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Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20, a cultural organization dedicated to introducing opera to audiences of all ages, is celebrating its 45th anniversary. Founded in 1976 by French tenor Alain Nonat, the Canadian non-profit will mark the occasion with a virtual concert that premieres on June 7.
“After I arrived in Canada, I wanted to promote opera and encourage international cultural exchanges,” says Nonat. “In 1980, we created the Opera and Dance Pavilion at Terre des Hommes where performances featuring opera singers, educational presentations and international exhibitions on opera and dance were presented. During our first summer at Terre des Hommes, we attracted more than 150,000 visitors.”
Cultural exchanges with several countries followed, most notably with the creation of the Czech and Slovak Musical Encounters, from 1991 to 2015. Nonat took advantage of his connections and allowed young musicians to be heard by theatre directors from North America, Europe and Asia. Many benefited from this and obtained their first international engagements.
“It is a great privilege for me to see young Canadian singers make their international début thanks to our organization,” he says. “It is an opportunity for them to shine abroad and to make a name for themselves in the business, both over there and here in Canada when they return.”
Among those who have been supported by the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques (JAL) program, which was founded in 1994, are mezzo-sopranos Julie Boulianne and Michèle Losier as well as baritone Étienne Dupuis. They are now among the top singers of their generation and can be heard regularly in the world’s most prestigious opera houses. Soprano Suzanne Taffot, who has received many prizes from the JAL, was given the opportunity to make her debut as Mimì at Munich’s Gärtnerplatztheater in 2019. In the last few months, she has collaborated on many occasions with the Orchestre Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, notably in a webcast of Fauré’s Requiem.
“Because of the pandemic, we were unable to hold our annual gala last November,” Nonat explains. “I wanted to organize a big event to mark our 45th anniversary virtually, given the current situation, but also to make it available to a wider audience.”
The virtual concert will feature several Quebec-based artists, including Taffot, Hugo Laporte, Marianne Lambert and Caroline Gélinas, as well as dancers, who will create two original choreographies on the theme of composer Jacques Offenbach.
The “Bravissimo 45” concert will premiere on June 7 at 8 p.m. on the Live Dans Ton Salon platform and will be available until August 7. www.L20.ca
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