Aportia Chryptych HAUI x Sean Mayes
Canadian Opera Company
Toronto, ON

Text from The COC website:

JUNE 14, 15, AND 16, 2024

Canadian Opera Company Theatre
227 Front St. E., Toronto, Ontario

WORLD PREMIERE

Tickets to Aportia Chryptych go on sale Monday, August 28.

COC Subscribers can purchase today at exclusive prices ahead of the general public as an add-on to their subscription package.

Nova Scotian contralto Portia White was the first Black Canadian concert performer to achieve international fame in the mid- 20th century, touring North America and performing in Europe while being hailed as the best classical voice of her generation. Yet despite such artistic accomplishments, her story has been erased from Canadians’ collective memory.

Working against this history, Aportia Chryptych is a bold, new Black opera that sets out to reclaim Portia White’s story, evoking memories of the past as a form of political resistance. Spoken word, rap, folk songs, hip-hop, R&B, and classic opera repertoire collide in an explosive score that seeks to break down musical silos and unite artistic and cultural communities.

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAMS

Composer: Sean Mayes with HAUI
Director and Librettist: HAUI
Assistant Director: Sheree Spencer
Dramaturg: Neema Bickersteth
Conductor: Sean Mayes

Portia Body: Neema Bickersteth
Portia Spirit: Adrienne Danrich

Associate Producer: Sheree Spencer

Produced by the Canadian Opera Company, in association with the Natrional Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council