Port Moody opera sensation Judith Forst will be part of the first-ever Vancouver Opera Festival that opens next week.
The world-renowned mezzo-soprano, who has the Order of Canada as well as the Freedom of the City, appears in the modern classic tale Dead Man Walking — one of three productions running during the inaugural 16-day festival.
Conducted by Jonathan Darlington and directed by Joel Ivany, the show about a death-row inmate is based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean (and was turned into a movie starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, in 1995).
The opera, which was commissioned by the San Francisco Opera, includes Daniel Okulitch as inmate Joseph De Rocher and Forst as his mother, Mrs. Patrick De Rocher, in the Vancouver edition; the young nun is portrayed as J’Nai Bridges.
Dead Man Walking runs April 29 and May 2, 5 and 7 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
The fest also includes Otello (Queen Elizabeth Theatre) by Giuseppe Verdi and The Marriage of Figaro (Vancouver Playhouse), by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
“The festival format is an exciting extension of what VO has traditionally done and it creates a platform to explore repertoire, collaborations and many new opportunities to engage, educate and entertain audiences — new and old,” said general director Kim Gaynor, in a news release.
For tickets, call Vancouver Opera at 604-683-0222 or visit vancouveropera.ca.
jcleugh@tricitynews.com
