Study Guide

 
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About this Guide

Welcome to our online study guide for The Flight of the Hummingbird. This resource is designed to deepen student and teacher engagement with the opera, emphasizing the collaboration with Indigenous nations that underpins the work.

Our guide supports deep listening, encourages new ways of thinking about your relationship to the lands you live on, and fosters connections with Indigenous knowledge. It reflects the core values of care, curiosity, hybridity, and responsibility, guiding participants towards a meaningful understanding of the opera's themes and the collaborative spirit in which it was created.

Join us in exploring the rich cultural and educational layers of The Flight of the Hummingbird…


 

 

 

Preparing for a Performance

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY


Honouring the land on which the opera is being performed is a way to activate the teachings of reconciliation.


This is an old story.
It is older than any tree but still younger than the mother forest
It is older than any paved highway but still younger than the mountains
First told on a mountain in the Altiplano
Then inscribed into the earthen walls under a roof that brushes the edge of the sky
It is a timeless story.
It does not begin with “Once upon a time”
It doesn’t really have an end
It does not have fantastical heroes defeating evil forces and
Maybe that is because these things are not really as important as the one thing this story has
It has you
And the something you will do

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
Author Flight of the Hummingbird – A Parable for the Environment



AN INVITATION TO CONSIDER

The story behind the opera itself is equally important. From the beginning of the creative process, it has been Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas’s interpretation of the parable that is at the centre of the opera. This is an important distinction because as producers, Vancouver Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria were not seeking to create an opera based on an Indigenous storythe intent was to produce an opera written and created by an Indigenous artist.

Michael’s mother is Haida, his father Scottish. Self-taught, his unique artistic style is informed by lessons learned from Chinese painter Cai Ben Kwon. The result is a conscious fusion of Haida and Asian artistic influences called Haida manga. Michael describes Haida manga as ‘blending North Pacific Indigenous iconographies and frame lines with the graphic dynamism of Asian manga. It is committed to hybridity as a positive force that opens a third space for critical engagement’. The artistic heritage of the opera is informed by the lived experience of not only Michael, but of the other members of the creative team, composer Maxime Goulet, and director Glynis Leyshon. This collaboration is informed by a living Indigenous culture, the Haida and their outreaches into other regions of the world.

AN INVITATION TO CONSULT

Consulting with leaders from the local Indigenous Peoples’ government is an important aspect of preparing for the performance. Part of this process will include establishing expectations for remuneration and gifting for all Indigenous officials, Elders, storytellers, and/or knowledge keepers who participate in the work related to the performance. If your district does not have such staff members, you might consider contacting local native friendship centres, and Indigenous leaders within the community.

AN INVITATION TO ACKNOWLEDGE

Once the audience has gathered and before the performance begins, ensure that either a welcome from an Indigenous community member or an acknowledgement takes place. Use this moment as one of recognition, a welcome for all involved, and an invitation into relationship.

  • Ask if it is possible to invite an Elder or other community member to offer a welcome to the territory and acknowledge that you will offer an honorarium.

  • If an Elder or local leader is not available, begin with a land acknowledgement. Please see Bob Joseph’s (Gwawaenuk Nation) website for his article on First Nation Protocol on Traditional Territory for guidance in creating your own.

  • Recognize the history of the story and the opera’s origins. Honouring the land on which the opera is being performed is a way to activate the teachings of reconciliation.

Illustration by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

PRE-PERFORMANCE INSPIRATION

Here are some ideas from teachers who hosted a performance of The Flight of the Hummingbird in early 2020.

“We consulted and worked with our Indigenous Education Department to prepare for the performance. On the morning of the performance, we began with a local territorial acknowledgement and then the whole school came together in singing and drumming a Lekwungen celebration song.”

“Students from our local Nation led a presentation about their history and their families with the intermediate classes. Before the performance, two of the students did the land acknowledgement”

“We invited members of our local Nation to the performance as well as the head of Indigenous education at our district. We opened the assembly singing the Coast Salish anthem after the land acknowledgement was shared.”

“I worked with the Indigenous Support Worker at our school to invite members of our local Nation to the performance. Our ISW also led the land acknowledgement before the performance.”

“We watched the animated short before the performance. Afterwards, the Indigenous Support Worker spoke with the students about the story.”

 
 

 

The Story

PROLOGUE

High above the beautiful land Owl flies in terror. A fierce fire burns below. He circles anxiously as a flock of Crows, crying in pain as they are caught by the lashing of the flames, try to escape. Owl cannot help them and can only watch as they fall. He turns and flies away, searching for safety.

SCENE ONE

Dukdukdiya (DDD) is happy to be home. She darts around the water, swoops under tree boughs, and lands near the pool’s edge. DDD had been away for a long time and had missed her friends.

Sarah Schabas and Jan van der Hooft during a rehearsal in January 2020. Photo by Nadia Zheng. Costume design by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

SCENE TWO

Bear greets DDD with a warm embrace. They both notice a new smell, a sweet smoky perfume that has filled the air. The smoky wind and dusty breeze make them feel uneasy. Bear is overwhelmed, not knowing what to do. As DDD calms her friend, Bear’s face takes on a dreamy look. He is thinking about his love – Bunny.

SCENE THREE

In the distance, a thumping noise can be heard, getting louder and louder as it gets closer. Suddenly, Bunny stomps into the clearing and walks right up to Bear. She is very frustrated with him as he hasn’t done any housework! Bear and DDD tell Bunny about the smell. Bunny isn’t concerned with the smell when there is so much work to do. “Stop caring about what’s far away!” DDD replies, “I think we should do something about it.” She then shares inspiring stories of faraway people who work to protect our Earth.

SCENE FOUR

The friends are interrupted by the sudden arrival of Owl. He seems to have fallen from the sky. DDD leans over him to see if he is okay. Suddenly, he screams, “FIRE,” and looks around with fear in his eyes. When he realizes he is safe, Owl assures his friends that he is fine and doesn’t need their help.

SCENE FIVE

Bear and DDD recognize the smoky scent on Owl and begin to wonder if the smell is coming from a fire. Bunny is more suspicious and accuses him of smoking. What else could explain the smell and the ash falling from his wings? When Owls tells his story of escaping the forest fire, Bunny realizes he is seeking shelter and instead of treating him as a stranger she welcomes him. She tells Owl that she too once fled from her home and found peace, friendship, and love with DDD and Bear.

SCENE SIX

Bear fears that Owl is telling the truth about the fire and raises his concerns with Bunny and DDD. Bunny pushes his worries aside as she tends to Owl’s injuries. Owl refuses their help. He feels badly about leaving the other animals behind when he fled from the fire. The animals come together as they tend to Owl and tuck him into bed.

