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Montreal, December 9, 2020 – Given the current status of the pandemic, Opéra de Montréal is postponing the presentation of its all-new original work, La beauté du monde, by Quebec playwright Michel Marc Bouchard and composer Julien Bilodeau, so as to include it on its program for next season, in the spring of 2022. Opéra de Montréal will contact all ticketholders to inform them of the next steps to take.
“This past year has been an extremely difficult one for opera companies everywhere. The pandemic has compelled us to get more creative and innovative to serve our audience’s interests while making sure that artists can continue to work,” explains Patrick Corrigan, General Director of the Opéra de Montréal. Initially planned for March 2021, the production of La beauté du monde involves close to 200 artists and artisans—working on stage, behind the scenes, and in the orchestra pit—, making it impossible to prepare under current physical distancing requirements. Ensuring the health and safety of artists and creators is of vital importance for the Opéra de Montréal. “An opera of this scale requires a minimum of 3 months to prepare, so the time had come for us to take this decision,” continues Mr. Corrigan. Despite the closure of performance venues for the past 9 months now, the company has adapted by developing new ways to experience opera—for example, via webcasts of its productions. These efforts are in keeping with the company’s values of accessibility, education, and the democratization of opera.
Following the public’s enthusiasm for the 2 successful webcasts presented this fall—Puccini’s La bohème and the double bill of La voix humaine by Poulenc and L’hiver attend beaucoup de moi by Jobidon/St-Onge—the Opéra de Montréal is confident that the future of opera will be bright and promising. Bear in mind that through a subsidy granted by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec as part of the Ambition numérique initiative, the Opéra de Montréal is currently working on a project to establish a digital incubator serving the opera sector, which will explore the artistic, communicational, and economic possibilities of making the shift to digital activities.
Thus, the company will be offering an online surprise for the whole family and for opera fans, available as of December 17 and remaining online throughout the holiday season! “We are especially eager to provide a moment of magic for families, knowing that the holiday season will be different this year. We are also aware of a need that is growing ever more urgent: that of reviving cultural outings while offering educational content for younger people,” submits Patrick Corrigan. The details of this holiday surprise will be revealed shortly, on the Opéra de Montréal’s website and social media platforms.
For further details, please visit www.operademontreal.com
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Francais (French)
