Astrolabe Musik Theatre & Turning Point Ensemble to Present 'THE LAKE,' 8/15-17

Astrolabe Musik Theatre & Turning Point Ensemble (TPE), in collaboration with Westbank First Nation, present the world premiere production of The Lake / n-ha-a-itk - August 15-17 at Quails' Gate Winery in Kelowna, BC, in a fully-integrated evening of historical Canadian opera and contemporary syilx culture. Composed in 1952 by Barbara Pentland, with libretto by Governor-General Award-winning poet Dorothy Livesay, the Canadian chamber opera is based on the true-life story of pioneer Susan Allison, who sighted Lake Okanagan's famous creature, na-ha-a-itk (Ogopogo), one stormy autumn day in 1873.

Turning Point Ensemble, under the expert direction of stage director James Fagan Tait and music director Owen Underhill, is joined by an incredible cast including soprano Heather Pawsey as Susan Allison, Westbank First Nation elder/singer Delphine Derickson, bass baritone Angus Bell, tenor Brian Kwangmin Lee, mezzo-soprano Barbara Towell, and Westbank First Nation dancer Corrine Derickson, with Curatorial and Heritage Researcher Jordan Coble, and youth from Westbank First Nation.

"I discovered The Lake in 1995, as I searched the Canadian Music Centre library for an aria for the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition," says Heather Pawsey, Artistic Director of Astrolabe Musik Theatre. "I would go on to perform the previously unknown piece and place first in the competition, but I knew this was only the beginning. We are honoured to finally give this work the world premiere staging it deserves - and overjoyed to do so on the very grounds where the original events transpired: the traditional territory of the syilx/Okanagan people, with whom we have a meaningful and respectful collaboration, and Quails' Gate Winery, the Allison family's original 1873 "Sunnyside" ranch."

Commissioned by an Ontario-based organist in 1951, Pentland and Livesay conducted deep research in crafting The Lake: visiting Susan Allison's log cabin, interviewing residents who had known the family, and drawing on local First Nations stories. The completed work was never presented by the commissioner however, and - except for a 1954 radio broadcast on CBC - slipped into obscurity.

In giving The Lake / na-ha-a-itk its full production premiere, Astrolabe & TPE re-introduce a milestone creation in the iconic Canadian composer's development. Stylistically, the chamber opera marks a transitional period where Pentland's lyrical Copland-influenced approach began to merge with growing interest in serial music. Music Director Owen Underhill states, "It is especially rewarding to collaborate with Westbank First Nation and embed the opera into a performance that is inclusive of syilx culture and additional songs and dances created for these performances."

To bring this work to life, Astrolabe & TPE have partnered with Quails' Gate Winery, site of Susan Allison's still-standing homestead (wine reception, dinner, and brunch packages will be available, in addition to show-only tickets). The fully integrated evening of opera and contemporary cultural expressions from the syilx people is set amidst the vineyard with the magnificent outdoor backdrop of Lake Okanagan.

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