Tapestry Opera

Category: Performance

  • 2026 WML MASTERCLASS

    2026 WML MASTERCLASS

    MEDIA RELEASE

    Tapestry Opera and Toronto Symphony Orchestra Announce Groundbreaking Masterclass for Emerging Star Conductors at Roy Thomson Hall

    TORONTO, ON – Continuing their long-standing relationship, Tapestry Opera and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) join forces for a masterclass on Saturday, May 16, 2026, dedicated to the next generation of women and non-binary conductors and music directors in Canada.

    This intensive program, hosted at the iconic Roy Thomson Hall with full orchestral forces, underscores the enduring partnership between these two pillars of the Canadian arts scene. By bringing together the TSO’s orchestral excellence and Tapestry’s innovative programming, the masterclass provides emerging conductors with a rare opportunity to refine their craft under the guidance of top-tier industry mentor Maestro Gustavo Gimeno.

    The 2026 Masterclass Conductors:

    Monica Chen (Fellow): A collaborative leader whose insightful approach has garnered acclaim across North America.

    Eve Legault (Fellow): A conductor known for her precision and ability to bridge the gap between contemporary opera and classical symphonic works.

    Serena Reuten (Associate): A dynamic presence on the podium with a reputation for nuanced interpretations of complex scores.

    A National Solution to a Global Challenge

    Now in its fourth public masterclass collaboration with the TSO, Tapestry Opera’s WML program has supported 11 conductors to date, providing them with the practical experience and visibility required to secure major appointments. The impact reaches organizations across Canada: during the 2025/2026 season alone, WML’s commitment to nationwide exposure will see its conductors travel over 31,000 km to work with partner organizations across Canada.

    “This program is about more than just training; it’s about driving real change on the podium,” says Jaime Martino, Executive Director of Tapestry Opera. “WML conductors are actively reshaping the Canadian arts landscape and inspiring audiences from coast to coast.”

    “Women in Musical Leadership is opening doors and helping to change the future of our art form,” says Mark Williams, Beck Family CEO of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. “We are proud to partner in a program that gives exceptional conductors meaningful time on the podium and behind-the-scenes with a great orchestra. That investment matters—not only for these artists, but for the future of musical leadership.”

    In a short video Q&A, Women in Musical Leadership (WML) alumna Naomi Woo reflects on her experience in the program and the impact it has had on her development as a conductor.

    Rigorous Professional Development 

    The WML fellowship provides valuable hands-on experience. In the 2024/2025 season, full-time conductors received approximately 490 hours of on-the-job training, working alongside expert mentors to master diverse repertoire. This 4th public TSO masterclass serves as a culminating opportunity, allowing fellows to refine their craft under the guidance of conducting advisors such as Gustavo Gimeno and JoAnn Falletta.

    ABOUT WOMEN IN MUSICAL LEADERSHIP (WML)

    Led by Tapestry Opera in partnership with the TSO and over 20 organizations including Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, and Vancouver Opera, WML is a multi-year program that provides female and non-binary conductors with the mentorship and podium time necessary to advance their careers. For more information, visit tapestryopera.com/wml.

    ABOUT TAPESTRY OPERA

    Founded in 1979, Tapestry Opera is an award-winning Toronto-based company dedicated to creating, developing and performing original, progressive opera. We are passionate about timely, resonant stories told in innovative settings and interpreted by extraordinary artists. We create space to unite diverse art forms, creators, and communities to develop powerful, boundary-breaking opera that reflects and changes the world. We believe in embedding our values in everything we do, on and offstage, and work to create an equitable, adaptable, and accountable culture for our time and communities.  Check out What’s On and join us for an upcoming production. Visit tapestryopera.com

    ABOUT THE TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

    For more than a century, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has played a fundamental role in shaping and celebrating Canadian culture. The TSO’s commitment to musical excellence and ability to spark connection remain as strong as ever. With a storied history of acclaimed concerts and recordings, Canadian and international tours, and impactful community partnerships, we are dedicated to engaging and enriching local and national communities through vibrant musical experiences. Music Director Gustavo Gimeno brings an expansive artistic vision, intellectual curiosity, and sense of adventure to programming the 93-musician orchestra that serves Toronto—one of the world’s most diverse cities. As a group of artists, teachers, and advocates who share the belief that music has the power to heal, inspire, and connect people from all walks of life, we engage audiences young and old through an array of community-access, health-and-well-being, and education initiatives including the TSO-affiliated Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra—a tuition-free training program dedicated to cultivating the next generation of Canadian artists. Symphony With Us at a concert at Roy Thomson Hall, or experience the TSO in your neighbourhood. Visit TSO.CA or Newsroom.TSO.CA.

    For more information on Tapestry Opera, please contact:

    Clay Jones, Manager, Communications & Marketing, Tapestry Opera, email: cjones@tapestyopera.com 

    boxoffice@tapestryopera.com
    416-537-6606 | tapestryopera.com

    Box Office Hours: 12 pm – 5 pm Monday to Friday.
    In-Person at 877 Yonge Street: 1 hour before performances

  • History Under Our Feet

    History Under Our Feet

    Last week, the Tapestry team spent the afternoon at the Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre. We toured the site of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital (Mimico Asylum) to better understand Toronto’s history of institutionalization.

