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COR
COR
  • Home
  • About COR
    • About COR
    • News
    • How To Use COR
    • FAQ – For Users
  • Operas
  • Creators
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    • How To Submit Works
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Canadian Opera Resource
Canadian Opera Resource
COR
Operas
The Rape of Artemisia
Content warning: sexual violence

Based on the testimony of the 17th-century painter Artemisia Gentileschi on her rapist and instructor Agostino Tassi, we are given a snapshot of violation, confusion, and the oppression of women.
Composer: Ivan Barbotin
Librettist: Hannah Moscovitch

The Rape of Artemisia
The Rape of Artemisia
Messy
A dirty yogurt container and a dish sponge offer commentary as they observe two roommates argue over the state of the apartment.
Composer: Rebecca Gray
Librettist: Sarah Henstra

Messy
Frobisher
Anna and Michael are successful young filmmakers from Alberta, married in life and in art. Their latest project is a movie about Martin Frobisher, Elizabethan pirate and explorer who made three perilous journeys to the Arctic in the 1570s.  History says that Frobisher failed in his attempt to find the fabled Northwest Passage, a quick route thro...
Composer: John Estacio
Librettist: John Murrell

Frobisher
Gould’s Wall
A young, extraordinarily talented musician is striving for perfection in her art. Her path to greatness? A magnificent wall.

Bursting with the compulsion to reach the top, she invokes Canadian icon, classical pianist Glenn Gould to guide her towards dizzying heights – but the path isn’t easy. Each brick represents her art, her rigour, and her...
Composer: Brian Current
Librettist: Liza Balkan

Gould’s Wall
TAP:EX Augmented Opera
This fifth installment of the Tapestry Explorations (TAP:EX) series offers a take on a Silicon Valley product launch, where audiences are the first to learn about Elysium, a new cloud-based technology that reimagines the afterlife as a perfect curation of our best memories. This fictional product draws attention to the modern world developing ne...
Composer: Benton Roark
Librettists: Debi Wong, Benton Roark

TAP:EX Augmented Opera
The Drawing Class
Content warning: war, the Holocaust, concentration camp

As soldiers march outside their room in Terezin, a teacher tries their best to inspire a student, despite the horrid conditions. The student is unable to escape into her imagination.
Composer: Christiaan Venter
Librettist: Sheldon Rosen

The Drawing Class
The Drawing Class
Shanawdithit
Content warning: colonial violence, colonialsm, death, illness

1828, Notre Dame Bay, on the northeast shore of Newfoundland. William Cormack, an explorer and anthropologist, has recently created the Beothuk Institute: an organization designed to prevent the extinction of the original inhabitants of the island. After learning that a Beothuk wo...
Composer: Dean Burry
Librettist: Yvette Nolan

Shanawdithit
Insomnia Composition
At 4 a.m., a composer stands looking out the window, his tools nearby. Across town, a librettist is doing the same. Both are just slightly panicking about their latest work: an opera about a dog named Harley. This work is a meditation on the personal doubt, collegial suspicion, and sudden inspiration that can keep artists awake until the wee hours.
Composer: Iman Habibi
Librettist: Maja Ardal

