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  • About COR
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    • FAQ – For Users
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    Canadian Opera Resource
    Canadian Opera Resource
    COR
    Operas
    What is She?
    Content warning: misgendering, intersex discrimination

    A meditation on the discrimination intersex athletes face from their peers. A 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.
    Composer: John Harris
    Librettist: Anna Chatterton

    What is She?
    What is She?
    The Two Graces
    The night before her birthday, an aging Queen Elizabeth I catches an intruder in her boudoir. It turns out to be none other than her arch-nemesis Grace O’Malley, Irish pirate and chieftain, come to reclaim her seized ship and her trampled rights. A comedic opera about power and politics, destiny and desire, and how hard it is to be a woman at th...
    Composer: Sean Ferguson
    Librettist: Alexis Diamond

    The Two Graces
    The Two Graces
    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
    My Eyes are Bright and Sparkly
    “Hate your stupid earrings, hate your ugly shoes.” Stephanie is getting ready to go out on a date, but she begins to unravel when she checks herself in the mirror. The voices she hears in her head are variations of her own critical voice. She sees herself the way she imagines her date will see her. Nothing is right – everything is wrong. It is a...
    Composer: Rene Orth
    Librettist: Colleen Murphy

    My Eyes are Bright and Sparkly
    M’dea Undone
    Content warning: death, murder, suicide, xenophobia

    Jason, an army captain and now war-hero, is returning home after years of war and an uncertain future. His interpreter and lover M’dea and their son Chase accompany him to a new life in the West. Jason begins a political career, working alongside the President and Dahlia, the President’s bea...
    Composer: John Harris
    Librettist: Marjorie Chan

    M’dea Undone
    The Waterfall
    Content warning: sexual harassment, violence, fire

    A northern land, the end of winter. A cold, dusky pre-dawn on the edge of a mountain; across the valley roars a mighty waterfall. In this valley there are two farms, one poor - owned by Runa, a single woman - and one rich, owned by Olaf, who wishes Runa for his bride.

    Olaf proposes to Runa...
    Composer: Norbert Palej
    Librettist: Maja Ardal

    The Waterfall
    The Waterfall
    Little Miss All Canadian
    Content warning: murder

    Two women, Eunice Rose and Samantha, sit in the audience during the semifinals of a junior “Miss All-Canadian” Pageant. Eunice’s daughter is on stage doing a dance routine Eunice choreographed herself. She holds a diet coke and eats chocolate while eying her daughter and criticizing her performance. Samantha, meanwhile...
    Composer: Lembit Beecher
    Librettist: Liza Balkan

    Little Miss All Canadian
    Jacqueline
    Content warning: terminal illness

    This is not a biographical opera, it is an exploration of an emotional journey. At age 5, Jacqueline has instant chemistry and sparks fly when she meets her cello. Their relationship grows stronger and closer, and Jacqueline matures into a charismatic and likeable teen, powerful on major stages. Soon she is a...
    Composer: Luna Pearl Woolf
    Librettist: Royce Vavrek

    Jacqueline
    La Maupin
    Content warning: contains depictions of gun violence, mentions of homophobia, transphobia, self-harm, attempted suicide, memory loss, illness, death, and violence

    Julie d'Aubigny (1673-1707), more often known by her stage name "Mademoiselle Maupin," was a queer and gender non-conforming opera singer. She was a mezzo-soprano, and sang some of ...
    Composer: Colin McMahon
    Librettist: Camille Rogers

    La Maupin
    Iron Road
    Content warning: racism, colonialism, violence, death

    In 1880’s China, Lai Gwan, a young impoverished woman, stands on the brink of momentous change. Her dying mother urges her to respect and honour the memory of her father, Manli, whose disappearance to the New World haunts them both.

    Armed with the hope that she will find her father aliv...
    Composer: Ka Nin Chan
    Librettist: Mark Brownell

    Iron Road
    Medusa’s Children
    Content warning: misgendering, mentions of sexual assault, and implied violence

    Chrysaor and Pegasus, children of the gorgon Medusa, have been living with their aunts Euryale and Stheno. They receive a message from their dead mother telling the story of her assault and murder by their father Poseidon. Rejecting his mother’s family, Chrysaor g...
    Composer: Colin McMahon
    Librettist: Charlie Petch

    Medusa’s Children
    TAP:EX Forbidden
    Content warning: sexual violence, incarceration, religious abuse, homophobia, conversion therapy

    Through several vignettes, Forbidden examines the idea of rules and taboos. Do they protect people, or do they control them? Are they of any value, or do they simply exploit the powerless?

    A young girl, punished with repetition of religious tex...
    Composer: Afarin Mansouri
    Librettist: Donna-Michelle St. Bernard

    TAP:EX Forbidden
    COR
    Excerpts
    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.

    Medusa’s Aria

    Medusa sings from beyond the grave, reaching out to her children and her two sisters. She tells the story of her rape by the god Poseidon and murder by the hero Perseus. 

    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.

    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.

    La Maupin – II. Introduction

    La Maupin introduces herself to the audience, sharing some of the gossip that has been spread about her.

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

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

    La Maupin – VI. The Last Love

    Maupin remembers her romance with the Countess de Florensac.

    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.

    My Eyes are Bright and Sparkly – My Eyes are Bright and Sparkly

    Stephanie is getting ready to go out on a date, but she begins to unravel when she checks herself in the mirror. The voices she hears in her head are variations of her own critical voice. She sees herself the way she imagines her date will see her.

    M’dea Undone – Act 1, Scene 2

    At a party, the Corporal mocks Jason for needing M'dea to help him win and for bringing her home.

    Little Miss All Canadian – Little Miss All Canadian

    Two mothers in the audience for a beauty pageant: while Eunice's daughter performs, Samantha reads an article about a murdered 11-year-old girl.

    Jacqueline – “Psychoanalysis” – voice and cello

    Jacqueline experiences symptoms, but her physical illness is undiagnosed, and she is instead told it is hysterical or psychosomatic.

    Jacqueline – “Disease” – voice and cello

    In her prime. At a post-gala cocktail party, Jackie ironically confesses she has a terrible disease: glissando-itis.

    Iron Road – Act 2, Scene 1: The Fight

    As Manli and Lai Gwan argue about their situation, Lai Gwan tells of Ama's death, which crushes Manli. He decides to set the next explosive charge himself. Nichol and Lai Gwan recognise their love and follow Manli into the tunnel.

    Iron Road – Act 2, Prologue: The Dream

    Lai Gwan dreams of the conflicting desires of her mother, father, Nichol and herself.

    Hook Up – Section 1, Scene 2: “The Rules of the Dorm”

    Dorm RAs lay down the laws of drinking and sex, which are incredibly different for the boys vs. the girls.

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 2, Scene 4: “Dubai know how to Party”

    A distraught woman is trying to report her sexual assault to a policeman. She admits she’s had some alcohol. Instead of pursuing justice, the policeman arrests her for illegal possession of alcohol. The Child witnesses all of it.

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 1, Scene 2: “With His Eyes (Male Gaze)”

    An interrogator turns his lurid eyes on an imprisoned female activist. Purposefully misunderstanding her movements as seduction, he convinces himself of something horrid.

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 1, Scene 1: “Understanding”

    The Child is taught a lesson. She attempted to speak her truth, but was met with discipline.

    COR

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