    [foogallery id=”22974″]

    It was a heavy but very relevant experience. The full Tapestry Opera staff wanted to connect with our local history and allow us to bring a uniquely Canadian perspective to our production as we get closer to opening 10 Days in a Madhouse.

    To understand Nellie Bly’s story more authentically, we needed to stand on the grounds where similar stories happened.

    A few things that really stuck with us:

    • The Tunnels vs. The Facade: We saw how tunnels were used to move patient labour around so the public wouldn’t have to see it. It’s that same “out of sight, out of mind” vibe Nellie Bly encountered, where society hides what it doesn’t want to fix.
    • Progress Isn’t Always Pretty: The site moved from big, scary wards to smaller “cottages” to look more modern, but the control was still there. We’re exploring that tension, how a place that’s supposed to be a “sanctuary” can quickly turn into a cage.
    • Trying to Erase the Past: Almost all of the records from the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital were destroyed by the provincial government when it was closed. What remained was chilling. A woman incarcerated for her entire life from the age of 17, for being a challenging member of a large family. 
    • Stories Won’t Stay Quiet: Even though these institutions were designed to segregate and silence people, their history is still right there under the surface. Our goal with 10 Days in a Madhouse is to take forgotten histories and turn them back into a living, breathing human story.
    • Histories Won’t Go Away: The history of institutionalization continues unbroken into our current mental health and prison systems. People are still institutionalized without consent, and prisoners are still working for less than 1/3 of minimum wage. It’s important to remember this is still the same system with a fresh coat of paint. Many of the same problems are still present.

    Touring the grounds brought 10 Days in a Madhouse closer to home. These aren’t just characters from 1887; they represent real and complex people who lived right here in our backyard.

    If you are curious, please go check it out! 

    The amazing team at the Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre also shared Indigenous author and Journalist Tanya Talaga’s own history with the site. Please explore the links below.

    The Makwa Creative – The production company stewarded by Tanya Talaga, referencing several of her books, and other documentaries.

    The Knowing (book) – available as print, audiobook, and eBook at most bookstores and libraries

    The Knowing (documentary) – free on CBC Gem

  • 10 DAYS IN A MADHOUSE

    10 DAYS IN A MADHOUSE

    MEDIA RELEASE

    10 DAYS IN A MADHOUSE REIMAGINES JOURNALIST NELLIE BLY’S DARING EXPOSÉ FOR THE OPERA STAGE

    Tapestry Opera, Luminato Festival, the Canadian Opera Company, and TO Live team up to present a uniquely powerful new opera from Hannah Moscovitch and Rene Orth 

    Toronto – When trailblazing journalist Nellie Bly suspected patient abuse at the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island in 1887, New York City, she bravely chose a dangerous path to discovering the truth: feigning mental illness herself in order to be admitted and investigate first-hand. What Bly uncovered was a shocking world designed to break the human spirit—and where women’s grief, poverty, and trauma were labelled as insanity. 10 Days in a Madhouse is a bold contemporary opera from innovative American composer Rene Orth and acclaimed Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch that will make its Canadian premiere in four performances at the Bluma Appel Theatre on June 16, 18, 20, and 21, 2026, produced by Tapestry Opera and co-presented by Luminato Festival, as part of Luminato’s 20th anniversary festival next June, and the Canadian Opera Company, in association with TO Live.

    Based on Bly’s groundbreaking exposé, and originally commissioned by Tapestry Opera and Philadelphia Opera, this gripping psychological work exposes the stigmatization that shaped women’s mental health and the systems that sought to contain them. In 2024, the Music Critics Association of North America awarded it Best New Opera, with The New York Times raving: “Opera needs works like 10 Days, which treats the medium with affection and respect while also chafing at its tropes throughout history. The Wall Street Journal further praised Orth and Moscovitch’s “[trenchant work to] explore how female insanity has been used both as an operatic trope and as a way to label and control non-compliant women.” 

    “10 Days is a thrilling contemporary opera, and a powerful story about the trailblazing investigative journalist, Nellie Bly, brought to life by the uniquely talented duo of Hannah Moscovitch and Rene Orth,” says Tapestry Opera’s Artistic Director, Michael Mori. “We are proud to have commissioned this work and even prouder to collaborate with the Canadian Opera Company and Luminato Festival together for its Canadian premiere. ”

    “Luminato Festival is proud to support the Canadian premiere of this visionary new opera that champions twentieth-century whistleblower Nellie Bly,” says Olivia Ansell, Artistic Director, Luminato Festival. “This type of important collaborative partnership between Tapestry Opera, Luminato Festival, Canadian Opera Company, and TO Live champions the work of Canadian creators and artists to festival audiences on the world stage.”

