October 26, 2006OTTAWAOn October 30, 2006, at 1:00 p.m., students from local elementary schools and community groups will be invited with their parents to Rideau Hall for a performance of Elijah's Kite, a new opera for children. Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, will deliver short remarks prior to the performance. Elijah's Kite is a story that addresses violence and schoolyard bullying. Written for five singing actors, three musicians and a children's chorus, it explores friendship, loneliness, and self-image.
The opera was developed in the Tapestry New Work Studio in Toronto and was premiered by the Manhattan School of Music in April 2006. Tapestry New Opera Works is a 27-year old Canadian company dedicated to the development and production of original works of Canadian opera and music theatre.
Opera synopsis:
In a playground full of kids, nine-year old Elijah feels all alone. He's had a lot of trouble from Big Billy Brett, the school bully. Elijah brings his favourite kite to school and dreams of flying away. Elijah meets the new girl, Miriam, who's not afraid of Billy. But her fierceness soon turns to meanness, and she becomes a bully too. By the end, the kids all learn how to turn something negative into something good, and discover that co-operation can make Elijah's kite fly.
Media interested in attending this event are asked to call the Rideau Hall Press Office.
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Media information:Lucie BrosseauRideau Hall Press Office613-998-0287www.gg.ca
Anna CamaraTapestry New Opera Works Communications and Outreach Director416-537-6066, ext. 221www.tapestrynewopera.com
