Charpentier's THE DESCENT OF ORPHEUS to be Presented at Opera Atelier

Opera Atelier will open  its 2026/27 season with Canada's first fully-staged production of M.A. Charpentier's The Descent of Orpheus, at Koerner Hall's TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, from October 22-25, 2026. Fully staged and choreographed by Opera Atelier Founding Co-Artistic Directors Marshall Pynkoski, C.M. and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, C.M., the production opens the company's 2026/27 Season of Heroes with a fresh sense of modernity.

Charpentier's The Descent of Orpheus is the first known French operatic treatment of the Orpheus myth as related by Ovid in Metamorphoses. The Descent of Orpheus was written at the command of one of Charpentier's protectors, the legendary Mademoiselle de Guise, who dominated the musical scene in Paris and Versailles in late-17th-century France. The extraordinary detail of Charpentier's instructions for every aspect of the opera's production make it clear that Descent was a unique experiment for all participants and is considered a masterpiece of dramatic writing.

Opera Atelier has assembled a superb team of French specialists for this production. American tenor Daniel McGrew, making his OA debut in the role of Orpheus, was introduced to Opera Atelier by French-Canadian soprano Mireille Asselin, who will sing the role of Eurydice.

French baritone David Witczak returns to Opera Atelier as Pluto after intense collaborations with Pynkoski and Zingg for the Royal Opera House Versailles, and French-Canadian bass Olivier Bergeron makes his company debut as Apollo. They will be joined by Canadian mezzo soprano Mireille Lebel as Persephone and an on-stage ensemble of soloists who will be seamlessly integrated with the off-stage chorus made up of members of Tafelmusik Chamber Choir.

This being a French courtly drama, dancing is integral to virtually every scene. Opera Atelier is delighted to include a full complement of the Artists of Atelier Ballet in order to realize Charpentier's intentions.

Opera Atelier's Associate Music Director Dr. Christopher Bagan will conduct from the harpsichord an elite ensemble of soloists from Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and Opera Atelier's Artist-in-Residence Measha Brueggergosman-Lee will open the evening with a unique prologue—Ralph Vaughan Williams' art song “Orpheus with his Lute.” Brueggergosman-Lee's prologue gives context to the opera's themes, much in the style of the famous prologue to Monteverdi's 1607 production of L'Orfeo. In it, the Goddess of Music appears to the audience to introduce the story taken from Ovid's Metamorphosis and to familiarize the audience with the power of music and what Orpheus and his lyre were capable of achieving.

Opera Atelier designer Gerard Gauci continues his magical transformation of Koerner Hall into Toronto's most unique performance space thanks to the ongoing support of the Joan and Jerry Lozinski's Opera Atelier Reimagined Project at Koerner Hall. Lighting designer Kimberly Purtell and Costume Designer Michael Gianfrancesco round out the creative team for what promises to be an extraordinary evening of storytelling.

Opera Atelier Co-Artistic Director Pynkoski has collaborated with many of the finest artists in the world of early music and his productions of opera and ballet have toured throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Toronto Arts Award, the Opera Canada Ruby Award for outstanding contribution to opera in Canada, the TIME Magazine award for Classical music and the Order of Canada. Most recently, Pynkoskis was named Officier dans L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France in an investiture ceremony that took place on the stage of the Royal Opera House/Versailles.