    COC General Director David Ferguson further adds, “Nellie Bly’s fearless commitment to truth resonates as powerfully today as it did in her time, and there is truly no better art form than opera for conveying the magnitude of her remarkable courage. In partnering with Tapestry Opera, Luminato Festival, and TO Live, the Canadian Opera Company is proud to champion bold, contemporary creators, supporting work that reminds us all of the extraordinary impact a single voice can have.” 

    Featured cast and creative

    (L-R: soprano Mireille Asselin, mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont, soprano Lauren Pearl, and baritone Jorell Williams)

    Award-winning theatre director Joanna Settle leads the production team; Settle previously collaborated with Moscovitch on the powerful 2018 opera Sky on Swings at Opera Philadelphia, which earned widespread acclaim for its moving portrayal of the emotional wreckage of living with Alzheimer’s. Sets from American designer Andrew Lieberman transform the stage into a dark labyrinth—part asylum, part mindscape—pulling audiences deep into Nellie’s world. Canadian conductor and the Canadian Opera Company’s Price Family Chorus Master Sandra Horst leads musical direction of the opera’s dynamic score that blends electronic and acoustic elements to create a sense of tension that mirrors the drama on stage.

    Canadian soprano Mireille Asselin stars as Nellie. Deemed “a treasure” by the Toronto Star, Asselin brings her “power [and] dramatic chops” to the role of Nellie, navigating the violence of indifference and its swift corrosion of one’s grasp on reality. American mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont brings her “beautifully rich and spirited voice” (Washington Post) to the role of Lizzie, whom Nellie befriends on the inside, while American baritone Jorell Williams, with his “stunning vocals” (Seattle Times) performs as the asylum’s malevolent Dr. Josiah Blackwell. Canadian soprano Lauren Pearl completes the cast, reprising her role from the world premiere as Nurse/Matron, effectively “physically embod[ying] the institution’s sadism” (The Wall Street Journal).

    Through striking visuals and haunting music, 10 Days in a Madhouse reimagines a true story of courage and confrontation. It asks what it means to be believed — and what happens when speaking truth sounds like madness. 

    10 Days in a Madhouse will be presented in English with English SURTITLES™.

    For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.tolive.com.

    Watch the trailer now!

    Ticketing information

    Regular priced tickets for 10 Days in a Madhouse range from $69-$119 and are available online at www.tolive.com, by phone at 416-366-7723 and 1-800-708-6754, and in person at the Meridian Hall Box Office (1 Front Street East) and the Meridian Arts Centre Box Office (5040 Yonge Street), Monday to Friday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

    TO Live Box Office phone and email support operates from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. Online sales operate 24 hours a day.

    Access the Media Gallery for High-Res Photography

    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    10 Days in a Madhouse is a Tapestry Opera production co-presented with Luminato Festival and the Canadian Opera Company, in association with TO Live.

    Generously supported by the Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto, the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.

    ABOUT TAPESTRY OPERA

    Tapestry Opera is an award-winning Toronto-based company dedicated to creating, developing, and performing original Canadian opera, led by General Director Michael Hidetoshi Mori and Executive Director Jaime Martino. Tapestry is passionate about uniquely Canadian stories, told in innovative settings, unforgettably interpreted by world-class artists. Tapestry supports emerging artists, develops new audiences and brings Canadian opera to the world stage. Tapestry’s new theatre and facility, the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre on Yonge St. opened in 2025 with the mission of supporting Canadian artists. Founded in 1979, Tapestry is the voice of original contemporary Canadian opera and is the largest commissioner and producer of Canadian operas. For more information, visit tapestryopera.com. 

    ABOUT LUMINATO FESTIVAL

    Luminato Festival transforms the people, places, and possibilities of Toronto with extraordinary art experiences. Every June we present bold, playful, and of the moment art for all to enjoy. In 2026, Luminato celebrates its 20th anniversary edition. Distinctly Toronto, proudly Canadian and totally Global, we welcome the world to explore our streets, stages and stories. Encounter our city like never before. For more information, visit luminatofestival.com.

    ABOUT THE CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY

    Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. General Director David C. Ferguson joined the company in 2024, forming a leadership team alongside Music Director Johannes Debus. The COC enjoys a loyal audience, including a dedicated base of subscribers, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. Its diverse repertoire includes new commissions and productions, local and international collaborations with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracts the world’s foremost Canadian and international artists. The company is an incubator for the future of the art form, nurturing Canada’s new wave of opera performers and creators with customized training and support. The COC’s purpose-built opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, is hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world. For more information, visit coc.ca. 

    ABOUT TO LIVE

    TO Live is one of Canada’s largest multi-arts organizations, operating three iconic venues: Meridian Hall, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, and Meridian Arts Centre. In addition, TO Live presents a full range of performing arts, theatrical, and concert events at these venues in both downtown and uptown Toronto. With these two hubs of creativity and content creation, TO Live has a unique place and perspective to activate creative spaces by inspiring local and international artists, connecting audiences, stimulating new ideas, and elevating artistic potential, becoming a catalyst for creative expression that is reflective of Toronto’s diversity. In 2025, TO Live proudly celebrates the 65th anniversary of Meridian Hall, a landmark in Toronto’s cultural life, and in 2026 we will mark 10 years as an organization—a decade of building a better city through the arts.

