Tapestry Opera just opened the Nancy and Ed Jackman Performance Centre last week, and the new venue’s calendar is filling up quickly. Part of that includes performances fuelled by two new Artistic Residencies that were just announced.
Tapestry Opera will host Artistic Residencies with Cultureland, led by artistic director and composer Afarin Mansouri, and OperaQ, led by founders Camille Rogers and Ryan McDonald at the Performance Centre at 877 Yonge St.
OperaQ
Toronto-based OperaQ is an independent opera company.with a mandate to explore opera with a queer lens. The organization is run as a project-based collective.
“OperaQ is thrilled to be in residency with Tapestry Opera at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre! We’ve already spent some time in the beautiful ABCRA Rehearsal Studio, workshopping our current project, La Maupin; we look forward to rehearsing and eventually recording this piece and future exciting projects in the Performance Hall. As any performing artist will know, space is at a premium in Toronto, so this residency offers invaluable support to our creative processes!” says Camille Rogers, Co-Founder, OperaQ in a statement.
Cultureland
Cultureland is an indie opera collective with the goal of making the art form more accessible, while building cultural awareness and connections. They produce new operas, and offer educational initiatives with a primary focus on Middle Eastern culture and communities.
“Our residency at Tapestry Opera is a transformative step for Cultureland: a safe space where voices meet, cultures intertwine, and new stories come to life through music. As a forerunner in breaking norms and bringing innovative musical storytelling to the world, Tapestry Opera provides the perfect home for us to grow, experiment, and expand our vision, where we can weave Middle Eastern poetry, music, and narratives into a dynamic artistic landscape, bridging traditions and reimagining storytelling without borders,” says Dr Afarin Mansouri, Founder and Artistic Director, Cultureland.
Cultureland — Quest: Celebrating Cultural Connections for Change (April 12)
Quest is an operatic event that celebrates cultural connections for change as well as launching their first-year residency at Tapestry Opera. The performance will feature arias and duets from the operas that Cultureland has been developing. Together, they explore universal themes of identity, migration, love, and transformation.
Cultureland’s productions blend opera with the traditions of poetry and storytelling from the Middle East. They include (among others):
- The Echoes of Bi-Sotoon: 7 BIPOC composers contribute to the story of a love triangle revolving around one of the world’s oldest historical sites.
- The Refugees: This large scale work in development uses a chorus of exiled women and their stories to delve into refugee rights, democratic states and their duties, and international humanitarianism in all its complexities.
- The Endless Sea: This opera tells the life story of Rabee Balkhi, the first poet in the language that we now call New Persian in the 9th century, and the forbidden love for a Turkish slave that led to her tragic death.
- Hypatia: A contemporary opera that delves into the fascinating life and violent end of Hypatia of Alexandria as an example of how powerful women throughout history have been silenced by religious extremism and authoritarianism.
Creative and Production Team
Renee Salewski, director and dramaturg
Afraid Mansour, composer
Alen Olejniczak, librettist
Jennnifer Wise, librettist
Setare Delzendeh, set and costumes
Amir Parsa, lights and projection
Bridget Ramzy, Stage Manager
Lina Cao, Apprentice Production Assistant
Musicians
Carolyn Maule Braun, Music Director and pianist
Nagme Farahmand, percussion
Nassim Nabavi, guest composer
Sina Fallah, guest composer
Neda Edalatjoo, guest composer
- Find tickets for Quest on April 12 [HERE].
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