World Premiere at Calgary Opera
Estacia and Murrel’s Frobisher co-commissioned with the Banff Centre
Frobisher, an opera co-commissioned by the Banff Centre and Calgary Opera, and written by John Estracio and John Murrell has world premiere in January 2007.
Calgary Opera in conjunction with the Banff Centre have co-commissioned the second opera from the creative team of John Estracio and John Murrell. The new opera, Frobisher, uses pirate and explorer Martin Frobisher’s expeditions to the far north of Canada as its backdrop. The opera, which follows parallel both Martin Frobisher’s expeditions from the 1570’s and a modern-day film crew documenting Frobisher’s expeditions, looks at the journey of following the dream of discovery.
This is Estracio and Murrell’s 2nd co-commission by the Calgary Opera and the Banff Centre. They found great success in their 2003 opera Filumena both in its initial premier in the 2002-03 Calgary Opera season and the remount at the 2003 Banff Summer Festival. Much of the same team that brought Filumena to the stage were involved in a series of workshops over two years to culminating in a January, 2007 premiere of the work. Frobisher marks the 3rd commission of a new work by Calgary Opera in the last five years.
Speaking about the risk to commission a new work such as Frobisher, Bob McPhee, general director and CEO of Calgary Opera, says “New Canadian full-length operas are few and far between, because of the enormous costs and risks involved. But with those risks there is also enormous potential for success and the opportunity to tell stories that relate to our audiences. Unless organizations like the Centre and Calgary Opera embrace the joys and the risks of new opera creation, the Verdi or Puccini of our time will remain forever unheard.” (from Making of Frobisher, Debra Hornsby)
The premiere at Opera Calgary January 27, 31, and February 2, 2007 will be conducted by Jean-Marie Zeitouni and directed by Kelly Robinson. The production will be remounted for the Banff Summer Arts Festival on August 8, 10, and 12, 2007.
Banff Centre for Performing Arts