    For more information on Tapestry Opera and interview inquiries, please contact:

    Clay Jones, Manager, Communications & Marketing, Tapestry Opera, email: cjones@tapestyopera.com 

    Photo credits from top to bottom: 10 Days in a Madhouse creative featuring soprano Mireille Asselin (photography by: Dahlia Katz); Feature cast of 10 Days in a Madhouse: soprano Mireille Asselin, mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont, soprano Lauren Pearl, and baritone Jorell Williams (all photos submitted by artist).

    boxoffice@tapestryopera.com
    416-537-6606 | tapestryopera.com

    Box Office Hours: 12 pm – 5 pm Monday to Friday.
    In-Person at 877 Yonge Street: 1 hour before performances

  • Free Underground Concerts

    Free Underground Concerts

    Tapestry Opera Announces Free Underground Concerts: Local and International stars, LIVE in the Heart of the City

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Toronto, Ontario –  Tapestry Opera is thrilled to announce the launch of Tapestry Opera’s Free Underground Concerts, an inaugural seven-concert series offering a range of high-calibre musical performances, all completely free of charge. This series is designed to connect world-class artists with the Toronto community, particularly in the Yonge and Davenport area, in an accessible and intimate setting, enriching the city’s cultural landscape.

    The series will feature performances from the inaugural artist, Canadian soprano Danika Lorèn, in a November preview of “Slaying My Demon Lover,“ as well as a choral concert by Silver Thread in December, as well as international acts including Japan’s Duo NaKaNaKa and France’s acclaimed pianist Maxime Alberti in the new year.

    Concert Details

    • When: All concerts take place on select Mondays from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
    • Where: Performance Hall at Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre, 877 Yonge St.
    • General Admission Tickets: Free with registration. Registration for each concert opens approximately three weeks before the performance date.
    • Book November tickets here or subscribe for first access to all Free Underground Concerts dates.nce date.

    “We believe that transformative music should be accessible to everyone,” says Michael Mori, Artistic Director. “The Free Underground Concerts  are an invitation to new musical experiences, inviting locals, Torontonians and all new audiences to experience the power of imaginative live music in a welcoming, central venue.”

    2025/2026 Concert Lineup

    DateArtist/ConcertGenre HighlightsRegistration Opens
    Mon, Nov 24, 2025Danika Lorèn and Gentle Freak preview OpenStudio and MainStage: Slaying My Demon LoverClassical Voice, Opera, ImprovisationMon, Nov 3, 2025
    Mon, Dec 8, 2025Silver Thread present a choral concert titled Seeds In FlightChoral MusicMon, Nov 3, 2025
    Mon, Jan 26, 2026VC2 Cello Duo

    Amahl Arulanandam and Bryan Holt celebrate 10 years of collaboration.    		Chamber Music, Cello DuoMon, Jan 5, 2026
    Mon, Feb 23, 2026The Musical Stage Company Musical Theatre, ContemporaryMon, Feb 2, 2026
    Mon, Mar 2, 2026Duo NaKaNaKa Piano Recital with flutist Hiromi TabataPiano Duo, FluteMon, Feb 2, 2026
    Mon, Apr 13, 2026Two Piano Trios, 4 Hands
    featuring Vivian Chen, Noam Dekalo, Julia Mirzoev Peter Eom.

    Presented in collaboration with Syrinx Concerts Toronto.    		Classical, ChamberMon, Mar 23, 2026
    Mon, May 4, 2026Maxime Alberti

    Presented in collaboration with Syrinx Concerts Toronto.    		Piano RecitalMon, Apr 13, 2026

    SECURING FREE TICKETS

    Due to limited capacity, attendees must register in advance for each event. Registration links will be made available to those who subscribe to Tapestry’s e-newsletter first and will be posted on the Tapestry Opera website on the dates listed above. Early registration is strongly encouraged as all shows will sell out.

    ABOUT TAPESTRY OPERA

    Tapestry Opera is an award-winning Toronto-based company that is dedicated to creating, developing and performing original Canadian opera. Tapestry is passionate about uniquely Canadian stories, told in innovative settings, unforgettably interpreted by world-class singers and musicians. Tapestry supports emerging artists, develops new audiences and brings Canadian opera to the world stage. Founded in 1979, Tapestry is the voice of original contemporary Canadian opera.

    -END-

    For more information about Tapestry Opera’s Free Underground Concerts, please email Clay Jones at cjones@tapestryopera.com

  • 25/26 SEASON CELEBRATES FIRST SEASON IN NEW TORONTO VENUE

    25/26 SEASON CELEBRATES FIRST SEASON IN NEW TORONTO VENUE

    Tapestry Opera’s 2025 – 2026 first full season at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre includes site-specific New Canadian Works, Boundary-Pushing Opera, and a major world premiere production at the Bluma Appel Theatre.

