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    Canadian Opera Resource
    Canadian Opera Resource
    COR
    Excerpts
    Pursuit – Pursuit

    A female barista is infatuated with a male customer and stalks him. He thinks he recognizes her from his neighbourhood.

    Rip – Rip

    Peter is leaving Carla for another woman. Carla, sensing she will have a breakdown if he leaves, insists that he take their son to live with him.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 1: Ava at the piano (aria)

    A waltz is cut short. Ava discloses how far she’s fallen, and how difficult she finds caring for her son.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 2: Ava and Paul talk about luck

    Paul is curious about why he and his mother don’t have a car, and Ava explains it’s because they’re poor. Paul again asks why that’s so, and Ava states it’s because his father has no luck. Paul announces that he is lucky.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 3: Paul rides his Rocking Horse

    Paul creeps upstairs and rides his rocking horse, asking it to take him to where luck is. He rides faster and faster and at the peak, shouts a name: Daffodil.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 4: Paul tells Uncle Oscar his Secret

    Uncle Oscar enters, having heard the noise, and asks Paul what’s going on. Paul reveals his secret: the rocking horse is lucky, and tells him the names of race horses. Oscar calls in Paul’s caretaker, Bassett, who admits that Paul tells him the names of winning race horses. The three head to the races to prove it.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 6: Paul tells Oscar about the House (duet)

    Paul tells Oscar he hopes the winnings will stop the house from singing. Paul hears “her” sing of how there’s never enough, how there must be more. He makes Oscar promise not to tell his mother about where the money comes from; it might ruin the luck. Oscar tells him to never stop riding.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 7: Ava and Paul at the piano

    Paul asks his mother why she always sings sad songs and if she knows anything happier. Ava rebukes him. She expresses profound regret for the stupidity and vanity of her youth. The world only smiles for the young, she says. Paul hopes she’ll smile for her birthday tomorrow, but she does not. At her birthday party, Oscar gives her the winnings...

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 9: The Money Gets Spent

    The predictions keep coming true, and the money keeps coming. The money gets spent, and Paul keeps riding. All the while the house is getting filled with finery. But it keeps singing. There must be more, but Paul’s luck falters as his energy wanes.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 11: Paul dies

    The last ride has left Paul gravely ill. Oscar and Bassett tell him they bet it all, and they’re set for life. Paul asks his mother if she’ll finally be happy- finally smile. She does, but as they leave his room to celebrate, Paul hears the house whisper. There must be more. Paul is desperate, and crawls to his rocking horse for more luck, mo...

    Rocking Horse Winner – “Now I’m All Nerves” (aria)

    Ava bemoans Paul's lack of understanding, and her need for luxury.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 5

    Paul is nearly overwhelmed by the noise, but manages. Oscar and Bassett place their bets on Daffodil. Bassett takes the role of a race announcer, and the three watch Paul’s prediction come true. The three sing of how this will change everything.

    Sanctuary Song – Prologue/Scene 1: Goodbye

    As he tries to get into the train car, James explains to Sydney the elephant why it is best for her to leave the zoo for a new home.

    Sanctuary Song – Scene 2: Capture

    James and Sydney start their journey. Sydney remembers being young and playing in the forest with her friend Penny. One day, they are both captured, and the family herd is shot.

    Sanctuary Song – Scene 3: Fire

    Sydney is injured in a fire and sold to the zoo.

    Sanctuary Song – Scene 4: Alone (aria)

    Sydney on her first day at the zoo. Frightened and alone, she thinks of her homeland.

    Sanctuary Song – Scene 5: First Meeting

    Sydney and James meet for the first time. Though both are nervous, they connect with each other.

    Sanctuary Song – Scene 6: Arrival

    Sydney and James arrive in Tennessee, remembering their 22 years together. They say goodbye.

    Sanctuary Song – Scene 7: Reunion

    Sydney exits the train with James at the Sanctuary and sees her old friend Penny. They reunite lovingly. Sydney and James say their final goodbye.

    Shanawdithit – “Out of this world” (aria)

    Shanawdithit, dying, speaks to her ancestors. She is ready to leave this world.

    Shanawdithit – “These last few months” (aria)

    Cormack presents his findings about Shanawdithit to the members of the Beothuk institute.

