Lillian Alling: Tenament Life in 1920s NYC

When Lillian Alling arrived on the east coast of North America in the 1920s she was part of the post-war crush of immigrants from Europe. She joined the hordes of people processed through Ellis Island seeking prosperity, a new world, or just a fresh start. Many of these newcomers would end up living in Manhatten’s Lower East Side, in what would become known as the tenements of New York.

As immigrants flowed into New York City, builders rushed to construct housing quickly and cheaply. The most cost-effective way to meet the demand for housing was to put many families in the same building. Usually made of bricks, early tenements were built side by side on narrow lots. The law defined a tenement as any house occupied by three or more families living independently and doing their own cooking on the premises. Similar to a very small apartment, a tenement flat was usually no more than two rooms with shared toilets in the hallway. One room typically served as kitchen and living space, and the other as a bedroom. Families often set up one of these rooms as a workshop as well where they laboured for long hours, sewing clothes, rolling cigars or as in the photo below, making artificial flowers for ladies’ hats.



Many of the cramped rooms lacked fresh air and light until 1901 when new laws required landlords to construct narrow airshafts between the tightly packed buildings. Strung between the tenements, clotheslines reflected the lively spirit of the poor immigrants who inhabited the neighbourhood.



The sights, sounds, and smells of many cultures blended into a dynamic and vibrant part of New York City that was composed of several neighbourhoods, notably the East Village, Kleindeutschland (Little Germany), Five Points, Little Italy and the Bowery. All these neighbourhoods were squeezed together on a section of land in lower Manhattan just fourteen miles square.

With this snapshot into the maze of the tenements of New York City, Irene’s explanation to her son Jimmy of Lillian’s arrival suddenly makes sense:

Jimmy: Where did she go? What did she do?
Irene: “I come for to be with Jozéf Nikitich!”
Jimmy: So she found him?
Irene: The address she had was “Brooklyn, USA”. It only took her a week.
Jimmy: Holy God!

Take a tour into this world by clicking on www.tenement.org

Lillian Alling: The Land Is Large

Lillian Alling is the story of a woman who walks from New York City to Vancouver and beyond, alone and driven by a motive shrouded in mystery. In John Estacio's original score for the work, we hear the chaos of Ellis Island, the jump and sway of New York City, and in a key piece of music we'll discuss today, the joy and wonder of the wide open land.

"With 'The Land Is Large', I wanted to convey Lillian's enjoyment of the countryside. Despite the fact that she is all alone on her journey and with the fear and trepidation that accompanies undertaking such a trek, she still marvels at her surroundings," says Estacio.



"Having composed a few operas already, I've learned that the scenic design in my mind always ends up costing ten times more than the budget allows," says Estacio. "So instead of imagining what the scene will look like on stage, I focus on the emotions and the motivations of the characters -- what is going on inside of these individuals while they're on stage as opposed to what the scenery looks like around them."

The land is large and smooth and green.
I hear many birds, I hear no war.
Such quiet I have not heard before…
A place of questions, not answers,
Of mistakes they do not call sins.
Here nothing,
Nothing is ending.
Everything,
Everything begins!

The sample attached to this post is from a recording made early in the composition process with just a piano. So how do we get from this simple piano and vocal version to the final product we'll hear at the world premiere?

"Once I've finished the piano/vocal score, I start at the beginning again and write all the orchestral music. It's probably not the most efficient way to write an opera, but it works for me," smiles Estacio. The additional material in the score are the orchestral 'sound effects' and new rhythmic figures that enhance the sense of Lillian's motion as she walks along her path.

"What you do hear in the sample already is a moment when Lillian refers to the telegraph wires that she is following on her journey," he points out, "At that point there is a quick little burst of telegraphic rhythms from the piano (2:45) -- a short foreshadowing to the music that occurs later in Act 1 when we meet the telegraph operators, including Scotty Macdonald."

We've just received the first act score from John with all the orchestration and we are thrilled and excited by what we see and can hear in our mind's ear as we gather around the table to read over it. We think you will be too. So please have a listen to this sneak sample of 'The Land Is Large' from our upcoming world premiere opera Lillian Alling, music by John Estacio and libretto by John Murrell.