    TORONTO, ON – Tapestry Opera, Canada’s leading producer of new Canadian opera, is thrilled to announce its 2025-2026 season. The lineup features four dynamic shows, including two world premieres, a North American premiere, and a Canadian premiere, showcasing the company’s commitment to bold, boundary-pushing, and socially relevant opera, with leading creators such as Sarah Henstra, Ana Sokolović, and Roydon Tse. Three of the four productions will be presented in Tapestry’s new downtown venue, the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre at 877 Yonge St.

    The season begins with the site-specific world premiere ‘opera shorts’ in Tapestry Briefs: Under Where?, a collection of hilarious and absurd opera shorts from a new generation of Canadian creators performed underground at 877 Yonge St. This is followed by the North American premiere of OPE-N’s (Denmark) LOL: Laughing Out Lonely, an opera that confronts modern online loneliness.

    The season continues with Ana Sokolović’s Love Songs – theatrical adaptation by Michael Hidetoshi Mori, a genre-bending work that blurs the lines between opera, dance, and ritual, and concludes with our flagship performance of the season, WE CANT TELL YOU THE DETAILS YET, though a sound investigative mind probably could… but trust us, it’s incredible.

    Book Tickets

    25/26 Programming

    Tapestry Briefs: Under Where?

    October 16–19, 2025
    Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre

    Tapestry Briefs: Under Where? is a collection of ten hot-off-the-press opera shorts that take audiences on an immersive, tragic, absurd, and beautiful journey. This intimate production features the work of nine dynamic Canadian creators—composers Rebecca Gray, Saman Shahi, Roydon Tse, Keith Klassen, and Prokhor Protasoff, with librettists Rachel Gray, Sarah Henstra, Pierre-André Doucet, and Christene Adina Browne.

    The Briefs program has a history of launching successful productions such as The Overcoat, R.U.R. A Torrent of Light and Of the Sea. The new pieces feature a wide range of stories, from a mother with Alzheimer’s and a sponge in a romantic duet with a yogurt container to a woman trying to eat alone despite a tenor’s best efforts. Directed by Michael Hidetoshi Mori and Mabel Wannacott, with music direction by Hyejin Kwon and Gregory Oh, the production stars Reilly Nelson, Adanya Dunn, Keith Klassen, and Jorell Williams.

    LOL: Laughing Out Lonely

    January 16–17, 2026
    Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre

    In its North American premiere, LOL: Laughing Out Lonely is a solo opera from the groundbreaking Danish company OPE-N. Created by Matilde Böcher and Asger Kudahl, this modern opera is a thought-provoking reflection on our digital age. Based on real social media posts, it gives a voice to the voiceless by exploring the dark corners of the internet where marginalized individuals find a distorted sense of community. Acclaimed countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen gives a “tour-de-force” performance as he embodies a series of online personas, including “The Fucking Ugly Face” and “The Lamb.” The production uniquely combines opera with physical theatre, creating a powerful and relevant experience for audiences of all ages.

    Ana Sokolović’s Love Songs
    Theatrical adaptation and staging by Michael Hidetoshi Mori 

    March 26–29, 2026
    Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre

    Part opera, part dance, all heart, Ana Sokolović’s Love Songs, with a new theatrical adaptation by Michael Hidetoshi Mori, is a haunting, genre-defying journey through one woman’s desperate ritual to defy loss, featuring soprano Xin Wang. Sung in five languages and with declarations of love in over 100 tongues, Love Songs blurs the line between opera, performance art, and ritual. The production is a co-presentation with New Music Concerts and showcases the powerful interplay of two lovers in a visceral exploration of memory and healing.

    Title of Opera (we can’t tell you yet!!)

    June, 2026 
    Bluma Appel Theatre

    An award-winning opera featuring some of our favourite soloists, a chorus(!!), and orchestra… that we can’t announce just yet. 

    Our flagship performance of the season is the creation of a Canadian playwright you already admire and a composer the New York Times has hailed as one of the most important voices of our time.

    ABOUT TAPESTRY OPERA

    Tapestry Opera is an award-winning Toronto-based company dedicated to creating, developing and performing original Canadian opera. In 2025, Tapestry co-founded the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre, Toronto’s newest venue for the performing arts. Tapestry is passionate about uniquely Canadian stories, told in innovative settings, unforgettably interpreted by world-class artists. Tapestry supports emerging artists, develops new audiences and brings Canadian opera to the world stage. Founded in 1979, Tapestry is the voice of original contemporary Canadian opera.

    -30-

    For media inquiries, please contact:
    Clay Jones
    Marketing and Communications Manager
    Tapestry Opera
    cjones@tapestryopera.com

  • Jacqueline | Reviews

    Jacqueline | Reviews

    Reviews are in, and we couldn’t be more proud of the response.

    We are not currently short of contemporary operas focused on larger-than-life individuals, with the modern stage becoming a popular venue for biopics – especially those of “great artists.” Unlike many such pieces, however, the representation of the life of the phenomenal musician Jacqueline du Pré that we experience in Tapestry Opera’s Jacqueline is anything but a predictable biography.