    Shanawdithit – “What? A man?” (aria)

    Shanawdithit reprimands Cormack for his saviour complex.

    Shanawdithit – Scene 1

    Cormack meets Shanawdithit for the first time. She’s been working as a servant for Peyton for five years under the colonial name of Nancy April. Cormack is awed; he believes this woman is the last of the Beothuk. Peyton gives her to him, saying she’s useless.

    Shanawdithit – Scene 2

    Cormack’s study in St. John’s, now Shanawdithit’s room. “Nancy April” reveals she can speak English quite well, and tells Cormack her real name: Shanawdithit. Cormack asks her where the rest of her people are, where her home is. Shanawdithit says simply: they are no more. Shanawdithit reflects on the loss of her people and the taking of her a...

    Shanawdithit – Scene 4

    The taking of Demasduit weighs heavy on Shanawdithit’s heart. Cormack, unsure of what to do, tries to comfort her, saying Demasduit was treated well. Shawnadithit asks if white people actually care about her people, her story, because Cormack’s words are betrayed by the actions of his fellows, and indeed, his own. Cormack insists he will ensu...

    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 colla...

    Shanawdithit – Scene 6

    Cormack tries to raise funds for Shanawdithit’s care without success. James Simms offers to care for her while Cormack is away.

    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 par...

    She Sees Her Lover – “Oh, it’s beautiful” (aria)

    Excited by the possibility of a night with a new lover, Sumana anxiously expresses her anticipation.

    She Sees Her Lover – “So many ways” (aria)

    Agnieska questions why all of her previous relationships have failed.

    She Sees Her Lover – “Cinnamon Limbs” (aria)

    Waking early, Agnieska admires her new lover Sumana as she is sleeping.

    She Sees Her Lover – Scene 1 (duet)

    Agnieska and Sumana share an intimate night together after meeting in a bar. Memories of past lovers almost make Agnieska give up on this new love, but Sumana convinces her to hold on to hope.

    She Sees Her Lover – Scene 2

    Waking early, Agnieska admires her new lover Sumana as she is sleeping. When Sumana wakes, the couple share an intimate conversation and eventually descend into fits of laughter.

    Shelter – Scene 1: Love & Science (duet)

    Thomas and Claire meet at a party and fall in love.

    Shelter – Scene 5: The Pilot (duet)

    The pilot watches Hope from afar. They meet and become lovers.

    Shelter – Scene 4: Hope Grows Up, “Dusk of Tears” (duet)

    Thomas and Lise sing of feeling the burning of two suns on their faces.

    Shelter – Scene 4: Hope Grows Up, “Waiting” (duet)

    Thomas has brought Lise to become Hope's tutor, but Hope has grown up and wants to leave the house. Lise warns her not to give her love away to just anyone.

    Shelter – Scene 4: Hope Grows Up, “This is Our House” (aria)

    Hope grows up quickly, climbing out of her crib as a woman of twenty-one. She sings to herself, wanting to leave the house.

    Shelter – Scene 6: Trinity (aria)

    Hope introduces the pilot to her family. He leaves, and Hope argues with her parents about going with him.

    TAP:EX Tables Turned – Beyond the Sound – voice, percussion, and track

    A deconstruction of moments in The Sound of Music.

    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 – 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 – Schoolhouse Etude – voice, percussion, and track

    A celebration of iconic Hitchcock film moments, sampling from The Birds.

    TAP:EX Tables Turned – The Graduate – voice, percussion, and track

    A short scene, sampling the wedding scene where Elaine screams for Ben.

    Tea at Three – Tea at Three

    Late at night, Allie receives a visitation from her deceased best friend, Karen.

    The Cellar Door – “Down there I won’t go” (aria)

    Daniel sings of his fear at the prospect of going down into the cellar of his childhood home, after his father has died.

    The Cellar Door – “That’s all you have to say?” (aria)

    Judith sings angrily at her brother when he expresses his desire to leave their childhood home after their father has died.

    The Cellar Door – The Cellar Door

    Back in his childhood home after the death of this father, Daniel kills his sister when she wants to resume their childhood sexual relationship.

    The Colony – “No Ants?!”

    The Queen of the Amazon Ants laments the fallen state of her realm to her lone remaining subject.  She decides she must find a mate.

