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March 10, 2023
The Opéra de Montréal is incredibly excited today to launch its 2023-24 season, with a wonderful selection of works, including The Marriage of Figaro, La Reine-garçon, Enigma, La Traviata, and L’incoronazione di Poppea. Classics of the repertoire and contemporary works that audiences will be delighted to discover or rediscover throughout the new season. Note that the Opéra de Montréal’s new season will include a new work from Quebec, as well as its first co-production with a European opera company.
“While the past few years have made us aware of our fundamental need to come together and grow with one another, to be attentive and mindful of others, they have also made us realize how important art is in our lives. This new season is a pivotal one for our company. It embodies a vision in which the future of opera is, in our opinion, as unbounded as its passions,” says Patrick Corrigan, General Director of the Opéra de Montréal. “Each of the operas we are presenting is a revolution in itself. And what these works have in common is humans and their constant search for freedom. The power of opera is that it gives a voice to this humanity,” he continues. And so, with The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, in which Figaro and Susanna become symbols of resistance against the bourgeoisie; La Reine-garçon, a new work by Bilodeau/Bouchard, in which the Queen of Sweden seeks to break from the values of her era and come to terms with her identity; Enigma, a new work by Burgan/Schmitt, in which two men face their turmoil in an effort to better heal; and La traviata by Verdi, in which the courtesan Violetta decides to shake up the established order in the name of love: the Opéra de Montréal presents a season in which the stories are as powerful as they are personal. Details of the Opéra de Montréal’s 2023-2024 season are as follows:
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO BY MOZART
Can true love shake up the social order and help fight against social inequalities? The Marriage of Figaro, a landmark work by the great Mozart, is a comic opera that is intended as a critique of the French bourgeoisie of the time – a caste that was seriously weakened and on the verge of collapsing. This is the very first time that rising star Nicolas Ellis will be conducting at the Opéra de Montréal.
CAST
- COUNT ALMAVIVA: Hugo Laporte
- FIGARO: Leon Košavić
- COUNTESS ALMAVIVA: Kirsten MacKinnon
- SUSANNA: Andrea Núñez
- CHERUBINO: Katie Fernandez
- BARTOLO: Scott Brooks
- CONDUCTOR: NICOLAS ELLIS
- STAGE DIRECTOR: STEPHEN LAWLESS
- PRODUCTION: LYRIC OPERA OF KANSAS CITY, OPERA PHILADELPHIA, SAN DIEGO OPERA, PALM BEACH OPERA
Orchestre Métropolitain
Opéra de Montréal Chorus
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
In Italian with English and French surtitles
September 23, 26, 28, 2023 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, October 1st, 2023 at 2 pm
LA REINE-GARÇON BY BILODEAU | BOUCHARD
After the great success of Les feluettes (2016) and La Beauté du monde (2022), Quebec playwright Michel Marc Bouchard is now back writing the libretto for La Reine-Garçon, an adaptation of his play, Christine, la reine-garçon. He is joined by his accomplice, composer Julien Bilodeau, with whom he has developed an undeniable chemistry.
CAST
- CHRISTINE, QUEEN OF SWEDEN: JOYCE EL-KHOURY
- COUNT KARL GUSTAV: ETIENNE DUPUIS
- COUNTESS EBBA SPARRE: PASCALE SPINNEY
- COUNT JOHAN OXENSTIERNA: ISAIAH BELL
- CHANCELLOR AXEL OXENSTIERNA: DANIEL OKULITCH
- RENÉ DESCARTES: OWEN MCCAUSLAND
- MARIA-ELEONORA OF BRANDENBURG: ALINE KUTAN
- DESCARTES’ ASSISTANT: ALAIN COULOMBE
- COMPOSER: JULIEN BILODEAU
- LIBRETTIST: MICHEL MARC BOUCHARD
- CONDUCTOR: JEAN-MARIE ZEITOUNI
- STAGE DIRECTOR: ANGELA KONRAD
- CO-PRODUCTION: OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL, CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Opéra de Montréal Chorus
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
In French with English and French surtitles
February 3, 6, 8, 2024 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 2 pm
ENIGMA BY BURGAN | SCHMITT
Do you really know the person you love? In this opera inspired by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s play, Variations énigmatiques, and with music composed by Patrick Burgan, this psychological intrigue takes us to the heart of a bizarre love triangle where tensions are palpable. Two Quebec tenors, Antoine Bélanger and Jean-Michel Richer, are accompanied by the I Musici Montreal orchestra, in an intimate staging. This is the Opéra de Montréal’s first co-production with a European company.
CAST
- ABEL ZNORKO: ANTOINE BÉLANGER
- ERIK LARSEN: JEAN-MICHEL RICHER
- COMPOSER: PATRICK BURGAN
- LIBRETTIST: ÉRIC-EMMANUEL SCHMITT
- CONDUCTOR: DANIEL KAWKA
- STAGE DIRECTOR: PAUL-ÉMILE FOURNY
- CO-PRODUCTION: OPÉRA-THÉÂTRE DE METZ MÉTROPOLE, OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL
I Musici de Montréal
Opéra de Montréal Chorus
Théâtre Maisonneuve
In French with English and French surtitles
Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 2 pm and April 9, 11, 13, 2024 at 7:30 pm
LA TRAVIATA BY VERDI
How far would you go, in the name of love? La Traviata, one of Verdi’s – and of the entire repertoire – most popular operas, introduces us to a kind of love that is both unbridled and doomed. Set in 1920s Paris, the incredible story of courtesan Violetta is rooted in the boldness of a woman who fought so hard for Black emancipation, Josephine Baker. Proving that we are never bound to a single path, a single journey.
