Usually, we wouldn’t need to preface a story by telling you which opera singing acrobat will be playing the role of Glenn Gould, but here we are. This is opera, folks. Anything can happen.
Tapestry Opera has released more details on what may be the zaniest new opera of the season.
Gould’s Wall is a new operatic tribute to Glenn Gould’s and other artists’ challenging pursuit of perfection, featuring performances suspended from The Royal Conservatory of Music’s Atrium. Set to delight audiences in the new year with spectacular physical performances and beautiful orchestration.
While it sounds wacky, it is backed by some great local talent.
Cast
- Interdisciplinary artist Lauren Pearl(Le Nozze di Figaro: Figaro’s Wedding, Against the Grain Theatre; Poèmes pour Mí, Canadian Opera Company) stars as the Climber, a young talented musician striving for perfection in her art
- Caribbean-Canadian tenor Ryan Allen (What Brought Us Here, Calgary Opera; The Book of Mormon, Broadway; Titans, HBO Max) stars as Canadian icon and classical pianist Glenn Gould
- Alberta-born soprano Caitlin Wood(The Overcoat, Tapestry Opera and Canadian Stage) plays the Housewife and Saskatchewan-born Juno
- Dora award-winning mezzo-soprano Andrea Ludwig plays the Mother
- Tenor Keith Klassen(Rocking Horse Winner, Tapestry Opera; The Overcoat, Tapestry Opera) plays Bernstein/The Man
- Baritone Justin Welsh plays Guerrero — Gould’s famous mentor
- Alice Malakhov plays The Girl
The opera is written by long-time Tapestry collaborators Liza Balkan (libretto) and Brian Current (music). Philip Akin will make his operatic debut as director, with Rachel Forbes doing set and costumes alongside lighting designer Michelle Ramsay.
Tapestry Opera’s upcoming production, Gould’s Wall, takes place at RCM’s Atrium this January 12–16, 2022, as part of the Conservatory’s 21C Music Festival. Details [HERE].
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.