VASTATION
January 11 - 30, 2021
THE PROJECT
Vastation is a reconsideration of a previously composed opera. Samy Moussa’s Vastation premiered in 2014 at Munich Biennial - a festival of contemporary opera and music theatre. Moussa, still in his 20s when he wrote the piece, was not entirely satisfied with this first venture into composing opera. Having established his reputation internationally in the intervening years as well as growing as a composer, this workshop was a chance to reassess the composition with consideration to revision for future productions. Vastation is an examination of power - democratic, military and personal - and the forces that seek to corrupt them.
THE TEAM
SAMY MOUSSA - COMPOSER
Samy Moussa, Canadian composer and conductor, was born in Montréal in 1984. Based in Germany for over a decade, he maintains close connections with his North American roots, particularly with l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and l’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec. In Europe, orchestras he has conducted include the Bayerisches Staatsorchester (Haydn’s “Nelson Mass” at the Opernfestspiele), RSO Wien, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Staatskapelle Halle and Zürcher Kammerorchester. His works have been commissioned and performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2010 he was named as Music Director of Ensemble INDEX in Munich.
JOHANNES DEBUS - CONDUCTOR
Johannes Debus has been Music Director of the Canadian Opera Company (COC) since 2009, having been appointed immediately following his debut. His 2019-20 season included performances of Rusalka, Hänsel und Gretel, and The Flying Dutchman. Recent highlights include Debus’s debuts with the Seattle, Oregon, and Milwaukee Symphonies; Santa Fe Opera conducting Jenůfa; ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra; Hallé Orchestra; and the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, and return engagements with the Frankfurt Radio, Toronto, Kansas City, and San Diego Symphonies; the Metropolitan Opera conducting The Tales of Hoffmann; and the Bregenz Festival conducting the Austrian premiere of Goldschmidt’s Beatrice Cenci with the Vienna Symphony.
Aria Umezawa – Stage Director
Aria Umezawa is the first stage director in fifteen years to be awarded the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship. She is the co-founder of independent opera company, Opera 5, and is currently a co-founder of Amplified Opera.
Recently, Ms. Umezawa directed The Future is Now: Adler Fellows Concert for the SFO Center, Christmas With SOL3 MIO for SFO, Thomas’ Hamlet for West Edge Opera, Milton Granger’s Talk Opera, Darren Russo’s Storybook, and the North American premiere of Cavalli’s Artemisia.
Ms. Umezawa developed Safe to Run: Bystander Intervention Training for the Rehearsal Room with Opera McGill and the SFO Center. With OPERA America, she has presented on Anti-Harassment Policies and Stage Intimacy Techniques, and on Building a Healthier Company Culture for Artists.
Mark Morash – Associate Conductor
Mark Morash is a conductor and pianist originally from Halifax, Canada, and is currently Calgary Opera’s Interim Music Director. Most recently, he was Director of Musical Studies for the Opera Center of San Francisco Opera. There, he conducted for the Merola Opera Program, the Adler Fellow Showcase and Western Opera Theater. He also led performances of A Streetcar Named Desire, La Serva Padrona and Trouble in Tahiti for Opera Santa Barbara, Rigoletto for Opera Colorado, and Don Giovanni and The Turn of the Screw for the Lincoln Theater in Yountville, CA. San Francisco Opera Center performances have included Gianni Schicchi, Argento’s Postcard from Morocco, The Barber of Seville, The Rape of Lucretia, Albert Herring, Così fan tutte, Die Fledermaus, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Pasatieri’s The Seagull. Recent performances include conducting debuts with Canada’s Manitoba Chamber Orchestra as well as with Hawaii Opera Theater leading Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire.
Lynne McMurty | Contralto | Anna
Contralto Lynne McMurtry brings her rich, generous sound and keen musical intelligence to a wealth of repertoire. Described as “a force of nature” (Toronto Star) and “an actress of immense talent” (Opera Canada), favorite credits include Dame Quickly in Falstaff and the Old Lady in Candide with Calgary Opera, the Grandmother in Jenufa with Pacific Opera Victoria, and the title role in Tamerlano with Opera in Concert. Her cd, The Complete Songs of Virgil Thomson with Florestan Recital Project was a pick of the month for BBC Music Magazine. She is on the voice faculty of the State University of New York at Fredonia.
Eden Tremayne* | Soprano | Lola
Canadian soprano Eden Tremayne is recognized for her heartfelt singing and dynamic stage portrayals. She is a member of Calgary Opera’s 2020/21 Emerging Artist Development Program and was previously featured as an Apprentice Artist with the San Diego Opera and the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program with Vancouver Opera. Recent engagements include Clotilde in Norma (Calgary Opera), Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto (San Diego Opera), soloist for Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem (The La Jolla Symphony and Chorus), Violetta in La Traviata (Jeunesses Musicales du Canada), Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Lucinda in the Canadian premiere of Dark Sisters (Vancouver Opera), and Rowan in The Little Sweep (Bodhi Tree Concerts).
Scott Rumble* | Tenor | Campaign Manager
Scott Rumble is a member of Calgary Opera’s 2020/21 Emerging Artist Development Program and participated in the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program for Vancouver Opera’s 2018/19 season. He holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of British Columbia, and an Artist Diploma and Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Voice Performance from the University of Western Ontario. Recent credits include Flavio in Norma (Calgary Opera), St. Brioche in The Merry Widow (Vancouver Opera), Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos (Highlands Opera Studio), Bob Boles in Peter Grimes (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra), Luigi in Il Tabarro, and Lensky in Eugene Onegin (University of British Columbia).
Dominic Veilleux* | Bass-Baritone | Harry & Colonel
Bass-baritone Dominic Veilleux has been praised for his rich and powerful voice, as well as his strong comic and dramatic skills. Mr. Veilleux has performed numerous roles including Leporello in Don Giovanni and Agamemnon in La belle Hélène on tour with Jeunesses Musicales Canada; Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with Prague Summer Nights Festival; Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Accademia europa dell’opera; D’Estillac in La veuve joyeuse, Erster Priester in Die Zauberflöte, Marco in Gianni Schicchi, Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Marchese d’Obigny in La traviata with Opéra de Québec.
Jeremy Dubé* | Baritone | Dimitri
Canadian- Australian baritone Jeremy Dubé completed a Bachelor of Music (Performance) and Master of Music Studies (Opera Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. His operatic roles include Figaro and Count Almaviva in Opera Australia's NSW Schools Tour production of The Barber of Seville; Leporello in Don Giovanni, Les Gendarme in Les mamelles de Tirésias and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Mercurio in La Calisto, Hymen and Winter in The Fairy Queen (Sydney Conservatorium of Music); Elder Ott in Susannah (Opera New England).
Chorus
Kallie Clayton* - Soprano
Lillian Brooks* - Mezzo-soprano
Alanna Fraize* - Mezzo-soprano
Jeffrey Strand* - Tenor
*Members of the 2020-21 Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Development Program
Pianist
Jack Olszewski
Music Preparation
Mel Kirby
Production Team
Shelby-Jai Flick – Stage Manager
Marc Lavallée – Technical Assistant