Missing: A World Premiere Chamber Opera
Missing may be the most important work we have ever done. It is timely and true, difficult and necessary. Animated by the magical realism of librettist Marie Clements, the powerful and moving music of Brian Current, and directed by the masterful Peter Hinton, it is like nothing we have done before.
We hope you will join us. We hope that Missing will change the terms of engagement toward reconciliation in Canada. We hope you will bring someone you love.
Charles Barber, Artistic Director
Janet Lea, President
3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 November
The York Theatre
639 Commercial Drive (at East Georgia), Vancouver [map]
(604) 251-1363
Missing tells a story everybody knows, about a woman no one remembers.
Set in Vancouver and along the Highway of Tears, this music drama is being created to give voice to the story of Canada’s missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls, and to show that each and every one of these missing people is honored.
“The story of Missing can’t answer the questions I’ve been asking my whole life; but I am hoping it will join other voices who are asking the same questions, telling their stories, and demanding an end to what should be unfathomable.”
- Marie Clements, Librettist
The chamber opera follows the fate of two young women – one Indigenous and one non-Indigenous – whose lives become tragically intertwined.
The young women will be portrayed by Métis Canadian coloratura soprano Melody Courage (soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria with the National Arts Center Orchestra and regular performer with Vancouver Opera) and soprano Caitlin Wood (Susanna in Vancouver Opera Festival’s Marriage of Figaro).
Additional artists performing Missing’s dramatically haunting score include Kaden Forsberg, Clarence Logan, Heather Molloy, Marion Newman, and Rose-Ellen Nichols.
The libretto is by the distinguished First Nations playwright Marie Clements. The composer is Juno-award winner Brian Current. The work is directed by Peter Hinton (Louis Riel, Canadian Opera Company) with music direction by City Opera Vancouver Artistic Director Charles Barber.
Missing is produced by City Opera Vancouver and Pacific Opera Victoria, in partnership with Vancouver Moving Theatre/DTES Heart of the City Festival.
From our friends at the Firehall Arts Centre: Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth
Written by celebrated Indigenous playwright Drew Hayden Taylor, Only Drunks and Children Tell The Truth is the gripping account of the “60’s scoop” phenomenon, in which Native children were taken from their families, their communities, and their culture to be adopted into white households. This comically rich and devastatingly truthful production, first produced by the Firehall in the 90’s, is an unforgettable piece of Canadian theatre. “…a remarkable play that has something to say and says it well.” Tony Seed – Shunpiking
Save on Vancouver Opera's Turandot
La Bohème. Tosca. Madama Butterfly. Turandot. Puccini saved his most musically adventurous opera for last. Containing some of the greatest operatic music ever written, Turandot blends powerful chorus sections with unforgettable intimate moments. Witness the pinnacle of operatic extravagance at a production that features towering sets and lavish costumes complemented by incredible singers, the 64-piece Vancouver Opera orchestra, and a 52-member chorus.
October 13, 19, 21 at 7:30pm, October 15 at 2:00pm / Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Tickets: www.vancouveropera.ca / save 20% using discount code 6797