Tapestry New Opera

The 14th LibLab is underway

Anna — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:55:20 +0000

4 composers and 4 writers are currently participating in Tapestry’s 14th Composer-Librettist Laboratory (LibLab). This annual ‘boot camp’ for new opera is at the core of Tapestry’s Creative Development Programme and launches the new season – the 5 minute opera scenes created in the Lab are presented at Opera Briefs.

Click here to learn more about the LibLab.

Events

Anna — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:27:19 +0000

Opera Briefs 10
September 23, 24, 25, 2010 at 8pm
The Ernest Balmer Studio at Tapestry
$25 regular / $20 students & arts workers
Single Tickets On Sale Sept. 7, 2010 or purchase as part of a 2010-2011 Studio Pass.

Click here for more info. on this and other season events.

Studio Passes

Anna — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:22:00 +0000

Studio Passes for the 2010-2011 Season are on sale now! Save 20 to 50 % of the single ticket price for all 5 events.

$99 regular
$49 students & arts workers

Visit our online box office or call 416.537.6066 x222

barankin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:34:31 +0000

2010-2011 Season Announced

Anna — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:20:25 +0000

2010-2011 SEASON: Studio Passes Now On Sale! $99 regular and $49 students & arts workers. 20 to 50% off single ticket prices for 5 events.

Marjorie Chan is Tapestry’s new Writer in Residence!

Anna — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:46:06 +0000

Joining Tapestry in 2010-2011 is multi-talented theatre and opera artist Marjorie Chan, as the company’s new Writer in Residence. Her position is made possible with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council. Marjorie is a graduate of the LibLab (2003 and 2009) and librettist for Sanctuary Song which won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Opera after its premiere with Tapestry and Theatre Direct for the 2008 Luminato Festival. Welcome Marjorie! Recent Tapestry Writers in Residence include Governor General’s Award Winner Colleen Murphy and Anna Chatterton.

There are few places where I can develop and continue to hone my craft as a librettist. I can think of no better place than Tapestry, where I first discovered my love of the form in the 2003 Composer-Librettist Laboratory. Since then, I have not been far from company, with Opera to Go, Sanctuary Song, and last year’s International Composer-Librettist Laboratory keeping me busy. I expect to be quite busy indeed over the next year, as I work on a new full-length libretto, charting and researching others. The year-long residency allows for in-depth immersion into the form and a deepening of my artistic practice. I am humbled and am very grateful to Tapestry, the Ontario Arts Coucil and the Canada Council for making this possible. - Marjorie Chan

Marjorie is also an actor. You can see her August 6-15th at the Theatre Centre in the Summerworks play Souvenirs of Home by Elyne Quan.

Meet the outstanding artists for the 2010 LibLab

Anna — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:20:00 +0000

The annual Composer-Librettist Laboratory (affectionately called the LibLab) is arguably our favourite time of year here at Tapestry. The air is electric with new creation and a new season is launched. A stellar crop of artists will participate in the 2010 LibLab this August and the resulting mini opera scenes will be presented in September for Opera Briefs, our annual season opener in the Ernest Balmer Studio at Tapestry. The 2010 LibLab participants are:

Writers
Maja Ardal
Hannah Moscovitch
Michael Pollard
Anusree Roy

Composers
Iman Habibi
Anna Höstman
Norbert Palej
Gareth Williams

Artist Pictured: Composer Gareth Williams in the 2009 International LibLab. Photo courtesy Marjorie Chan.

About the LibLab
For 15 years (!) Tapestry has been introducing writers and composers to the collaborative creation process with the annual LibLab, the beginning of the Tapestry Creative Development Programme and a launching point for operatic projects in Canada and beyond. It is also the model for the English National Opera Studio’s All In Opera, as well as Pacific Opera Victoria’s Composer-Librettist Workshop.

Here’s how it works: 4 composers and 4 writers are brought together for a 10-day period of collaborative discovery through the creation of sixteen 5-minute scenes, each of which are written, composed and performed within a 48 hour cycle that is repeated four times, enabling each writer to work with each composer. Guiding the composers and librettists throughout the process are dramaturg Michael P. Albano and musical dramaturg Wayne Strongman (Tapestry’s Managing Artistic Director). At the disposal of the creative teams for the 2010 LibLab will be some of Canada’s most respected performers, including soprano Carla Huhtanen, mezzo soprano Kimberly Barber, tenor Keith Klassen, baritone Peter McGillivray, as well collaborative pianist Christopher Foley.

Nearly 100 artists have graduated from the LibLab with 43 teams emerging to create new works for the stage, either for Tapestry or for other companies nationally and internationally.

Some of the operas that have arisen out of relationships begun at the LibLab:

Iron Road (Mark Brownell and Chan Ka Nin) at the Elgin Theatre in 2001, nominated for 9 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, winner of Best New Musical/Opera
Facing South (Don Hannah and Linda Catlin Smith) as part of the World Stage Festival in 2003
Elijah’s Kite (Camyar Chai and James Rolfe) in partnership with the Manhattan School of Music in 2006, toured in New York City and Ontario.
Get Stuffed (Alexis Diamond and Richard Payne) in schools across Ontario from 2008-10
Sanctuary Song (Marjorie Chan and Abigail Richardson) at the Luminato Festival in 2008, winner of Best New Musical/Opera at the 2009 Dora-Mavor Moore Awards
The Perfect Match (Krista Dalby and Anthony Young) a short film produced by Bravo!Fact in 2008, screened at the St. Louis, Santa Barbara, and Miami Short Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Experimental Film.
The Shadow ( Alex Poch-Goldin and Omar Daniel) at the Berkeley Street Theatre, Downstairs in 2009
Dark Star Requiem ( Jill Batson and Andrew Staniland), which opened the 2010 Luminato Festival (which was also a production partner) in the Royal Conservatory’s Koerner Hall to widespread critical acclaim.
26 one-act operas presented in Opera to Go programmes from 2002-2010

Dark Star Requiem World Premiere Photos

Anna — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:20:45 +0000

Photographer Brian Mosoff has captured some great moments from the Tapestry / Luminato world premiere of Dark Star Requiem (by Andrew Staniland & Jill Battson) in June at Koerner Hall.

Check them out below.

Stay Up to Date

Anna — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:13:28 +0000

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Nabaz’Mob – Ambient rabbits perform in the Tapestry Studio: A free Luminato Exhibit

Anna — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:03:16 +0000

This week Tapestry’s Ernest Balmer Studio is home to Nabaz’Mob, a free visual arts event for Luminato.

A Nabaztag is a nine-inch-tall Wi-Fi-enabled “ambient device” in the shape of a stylized rabbit. Artist, programming engineer, and designer Antoine Schmitt and composer, film director, multimedia author, and sound designer Jean-Jacques Birgé bring together one hundred of these quirky little creatures – each equipped with flashing lights, moving ears and a built-in speaker – to perform a musical and choreographic score for three voices.

Click here for more info on Nabaz’Mob at Luminato or here for the full site.

Come by during one of these times:

Tuesday, June 15: 12:30PM and 6:00PM (special performances)

Wednesday, June 16: 12:30PM and 6:00PM (special performances)

Thursday, June 17: 12:30PM and 6:00PM (special performances)

Friday, June 18: 5:00PM – 10:00PM (drop-in viewings)

Saturday, June 19: 12:00PM – 8:00PM (drop-in viewings)

Sunday, June 20: 12:00PM – 6:00PM (drop-in viewings)

The Ernest Balmer Studio at Tapestry is located in the Distillery Historic District
55 Mill St. Bldg. 58. Studio 315
Toronto, ON