Canoe

Unsettled Scores, in collaboration with Native Earth Performing Arts, The Toronto Consort and Theatre Passe Muraille, will present Canoe, an all-new two-act opera that defies conventions and embraces invention from September 12-16, 2023 at Trinity St Paul’s in Toronto. This intercultural production showcases the rich talents of four Indigenous singers and an ensemble of five historical instruments including the violin, cello, recorder, lute, and harpsichord.

Composed by Unsettled Scores co-founders Spy Dénommé-Welch and Catherine Magowan, and set to a story/libretto by Spy Dénommé-Welch, Canoe is a captivating tale of two sisters from Northern Ontario, their ancestral tree, and an old, but familiar, visitor from the past. Through a minimalist aesthetic, this poignant work breaks free from Eurocentric operatic structures, creating an accessible and safe space for diverse audiences to experience the transformative power of Indigenous storytelling and opera.