    The Golden Boy – The Golden Boy

    After a painful argument, a mother tells her son the truth of his father's absence and tries to comfort him.

    The Last Life – The Last Life

    Former lovers are reincarnated and reunited, but this time around one is a farmer and one is his cow.

    The Perfect Match – Interior

    Two sock puppets wake up alone and lonely.

    The Perfect Match – Exterior

    Tam and Pal spot each other- the only single socks in the park- speak, and fall in love.

    The Perfect Screw – Act 1, Scene 1: “Ladies and Gentlemen” (aria)

    Robertson demonstrates the new “automatic spiral ratchet spring-loaded screw driver,” affectionately called the “Yankee.” The demonstration is cut short when the driver slips off the single slot screw, injuring Robertson’s hand.

    The Perfect Screw – Act 1, Scene 2: “Fates, I curse you” (aria)

    Robertson in his shop, Amalia (present day) in her bathroom with her antique vanity, Phillips in his workshop, also injured by a screw driver slip.

    The Perfect Screw – “In my journeys far and wide” (aria)

    Phillips sings the praises of his new screwdriver.

    The Perfect Screw – “Wandering endlessly” (aria)

    Amalia dreams of what can be accomplished with hardware.

    The Perfect Screw – “Hmm… he cuts quite a figure” (aria)

    In the afterlife, Henry Ford invites Robertson to present his screwdriver.

    The Perfect Screw – “Double slit Phillips” (aria)

    Amalia critiques the two screwdrivers and chooses the Robertson.

    The Perfect Screw – Act 1, Scene 2

    Robertson in his shop, Amalia (present day) in her bathroom with her antique vanity, Phillips in his workshop, also injured by a screw driver slip.

    The Perfect Screw – Act 1, Scene 3: “Wandering Endlessly” (aria)

    Wandering in a big box store, Amalia dreams of what can be accomplished with hardware.

    The Perfect Screw – Act 2, Scene 1

    In the afterlife, Henry Ford invites Robertson to present his screwdriver. Ford is rapturously impressed, and offers Roberston a deal - but with the catch that Ford would then own the rights to his invention (as Ford puts it, he demands "complete submission"). Phillips reveals himself and makes a sales pitch. Ford is less attracted, but offer...

    The Perfect Screw – Act 2, Scene 2

    Ford and Phillips celebrate while Robertson is chagrined and depressed by his failure to get the contract. Amalia finally finds the screwdriver aisle in the store.

    The Perfect Screw – Act 2, Scene 3

    Amalia critiques the two screwdrivers and chooses the Robertson.

    The Perfect Screw – Act 3, Scene 1

    Phillips realizes he will not get rich in his deal with Ford, but Ford will.

    The Perfect Screw – Act 3, Scene 2

    Robertson, still sad, hopes his screwdriver will still be of use to others.

    The Perfect Screw – Act 3, Scene 3

    Amalia at home, mounting her vanity. She praises the Robertson's screwdriver as he observes from heaven.

    The Perfect Screw – Act 3, Scene 4

    All sing the praises of the Robertson screwdriver.

    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.

    The Shaman’s Tale – “Many years ago”

    The Shaman introduces the audience to his newest clients, a Man and Woman hoping to have a child.

    The Shaman’s Tale – “Because of the sacrifice”

    The Shaman explains the end of the couple's tale.

    The Theory of Everything – Theory of Everything

    At a restaurant, a man flirts with a woman he thinks he recognizes. She is emotionally frank with him, but it turns out she isn't who he thinks she is.

    The Translator – “America died in that cell” (aria)

    Traumatized by her experiences, Alessandra reflects on her work as a translator in an American military prison.

    The Translator – “You can understand all you want” (aria)

    Colonel Crane, Alessandra's supervisor, tersely tells her to lose what her perceives as her naive sense of morality: "We are just here to win."

    The Translator – The Translator

    2003: After leaking torture photos to the internet, American army translator Alessandra Jenson refuses to be hushed up, and live streams her suicide in protest.

    The Two Graces – “Oh, to belong to the sea” (aria)

    Queen Liz imagines what it would be like to be free.

    The Two Graces – The Two Graces

    Irish pirate Chieftain Grace O'Malley sneaks into the bedroom of Queen Elizabeth I of England, and convinces the Queen to give her back her ship and free her lover. In return Grace will attend the Queen's birthday celebration and cause a sensation - which delights Liz.

