View more photos below - click here
OVERVIEW
Title: Dragon’s Tale
Composer: Ka Nin Chan
Librettist: Mark Brownell
Language: English, Mandarin
Producer: Tapestry Opera and Soundstreams
Run Time: 90
Roles:
Role | Voice Type | Range ? | Character Description |
---|---|---|---|
Xiao Lian | high | A young Chinese-Canadian woman | |
Mom / Zhang Yi / Villager | middle-high | Xiao Lian’s mother / A courtier in the King’s court / A villager on the river Miluo | |
King / Male Friend | middle | King Huai of Chu / Xiao Lian’s friend | |
Qu Yuan / Father | middle-low | An ancient Chinese poet, known as the hero of Duanwu, the Dragon Boat Festival / Xiao Lian’s father | |
Female Friend | middle-high | Xiao Lian’s friend | |
Chorus | high | SATB | Chorus |
View more videos below - click here
SYNOPSIS
MUSIC DESCRIPTION
SCORES FOR PURCHASE
Arias & Excerpts:
A young Chinese/Canadian woman (Xiao Lian) faces a difficult choice: Honour her family’s traditional past or embrace a more modern future. Her father dwells on the memory of his deceased wife and honours her by performing the Qingming funeral tradition. Meanwhile, Xiao Lian’s two friends want her to get out and be more social. Her father objects to this and demands that she stay home.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Xiao Lian | high | |
Father | high | |
Female Friend | middle-high | |
Male Friend | middle |
Xiao Lian’s father bitterly reveals that he will die soon. Xiao Lian’s mother appears in spirit form and asks her to forgive her father. She speaks of their happiness together as a family in earlier times. As a child, Xiao Lian had a close connection with the Dragon Boat Festival, known as Duanwu and its hero, the ancient poet Qu Yuan. Her Father and Qu Yuan are linked together by fate.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Xiao Lian | high | |
Father | middle-low | |
Mother | middle-high |
Xiao Lian vows to look to the past and summons the great spirit of Qu Yuan. His spirit rises and assumes the form of Xiao Lian’s father.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Xiao Lian | high | |
Qu Yuan | middle-low |
Xiao Lian is transported back to the ancient royal court, where she witnesses the majestic entrance of King Huai of Chu. Qu Yuan is at the peak of his power but is soon outfoxed by rival minister Zhang Yi. Qu Yuan is cast down and banished by his beloved king.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Xiao Lian | high | |
Qu Yuan | middle-low | |
King Huai of Chu | middle | |
Zhang Yi | middle-high | |
Chorus | high | SATB |
Qu Yuan wanders into the southern wilderness. As he travels, he composes a lament for himself and his lost position in court. In the present, Xiao Lian’s Father senses his end is near. Summoning up his strength, he joins with the spirit of Qu Yuan to tell the final chapter.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Qu Yuan/Father | high | |
Chorus | high | SATB |
Years later, Qu Yuan has earned the honour and respect of the people in a little fishing village on the river Miluo. Xiao Lian and a local villager strike up a conversation with Qu Yuan, and it is soon revealed that The Kingdom of Chu has been destroyed by its enemies. After learning this news, Qu Yuan’s heart breaks, and he drowns himself in the river. Xiao Lian and the villager raise the alarm, and the fishermen launch their dragon boats in a desperate attempt to save Qu Yuan.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Xiao Lian | high | |
Qu Yuan | middle-low | |
Villager | middle-high | |
Chorus | high | SATB |
All hope is lost as the villagers return and collect Qu Yuan’s possessions. They take the scrolls containing his famous poetry to the Daoist temple, where they will be preserved forever. Xiao Lian returns to the present at the bedside of her dying father. With his encouragement and love, she finally recognizes the value of honouring the past.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Xiao Lian | high | |
Father | middle-low | |
Chorus | high | SATB |
Xiao Lian performs the Qingming ceremony to honour the spirit of her departed father and mother. Love and fellowship combine in the running of a dragon boat race. Xiao Lian joins her friends and crosses into her future.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Xiao Lian | high | |
Male Friend | middle | |
Female Friend | middle-high |
The combined spirits of Qu Yuan and Father return and ask the audience to release them from their servitude. That freedom granted, they ascend into the heavens triumphantly.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Xiao Lian | high | |
Qu Yuan/Father | middle-low | |
Mother | middle-high | |
Chorus | high | SATB |
PREMIERE PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Premiere Production: June 15-18, 2023 at Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage, Toronto
Producers: Tapestry Opera and Soundstreams
Cast:
Role | Name |
---|---|
Xiao Lian | Alicia Ault |