SCENE SEVEN

Struggling to fall asleep, Owl remains tense. He is remembering the dusty red sky and all the smoke. He is remembering all the crows that didn’t make it to safety. DDD watches over her new friend as he finally rests.

Rebecca Cuddy, Jan van der Hooft, Evan Korbut during a rehearsal in January 2020. Photo by Nadia Zheng. Costume design by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

SCENE EIGHT

Owl begins to dream and is visited by the spirits of the crows who died in the fire. These are the crows that watched Owl fly away! The crows try to entice Owl to join their flock and leave the others.

SCENE NINE

Before they can succeed, DDD wakes Owl up. He tells her about the crows and his plans to join them. DDD looks around. There are no crows to be seen. It was only a bad dream. DDD assures Owl that she, his true friend, has been by his side as he slept. Bunny bursts in, crying out for Bear, who has gone off alone. The friends set off to try and find Bear.

SCENE TEN

Meanwhile Bear has gone into the forest and discovers the fire is real! He rushes back to his friends and they frantically search for a way to deal with the fierce fire. They can think of nothing to do but run away. But as they start to escape the flames, they realize that DDD is not following them.

Instead, DDD picks up one drop of water and tosses it on the fire. “Now, I do what I can.”

Owl, realizing that he too can help, picks up a drop of water and tosses it on the fire. “The nothing we do is the something undone.”

Instead of washing dishes and sweeping floors, Bunny picks up a drop of water and tosses it on the fire. Instead of refusing to see the danger, Bear picks up a drop of water and tosses it on the fire.

“The nothing we did is the something undone.”

“Now, we do what we can!”


The film Flight of the Hummingbird

By Christopher Auchter, based on the book and artwork by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

 
 
 
 

 

The Characters

Costume drawing by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

Activity

The animals in the opera are changed by their experiences. Using the character descriptions below as a starting place, describe how they are different at the end of the opera.

Encourage students to present the results of the inquiry process through their own story telling. Build their capacity through experimentation with sound (volume, pitch, pace), expression (facial, body, word emphasis), and the story itself.

The animals create a family through acts of care and love. What are the specific ways they care for each other? How does it make the other animals feel? What acts of care and love towards the community can we do today? Tomorrow?


 

Sarah Schabas, Rebecca Cuddy, Jan van der Hooft, Evan Korbut during a rehearsal in January 2020. Photo by Nadia Zheng. Costume design by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

 

The Characters

DUKDUKDIYA- DDD (Hummingbird) – the hero in waiting

Initially, DDD is uncertain and questioning. She feels isolated. Returning to a forest home she had long since left, perhaps this is a seasonal chapter in the life of a bird.

BEAR – a responsive follower but not a leader

Bear likes to sit high in a tree and observe the valley and beyond. This thoughtful character is like a librarian familiar with the catalogue but unable to open a book. This is the zeitgeist of the well-informed society able to identify the constituent parts but not grasping the whole or complexity of dynamic relationships.

BUNNY – the bystander, the judge and Bear’s partner

At an earlier time, Bunny sought refuge in the valley. Faced with the arrival of a recent refugee, Bunny initially finds it difficult to be compassionate. This character has an opinion on how her busy, accomplished and hard-working ethic puts others to shame.

OWL – the tragic figure

A refugee from the forest fire. This older character is injured as a result of his escape from the fire and the loss of his companions. Owl has accumulated experience, and this provides the younger characters the opportunity to learn without repeating the trauma. He signals the need for real engagement - not fantasy visions or putting personal projections on others. Owl learns the cost of an individual isolated from emotional societal relationships.

CROWS – The memories and regrets of what was lost

They appear in owl’s nightmare/post-traumatic stress. They symbolize the costs of a society that is traumatized by direct experience. By attempting to take Owl they also remind us that improper behavior also creates a real cost in the perpetrator. The result of such behaviour in a group erodes collective values.


Rebecca Cuddy, Jan van der Hooft, Evan Korbut during a rehearsal in January 2020. Photo by Nadia Zheng. Costume design by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

 
 

 

Sound Mapping

A learning activity by Alex Chen

Introduction

The outside world is full of fascinating sounds: numerous varieties of birds, the wind in the trees, the footsteps of fellow classmates, and so much more!
In this activity, we will explore the
sonic world around us and create a work of art together that reflects what we hear. Be open to surprises, delight, and curiosity!

OBJECTIVE

This activity is intended to deepen your student’s connection to the natural world and encourage active participation and engagement that connect to the themes of interdependence, connection, and care that the opera explores. It is also intended to help students use the sounds you hear to participate in citizen science that helps protect biodiversity and natural soundscapes.

Materials

  • Sound Mapping:

  • Reflection:

    • Whiteboard or large sheet of paper

    • Whiteboard or regular marker

Instructions

  1. Pick a spot: Find an outdoor area where you can safely listen to your surroundings with your eyes closed. Place your table at approximately the centre of the area.

  2. Set up the map: Lay out the Bristol board on the table and secure it with tape. As a class, identify some landmarks in the area (e.g. trees, big rocks, buildings) and draw them on the map (can be done by teacher or student volunteer(s)).

  3. Spread out: Spread out the members of your class to different spots in this area.

  4. Listen & explore: Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you for 8 minutes. After the teacher announces that the 8 minutes has passed, open your eyes and keep listening for 2 more minutes—look around to see if you can find what is making the sounds you notice.

  5. Map sounds: Come back together at the table and take turns describing what sounds you heard and where they were coming from. At the spots on the map where the sounds seemed to be coming from, draw pictures inspired by those sounds. These images could range anywhere from a picture of a bird to an abstract depiction of the texture of a particular sound (e.g. squiggly lines). When choosing your marker, ask yourself: what colour is this sound?

  6. You’re done! Once everyone has had a chance to share their observations, your sound map is done! Snap a picture of it and share it with us on Instagram @pacificoperavictoria and @vancouveropera! We encourage you to put it up somewhere in your classroom as a reminder of the sonic world around us.

Optional: During step 4. Listen & explore, you can use a phone to run the Sound ID function in the Merlin Bird ID app. The app will record sounds and give possible bird identifications if it hears any birds. During or after step 5. Map sounds, you can use the bird IDs to zone in on what birds you might have heard. The app also allows you to play specific birds’ sounds. The first half of this video is a helpful tutorial to this function. 

Possible Modifications

  • Staying together: should it fit class or safety needs better, step 3. Spread out can be skipped.

  • Lengths of time: the lengths of time in step 4. Listen & explore can be adjusted based on class needs. Please note that if you go over 10 minutes and are using the Merlin Sound ID function, the app will ask you if you want to stop recording at the 10-minute mark.

