Opera Atelier founding Co-Artistic Directors Marshall Pynkoski, C.M. and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, C.M have announced the details of their 2026/27 season, titled A Season of Heroes.
It launches with the Canadian premiere of Marc Antoine Charpentier’s The Descent of Orpheus in October, followed by Handel’s The Resurrection in April 2027. Both productions will be presented in the superior acoustics of Toronto’s Koerner Hall.
Subscriptions for the 2026/27 season are on sale now. Here’s a look at what’s in store.
The company’s Canadian premiere of French composer Marc Antoine Charpentier’s masterpiece, The Descent of Orpheus, takes place from October 22 to 25, 2026. Charpentier (1643 – 1704) based his opera on the myth of Orpheus as told by Ovid. In it, Orpheus uses his gift of music to find his way into the underworld to find his lover Eurydice and bring her back with him to the world of the living.
In an unusual take on the myth, and parting ways with Baroque traditions, Charpentier begins the story with Eurydice’s death. As the opera unfolds, Orpheus transforms from a simple Arcadian shepherd into a hero with godlike dimensions.
The music is French in style, and Charpentier created some of the most captivating dance music in the realm of French 17th-century lyric theatre.
The Opera Atelier production will see the company debut of American tenor Daniel McGrew in the role of Orpheus — a role Charpentier himself sang in the opera’s debut. Daniel’s repertoires includes opera, early music, contemporary music, and music theatre. He’s performed at the Kennedy Center, Merkin Hall in NYC, and with the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, the Broman Concert Series at Mary Baldwin College, and Windsor Music in Boston as part of a duo with pianist Sophia Zhou.
Previous roles include François in Bernstein’s A Quiet Place, Harlekin in Ullman’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Candide in Bernstein’s Candide, Albert in Britten’s Albert Herring, Orfeo in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Contino Belfiore in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, Ecclitico in Haydn’s Il mondo della luna, and Toquemada in Ravel’s L’heure Espagnole, among others — including previous productions of Orphée in Charpentier’s La descente d’Orphée aux enfers.
He’s joined in the cast by Toronto and Opera Atelier audience favourite, soprano Mireille Asselin, who will sing the role of Eurydice. Bass baritone David Witczak will perform as Pluto, with mezzo soprano Mireille Lebel as Persephone. Along with the Opera Atelier ensemble, the production features the full corps of the Artists of Atelier Ballet, with choreography by Lajeunesse Zingg.
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir will be conducted by Opera Atelier Assistant Music Director Dr. Christopher Bagan in his Koerner Hall conducting debut.
Set Designer Gerard Gauci will transform the space, thanks to the Jerry and Joan Lozinski Opera Atelier Reimagined Project at Koerner Hall.
Opera Atelier returns to the company’s 2023 production of Handel’s The Resurrection to conclude the season in Koerner Hall from April 15 to 18, 2027. The production incorporates lavish design elements in an inspirational story, with a multi-level set by Gauci.
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra performs the music, led by David Fallis, with choreography by Lajeunesse Zingg, performed by Artists of Atelier Ballet. The cast includes soprano Carla Huhtanen, soprano Meghan Lindsay, mezzo soprano Mireille Lebel, tenor Antonin Rondepierre, and bass baritone David Witczak.
“Handel’s expansive vision for this timeless story of rebirth resulted in the creation of one of his greatest works” says Pynkoski, who is also the stage director for the production.
“I’m fascinated by this world in which the individual experiences spiritual ecstasy through a ravishing of the senses.”
Handel wrote The Resurrection for Easter in 1708. It covers the events that take place between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, leading up to Christ’s resurrection, and takes place in two realms. While Christ is crucified and buried on Earth, in the celestial sphere, a militant Archangel forces his way into Hades to dispute a boastful Lucifer, arguing that Christ’s death was an act of sacrificial love. Handel inserts moments of humour as the Archangel and Lucifer argue.
Back on Earth, Mary Magdalene, Cleophas and St. John the Evangelist struggle in the aftermath of the crucifixion. Handel plays on the emotional side of the story with a sensual score and dynamic text.
Carla Huhtanen plays the Archangel, in a departure from Handel’s original conception. Huhtanen was last seen in Opera Atelier’s The Magic Flute, and is acclaimed for her vocal range and coloratura.
Witczak, known for his interpretation of Italian repertoire, will sing the role of Lucifer. Rondepierre performs the role of St. John the Evangelist, with Lindsay as Mary Magdalene, and Lebel in the role of Mary Cleophas.
Choreography by Lajeunesse Zingg takes advantage of Koerner Hall’s stage, and the dancers, as angelic beings, become more and more a part of the story as they interact with Mary Magdalene, Cleophas and St. John on Earth, and in the supernatural realm, with the Archangel and Lucifer.
“It is a delight to perform Handel’s work in Toronto’s celebrated Koerner Hall,” says Lajeunesse Zingg.
“Handel’s superb score will be well-served by the hall’s renowned acoustics, as our artists explore the ecstatic sensuality of Counter-Reformation Rome.”
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