    Jane Forner – Opera Canada

    Through it all, her artistry is personified by the brilliant playing and the physical presence of cellist Matt Haimovitz. I find the staging quite ingenious, with various objects such as a phonograph, an LP, and other material dropping from the top at strategic points in the storytelling. Also striking is the presence of neatly placed chairs in the background, perhaps representing an unseen audience. When du Pré’s health and mental state started to deteriorate, the chairs become chaotic, symbolizing du Pré’s disintegrating world.

    Joseph So – Ludwig Van Toronto

    Most new Canadian operas get an initial run (if they are lucky) and then disappear.  Luna Pearl Woolf and Royce Vavrek’s Jacqueline is unusual in that following it’s premiere at Tapestry Opera in Toronto in 2020 it also played in San Francisco in 2024 and is now back in Toronto for a revival at Tapestry; once again directed by Michael Mori.  

    operaramblings

     Tapestry Opera’s biographical Jacqueline is totally unlike anything I’ve seen on an opera stage before. Directed by Michael Hidetoshi Mori, with a libretto by Royce Vavrek and compositions by Luna Pearl Woolf, Jacqueline is a heartbreaking story about music, fame, passion, and illness.

    Janine Marley – A View From the Box

    Stunningly composed by Montreal-based Luna Pearl Woolf, glowing poetic libretto by Canadian Brooklynite Royce Vavrek, the dazzling, quadriptych-like portrait of du Pré, shadowed by tragedy, summoned a kaleidoscope of fresh reaction, a casting of what feels like new light on a work long-cherished in memory, more impression, perhaps, than stark illumination, but no less intense.

    Ian Ritchie – Opera Going Toronto


    Up Next!
  • Von Stade, Heggie, Nagano… Jacqueline du Pré!

    Von Stade, Heggie, Nagano… Jacqueline du Pré!

    Tapestry’s Artistic Director, Michael Mori, shares his thoughts on his recent trip to direct Jacqueline in San Francisco.

    “a perfect and intricate dance of storytelling… absolutely the highest level of virtuosity, artistry and communication…. Spectacular!”
    – Jake Heggie, opera composer (Dead Man Walking, Moby Dick, Everest…)

    This past month, I was in San Francisco to direct the US premiere of Luna Pearl Woolf and Royce Vavrek’s Jacqueline, based on the life of Jacqueline du Pré. You may have joined Tapestry five years ago (!) for the world premiere in February 2020 at the Betty Oliphant Theatre. The cast, creators, and I were thrilled to have luminaries such as Kent Nagano, Frederica von Stade, and Jake Heggie in the San Francisco audience… offering pretty high praise!

    “I was mesmerized and amazed at this brilliant work…. Marnie Breckenridge and her orchestra; Matt Haimovitz was so powerful and truly magnificent… We left the theatre knowing of the brilliance of music, theatre, and passion!”
    – Frederica von Stade, legendary mezzo soprano

    We were in good company at the West Edge Opera Festival, with the world premiere of Bullrusher (featuring Tapestry alumna mezzo-soprano Rebecca Cuddy) and a 3 1/2 hour condensed version (initially 15 hours!) of Wagner‘s entire ring cycle featuring some fantastic voices! Bullrusher tells the story of an African-American girl growing up in Northern California’s remote Anderson Valley in 1955. She has never seen anyone that looks like her until a young Black woman from Alabama comes to town… It was beautifully sung and nuanced in revealing how relationships in small-town California work, thoughtfully considering the changing culture of the day without falling into racial tropes. 

    With Jacqueline as the third premiere of the festival, we were set to share the drama and tragedy of Jacqueline du Pré with our Bay area friends and audiences. Cellist Matt Haimovitz, who plays the role of Jacqueline du Pré’s cello, was age 14 when he was brought into Dupré and Daniel Barenboim’s household as one of Jacqueline’s last proteges and the first cellist to play with Daniel following her illness.

    This work has come so far with the team of Royce, Luna, Matt, Marnie Breckenridge, and myself first meeting in artistic retreats at the art ranch at Tippet Rise in Montana, at McGill University, and now with enthusiastically received premieres in Toronto and San Francisco. 

    L to R: Luna Pearl Wolf, Matt Haimovitz, Michael Hidetoshi Mori, Royce Vavrek, Marnie Breckenridge.

    The Inverted Portal massive sculpture at Tippet Rise

    Workshopping scenes at Tippet Rise.

    Designer Camie Koo’s and my concept of an exploded concert hall resonated as a symbol of what might transpire in Jacqueline, who identified as a professional cellist for her entire life and then completely lost that capacity. The design initially benefitted from using fly rails to ‘explode’ the chairs and stands into the air and was adjusted for the San Francisco production to use hidden floor lines to have the chairs and stands ‘magically’ collapse.

    Matt Haimovitz, Cello and Marnie Breckenridge as Jacqueline.
    All Photos, credit: Cory Weaver/West Edge
    Please check out the entire series of photos from West Edge Opera’s production of Jacquline.

    After a slow three years of pandemic, it’s truly awesome to see two Tapestry commissioned works continue to find new homes and success in the world, with Rocking Horse Winner having its 5th production and this recent US premiere, Jacqueline’s 2nd production of hopefully many many more!

