Premium, E and suite categories – if you have already purchased a $34 ticket for one of the other three operas.

Salle Wilfrid Pelletier (The Marriage of Figaro, La Reine-garçon, La Traviata)

Théâtre Maisonneuve (Enigma)

Corbeille and Mezzanine: Please note that aisle seats are not at the same rate as indicated on the seating plan.

The opera, real‑life stories

Aïcha

Aïcha, like Violetta, is a courtesan by profession. But she does not let this occupation define her. In fact, she does not let anything or anyone define her.

Instead, she defines herself and uses all the platforms at her disposal to invite others to do the same and to break free.

As much for herself as for Violetta, the most important thing is personal freedom. Freedom from the gaze of others. From conventions. From assumptions. And if one has to choose between freedom and love: well, too bad for love.

Jean‑Philippe

Put Jean Philippe in any situation, and he will rise to the occasion.

Give him a microphone; he’ll start his own radio station.

A pencil; he’ll become a designer for great enterprises. An instrument; he’ll start a successful band and compose for other popular artists.

From his native village of a few hundred inhabitants, he now travels the world by invitation.

All this, thanks to a clever mix of vivacity, curiosity and charisma. And, why not, a little defiance. This would make Figaro proud.

Opera is a timeless art form, with themes and human emotions that continue to strike a chord with us today. To illustrate this point—and our 23 24 campaign—, we have decided to shine the spotlight on everyday people, who aren’t professional actors. Each in their own way, they find and see themselves in the stories of Figaro, Queen Christine, Violetta, and of the journalist and the writer.

Sam and Marco

The loss of one person can sometimes lead to the acceptance of another.

This is what happens to the two protagonists of Enigma

And that’s what happened to Sam and Marco.

Both men were in love with the same woman, but once she had left, they finally left their egos behind and opened up to one another, ushering in a latent friendship.

It didn’t happen overnight. A few years ago, had they been asked to stand in an embrace, for a simple portrait, their answer would probably have been a resounding “no.”

But time heals all things.

Actually, time, yes, but especially maturity, reflection. And love.

Soukayna

Soukayna, like Christine, Queen of Sweden, is a person of letters.

Their pen, voice and ideas resonate as much on the pages of their books as they do within the walls of the schools that invite them to share their knowledge. And like Christine, their identity is fluid, in constant motion with all the facets that make up their world. In their case, that means between Morocco and Quebec, between French, English and Darija, between femininity and masculinity, between tradition and modernity, between confrontation and sensitivity, between action and reflection.

Unlike Christine, however, Soukayna does not aspire to relinquish their throne, but rather to claim it back.

Your gift propels us

Hello Montreal friends, Remember me?

You were home to me for my two years of training at the Atelier lyrique. There, I was part of a family that cherished and nourished not just my singing voice, but my body, mind, and spirit as an artist. It was heaven.

And it propelled me to get accepted to the Jette Parker Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House!

I’m writing to you from London!

This season, I’ve been taking over the stage at Covent Garden—it’s been such an exciting journey! I just made my debut as Papagena in The Magic Flute, and up next, I’ll share the stage with stars including Lise Davidsen and Gerald Finley. What a huge thrill and such an extraordinary professional experience!

And there’s absolutely no way it would have happened without the love and encouragement of my family at the Atelier lyrique — including caring people like you.

The training I received in Montreal was a springboard for me. Besides the holistic and personalized program that covered the full

spectrum of my development, I felt nurtured and encouraged by a family of engaged and supportive donors during a critical time in my career.

Over the years, the Friends of the Opera have generously supported artists at the Atelier and have witnessed what it takes to make it as an opera singer. They get invited to masterclasses, concerts, workshops… donor events that bring them even closer to the artists they care for all season long!

If you’re not already part of this big family, please add a gift with your subscription and support emerging artists by joining the friends of the opera now!

Ever gratefully,

Sarah Dufresne

A soprano now singing at Covent Garden!

P.S. Because of the Friends of the Opera family, the connection that starts at the Atelier propels artists to glimmering professional careers. Thank you for making a difference for young artists like me. operademontreal.com/give

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of

The Coronation of Poppea

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