CAST
- VIOLETTA VALÉRY: TALISE TREVIGNE
- ALFREDO GERMONT: RAME LAHAJ
- GIORGIO GERMONT: JAMES WESTMAN
- FLORA BERVOIX: MARTINA MYSKOLID
- GASTON: ANGELO MORETTI
- ANNINA: CHELSEA KOLIĆ
- BARON DOUPHOL: MIKELIS ROGERS
- DR. GRENVIL: JEAN-PHILIPPE MC CLISH
- CONDUCTOR: JORDAN DE SOUZA
- STAGE DIRECTOR: ALAIN GAUTHIER
- PRODUCTION: EDMONTON OPERA, MANITOBA OPERA, VANCOUVER OPERA, PACIFIC OPERA VICTORIA, OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL
Orchestre Métropolitain
Opéra de Montréal Chorus
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
In Italian with English and French surtitles
May 4, 7, 9, 2024 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 12, 2024 at 2 pm
L’INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA BY MONTEVERDI
An air of mystery surrounds Monteverdi’s last opera. As the original version has been lost, musicologists have had no other choice but to use a copy whose libretto differs greatly. Nevertheless, The Coronation of Poppea remains a gem of Italian opera and stands out as an innovative and powerful work, where the music combined with dramatic action confronts us with our own contradictions.
- MUSICAL DIRECTOR: NICOLAS ELLIS
- STAGE DIRECTOR: ARIA UMEZAWA
SOLOISTS
- EMMA FEKETE
- ILANNA STARR
- SOPHIE NAUBERT
- CHELSEA KOLIĆ
- IAN SABOURIN
- ANGELO MORETTI
- MATTHEW LI
- MIKELIS ROGERS
PRODUCTION: PRODUCTIONS ODM Inc. with the financial support of the SODEC
Salle Pierre-Mercure
In Italian with English and French surtitles
November 18, 2023 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 2 pm
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Available starting at $109 for 4 operas, season subscriptions are an excellent value that will appeal to one and all. By subscribing to the entire season, purchasers save over 30% on the regular price of single tickets and enjoy a range of benefits exclusively for subscribers.
NEW COHORT – ATELIER LYRIQUE DE L’OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL
Following National Auditions for singers for the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal on October 26, 2022, and National Auditions for pianists in January 2023, we are pleased to announce the arrival of 5 new artists who demonstrated impressive artistic qualities. Over 100 artists from across Canada submitted applications, with 11 finalists heard at the 2022 Talent Gala, performing before a jury made up of Atelier lyrique Director Chantal Lambert, Opéra de Montréal Artistic Director Michel Beaulac, Main Voice Teacher Ariane Girard, Head Vocal Coach Esther Gonthier, Artistic Administrator Catherine Levac, and stage director and producer Aria Umezawa. As a result, soprano Chelsea Kolić, soprano Sophie Naubert, countertenor Ian Sabourin, mezzo-soprano Ilanna Starr, and pianist Jerome de los Santos will enter the Atelier lyrique for the 23-24 season, joining soprano Emma Fekete, bass Matthew Li, tenor Angelo Moretti, baritone Mikelis Rogers, and pianist Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe. Pianist Christopher Gaudreault will also be continuing his residency, but with broader training as a conductor. “Congratulations to all these dazzlingly talented artists,” says Chantal Lambert, Director of the Atelier lyrique. “They will have an exceptional team around them, committed to helping them develop to their full potential and advancing their careers. Their time at the Opéra de Montréal will provide them with all the tools they need to take to the opera stage and to create new works,” she concluded.
OPÉRA DE POCHE
The Opéra de poche project, with a goal of renewing and democratizing opera, aims to develop operas for augmented and virtual reality through an interdisciplinary process of collaborative creation involving academic research, technological research and development, and artistic creation. These operas, which will be accessible on smartphones and tablets, will give the public a chance to experience a 360° operatic performance in their home environments. Created in the spring of 2021, the result of a partnership between the Canada Research Chair in Opera Creation, headed by Ana Sokolović (Faculty of Music, UdeM), and the Opéra de Montréal—which soon after were joined by the Faculties of Arts and Sciences and of Environmental Design (UdeM), the National Theatre School of Canada, and technological partners INEDI and Normal Studio—the project has since broadened its scope, developing collaborations with Wapikoni mobile, Musique Nomade, and the Vietnamese Cultural Centre. The 2nd phase of the Opéra de poche project aims to develop 5 augmented and virtual reality operas, each 15 minutes in length, which the Opéra de Montréal will make available in the spring of 2024. More information about this project is available at https://creationopera.ca/projets/projet-opera-de-poche/ or by contacting Zoey M. Cochran, Deputy Director of Research and Scientific Coordination of the Canada Research Chair in Opera Creation, at zoey.cochran@umontreal.ca.