    Michael Hidetoshi Mori
    General Director and Artistic Director
    Tapestry Opera

  • Award-Winning Commission: 10 Days in a Madhouse

    Award-Winning Commission: 10 Days in a Madhouse

    July 24th, 2024 – Tapestry Opera’s co-commission and co-production with Opera Philadelphia, 10 Days in a Madhouse, has won the 2024 Music Critics Association of North America award for BEST NEW OPERA. This accolade follows last year’s triumph when Tapestry Opera received the same award for RUR: A Torrent of Light, becoming the first Canadian work to do so. The recognition reaffirms Tapestry Opera’s commitment to groundbreaking and compelling storytelling through music.

    The Best New Opera award goes to composer Rene Orth and librettist Hannah Moscovitch for 10 DAYS IN A MADHOUSE. The award recognizes musical and theatrical excellence and is given annually to an operatic world premiere presented in North America the previous calendar year. 

    Commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and Tapestry Opera, 10 Days had its world premiere at Opera Philadelphia as part of Festival O23 in September 2023 at the Wilma Theater. Opera Philadelphia has a stellar history of producing compelling and successful new operas, and 10 Days in a Madhouse now joins Breaking the Waves (by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek) and The Wake World (by David Hertzberg), both Opera Philadelphia commissions, in the Best New Opera pantheon. 

    An Awards Committee of distinguished music critics determines the Best New Opera Award. It reflects MCANA’s overarching mission to recognize distinctive achievements and, through its web publication Classical Voice North America, communicate the richness of musical life in the U.S. and Canada at a time when classical music coverage in traditional print media is shrinking. 

    10 Days in a Madhouse is a psychological opera inspired by the life of Nellie Bly, a trailblazing reporter who, in 1887, faked madness in order to be admitted to Blackwell’s Asylum for the Insane and to report on conditions from the inside. It uses her story to explore how insanity has been used as an operatic conceit and as a way to control non-compliant women, exposing—as Nellie Bly herself did—the feminization of madness, the bias of doctors against the sanity of women and how the systems and social structures in which women find themselves induce madness. 

    The opera was received with great acclaim. The New York Times hailed it as a pillar of the form, stating that “opera needs works like 10 Days, which treats the medium with affection and respect while also chafing at its tropes throughout history.” The Wall Street Journal praised the libretto and music, writing, “Ms. Orth and librettist Hannah Moscovitch trenchantly explore how female insanity has been used both as an operatic trope and as a way to label and control non-compliant women.” Opera News wrote: “Orth orchestrates superbly…This gripping new opera deserves wide circulation.” Observer stated, “10 Days in a Madhouse is a rare piece: a contemporary opera whose subject, story, music and execution are both intelligent and moving.”

    In response to winning the award, composer Rene Orth said:
    “I am so grateful for the MCANA jury to recognize 10 Days in a Madhouse with such a prestigious honor. Hannah and I set out to write something surprisingly rare in the operatic tradition—a work that didn’t focus on women suffering trauma and death, but rather strength and perseverance against the continued societal biases working against us. I’m thrilled that the piece has resonated with so many people. An especially huge thank you to director Joanna Settle, conductor Daniela Candillari, sound designer Rob Kaplowitz, Opera Philadelphia’s Director of New Works Sarah Williams, and the insanely talented cast, chorus, and orchestra—all for their full commitment to our risk-taking and storytelling in bringing this piece to life.”

    Statement from the MCANA Awards Committee:

    “Drawing from reporter Nelly Bly’s exposé of conditions at the insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island (now Roosevelt Island), this searing chamber opera explores how insanity has been used as an operatic trope and as a way to control non-compliant women. The ingenious libretto structures the narrative in reverse: it opens with Bly’s 10th day in the asylum, where she went undercover, and over 90 intense minutes reassembles the disordered elements of her institution-induced breakdown into a recognizable story. Text fragments, choral hazes, and electronics are among the techniques used to unmoor the narrative from rationality; yet the characters remain strong and musically distinctive throughout. Taut, original, and affecting, 10 Days in a Madhouse works on multiple levels – theatrical, thematic, and human.”

    MCANA’s Best New Opera Award

    The year 2024 marks the seventh MCANA Award for Best New Opera. It honours musical and theatrical excellence in a fully staged opera that received its world premiere in North America during the preceding calendar year. The award is one of the few in the world that simultaneously recognize both composer and librettist. 

    After MCANA members submit nominations, the finalists are chosen by an Awards Committee co-chaired by Heidi Waleson, opera critic of The Wall Street Journal, and George Loomis, longtime contributor to the Financial Times and Musical America—alongside MCANA president Arthur Kaptainis, contributor to Ludwig van Toronto and former music critic of the Montreal Gazette; and committee members John Rockwell, former critic and arts editor of The New York Times and a regular correspondent for Opera (UK) and Musical America; and Alex Ross, music critic of The New Yorker. 