  • Clipboard & paper: instead of a table and Bristol board, a clipboard and paper can be used to make the sound map. This might suit smaller class sizes and/or situations where greater portability is needed. 

Reflection (~15 minutes)

Once you’re back in the classroom, gather at a whiteboard or large sheet of paper. On the writing surface, your teacher will make two columns: anthropogenic sounds (i.e. sounds made by humans and human activities) and natural sounds (i.e. from the wider natural world).

Assign the sounds you heard today to either anthropogenic sounds or natural sounds, leaving lots of space on the page between each entry.

As a class, respond to these questions about the sounds. Your teacher or a volunteer will write down your reflections beside the associated sounds.

  • Which sounds did you like? Put a heart or smiley face beside them.

  • Which sounds didn’t you like? Put a sad face beside them.

  • Which sound was your favourite? Put a star beside this sound.

  • How did different sounds make you feel?

  • Note: depending on students’ experiences, some sounds might have both positive and negative symbols.

Once this reflection is completed, this is an opportunity for the teacher to discuss the class’ overall relationship with anthropogenic versus natural sounds. For example, anthropogenic sounds could be perceived as overbearing or alternatively familiar; natural sounds could be comforting or unexpected. 

Round out the discussion by introducing soundscape ecology (also called acoustic ecology by some). In all these activities, we’ve explored the sounds around us and how they affect us. Expanding off of this, soundscape ecology is an area of study that looks at how living things, including humans, relate to each other and their environment through sound. Sensitivity to soundscape ecology helps us contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and better understand how the sonic environment contributes to our own wellbeing.

We encourage you to send along a photo of your final chart—we love to see each class’ perspectives! @pacificoperavictoria @vancouveropera

Call to Action

From what you’ve learned today, we encourage you to continue your journey in soundscape ecology!

  • Keep noticing the soundscape around you—find your favourite spots for listening and invite others to join in appreciating the sounds.

  • Use the sounds you hear to participate in citizen science that helps protect biodiversity and natural soundscapes.

  • Make visual arts inspired by the sounds around you – share your finished visual art with us by tagging us on Instagram!

  • Using a sound recorder (e.g. smartphone), record sounds around you. Using sound editing programs like Audacity (free), make your own music or soundscape out of the sounds you collected—share your finished sound art with us by getting in touch on Instagram!

Terms

Soundscape: an immersive, auditory environment; can be used to describe the assemblage of sounds in a given environment or in a work of sound art.

Soundscape ecology: the study of the relationship between living things (including humans) and the sounds of their environment.

Anthropogenic sound/anthrophony: sound generated by humans and their electro-mechanical technologies (e.g. cars) in a given environment.

Geophony: naturally-occurring, non-biological sounds in a given environment, such as wind, water, and thunder.

Biophony: sounds created by non-human organisms in a given environment, such as birds’ songs.

Biodiversity: the variety of life in a given environment.



ABOUT Alex Chen

Alex Chen is a portfolio artist with a wealth of artistic and administrative skillsets. As a baritone, collaborative pianist, and vocal coach, he brings fresh perspectives on a diverse body of musical works. On faculty at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, he fosters the development of developing and professional artists. Through an administrative lens, he wears many hats to support projects for organizations such as Pacific Opera Victoria and the Gay4Nature Collective.

Recent professional highlights include summer festival performances in Toronto & San Francisco with Tafelmusik & American Bach Soloists (respectively); grant & short film production success on Gay4Nature’s Green (based on Debussy’s Ariettes oubliées, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts); and performing in the mighty avian chorus in Pacific Opera Victoria’s premiere of Walter Braunfels’ The Birds.

On the topic of birds, Alex has a secret zoology background that surfaces in projects such Dear Birds through POV’s Civic Engagement Apprenticeship Program (Dear Birds – Pacific Opera Victoria).

Find out more about Pacific Opera’s Civic Engagement Program here.

 
 

 

What is Haida Manga?


Haida Manga

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas combines Haida imagery and the storytelling medium of manga to create a unique genre, Haida manga. The name for this style was coined after Michael travelled to Japan; upon seeing his art, Japanese students suggested he was a mangaka (manga artist).

In telling the stories of A Tale of Two Shamans (2001), Red (2009), and JAJ (2023), Michael utilizes a frameline to great effect. The formline is a versatile flowing black-line separating each panel, interacting with the story, and forming a much larger work of art. The 108 panels comprising Red assemble to form a 5x2m mural. Red was based on a true story, passed down the Yahgulanaas family through Haida oral tradition. It follows a young girl and her brother on the west coast of Haida Gwaii. When the young girl is captured, her brother’s thirst for revenge threatens the well-being of their community.

*Please note that some of these works contain adult/mature content

One piece of the five-metre long mural. The frameline divides the panels, interacts with the world, and takes on a greater form in the mural.

 
 

Michael’s 2023 graphic novel, JAJ, originated as a 2x4m mural commisioned by Berlin’s Homboldt Forum, invoking the image of a woven robe. The Haida manga, comprising this mural, explores the tempestuous history of European colonization and the Indigenous peoples on the Pacific coast.

 
 

RED: a Haida Manga (2009)

Age recommendation: Grades 7-9, 10-12

 
 

 

Walk of Gratitude

The land and its power is an undeniable theme in The Flight of the Hummingbird, and so we asked Rebecca Hass (Métis), Director of Engagement Programs and Partnerships at Pacific Opera Victoria to share her own unique connection to the land she lives and works on. We hope this beautiful walk of gratitude will inspire you to think about the spaces that you walk upon.

 
 

Taansi. Aaniin. Hello. My name is Rebecca Hass.

My name is Rebecca and the spirits know me by the name The Voice of the Loon on the Lake (Anishinaabemowin).

I have introduced myself in Anishinaabemowin. This would be very close to the language that my ancestors spoke. I am Métis, from a community in Georgian Bay, Ontario, and I have many Anishinaabe relatives, and so I'm very delighted to share that language. I have been taught that when I use that language, my ancestors know where I am, and they can hear me and come and walk with me. Since we're on a nature walk today, I'm very happy to welcome my ancestors along with me.

I'm here today on lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) territory in Victoria, British Columbia. I have been a very grateful visitor here since 2005. This is beautiful territory, and it has been stewarded by the lək̓ʷəŋən people. Today we're going to learn a little bit about how I walk softly on this land to honour the people who've cared for this land, and to become part of the story of this land by how I see myself interrelated to everything that we're going to see on our walk.

