A musical mixture based on a romantic and tragic story. That is how Jim Leonard describes his first opera Maria Chapdelaine, which opens the 4th annual Vernon Proms Classical Music Festival on June 29.
The organist began writing the opera when he was living and working in Barrie, Ont., in 2003, and a friend in the Simcoe County music scene contacted him.
The friend, a seasoned opera singer, suggested Leonard write an English opera based on Louis H茅mon鈥檚 coming-of-age novel of the same name, set in 1920s rural Quebec.
鈥淗is confidence in me enabled me to go forward with it,鈥� Leonard said, adding that the opera in Barrie also commissioned him to write it.
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Due to budget constrictions, he only wrote the first two of four acts at the time.
鈥淚t was written in a fairly short time and it was all handwritten in pencil,鈥� he said, adding that it is still a 鈥渃ornucopia of styles.鈥�
鈥淲hen I wrote it in Barrie I was the member of an ensemble at a community choir and I was a church organist and I taught school and I played in various groups. All those influences came into the style of the music.鈥�
By 2009, he finished the four acts in rough pencil form with only piano accompaniment.
Between 2009 and 2012, he added string orchestration and percussion.
The end result, with the help of music director Cvetozar Vutev, stage director and set designer Lana O鈥橞rian, producer Natalia Polchenko and concertmaster Susan Schaffer, is a fully-staged opera performance.
鈥淭here is no dialogue,鈥� Leonard said. 鈥淎nd there鈥檚 action, too.鈥�
The opera actually opens with a dance scene.
鈥淭hen there鈥檚 a rumble,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd the next day they鈥檙e all in church and the priest, who was at the party, is giving them the what for, for their behaviour.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e saying listen to him he was there, that pious hypocrite. However, the priest gains ground as the opera progresses, because he has to preside over the requiem for鈥aria鈥檚 lover, and not the one her parents chose.鈥�
Ultimately it is 鈥渁 wonderful love story,鈥� he said.
鈥淎 lot of the music is romantic in style.鈥�
The chorus and musicians come from across the region, with some local favourites.
Leonard said the leads are all university-level singers who are 鈥減roving to be just excellent鈥� and there are also a few local people from Melina Schein鈥檚 Valley Vocal Arts.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a couple of young men and they found time to be in Spamalot, which is their production, and the opera,鈥� he said.
Tickets for the , which goes at 7 p.m. at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre, are $40 for an adult, $35 for a senior and $16.75 for a student. The Vernon Proms Classical Festival runs until Aug. 4 with 27 concerts workshops and free events in Vernon and 91大黄鸭. Visit for the complete festival line-up, event details and venue information and tickets information.
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karissa.gall@blackpress.ca
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