Orpheus & Eurydice: Nox
2021-22 | In Progress
Libretto by Michelle K. Telford
Music by Kendra Harder
Libretto by Michelle K. Telford
Music by Kendra Harder
Orpheus & Eurydice: Nox is Harder & Telford's third operatic collaboration together, and their first foray into a serious opera.
Nox is a queer retelling of the Orpheus myth, lifting up the voices of queer women, and shining a light on love. Telford's reimagined story takes place in a gay bar called Elysium and casts protagonists Orpheus and Eurydice was queer women. Persephone, an employee at the bar, is stalked by Hades, a scorned ex. Nox also explores how homophobia and misogyny play out as violence against women in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. This work was inspired as tribute to those lost in the 2016 Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting.
As of today (November 28, 2021), Nox is being scored:
Orpheus (she/hers) - contralto/low treble*
Eurydice (she/they) - soprano
Persephone (she/hers) - coloratura mezzo-soprano
Hades (he/his) - bass-baritone
Piano, violin
*Orpheus is being composed as a flex role in order to make the role more accessible to trans opera singers
Nox is a queer retelling of the Orpheus myth, lifting up the voices of queer women, and shining a light on love. Telford's reimagined story takes place in a gay bar called Elysium and casts protagonists Orpheus and Eurydice was queer women. Persephone, an employee at the bar, is stalked by Hades, a scorned ex. Nox also explores how homophobia and misogyny play out as violence against women in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. This work was inspired as tribute to those lost in the 2016 Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting.
As of today (November 28, 2021), Nox is being scored:
Orpheus (she/hers) - contralto/low treble*
Eurydice (she/they) - soprano
Persephone (she/hers) - coloratura mezzo-soprano
Hades (he/his) - bass-baritone
Piano, violin
*Orpheus is being composed as a flex role in order to make the role more accessible to trans opera singers
In February 2022, Nox will be workshopped at the University of Saskatchewan, sponsored by Montreal-based ensemble, Musique 3 Femmes. Following the workshop, we will be hosting a Fine Arts Recital & Lecture Series (FARLS) that will consist of a panel of members of the creative team of Nox, followed by a performance of some excerpts from the opera-in-progress. The FARLS is free and will be open to the public (pending COVID restrictions). Stay tuned for more details.
Thanks to Canada Council for the Arts, Cori Ellison is joining the team as dramaturg, and has already been involved in creative meetings, and a libretto-reading session at Dan School of Drama & Music. Cori's years of experience in the world of opera are a welcome addition to the team.
The libretto of Nox has been sponsored by SK Arts, and the music of Nox has been sponsored by Canada Council for the Arts. Thank you from the bottom of our prairie hearts for supporting this opera!
The libretto of Nox has been sponsored by SK Arts, and the music of Nox has been sponsored by Canada Council for the Arts. Thank you from the bottom of our prairie hearts for supporting this opera!
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