Vancouver disability-led Opera Mariposa raises awareness of chronic illnesses, to June 1
Local opera company partners with arts organizations, businesses to support the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Fibromyalgia (ME|FM) Society of BC
Stephanie Ko is general manager of Opera Mariposa, Canada’s first entirely disability-led and -operated opera company.
Opera Mariposa’s Benefit + Awareness campaign in support of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Fibromyalgia (ME|FM) Society of BC runs to June 1 online.
CANADA’S FIRST ENTIRELY disability-run opera company, Opera Mariposa, is raising its voice in a new way for the chronic illness community.
Until June 1, the Vancouver-based opera company presenting its Benefit + Awareness campaign for chronic neuro-immune diseases, in support of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Fibromyalgia (ME|FM) Society of BC.
The digital-programming initiative coincides with the international awareness month for myalgic encephalomyelitis and fibromyalgia.
“Like many arts companies, we’re navigating an evolving reality these days, but one thing is clear, and it's that the chronic illness community needs our support more than ever,” Opera Mariposa general manager Stephanie Ko said in a release. “Over a million Canadians have ME or Fibromyalgia, and many of them are so sick they can't leave their homes or their beds. Worst of all, they often face these life-altering illnesses without access to proper support or medical care. Statistics Canada reports that ME and FM patients have among the greatest unmet healthcare needs in the country, and the pandemic has only made things worse."
Ko and her sister, Opera Mariposa artistic director Jacqueline Ko, know first-hand just how challenging living with a chronic illness can be.
“Illnesses like ME often have a post-viral onset, and experts have repeatedly warned that COVID-19 patients are at risk of developing ME,” Ko said. “It happened after other viral outbreaks like SARS, and so far, it looks like 30% of COVID sufferers are experiencing long-term health impacts.
“My sister and I developed ME after catching a virus as schoolchildren,” she said. “Now more than ever, we want to raise awareness, and use our platform to support desperately-needed research and resources."
Opera Mariposa's 2021 Benefit + Awareness campaign consists of a digital transformation of the company’s annual charity programming, including music and videos by Jacqueline Ko and Lyndon Ladeur and YouTube personality Robin Hahn. Giveaways, meanwhile, feature prizes donated by City Opera Vancouver, Vancouver Bach Choir, United Players of Vancouver, Stong's Market, and Chinatown's Kam Wai Dim Sum, among other organizations.
As Canada’s first entirely openly disability-led and -run opera company, Opera Mariposa works to increase inclusion, diversity, and disability representation in the arts,
More information about the Benefit + Awareness month schedule can be found here.
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