MISSING

ABOUT

A powerful opera that amplifies the voices of thousands of missing Indigenous women. A major Quebec premiere for this deeply moving work, where music, memory, and poignant stories come together.

Premiered in 2017, MISSING, with a libretto by Métis and Dene playwright Marie Clements and music by Brian Current, powerfully addresses the tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

MISSING brings together the Western operatic tradition with Indigenous languages and storytelling. Performed in English and Gitxsan and created in close collaboration with the communities concerned, the opera is much more than a performance: it is an act of remembrance, resistance, and reconciliation.

Set between Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and the infamous Highway of Tears in northern British Columbia, the story intertwines the fate of Ava, a young woman deeply affected by her encounter with a missing Gitxsan woman, with that of a family facing absence and grief.

Critics have described the opera as “shatteringly emotional” and “something every Canadian should see.”

Press

“Extraordinarily moving and thought-provoking” — The WholeNote

“A milestone for the opera world” — The WholeNote

“Shatteringly emotional” — Opera Canada



Programme

MISSING (2017), 80:00

Brian Current / Marie Clements

CASTS AND ARTISTS

Timothy Long, chef

Caitlin Wood, soprano — Ava

Melody Courage, soprano — The Native Girl

Michelle Lafferty, mezzo-soprano — The Native Mother

Andrea Ludwig, mezzo-soprano — Jess

Marion Newman, mezzo-soprano — Dr. Wilson

Asitha Tennekoon, ténor — Devon

Evan Korbut, baryton — Angus

The Continuum Ensemble (TCE)

Leslie Newman, flute; Anthony Thompson, clarinet; Carol Fujino, violon; Paul Widner, cello; Gregory Oh, piano, electric piano; Ryan Scott, percussions; Michael Murphy, percussions

Designers

Andy Moro, technical director

PARTNERS

A Festival MNM and Festival Classica coproduction.

Special thanks from ATOM (Artists of The Opera Missing):

The Canada Council for the Arts, The Ontario Arts Council, Latitude45 Arts Promotion, Toronto Summer Music, Opera Vancouver, Pacific Opera Victoria, Vincent Gogak (Indigenous language consultant), Charles Barber, Andy Moro, Barbara Scales, Jonathon Crow and Carey Newman.

Special thanks to the families and Indigenous communities who continue to stand up and fight to find their loved ones and bring them home.