When we start out on a walk on the land, I want you to bring your attention to your feet. If this were not winter and very wet here right now, I probably would've come in my moccasins, but actually I'm wearing a more practical boot, but that doesn't change the fact that I can think about the land that I walk on. Wherever you go for your next walk, why not listen to your footfall and feel the Earth below you?

When you're in bare feet and you walk on the land, you feel all the little pieces. You feel all the little bits of stones, little bits of wood, and even though you can't feel these in your boots, I want you to imagine it because it changes how you walk. You want to walk softly because this is our mother, Mother Earth, and so it's really important that we treat her with respect.

Often we clomp around and pay no attention to what we're crushing under our feet, but here on the land, I want to invite you just to walk softly and feel your footfall. You can press through from heel to toe, heel to toe, and just see what that feels like. Here in the wet season, it's much softer. If I were to do this in the summer, it would feel firmer. That tells me something about the land and it tells me about the season, and it probably tells me how I need to be in relationship to this land.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Photo by Trac Vu / Unsplash)

In a slow walk like this, now that I can hear the birds, I can actually start to look and see all the different colors that even the wintertime offers us on our territory. If you take a look, you can see the mosses, so many kinds of green. The little white berries that the birds are probably finding quite delicious this time of the year? Maybe.

Even when we start to look at the leaves that have died or the trees that are falling apart and rotting, we can actually see the cycle of life, and it's a good reminder for me I'm part of this cycle, a cycle in the spring of planting and growing and fresh green, but also a cycle of winter when things die off, allowing the soil to regenerate and new things to come. This is all available to you when you go for a walk. In fact, let's go find one of those rotting trees right now.

When you're out in the woods and you have a chance to stop, you can really begin to appreciate logs like this. We see these all over territories here in British Columbia, rotting logs, and first of all, we've been talking about our senses. We've been talking about our footfall. We've been talking about what we hear, the urban world as well as the wild world, and now we're talking about what we see.

You can look at there are so many kinds of brown and tans and beiges and the richness of the colors, and we can stop and take all of that in and we can let our mind roam, the artist in you who can actually think about what they might paint or draw, or the things it reminds you about in your life.

This is a tree that's done its job, it's lived its life, and now it's living a different kind of life. It's allowing other things to grow out of it, and everything that comes from it as it rots makes new life come. That's a beautiful thing we can find if we take the time in the forest to look at it, and not just see things as dead and as inanimate. They're not. They're actually still life-givers. They're creating new life, even in this state.

I want to talk a little bit about wind. On this particular walk we don't have a lot of wind, and so I can't really show you the trees moving and you can't hear it on this walk, but you can certainly see on the ground what's happened with the last windstorm here.

I want to talk a little bit about when you're walking and the wind. There are natural elements that we sometimes want to push against. We feel like, "I don't want wind in my face. I probably should have wore a hat." When you're out on a gratitude walk, I want you to think about what wind does.

Wind actually takes all of the leaves off the trees for us in the fall. We need that, because that's what goes into the soil and creates all that richness that can grow, as you can see here, grasses, and these grasses are the lifeblood of our kin, the deer. This is what they eat. You can think about all the organic little microbes. You can think about grasshoppers and ants and everything that lives inside of here, rabbits who go through here.

An Eastern Cottontail (Photo by Gareth Rasberry)

When I was young growing up, my dad would always make brush piles of things that had fallen from the wind, and he would put them out into open spaces in between trees and other covered spots, because he said to me that the rabbits would all be eaten by the hawk if they didn't have somewhere to hide. That was my dad teaching me that we were in relationship to all of this.

I know that at hunting season time, my dad would be hunting a rabbit and want to eat the rabbit, and so he would always take care of the rabbits in the fall to make sure that moms and babies could live and therefore he would have a chance to have something to eat, but he also took care of his rabbit kinfolk so that they could prosper.

These are things that we don't think about in our urban society, but when you come into the forest, even in a park that is in the middle of a city, you can still see all of the evidence and all of the living pieces that are part of that web of life that we are part of. I'm grateful for the wind, because it actually cleans off those trees for fall and helps nourish our soil. I'm grateful for all the grasses that grow here and that feed so many animals that are part of our world.

When we've been out walking in the forest, I've been asking us to tune into our footfall and to really feel how our foot presses through on the earth, even when we're wearing our shoes. Quite honestly, I know that for most of us, we spend a lot of our life walking on a trail that is pavement or tarmac, and then we may think that we're not walking on the Earth anymore. We don't even have to think about it. It's as if there was a buffer built in for us.

I want to invite you in this moment to think about, anytime that you are walking on pavement or concrete, don't let that fool you. Underneath this is Mother Earth, the very thing that we want to connect to and protect, that nourishes us. When you walk on this, it's just a little bit more of a nudge, as we walk on this, to actually think about what's underneath this pavement, and not disregard it and not think, "Well, there's nothing but more pavement," because we know that's not true. There are more good things from Mother Earth underneath here. I'm going to keep the very same thought when I walk on pavement. It's just a little more work than when I walk on the grass.

Thank you for taking the time to come with me on this gratitude walk, and I hope the next time that you're out on the land, wherever you live, you take a moment to walk. Slow down, feel the Earth, hear the birds, and notice what you are grateful for. Miigwech. Maarsii. Thank you.

Credits for Walk of Gratitude

Cinematography by Ashley Daniel Foot
Edited by Fletcher Lenz
Produced by Ashley Daniel Foot and Rebecca Hass


Rebecca Hass

Rebecca Hass (Nitaawe giizhigok/ singing sky woman) is a performer, arts administrator, writer and creative living coach who has been a grateful visitor on Lekwungen territory since 2005. A mixed blood woman (Metis, French, German, British) she is currently the Director of Engagement Programs and Partnerships for Pacific Opera and the winner of the Nada Ristich Change Maker Ruby from Opera Canada for 2022.

A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours Bachelor in Music and Voice Performance, she has enjoyed an over 30-year career as a mezzo soprano performing across Canada with almost every opera company and orchestra as a soloist and lead performer. She has also created several cabarets, one woman shows and toured them to various communities (Wine, Women and Song, Wanna Sing a Showtune) and appeared in the Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera as a swing.

A radio broadcaster and documentary maker for CBC, she is currently the creator, host and producer of the podcast What’s Up with Opera. Rebecca is currently creating a multi-media theatrical piece “Manaadjia” - which means “to take care of our people in order to conserve them for a long time”. Her vision and practice on the land is evolving as a window to the ancestors and a reawakening of our connection to place.

 
 

 

Drum Song

 
 

I wanted to share a song with you. I have been taught that before I share the song, it’s really important that I share with you how the song came to me. I know that the music comes out of the land and the songs come from the land. All of the songs that come to me carry a teaching so it’s important for me to pay attention when I hear the song: what I’m doing, where I am, and what’s around me.