    MCANA’s Best New Opera Award has an illustrious track record. The 2017 inaugural award went to Missy Mazzoli (composer) and Royce Vavrek (librettist) for Breaking the Waves; the 2018 Award went to composer-librettist David Hertzberg for The Wake World; the 2019 Award went to Ellen Reid (composer) and Roxy Perkins (librettist) for p r i s m; the 2020 Award went to Jeanine Tesori (composer) and Tazewell Thompson (librettist) for Blue; the 2021 Award went to Raven Chacon (composer), Du Yun (composer), Aja Couchois Duncan (librettist), and Douglas Kearney (librettist) for Sweet Land; and the 2023 Award went to Nicole Lizée (composer) and Nicolas Billon (librettist) for R.U.R. A Torrent of Light.

    Rene Orth

    Rene Orth—“a master composer” with a “sophisticated sound world” (Classical Voice North America)—writes music described as “always dramatic, reflective, rarely predictable, and often electronic” (Musical America). She recently completed a three-year tenure as Composer-In-Residence at Opera Philadelphia.

    Last season, Opera Philadelphia presented the “triumphant world premiere” (Wall Street Journal) of 10 Days in a Madhouse, co-commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and Tapestry Opera. Other projects include a song cycle for Vocal Arts DC and mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, premiering at The Kennedy Center; a new song, A Prayer, for baritone Will Liverman and mezzo-soprano J’nai Bridges; and an electronics and voice piece for mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis’ forthcoming debut album, Stand the Storm. The Chautauqua Institution also premieres Love, Loss, and the Century Upon Us (libretto by Jerre Dye) with a 13-piece orchestra.

    Hannah Moscovitch

    Hannah Moscovitch is an acclaimed playwright and TV-writer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has written sixteen plays, including East of Berlin, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classesand This is War, and she’s been honored with numerous awards, among them theGovernor General’s Award, the Nova Scotia MasterWorks Arts Award and the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize. 

    Hannah’s music-theatre hybrid Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story (co-created with Christian Barry and Ben Caplan) became a Time Out and New York Times Critic’s Pick, winning both the Herald Angel and a Scotsman Fringe First at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and receiving six Drama Desk Award nominations in New York. Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story recently crossed the 400 performances line. 

    In television, Hannah is the Co-Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer of Little Bird alongside showrunner Jennifer Podemski, on CTV/Crave and APTN Lumi in Canada and PBS in the USA. Little Bird has garnered a landslide of awards and critical praise, including the Prix Public or Audience Award at the international TV festival, Series Mania, in Lille, France, and 13 Canadian Screen Award including Best Drama Series. Most recently, Hannah was Co-Executive Producer on Season One and Season Two of AMC’s hit series Interview with The Vampire.

    Tapestry Opera

    Tapestry Opera is an award-winning Toronto-based company dedicated to creating, developing, and performing original Canadian opera. Tapestry is passionate about uniquely Canadian stories, told in innovative settings, unforgettably interpreted by world-class artists. Tapestry supports emerging artists, develops new audiences and brings Canadian opera to the world stage. Founded in 1979, Tapestry is the voice of original contemporary Canadian opera.

    For further information, photos, score/libretto, and to arrange interviews, please contact Aleba & Co. at 212-206-1450 or aleba@alebaco.com

  • Rocking Horse Winner: A Brief History

    Rocking Horse Winner: A Brief History

    The award-winning production of Rocking Horse Winner is now one of the most-performed Canadian operas!

    How did we get here?

    2009: Librettist Anna Chatterton and Composer Gareth Williams collaborate at the 2009 LIBLAB. 

    2016: Anna and Gareth’s adaptation of D.H. Lawrence‘s short story gallops onto the stage with a fantastic ensemble of mostly unknown designers, performers, and creatives, marking Artistic Director Michael Hidetoshi Mori‘s directorial debut for Tapestry Opera.

    Rocking Horse Winner cast from the 2016 production
    (Photos by Dahlia Katz)

    Asitha Tennekoon as Paul with The House
    (Photo by Dahlia Katz)

    Carla Huhtanen as Ava and  Asitha Tennekoon as Paul
    (Photosby Dahlia Katz)

    2017: A surprise hit, the production earns 5 of 9 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Asitha Tennekoon, who wins Outstanding Performance, Male, Opera Division.

    2018: Rocking Horse Winner goes international with a production by Opera Saratoga.

    Christine Suits as Ava and Tyler Nelson as Paul
    (Photo by Gary David Gold)

    2020: The pandemic pauses a planned remount with Crow’s Theatre.  Undeterred, the company pivots, takes advantage of Zoom to hold rehearsals and ultimately releases the cast recording.

    2023: Rocking Horse Winner travels once again with productions by Opera Louisiane and Opera Maine.

    Rocking Horse Winner Cast | Opera Maine
    (Photo by Martha Mickles) 

    November, 2023: Returning to Toronto, Rocking Horse Winner rides again with just eight performances at Streetcar Crowsnest. 

    Rocking Horse Winner
    November 1 – 12, 2023
    The Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest

    A Tapestry Opera Production in association with Crow’s Theatre
    Composed by Gareth Williams | Libretto by Anna Chatterton
    Directed by Michael Hidetoshi Mori | Music Direction by Kamna Gupta

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