Photo credit: Against the Grain/Facebook.

By The Canadian Press

Music

New leader of Toronto-based opera company from the Peace

Oct 15, 2024 | 3:20 PM

Editors Note: Royce was born in Grande Prairie and raised near Sexsmith.

TORONTO – The experimental Toronto-based opera company Against the Grain Theatre has recruited award-winning librettist Royce Vavrek as its new artistic director.

The Alberta-born, Brooklyn-based Vavrek is taking the reins from founding artistic director Joel Ivany, who left the role last year.

The company, founded in 2010, is known for staging operas in unexpected places, including a monthly series in pubs.

Vavrek won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2017 for writing the text of the opera “Angel’s Bone” with composer Du Yun.

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Royce is currently adapting the Thomas King novel “Indians on Vacation” for the opera with composer Ian Cusson.

The project was co-commissioned by Against the Grain and Edmonton Opera and is expected to debut in 2026.

(The Canadian Press)