ANGELS BONE to Make Toronto Debut at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre in March

"Angel's Bone" will make its Toronto debut with three performances from March 22nd to the 24th, 2024 at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre. The production had its Canadian premiere in Vancouver, BC with a successful run in November 2022 where it also anchored the Canadian Opera Conference.

The Pulitzer Prize winning opera follows two vulnerable youths who are lured into exploitative relationships by their traffickers. While painting a picture of the harrowing realities of human trafficking, the story also depicts the resilience of survivors and the journey of reclaiming one's power. Toronto's remount of "Angel's Bone" is produced in partnership by four of the original producers of this production including Array Music (Toronto), Loose Tea Music Theatre (Toronto), Sound The Alarm: Music/Theatre (Vancouver), and Turning Point Ensemble (Vancouver). The team will be running an online fundraising event this March with composer Du Yun. More details to come.

March 22 & 23 @ 7:30 PM

March 24 @ 2:00 pm

Harbourfront Centre Theatre

231 Queens Quay W, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8

"Angel's Bone" is an opera created by composer Du Yun, and Canadian librettist Royce Vavrek, and was awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Du Yun, a Shanghai native based in New York City, is a highly acclaimed composer known for her innovative work spanning opera, orchestral, theater, and more. She has received Grammy nominations and numerous awards for her boundary-pushing compositions. In addition to her prolific career, she is a community advocate, founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, and holds professorships at the Peabody Institute and Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Royce Vavrek, a celebrated librettist and lyricist born in Canada and based in Brooklyn, is renowned as "the indie Hofmannsthal" and a key figure in the downtown opera scene. Vavrek's extensive body of work has been featured in prestigious venues and performed by major ensembles and opera companies, and he co-directs The Coterie, an opera-theatre company. His work has been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, International Contemporary Ensemble and New York City Opera among others.

"Art does not solve problems. Art, at its best, functions to provoke and suggest. When we choose to have our characters sing, we tackle a phenomenon: we too, can be any of these people - angels or not, middleman or not."
- Composer, Du Yun

Leading up to the March performances, the production team is actively engaged in an awareness and education campaign about Human Trafficking in Canada, collaborating with community partner- ARISE ministry in Toronto, which was founded in 2013 to support individuals in the sex trade, providing "hope, love, and justice". Led by Executive Director Rev. Katherine McCloskey, ARISE continues its mission to accompany those involved in the sex trade, survivors of sex trafficking, and those who have experienced sexual exploitation, emphasizing the belief that everyone has a future worth having.

The Toronto production of "Angel's Bone", is co-directed and co-produced by Alaina Viau (Loose Tea), Alan Corbishley (Sound the Alarm), and David Schotzko (Array)

Alaina Viau, a bold director, creator, and producer in Toronto, is the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Loose Tea Music Theatre. Her award-nominated opera company produces groundbreaking, genre-defying productions that focus on critical social issues and amplify underrepresented voices and cross-cultural relationships.

Renowned as a baritone with performances across North America and Europe, Alan Corbishley become an award winning producer and a celebrated stage director. Serving as the founding Artistic Director of Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre in Vancouver, his directorial work has been recognized among Vancouver's Annual Best Music Events.

"Angel's Bone" is also co-produced by percussionist David Schotzko, a soloist, chamber musician, and curator. Schotzko passionately champions contemporary composers by premiering over 300 percussion works globally, and he played a key role as a founding member and Program Director of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in New York and Chicago.

Joshua Anand Slater, an Indian-American conductor and composer, is the Music Director of "Angel's Bone". He is acclaimed for his work in both new music and interpretations of established repertoire. As the Founding Artistic Director of fujit productions, he champions underrepresented voices and directs Loose Tea Music Theatre's BIPOC Composer-Librettist Development Program.

The talented four person cast of "Angel's Bone" includes Asitha Tennekoon (boy angel), Winona Myles (girl angel), , Alyssa Samson (Mrs. XE), and Alexander Dobson (Mr. XE).

Photo credit: Alan Corbishley

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