At IndieFest, Sanctuary & Storm reflects on passion through two historical female figures, at H.R. MacMillan Space Centre November 17 to 19
World premiere from Vancouver Opera and re:Naissance Opera stars Kwagiulth-Stó:lō First Nations mezzo-soprano Marion Newman
Sanctuary & Storm.
Mireille Asselin
Marion Newman
Vancouver Opera and re:Naissance Opera present Sanctuary & Storm in the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre at Vanier Park from November 17 to 19 with showtimes at 2 pm and 7:30 pm, as part of IndieFest 2023
UNDER THE spectacular domed ceiling of the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, re:Naissance Opera and Vancouver Opera unveil Sanctuary & Storm, the world premiere of an immersive opera experience about power and liberation.
Ottawa-born soprano Mireille Asselin is Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Kwagiulth-Stó:lō First Nations mezzo-soprano Marion Newman is Hildegard of Bingen—two impactful women in European history who, though both alive during the 12th century, led distinctly separate lives. Sanctuary & Storm brings the pair together under the guidance of baritone Dashon Burton as the Angel of History.
Eleanor is in the midst of a third marriage, this time to King Henry II, and is thus the Queen of England. She seeks relationship counselling from Hildegard, a nun who founded her own monastery, but quickly faces difficulty trying to follow Hildegard’s advice to strive for peace rather than change. Where Eleanor revels in the pleasures of sex and the joys of children, Hildegard is firm in her stance that spiritual bliss reigns supreme.
The Angel intervenes in the women’s intensifying argument, prompting deep reflection of the sombre feelings people face in the absence of passion. Created by composer Tawnie Olson and librettist Roberta Barker, the enrapturing opera helmed by stage director Sheree Spencer and conductor Arianne Abela allows powerful historical figures to transcend their differences in musical harmony.
Sanctuary & Storm was awarded the National Opera Association’s Dominick Argento Chamber Opera Award for 2021-23, which promotes the composition and production of chamber-scale operas.
Vancouver audiences are the first to view the piece before Arizona State University produces and performs it at the National Opera Association’s 69th annual National Conference in Tempe, Arizona on January 3.
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