Mom / Zhang Yi / Villager / Female Friend (Cover) | Evanna Lai |
King / Male Friend | Mishael Eusebio |
Qu Yuan / Father | Todd Jang |
Onstage Chorus (Soprano) | Grace Lee |
Onstage Chorus (Mezzo) / Female Friend | Alyssa Nicole Samson |
Onstage Chorus (Tenor) | Mike Fan 范祖铭 |
Onstage Chorus (Baritone) | Keith Lam |
Choir (Soprano) | Clara Krausse |
Choir (Soprano) | Gisele Kulak |
Choir (Soprano) | Lindsay McIntyre |
Choir (Soprano) | Sara Schabas |
Choir (Mezzo) | Veronika Anissimova |
Choir (Mezzo) | Claudia Lemcke |
Choir (Mezzo) | Anika Venkatesh |
Choir (Tenor) | Robert Busiakiewicz |
Choir (Tenor) | Benjamin Keast |
Choir (Bass) | Jacob Feldman |
Choir (Bass) | Bryan Martin |
Role | Name |
---|---|
Director | Michael Hidetoshi Mori |
Music Director | David Fallis |
Assistant Director | 郝邦宇 Steven Hao |
Associate Conductor, Women in Musical Leadership | Naomi Woo |
Conductor, June 18 | Naomi Woo |
Erhu | Patty Chan |
Pipa | Wen Zhao |
Guzheng | ZiWen Cynthia Qin |
Flute / Dizi | Leslie Allt |
Oboe | Colin Maier |
Clarinet | Dominic Desautels |
Bassoon | Zsofia Stefan |
Horn | Olivia Esther |
rumpet | Anita McAlister |
Trombone | Ian Cowie |
Percussion | Michael Murphy |
Percussion | Michelle Colton |
Violin I / Concertmaster | Andréa Tyniec |
Violin II | Suhashini Arulanandam |
Viola | Jody Davenport |
Cello | David Hetherington |
Harp | Sanya Eng |
Double Bass | Travis Harrison |
Répétiteur | Hyejin Kwon |
Répétiteur 2 | Stéphane Mayer |
Lighting Designer | Echo Zhou 周芷會 |
Artistic Director, Soundstreams | Lawrence Cherney |
Set & Costume Designer | Jackie Chau |
Production Manager | Clarissa Wilcox |
Stage Manager | Myra Malley |
Assistant Stage Manager | Rachel More |
Head of Props | David Hoekstra |
Head of Wardrobe | Ellie Koffman |
Surtitlist | Patrick Iun |
CREATION
Director's Note
Collaborating with composer Chan Ka Nin and librettist Mark Brownell has been a great pleasure with a dynamic that is a reflection of the show. Both creators are fathers with adult children, whereas I relate more to this story as the son of an immigrant father. While the opera features the story of Qu Yuan, for Xiao Lian, it is the struggle of a child with a stubborn parent that forces the exploration of Qu Yuan’s mythical past, and that tricky intergenerational dynamic is where I find the most resonance. At the heart of Dragon’s Tale are three propositions. One for parents: despite your lived experience, your children, especially in times of change, must be fundamentally different to adapt and thrive. One for children: you may never know the full picture of your parents, and you should not judge them by the last 5 minutes or years of their life. The final proposition is for Toronto as a model for many places in the world: With a younger population composed of many children of immigrants, any one person’s cultural identity is fluid, complex and unique and mostly accepted as such. This feature of cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montréal I humbly put forward as a great opportunity for Canada to lead in celebrating common humanity and cultural differences as complementary. – Michael Hidetoshi Mori
QUOTATIONS FROM CREATIVE TEAM
Growing up in Hong Kong, my fond memories are the festivals, often associated with fun activities such as lighting firecrackers and playing with lanterns. Together with special foods and a public holiday, what’s not to like? When Dragon Boat racing became popular in Canada, I was amazed this Chinese cultural event is practiced worldwide, and I decided to write an opera to tell the story behind this legend, Qu Yuan because this loyal minister in the court of Chu from 2300 years ago is not that well known in Canada. My first thought is to ask Mark Brownell, a writer with whom I have worked for over 20 years, to write the story and the text. As always, Mark is a good sport and dives into the subject. After 8 years, he knows more about Qu Yuan than I do; initially, I did not know he was also an influential poet. In the process, we incorporate this ancient story into a modern-day story of a young girl and her father. Both Mark and I have a daughter, and our parental experience is inevitably reflected in the story. I am very thankful to Mark, and the dragon team: Michael Mori of Tapestry Opera, Lawrence Cherney of Soundstreams, and music director David Fallis, for realizing the tale from the past. – Chan Ka Nin, composer
MEDIA
VIDEOS
There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one.
REVIEW THIS OPERA
You must be logged in to submit a review.
Submit a Suggestion
Please Note: As we try our best to ensure that all the data on this page is correct please understand that these pages were built by humans, so we're bound to make mistakes. Let us know if you have found any errors, typos, or mistakes on this page. If you have any suggestions on adding tags to this page, please use this email link as well. Thank you, your help and contribution are appreciated.