Tapestry Opera will present Jacqueline, based on the life of virtuoso cellist Jacqueline du Pré, to open their 45th season. American soprano Marnie Breckenridge performs the role of Jacqueline, with cellist Matt Haimovitz in the role of her cello.
The opera focuses on the relationship between the artist and her instrument, infused with the tragedy of MS that robbed du Pré of her gift, and eventually her life.
Jacqueline includes music by GRAMMY-nominated composer Luna Pearl Woolf, with text by Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Royce Vavrek.
The Toronto performances on February 20, 22 and 23 come five years after the opera’s premiere. It follows a successful production at West Edge Opera in California in August 2024, where audience members included classical music and opera luminaries like Kent Nagano, Frederica von Stade, and Jake Heggie.
Jacqueline du Pré
British cellist Jacqueline du Pré is considered by many to be one of the premier cellists of the 20th century. She rose to stardom at the age of 20 with her signature style, one that emphasized the emotional dimensions of the music.
Jacqueline began to study the cello at the age of five. Her mother, a pianist and music teacher, was her first teacher. She went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music, and then with a series of notable cellists, including Pablo Casals and Mstislav Rostropovich. She made her debut at Wigmore Hall in London in 1961.
Her 1965 recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor with the London Symphony Orchestra was hailed as the definitive interpretation, and came to epitomize her style. She married Daniel Barenboim, and tour the world as a performer.
Tragedy struck by 1970, however, when she began to experience the symptoms of what would finally be diagnosed as multiple sclerosis in late 1973. Before that, though, her condition was thought to be psychological, and she was subjected to negative reviews that criticized her technique.
Her career was over at the age of 28, although she would continue to play whenever her condition allowed it, and remained active as a teacher and mentor until her death in 1987 at the age of 42.
The Performers
The roles were written for the two performers.
Soprano Marnie Breckenridge
Soprano Marnie Breckenridge has performed across North America and in Europe, including notable roles in contemporary operas such as La Princesse in Philip Glass’ Orphee, the title role in Milhaud’s Medee, and Margarita Xirgu in Golijov’s Ainadamar with Opera Parallèle, among others.
She’s a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory, where she often teaches, and her dramatic skills extend to roles in theatre, film, TV, and VoiceOver work.
Breckenridge helped to create the role of Jacqueline alongside composer Luna Pearl Woolf and librettist Royce Vavrek, and would go on to win the DORA Award that year for Outstanding Performance by an Individual in an Opera for in 2020.
Matt Haimovitz
Based in both Canada and the US, cellist Matt Haimovitz has carved out a unique career, and his work has been recognized by multiple GRAMMY nominations.
Haimovitz is also a former protégé of Jacqueline du Pré, bringing a dimension of authenticity to the work. He made his concert debut at the age of 13 in 1984 with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic.
As a performer, he’s played on the world’s prominent stages, local nightclubs, and everywhere in between. His 200 Listening-Room Tour took Bach to nightclubs across North America.
He’s received multiple awards through a 20+ year career as a recording artist on the Deutsche Grammophon label, as well as on Oxingale Records, which he co-founded with composer/producer Luna Pearl Woolf.
Today, he is also a passionate educator, and mentors a group of talented students at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University in Montreal.
Toronto Performances
Jacqueline: A Portrait of Jacqueline du Pré
Music by Luna Pearl Woolf, libretto by Royce Vavrek, and directed by Michael Hidetoshi Mori
Content warning: Depiction of severe illness, loss of mobility and implication of death, coarse language
The production includes innovative design, such as what director (and Tapestry Artistic Director) Michael Mori describes in a post to the company’s website.
“Designer Camie Koo’s and my concept of an exploded concert hall resonated as a symbol of what might transpire in Jacqueline, who identified as a professional cellist for her entire life and then completely lost that capacity.”
- There will be three performances on February 20, 22 and 23 at the Betty Oliphant Theatre. Find more details and tickets [HERE].
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