OPERA America has announced the recipients of $165,000 in Next Stage Grants. Seven companies will receive Next Stage Grants, and a Canadian librettist, as well as a Canadian company, made the list.
The grants support the either the creation of new works, or subsequent production of existing and under-performed North American works, with a view to garnering deserved attention from producers, audiences, and critics. The recipients have the opportunity to edit and adjust existing work in preparation for performance in front of new audiences.
The independent panel of experts who chose the recipients are: Rose Freeman, stage director,
teacher, and producer of theatre and opera; Daniel Fung, executive director, Youth Music Monterey
County; Shawn Okpebholo, composer and conductor; and Pelham Pearce, executive director, Eastern Shore Art Center.
LA Opera (Los Angeles, CA) for The Old Man and the Sea by composer Paola Prestini and Canadian librettist Royce Vavrek
The Old Man and the Sea premiered in 2023, and LA Opera will present the work during their 2026/27 season as part of its ongoing collaboration with Beth Morrison Projects. The opera was inspired by Hemingway’s iconic novel, and delves into themes that span aging, the notion of legacy, and humanity’s relationship to the ocean. The production will star Nathan Gunn, beloved Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman, Rodolfo Girón, and Yvette Keong, joined on stage by cellist Jeffrey Zeigler.
Soundstreams (Toronto, ON) for Pimooteewin by composer Melissa Hui and librettist Tomson Highway
Pimooteewin, The Journey, a Cree language opera, was commissioned by Soundstreams in collaboration with the Elmer Iseler Singers, and premiered in 2008. The one-act opera was remounted in November 2019 at Daniels Spectrum as a double bill with Gállábartnit, sung in Sámi, another Indigenous language, a work that was commissioned by Swedish company Musik i Syd. The Swedish organization was inspired by Pimooteewin to create an expression of Scandinavian Indigenous language and art. Two Odysseys: Pimooteewin / Gállábártni won a 2020 Dora Mavor Moore Award Winner in the Opera Division for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble, and toured to Northern Ontario, among other locations.
Pimooteewin, The Journey, showcases Indigenous language and storytelling with a libretto by renowned author Tomson Highway and music by Melissa Hui. The story comes from a traditional Cree tale about Weesageechak the Trickster and Misigoo (the Eagle). The two try to bring the spirits of their loved ones back to the living world, and chaos results. It’s scored for two vocal soloists, chamber choir, chamber ensemble, narrator, and three actors/dancers, and the creative team includes director Yvette Nolan, choreographer Marta Fjellheim Sarre, and music director David Fallis.
Five other companies received Next Stage grants.
Congratulations to all the recipients, and Toronto audiences will look forward to experiencing Pimooteewin, The Journey in a future season.
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