It seems incredible that Opera Atelier's upcoming production of Handel's The Resurrection can feel like a new discovery, given the number of years we have spent preparing for this production! How could we ever have imagined that an opera we had begun rehearsing in 2020 would not hit the stage until April 2023?

COVID was, of course, the culprit. We were in our second week of rehearsal in March 2020 when we were interrupted by a fateful phone call from OA's Executive Director and Executive Board telling us the rehearsal must be shut down immediately and the rehearsal hall evacuated. This direction, which was totally unexpected, came like a thunderbolt. It was one of the most painful moments of my career when I had to return to the studio and tell the singers and stage management that they must pack up and leave.

But the Artists of Opera Atelier have never caved in the face of adversity. By 2021, The Resurrection was reimagined as a beautiful feature film and marked our first company contract with ACTRA and solidified our working relationship with the extraordinary young Canadian filmmaker, Marcel Canzona.

And now, at long last, the sets and costumes that were built for the 2020 production can be brought back to life - like the palace of a Sleeping Beauty. OA's fully-staged production of Handel's The Resurrection will take place in the superb acoustic of Koerner Hall on April 6, 8, and 9!

Last night, our first dance rehearsal took place, and it was a particular pleasure for our choreographer Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg and me to watch our Artists of Atelier Ballet throw themselves into the choreography, unfettered by any COVID restrictions whatsoever. The joy is palpable and will only increase with the arrival of our singers and Tafelmusik.

Please join us for what is a unique, historic event in Opera Atelier's history and celebrate the arrival of Spring. Click here to purchase tickets for Opera Atelier's fully-staged production of The Resurrection or call the Royal Conservatory of Music at 1.888.408.0208

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Pictured: Dominic Who, Artist of the Atelier Ballet. Photography by Bruce Zinger.