Insomnia Composition
Insomnia Composition
COR
Excerpts
Gould’s Wall – Scene 1
Louise, a young talented artist, arrives and prepares for her first climb.  She is seeking excellence, precision, and beauty.  It is a quest toward attaining perfection in her art.  Louise connects with her inspiration, support and icon: Glenn Gould.  Their journey together begins.
TAP:EX Augmented Opera – Section 4: “Inner Sanctum”
In memory, Eurydice C's painter lover pushes her to allow him to paint her and make love to her, even though she is reluctant.
TAP:EX Augmented Opera – Section 6: “Elysium”
Eurydice C is shown her Elysium with Orpheus in the garden - she is not sure she wants him there, but it fades before she can decide. The CEO brings her back to reality and closes the presentation.
Gould’s Wall – Scene 11
Louise is ready.  She chooses a climb, exploring and unleashing her own full voice as she travels upward.
Gould’s Wall – Scene 10
The Girl calls out to Glenn.  She asks him for help with a piece of music.
Gould’s Wall – Scene 9
Glenn is lost in a painful memory of The Mother in hospital.
Gould’s Wall – Scene 8
Louise and Glenn talk about their daily rituals.  Re-energized, Louise wants to get back to climbing again.  She starts muscling her way upward, urged on by thoughts of fame.  Glenn's focus turns to his various medications and need for isolation.  Glenn feels a sharp pain and struggles to support Louise.  Both start to lose their grip, and Louis...
Gould’s Wall – Scene 7
Both Louise and Glenn are tired.  They share stories about their nightmares.
Gould’s Wall – Scene 6
Glenn tells Louise that applause should be banned.  The Housewife shares the profound impact of witnessing Glenn's performance.
Gould’s Wall – Scene 5
The Celebrity is hosting a party.  He calls out to Glenn and persuades him to play the piano with him for his guests.  The guests gossip about the past performances and bad reviews while simultaneously applauding the artist.
Gould’s Wall – Scene 4
The Mother appears at the window.  She shares memories, loving praise and admonishments.  The development of her child's talent and success has been her life's focus.
Gould’s Wall – Scene 3
With a sense of freedom, Louise discovers daring, new musical terrain with Glenn's encouragement.
Gould’s Wall – Scene 2
Louise encounters The Teacher at the window.  The Teacher instructs on the development of rigorous, meticulous technique.  Discussion of artistic philosophy is included in the training.  Glenn recalls his own teacher.
Shanawdithit – Scene 5: Salmon, Seal, Caribou
Shanawdithit describes the last days of her family as they were pushed from their land and then hunted. She asks Cormack not to speak of their death, but of their life. Cormack is ecstatic and gets lost in the memories Shanawdithit paints. She breaks his reverie with the cold fact that the life she speaks of will never happen again. She collapse...
The Rape of Artemisia – The Rape of Artemisia
In pain after being raped by Tassi, Artemisia tries to understand what just happened, while Tassi justifies himself.
Insomnia Composition – Insomnia Composition
At 4 a.m., a composer stands looking out the window, his tools nearby. Across town, a librettist is doing the same. Both are just slightly panicking about their latest work: an opera about a dog named Harley.
The Drawing Class – The Drawing Class
A teacher tries to inspire and distract a student as soldiers march outside their classroom, but the student is unable to escape into her imagination.
TAP:EX Tables Turned – The Graduate – voice, percussion, and track
A short scene, sampling the wedding scene where Elaine screams for Ben.
TAP:EX Tables Turned – Schoolhouse Etude – voice, percussion, and track
A celebration of iconic Hitchcock film moments, sampling from The Birds.
TAP:EX Tables Turned – La Callas Fantasie – voice, percussion, and track
Using quintessential recordings of Maria Callas arias, an aspiring soprano engages with the full and intense presence of her idol. What begins as suffocation and frustration ends as confidence as the soprano gains a deeper understanding of her idol: she’s human. They both are.
TAP:EX Tables Turned – Hitchcock Etudes – voice, percussion, and track
A celebration of iconic Hitchcock film moments, sampling from The Man Who Knew Too Much, Psycho, and The Birds.
TAP:EX Tables Turned – Beyond the Sound – voice, percussion, and track
A deconstruction of moments in The Sound of Music.
Shanawdithit – Scene 7
Her health fading, Shanawdithit wonders if she’ll be welcomed into the spirit world after so much time with the colonists. Cormack tells her he must leave, and Shanawdithit gives him a sketch of his house to carry with him. He leaves the room to pack. Shanawdithit hears the spirits of her people calling her name. It is time. One spirit in partic...
COR

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