Video: 'My Prayer Is Small' from Canadian Opera Company's EMPIRE OF WILD
Watch Emma Pennell perform an excerpt from the new opera ahead of its 2027 world premiere.
A new video has been released featuring EMPIRE OF WILD, showcasing the song My Prayer Is Small performed by Ensemble Studio artist Emma Pennell. Check out the video!
With music by Ian Cusson and a libretto by Cherie Dimaline, the opera is based on Dimaline’s novel and blends myth, mystery, and contemporary storytelling. The work follows a woman searching for her missing husband while confronting the legend of the rogarou, a Métis werewolf-like figure tied to the spirit world.
Pennell performs the excerpt alongside Cusson on piano, offering an early look at the score ahead of the opera’s world premiere.
EMPIRE OF WILD will run May 1 through May 27, 2027 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.
The cast for the upcoming production includes Elisabeth St-Gelais as Joan, Gordon Bintner as Thomas Heiser, Alex Hetherington as Cecille, Elliot Madore as Victor, Marion Newman as Flo Beausoleil, Justin Welsh as Marius, Evan Korbut as Junior, and Colin Ainsworth as Gerald.
The creative team includes conductor Johannes Debus, director Yvette Nolan, set designer Gillian Gallow, Costume Designer Jeff Chief, lighting designer Michelle Ramsay, and projections designer Cameron Davis.
Performed in English and French with surtitles, the opera runs approximately two hours and 45 minutes.
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