This particular song came to me on a full moon in December. I was creating salves for medicines, from my garden that I had gathered in the fall. As I took time in between rounds of creating the salve and pouring it into the tins, I would go out onto my deck. I have many birds on my deck and all of my medicine plants. It’s winter so all of my plants are sleeping and waiting. This song came and I have since thought quite a bit about this song. It is my belief that this is a song that actually has to do with my garden, which has to do with the natural world and with the land.

The first round is actually the springtime. When we begin to hope that our plants will grow, the sun is starting to peek through, and the ground is still wet. In the second round of this song, we get into summertime and things are growing. The pace picks up because things are verdant and growing quite tall. The third round takes us to the fall. This is a time of harvest and has a “you can’t wait!” If you’ve ever had anything growing in your garden, you know that if the tomato is ready today you’d better pick it today because it is going to be rotten in two days. So there is a sense, and you’ll hear it in the drum beat, that we have to actually get after it.

The last one I’m going to play the rim of the drum, rather than the centre. Because it’s heading into the wintertime and it’s a time when everything again is dormant. In wintertime I think of the sound of tree branches in the wind. If you listen to the drum beats you’ll hear part of the story even though the melody of the song doesn’t shift so much.

CREDITS FOR DRUM SONG

Cinematography by Ashley Daniel Foot
Edited by Fletcher Lenz
Produced by Ashley Daniel Foot and Rebecca Hass

 
 

 

Relationship Song

 
 
 
 

Renae Morriseau, Photo by Ashley Daniel Foot

Introduction

Hi, my name is Renae and I’m here to share a song with you. I created this song about relationships, relationships to the lands and waters, to our families and communities, and relationship to what our heart needs in the moment.

My little cat, Ginger, knows when I’m sad and she’ll come sit beside me. She’ll let me know everything is okay. Sometimes Ginger will rub her little body against my leg and say, “Hey, I’m hungry!” and I’ll know what she wants.

We’re all about relationships. This song is a celebration and a dedication to listen deeply to those around you, to your classmates, to your teacher, and to all the people that make up your life.

When listening to the song there are moments when the M’Girls (Deanna Gestrin, Sherryl Sewepegahan, Kelsey Wavey, Michelle Bardach, and Renae Morriseau) start to whisper because we want to hear your voice, the song that bubbles up inside you. Maybe it’s just a word, maybe this little song inspires you to come up with your own chant. But what do you love about the relationships you have? Who in your life makes you have happy thoughts, who makes you laugh?

Most of all please have fun when you create your addition to this song, from your heart, from your mind, and from your spirit.

 

Relationship Song

Our stories and songs that map our lands and waters.

Thank you long-ago Elders for your words of hope and love.

Stories, Songs that map our

Lands and waters (x2)

Long-ago Ancestors

Thank you Elders,

for your words/messages

Hope (x2)

And love. (x2)



CREDITS FOR RELATIONSHIP SONG

Composer and lead vocalist Renae Morriseau

With the voices of Deanna Gestrin, Sherryl Sewepegahan, Kelsey Wavey, and Michelle Bardach

Cinematography by Ashley Daniel Foot


Renae Morriseau

Renae is Cree and Saulteaux from the Treaty 1 Territory of Manitoba and has worked across Canada and Internationally in film, television and music since the early 80s. She is honoured to have received cultural teachings through social and ceremonial songs and stories with the Secwepemc, Okanagan, Nlaka’pamux, Cree and Anishnaabe peoples. Renae toured internationally with her singing group M’Girl; served as Aboriginal Storyteller at the Vancouver Public Library and directed Down2Earth, an APTN TV Series on green-energy developments and sustainability projects in Maori (New Zealand) and First Nations (Canada) communities. Community building projects include the winter outdoor production Contest of the Winds with Caravan Farm Theatre, the community play Tuwitames with Splatsin Language Program (Secwepemc Nation)/Runaway Moon Theatre, and co-writing In the Heart of a City:The Downtown Eastside Community Play and Storyweaving with Vancouver Moving Theatre.

 
 

 

The Song of Persistence

Music, dance, story, and visual art is interwoven with all aspects of learning and expressing lived experiences. Music plays an integral role in ceremony; honours those that are present and those who are not, provides comfort and healing, connects us to each other, to the world and passes on history of the community to the next generation.

Composer Maxime Goulet has arranged “The Song of Persistence” for young voices. The full piano score, vocal music, as well as backing tracks with the melodies, are available for download below.

 
 

 

Songs for Change

We asked members of our cast and creative team to share songs and music that inspired change. What songs inspire change and civic action?

 

Glynis Leyshon, Director

I start with work by our great Canadian poet Joni Mitchell  - more a warning and a call to action than inspirational per se … but brilliant.

1. Big Yellow Taxi 

 

Next are two songs (and performers) that always lift my soul in celebration of the beauty of our planet.

2. It’s a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

 

3. Somewhere Over the Rainbow sung by the brilliant Israel (IZ) Kamakawiwo’ole 

 

For a classical piece - I selected the final section of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro

4. Ah, Tutti contenti - The idea that redemption and forgiveness are possible always gives me hope for humanity (and our planet).

 

Finally a video that is definitely not for our younger audiences- a powerful plea to save the planet- definitely a call to action but hard to watch.

5. Michael Jackson’s Earth Song

 

Maxime Goulet, Composer

The song I chose is Hey Jude, by The Beatles:

I always was a big fan of the Beatles. Hey Jude was written by Paul McCartney to comfort Julian Lennon when his father, John Lennon, was going through divorce with his mother. Although the ballad isn't directly related to global world change, the lyric "Take a sad song and make it better" inspires me to take action in making myself a better person and making the world around me a better place for everyone to share. At the end of the song, everyone groups to sing the coda. I find it heartwarming and empowering.

 

Here's a few more ideas to inspire change through music: 

 
 
 

Michael Nicholl Yahgulanaas

Fight the Power, Parts 1 & 2 - The Isley Brothers

 

Keely McPeek

Treat People with Kindness by Harry Styles is a song that reminds me of one of the best ways to make a difference. My belief is that if we want to make a change in the world, we have to start from a place of kindness and compassion for others. The world is a big place to change and we can’t do it alone. When I’m feeling stressed about this, I like to listen to this song! It reminds me that if I can “find a place to feel good”, I can bring others in with kindness and we can make world change together.

