Tapestry New Opera Opens 2013-14 Season with TAPESTRY BRIEFS, Now thru 9/22

TAPESTRY BRIEFS, the professional, fully staged show resulting from Tapestry New Opera's 17th annual 10-day intensive Composer - Librettist Laboratory (LibLab), will take place today, September 19 - 22 at the Ernest Balmer Studio in the Distillery Historic District, 9 Trinity Street, Studio 316.

Four leading Canadian playwrights, including two-time Governor General Award winner Morris Panych, and four composers, including Vancouver-based Juno-nominee Jocelyn Morlock, work with four singers, a dramaturg, and music directors in a creative "speed dating" situation. Each librettist is given the opportunity to create an idea for a new opera working individually with each composer. The result is 16 brand new opera scenes written in 10 days. 8 to 10 of those are then selected to premiere at TAPESTRY BRIEFS.

The composers in the Tapestry's 2013 Composer-Librettist Laboratory are Vancouver-based Juno-nominee Jocelyn Morlock ("Exaudi"), Chris Thornborrow (winner of the 2013 Karen Kieser Prize in Canadian Music), Patrick Arteaga (currently pursuing a Master's degree from the University of Western Ontario) and Cecilia Livingston ("A Still Point: Music for Voices").

The playwrights are Morris Panych ("The Ends of the Earth," "Girl in the Goldfish Bowl"); Julie Tepperman (Artistic Director of Convergence Theatre, "Yichud"); David Yee (Artistic Director of Fu-Gen Theatre, "lady in the red dress") and Nicolas Billon ("Iceland" at Factory, French-language version of his play "The Elephant Song" premieres in Paris this September).

Tapestry is thrilled to have an all-star cast of contemporary singers for the production - soprano Carla Huhtanen, mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, tenorKeith Klassen, and baritone Peter McGillivray will perform the premieres with Gregory Oh and Jennifer Tung as music directors.

Directed by Tapestry New Opera's Artistic Director Designate Michael Mori, TAPESTRY BRIEFS is a truly unique opportunity for audiences to be the first to experience these fully staged, professional collaborations.

"For most composers and writers the artistic process is a solitary one," said Mori. "Producers around the world agree that forming workable artistic partnerships between composers and playwrights is the single greatest challenge facing the development of new opera and music theatre."

Initiated in 1995, the Composer-Librettist Laboratory is Tapestry's response to this challenge.

The Composer-Librettist Laboratory is generously supported by Mr. Roger D. Moore.

TAPESTRY BRIEFS will run today, September 19 - 22, 2013 at the Ernest Balmer Studio, The Distillery Historic District, 9 Trinity Street, Studio 316, Thursday, September 19 - Saturday, September 21 @ 7:30PM • Sunday, September 22 @ 2PM. Tickets are $35 (plus HST/service charges) and can be purchased by calling 416.537.6066 x 225 or online at www.tapestryopera.com/tickets

For more information visit www.tapestryopera.com, or follow on Twitter: @TapNewOp.

Pictured: Andrea Ludwig, Keith Klassen. Photo by Brian Allen Stewart.

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