Opera Mariposa helps people with chronic illnesses via online benefit, to June 1
Canada’s first disability-run opera company supports International Awareness Month for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Fibromyalgia
Jacqueline Ko. Photo by Stephanie Ko
THE TEAM AT Vancouver’s Opera Mariposa knows all about inclusivity—and lack thereof. Described as Canada's first fully disability-led and run opera company, it is dedicated to “#MakingOperaAccessible” for all.
Running until June 1 and featuring videos, music, art, a marketplace, and more, Opera Mariposa’s 10th annual Benefit + Awareness campaign supports people with chronic neuro-immune diseases. The event, which honours the International Awareness Month for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and Fibromyalgia (FM), is taking place online to maximize accessibility and safety.
"Accessibility’s such a vital part of our mandate, and in a peri-pandemic world, the way that looks for our events continues to evolve," Opera Mariposa general manager Stephanie Ko said in a release. "One thing remains clear, though: right now, the high-risk chronic illness community needs support and solidarity more than ever. Over a million Canadians have ME or fibromyalgia — many of them so sick, they've essentially lived in lockdown since before most people knew what that meant. As a group, these patients already faced the greatest poverty levels and unmet healthcare needs in Canada. Then the pandemic hit and made everything worse."
Ko and her sister, Mariposa's artistic director Jacqueline Ko, soprano, both live with chronic illness. Opera Canada once praised Jacqueline Ko, who has performed in opera, theatre, musical theatre, and beyond, for her “definite aptitude”. In 2019, she became the first Canadian ambassador for the global Open Medicine Foundation.
“My sister and I developed ME after catching a virus as school children,” Stephanie Ko said. “We've been sick for over 20 years, and now more than ever it feels vital to raise awareness, and to help fund desperately-needed research and resources.”
Mariposa's Benefit + Awareness campaign showcases work by disabled and chronically ill artists including Jacqueline Ko; Metropolitan Opera Award-winning lyric soprano Robin Hahn, whose YouTube channel covers disability, opera, and 2SLGBTQIA+ issues; and visual artists Christina Baltais and Toni Scott. The event also features prizes from local businesses including Stong's Market, Chai Ghai tea company, Long & McQuade, Kam Wai Dim Sum, among others.
Donations to the event will be triple-matched up to the fundraising goal. More information is at benefit.operamariposa.com.
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