    The Virgin Charlie – “Step ever so softly now…” (aria)

    Drag performer Charlie sings a number in the persona of the Virgin Mary.

    The Virgin Charlie – “Charlie, please listen…” (aria)

    The Virgin Mary explains to Charlie why he has been chosen to carry the child of God.

    The Virgin Charlie – “Little one I aim to help you” (aria)

    Charlie sings gently to his child, the Messiah, who he has been chosen to bear.

    The Virgin Charlie – Scene 1

    In his dressing room, drag performer Charlie puts on his Virgin Mary costume, witnessed by the real Virgin Mary inside his mirror.

    The Virgin Charlie – Scene 2

    Charlie performs the first number of his act: Mother Mary in the nativity scene, with the worries of a new mother carrying the son of god.

    The Virgin Charlie – Scene 3

    In his dressing room, Mother Mary explains to Charlie that he is pregnant with the son of god and offers him tips from her experience. Eventually, Charlie accepts that he will be a parent, and vows to protect the new messiah.

    The Waterfall – Part 1

    On the first warm spring day in the mountains, Olaf, a rich farmer, proposes to Runa, a poor farmer, only to discover that she is in love with the bandit Davith. Angered by this, Olaf burns down Runa's farm, and Runa escapes up the mountain searching for Davith.

    Two Sisters – Two Sisters

    Two sisters are outside by the river talking. One sister describes the boy she hopes to be with, and the other sister admits that she is pregnant with his baby. Jealousy is a deadly emotion.

    The Handless Maiden: Scene 8 (Wash the Loss) – Wash the Loss Away

    A Gardener, lost in the wilderness, ends up at Madonna's cabin. She recognizes him as the man in her dreams and vows to heal him of his grief.

    What is She? – What is She?

    An intersex woman wins a gold medal, but her struggles to get there mean nothing to the organization and the other athletes. She’s disqualified and shamed.

    Where is Ava – Where is Ava

    Chloe and Eddie are in the throes of love when they’re interrupted by Matt, Chloe’s athlete ex-husband. Matt asks where their daughter Ava is, and criticizes Chloe for abandoning Ava for a man.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 10: Ava and Paul

    Paul begs his rocking horse for more luck for the Derby. Ava decides Paul’s been too agitated lately, and the distance between them grows wider. Ava leaves his room and bemoans Paul’s lack of understanding. She deserves luxury now and then, and Paul robs her of comfort. As if on cue, she hears Paul noisily riding his rocking horse again. Whil...

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 8: Ava’s birthday

    Ava is disappointed in her birthday celebration, and Paul asks her why she isn't happy.

    Gould’s Wall – Scene 10

    The Girl calls out to Glenn.  She asks him for help with a piece of music.

    Sooner Than Later – Close your eyes, son

    A father comforts his son as he encourages him to end his life, rather than waiting for him to die of a terminal illness.

    Partager la musique

    The Goddess of Music reconciles the tribe of the arco violin players with the tribe of pizzicato players, inviting them to make music together.

    Snow Globe – Snow Globe

    A sister and brother go through the belongings of their recently departed mother and find an old snow globe from their youth. They both really want to keep it. A bitter fight ensues and the sister inadvertently blurts out a very painful secret.

    Sleep, Sleep – Sleep, Sleep

    A boy and his mother make up ways of killing an unnamed woman.  When the game is over, the boy asks what would happen if they killed the woman “for real,” if it would make his father love them again.

    She is Me – She is Me

    Janna and her grandpa are in Toronto’s distillery district. Before she has to leave, Janna asks him to tell the story of how he and Grandma met.

    One Lump or Two? – One Lump or Two?

    Four Victorian women sit down for a most unusual tea time. The women have two things in common: their dislike of the other women and of their husbands. Each woman refuses to drink tea for one reason or another while brainstorming ideas such as poison, prison, bee-stings or drowning. But who are they plotting against– their partners, or each o...

    My Mother’s Ring – My Mother’s Ring

    Paul is being interviewed about his missing parents. Is Paul a suspect? Is the interrogator a police officer or a psychiatrist? Who were the people who were in his parents' house when Paul returned from his trip? All is not as it seems.

    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 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.

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