 

Marcel d’Entremont

Some Other World - Elton John

I know this song because it plays during the ending credits of Fern Gully, a beloved movie from my childhood. Fern Gully is essentially a warning about the environmental impact of human pollution and deforestation, done in a way that is both light-hearted profound. The song, much like the entire movie, underscores the idea that we cannot ignore the consequences of our choices and emphasizes our shared responsibility for the planet. It serves as a poignant reminder to consider the impact of our actions even when we think they won’t affect us, because Earth is the only home we have.

 

Bruno Roy

Tonight, Tonight - The Smashing Pumpkins 

“…Our lives are forever changed. We will never be the same. The more you change the less you feel.”

In the past, there may have been actions you've taken that have brought you feelings of pride or embarrassment, courage or fear. In any case, all of these things are now behind us. This song teaches us at the most important action is to keep moving forward, learning from past experiences, and striving to make better decisions in the future.

 

Matt Udry

The Roots - The Fire

"You can't escape the history you were meant to make."

Especially today, it can be easy to feel powerless in the face of so much tragedy across the world. Even if we can't save the planet on our own, we are still capable of change in tiny ways, whether it be something in our personal lives or how we treat the world around us. Each small step brings us closer to what we hope to achieve, even if it feels like that goal is very far away. "The Fire" reminds us to always listen to those passionate calls for change and keep pushing forward, no matter how difficult circumstances may feel or how much work we have left to do.

 

Ashley Daniel Foot

Ultestakon (Shaker Lullaby) - Jeremy Dutcher

“We have so much to learn from those that came before us,” says indigenous singer Jeremy Dutcher. Jeremy is from the Tobique First Nation, and has released two incredible JUNO winning albums that celebrate and reveal long lost language and recordings from his Wolastoq community in New Brunswick. This beautiful song, "Ultestakon (Shaker Lullaby)” begins in a small way but grows to a powerful celebration of voices in community. Every time I hear the song, I am moved to tears and motivated to continue to find ways that our voices can be the change we need in our world. Enjoy discovering Jeremy’s powerful music.

 

Rebecca Hass

Red Future (feat.Electric Fields) - Snotty Nose Rez Kids

I went to a concert by Snotty Nose Rez Kids in a big concert hall, filled with local urban Indigenous folks of ALL ages and it was unforgettable. They spoke before the concert and encouraged youth to dream big and go for it, sharing their experiences as successful musicians. Making change needs the youth to be our future, to feel hopeful. That night, as they invited so many young people on stage to dance to their live performance, I could feel the energy of hope, and a bright future ahead.

“Red Future is about wanting to see our future generations thriving. We were inspired by Indigenous futurism and we see us, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, as a small part in opening doors and inspiring future youth to realize the vision for their own lives, whether it’s music, art or anything else.” Yung Trybez, Snotty Nose Rez Kids

 


If you’re ready (come go with me) - The Staple Singers

Mavis Staples and the Staple Singers are iconic in music for social change. They began as a gospel group, and became well known for accompanying Dr. Martin Luther King at events and supporting the fight for civil rights through their music. Lead Singer Mavis Staples said:

“We had made a transition back there in the ‘60’s with Dr. King. We visited Dr. King’s church in Montgomery before the movement actually got started. We heard Dr. King preach, we went back to the motel and had a meeting. Pops said, ‘Now if he can preach it, we can sing it”.

I heard Mavis Staples live a few years ago and her passionate performance is something I will never forget. I admire her deeply for her ongoing commitment to music as a means for sharing a message.

As the lyrics say

“No hatred
Will be tolerated
Peace love all between the races
Love is the only transportation
To where there;s communications
If you're ready come go with me”

 
 
 

 

Caring for the Land

 

The Gorge Waterway Action Society

The Gorge Waterway Action Society (GWAS) is a registered charity focused on preserving and enhancing the Gorge Waterway through environmental education, restoration, conservation, stewardship, and community involvement. The core of our organization is the Gorge Waterway Nature House, an interactive environmental education centre in Esquimalt Gorge Park, on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples, known today as the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations. The Nature House is a showcase of local ecosystems, an informational hub for local environmental organizations, and an accessible community space where everyone is welcome to learn!

How can you become an environmental steward?

1. Start With Love

Our society was founded in 1990 by a group of people who loved the Gorge Waterway, and who wanted to restore its beauty and its ecological function for the many living things who call this place home.

Ask your students: What is a natural place that you love? What lives there? What used to live there? How have people interacted with that place over time? What challenges does it face now?

2. Find the Helpers

One of the best parts of environmental work is that you’re never alone! A great way to begin learning about the place that you love and helping it thrive is to find out who is already doing that work. Your local Nature Centre is a great place to start!

Ask your students: Are there other people who care about the places that you love? Is there a Nature Centre in your community? Is there an organization, club, or society in your community that does environmental work? If so, how can you contribute? If not, can you create one at your school?

Finding a Nature Centre

You can find a map with our location and the locations of many of BC’s Nature Centres on our website.

 
 
 

 
Rebecca Cuddy and  Jan van der Hooft during a rehearsal in January 2020. Photo by Nadia Zheng

Cast & Creative Team

Performers

Owl: Bruno Roy
Bear: Marcel d'Entremont
Bunny: Keely McPeek
Dukdukdiya: Olivia Kang
Piano: Nathaniel Ben-Horin
Cello: Matt Udry

Directors

Director: Glynis Leyshon
Music Director: Perri Lo

Creative

Composed By: Maxime Goulet
Libretto and Creative Design By: Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas and Barry Gilson
Production Dramaturgy: Glynis Leyshon

Stage Management

Stage Manager: Elsa Orme

Production:

Thank you to the craftspeople of the Vancouver Opera Shops, Members of IATSE Local 118 & Pacific Opera Shop, Members of IATSE Local 168.


Interviews with the Creative Team

 
 

Biographies

 
 
 

CREATIVE TEAM

 

Maxime Goulet 

An orchestral suite meant to accompany chocolate tasting, a piano concerto as a soundtrack for a chess game, a cabaret-opera based on a comic book, a fishing story mimed by a costumed clarinetist… With his communicative musical language and the originality of his concepts, the Montreal based composer Maxime Goulet connects with audiences from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences, from youth audiences to savvy music aficionados. 

His classical music compositions, such as Symphonic Chocolates and On Halloween Night are now part of orchestra’s regular repertoire and have been performed across the world by leading ensembles such as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Liege Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Aahrus Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Opera, the Regional Orchestra of Normandie, the National Art Center Orchestra, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Ensemble symphonique de Neuchâtel, Angèle Dubeau & la Pietà, and the Orchestre Métropolitain.

Driven by the desire to make music more interactive, Maxime Goulet scored more than 30 video games such as Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade, Roller Coaster Tycoon World, The Amazing Spider-Man, Dungeon Hunter, Shrek Forever After, Iron Man 2 and Brothers in arms. 

Maxime Goulet is the creator of The Montreal Video Game Symphony, a multi-media concert that combines the power of the symphony orchestra and the immersive and interactive world of gaming, premiered by the Orchestre Métropolitain, during the 375th anniversary of the city of Montreal.

 

 

Une suite orchestrale destinée à accompagner une dégustation de chocolats, un concerto telle une trame sonore pour une partie d’échecs, un opéra-cabaret basé sur une bande dessinée, une histoire de pêche mimée par un clarinettiste costumé… Par l’originalité de ses concepts et par son langage musical communicatif, le compositeur montréalais Maxime Goulet rejoint un public de tout horizon, allant du public jeunesse au mélomane averti. 

Ses œuvres de musique classique, tells Chocolats symphoniques et Par un soir d’Halloween font maintenant partie du répertoire régulier d’orchestre et ont été jouées à travers le monde par des ensembles prestigieux tels l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, l’Orchestre Philharmonique royal de Liège, l’Orchestre symphonique de Detroit, l’Orchestre symphonique de Aahrus, l’Orchestre symphonique de Toronto, l’Orchestre symphonique de Houston, l’Orchestre symphonique de Vancouver, l’Opéra de Vancouver, l’Orchestre régional de Normandie, l’Orchestre du Centre national des Arts, l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec, l’Orchestre symphonique de Toledo, l’Ensemble symphonique de Neuchâtel, Angèle Dubeau et la Pietà et l’Orchestre Métropolitain.

Animé par un désir de rendre la musique plus interactive, Maxime Goulet a composé plus de 30 trames sonores de jeux vidéo dont Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade, Roller Coaster Tycoon World, The Amazing Spider-Man, Dungeon Hunter, Shrek Forever After, Iron Man 2 et Brothers in Arms. 

Maxime Goulet est le créateur de La Symphonie du jeu vidéo de Montréal, un concert multimédia alliant la puissance de l’orchestre symphonique à l’univers immersif et interactif du jeu vidéo, créé en par l’Orchestre Métropolitain, pour le 375e anniversaire de la ville de Montréal.

 

Glynis Leyshon 

Glynis was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and immigrated to Canada as a child. She grew up in North Vancouver on the traditional land of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Her ancestors are all Celtic. Her father’s family are from the small coal mining village of Pencoed, Wales and her mother’s family were rural farmers near Aberdeen, Scotland. After the Second World War, her parents journeyed across the Atlantic and made a home on the west coast of Canada. Glynis Leyshon is one of Canada’s most respected opera and theatre directors.

During her long-standing relationship with Pacific Opera Victoria, Ms. Leyshon has created over 20 new productions. While the majority of this operatic work has been in the traditional repertoire, Ms. Leyshon’s experience as a dramaturg and director of new theatre work has led her to develop and direct a number of new opera productions. She is the former Artistic Director of both the Playhouse Theatre Company in Vancouver and the Belfry Theatre in Victoria.

Upcoming productions include Pagliacci/Gianni Schicchi for Opera Kelowna, Rigoletto for Pacific Opera Victoria and working as dramaturge on expanded version of The Flight of the Hummingbird for Vancouver Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria.

 

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas 

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is a visual artist, author, and mischief-maker. His art lives in public spaces and private collections around the world, including the British Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Humboldt Forum in Berlin, Seattle Art Museum, Museum of Anthropology at UBC, and Vancouver Art Gallery.

His publications include Flight of the HummingbirdRED: a Haida MangaCarpe Fin, and War of the Blink. In 2021, UBC Press published a catalogue of his work, Mischief Making: Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, Art, and the Seriousness of Play, by Dr. Nicola Levell. His most recent book is the critically-acclaimed JAJ, published by Douglas & McIntyre in 2023.

Yahgulanaas creates art inspired by almost four decades of political experience in the Council of the Haida Nation, a decade as a trustee for a philanthropic foundation, and an upbringing in a lineage of accomplished artists and hereditary leaders.

He has traveled extensively through a wide geography of diverse Indigenous, pastoral, and resilient communities. Brimming with curiosity and ideas, he carries a traveler’s ticket in one hand and a sketchbook in the other.

 

Barry Gilson


Barry Gilson was one of the co-librettists of the opera The Flight of the Hummingbird. He was also one of the designers of the physical aspect of the initial production of the opera (props, sets, and costumes). Barry Gilson was the principal of award-winning architectural interiors company RED Design. He had strong technical and business qualifications with an impressive track record of more than 35 years of hands-on experience in strategic planning, business unit development, design, project management, and facilities planning. From his teenage years in musical theatre to President of the Burnaby Art Gallery, founding member of a theatre company and partner in Y Public Art with Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, the arts played a major role in his life.

 

Barry Gilson passed away on March 22, 2021.


2024 ENSEMBLE

 

Nate Ben-Horin 

Nate Ben-Horin divides his time as a pianist and vocal coach between the US and Canada. He recently completed a 10-month residency with Opera Columbus, where he was also an adjunct professor at Capital University. He has worked widely in his native San Francisco Bay Area, including many seasons with West Edge Opera as a repetiteur, continuo harpsichordist, recitalist and choir director. He completed his education at McGill University under Michael McMahon and Stephen Hargreaves, and supplemented his training at Highlands Opera Studio, Lachine Vocal Academy and the CoOperative Program. He formerly served as a staff pianist and assistant choir director at UC Berkeley.

Recent and upcoming engagements include Eugene Onegin with Opera Columbus and a staff appointment with Sewanee Summer Music Festival. Alongside soprano Jaclyn Grossman he is the co-founder, pianist, and composer/arranger of Likht Ensemble, a duo dedicated to music from the Holocaust. Of his work there, reviewer Lynn Slotkin wrote, "Nate Ben-Horin is a graceful pianist and a gifted arranger of the music to best serve the song." In his free time he enjoys encountering animals, walking or driving while listening to audiobooks, and consuming snacks. 

 

Marcel d’Entremont

Tenor Marcel d’Entremont is recognized across Canada for both his powerful voice and sincere stage presence. A former first prize winner of the Atlantic Young Artist Competition, Marcel also placed first in the vocal division of the National Music Festival of Canada and claimed the Grand Award for overall best performer. In 2018, he won the Wirth Vocal Prize from McGill University, which resulted in solo recitals at La Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur in Montréal and the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto.

Marcel is an alumnus of the Equilibrium Young Artist program, for which he was specifically chosen by soprano Barbara Hannigan. He has also been a resident artist at the National Arts Center of Canada, Toronto Summer Music, and was a Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist with the Vancouver Opera.

Marcel’s operatic performances include La bohème with Opera Saskatoon, touring productions of Roméo et Juliette and La traviata with Jeunesses Musicales du Canada, and Don Giovanni with Opéra de Rouen in Rouen, France, and at the Château de Versailles. In concert, he has performed Elijah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings with the PEI Symphony Orchestra. Recent engagements include a recital tour with Debut Atlantic, A Little Night Music at Koerner Hall, and solo recitals at the Festival de Febrero in Ajijic, Mexico. In 2020, Marcel was named one of the Top 30 Under 30 classical musicians in Canada by CBC Music.

 

Olivia Kang 

Soprano Olivia Minhee Kang joins Pacific Opera Victoria and Vancouver Opera in the original opera The Flight of the Hummingbird role of Dukdukdiya (Hummingbird). The opera will be performed publicly and embark on a BC school tour in the Spring of 2024.

Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Kang completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Voice Performance at the University of Seoul. After developing a strong desire to explore the world, she moved to Victoria, BC in 2012. Falling in love with the country, she began a new chapter of her life while studying with Nancy Argenta and Ingrid Attrot. She completed a Master’s in Voice Performance at the University of Manitoba under the guidance of Tracy Dahl. Currently, Kang performs and teaches British Columbia.

Among her recent projects, Kang directed, performed, and created A Lesson to a Life Journey, a captivating video collaboration with Manitoba Opera. This showcased her deep passion for art songs, delivering a message of love and unity. Additionally, she curated a spellbinding Korean art song concert in 2023, fostering cultural understanding across generations, with support from the Manitoba Arts Council. Last season, she performed in the chorus and understudied the role of Despina in Manitoba Opera’s Così fan tutte by Mozart.

Kang’s career highlights include winning first place at the Manitoba Provincial Music Festival and the Winnipeg Music Festival Scholarship, along with being a runner-up at the Winnipeg Music Festival Rose Bowl in 2021. She also won the University of Manitoba Concerto Competition in 2020.

 

Perri Lo

Perri Lo is a pianist and vocal coach, working in opera, chamber music, and dance. She has worked with opera companies across Canada including Montreal’s Institut Canadien d’Art Vocal, Toronto’s Opera Atelier, and at the Banff Arts Centre’s Opera in the 21st Century Program. Perri has performed and coached singers with West coast companies including Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, City Opera Vancouver, Re:Naissance Opera, Burnaby Lyric Opera, and Sound The Alarm Music Theatre – both in traditional and contemporary repertoire.

She was most recently Répétiteur with Vancouver Opera’s production of Die Zauberflöte (October 2023) and debuted with Opera Kelowna’s concert series with soprano Melody Courage.

Perri is a company pianist for Ballet BC and Arts Umbrella Dance Company, and will be collaborating with dancers and singers for a premiere Canadian work with Vancouver-based dance company Belle Spirale’s Dance Deck this August 2024.

 

Keely McPeek

Keely McPeek is a member of the Anisininew (Oji-Cree) Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, with Irish and German settler roots. She holds a Bachelor of Music and Post-Baccalaureate in Vocal Performance from the Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba. Winning the Rainbow Stage Trophy at the Winnipeg Music Festival encouraged her stage performance career. You may have seen Keely in Manitoba Opera’s Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North as Marie Serpente, Manitoba Theatre for Young People's recent seven-month tour of Frozen River, Dry Cold’s production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, or the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. 

 

Bruno Roy 

A native of Montréal, baritone Bruno Roy is an acclaimed performer of opera and a broad range of works with orchestra and art song. He is most at home in repertoire from the French canon in addition to new works. In recent years he’s performed with the Canadian Opera Company, Edmonton Opera, Opera de Québec, Oper Frankfurt, Against the Grain Theatre, Tapestry Opera, Saskatoon Symphony and Bradyworks. During his time at the COC he appeared on the mainstage in The Magic Flute,Tosca, Louis Riel, Arabella, Rigoletto, Dido and Aeneas and The Nightingale and Other Short Fables.

In addition to performing, Bruno’s toured with children's operas and outreach concerts (Hansel and Gretel, La bohème, Le nozze di Figaro) in the Greater Toronto Area and Frankfurt, Germany. He has been involved in multiple new opera workshops, most recently collaborating with composer Danika Lorèn on a new opera based on Henrik Ibsen’s play Hedda Gabler.

Recent credits include Moralès/Dancaïre in Carmen (Edmonton Opera), Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles (Jeunesses Musicales on tour), Baryton-Martin in Vivier’s Kopernikus and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro (Against the Grain Theatre), Marcello in La bohème (Highlands Opera Studio), Belcore in L’elisir d’amore (Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal and Opera McGill) and Carmina Burana (Ottawa Choral Society and OPCM).

Bruno is a graduate of McGill University, the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble studio program, Edmonton Opera’s Emerging Artist program, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s Opera in the 21st Century program and a Western Canada District Winner of the 2021 Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions.

 

Matt Udry

Matt Udry is a cellist from Kenosha, Wisconsin currently based in Vancouver, BC. He has appeared in performances with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and was featured as a soloist with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Racine Symphony Orchestra, and Kenosha Symphony Orchestra.

Matt is interested in many different forms of music-making and sound. He previously served as the music director of Low Strung, a 12-cello ensemble performing rock and pop hits. He has performed in baroque operas and is the recipient of Early Music Vancouver’s BC Scholarship for baroque cello study. Outside of cello, he enjoys learning jazz bass and composes his own music. He also programs custom digital audio effects and generative music algorithms, using his tools to experiment with new sounds in his compositions.

Matt is currently pursuing a graduate diploma in Cello Performance at the Vancouver Academy of Music, where he also serves as a student mentor for ensembles at the school. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Computing and the Arts from Yale University.


Stage Management 

 

Elsa Orme

Elsa Orme grew up in Victoria, BC on the lands of the Lekwungen and WSÀNEĆ peoples. She moved to Montreal to study design and theatre at Concordia University in Tiohtiàke/Montreal where she quickly fell in love with stage management. Select credits include Attempts in Flight (Dai Bao Productions), Morag, You’re A Long Time Deid (Touchstone Theatre), The 39 Steps (The Grove Theatre), Queen of Carthage (re:Naissance Opera), Future Mythologies (re:Naissance Opera), Inheritances (Music On Main), and Confluence (Raven Spirit Dance).

Elsa moved to Vancouver in 2022 to join the Vancouver Opera production team as Assistant Production Manager.  She is excited to be returning to work with VO as stage manager for The Flight of the Hummingbird!