Please join us in October to see how it all comes together.


~ Image Source

Lillian Alling: Trainspotting

In the opera Lillian Alling, Lillian finds herself somewhere in the great expanse of the midwest in the summertime, and encounters another traveller on her trip to "North of Dakota". Asking how she might get there and how far it might be, he replies that she might want to hop a freight train passing by to speed her journey.

How are we going to get a freight train on stage? Just you wait and see...

In the 1920's it would not have been unusual to find a person riding the rails by illegially and secretly jumping onto a passing train and hiding in or on the freight cars. It had been a common practice as far back as the Civil War and would rise dramatically with the onset of the Great Depression (1929-1939).

Our opera takes place before the Great Depression, but at a time when cross country travel was mostly via train, rather than automobile, bus or certainly air travel. At the time, rail travel would not have been cheap (comparatively) and it would be very unlikely that Lillian could have afforded it. However, it would not have been uncommon for a number of itinerant workers to "hop a freight" while trying to make it from one job to another, often following the harvest cycles. These travellers were often known as "hobos".

Hobos, tramps and bums - there's a difference!
There's actually a hierarchy of nomenclature for the itinerant worker of no fixed address. A Hobo is a travelling worker of no fixed address outside of a work camp associated with a job (usually agricultural). A Tramp is a travelling homeless person who will work if forced to gain food or shelter. A Bum is a person with neither home nor intention to work who will rely on handouts to get by. All three would commonlly ride the rails from place to place during the time period of the opera. It's estimated that at the time of our opera there would have been between 500,000 and 700,000 hobos on the rails, making Lillian's fictional encounter a very likely one in real life. Even today, it is believed that at least 20,000 people still live the hobo lifestyle, and in Britt, Iowa there is an annual National Hobo Convention to celebrate and assist those who have chosen to "decide your own life".


How to hop a freight
First of all -- don't. It's illegal and very dangerous. The days of slow moving, open sided covered box cars are long gone. Today's trains are faster, heavier, intermodal containers or lorries with open bottoms. Hopping a freight is illegal in all states (and presumably all provinces) and trespassing on rail property carries a heavy fine and/or jail time. Many a hobo lost life or limb falling under the wheels of a train car, getting smashed between cars or their couplings, or ending up dead from hypothermia or suffocation after getting trapped inside a car.

But if you simply must try it - check here for some tips

Hobo Lingo
Over the decades a colourful slang of its own developed amongst those riding the rails. Here's some fun ones you might want to learn (full list here):

Angellina - an inexperienced kid
Bull - a rail officer, to be avoided at all costs
Cannonball - a fast train
Flip - to board a moving train
Grease the Track - to be run over by a train
Reefer - a contraction of "refrigerated car"
Catch the Westbound - to die

"That Angellina tried to flip a cannonball to get away from that bull, but instead he greased the tracks under the reefer and caught the westbound."

"Trainspotting"
As a headline for this post, it makes a great word, especially since the film. However, strictly speaking, what Lillian does in the opera is "freight hopping" and not "trainspotting", which is the practice of documenting sightings of trains as a hobby.


Homework
Watch a fantastic film called Emperor of the North, starring Lee Marvin, Earnest Borgnine and a young Keith Carradine. In it, Lee Marvin tries to ride Earnest Borgnine's train all the way to Portland to win a bet, all the while trying to shake young Carradine, a wannabe hobo. It's got fightin' and cussin' and a good deal of silliness, plus a fantastic climactic fight at the very end. Directed by Robert Aldrich in 1973, it is a gem and well worth seeking out. (In Vancouver you can get it a Happy Bats Cinema)

~ all images from Emperor of the North, Lee Marvin, Lee Marvin (again), and a really scary looking Ernest Borgnine

Lillian Alling: Ellis Island Memory

I visited Ellis Island 30 years ago and I still vividly remember the feeling of the huge central arrival hall. It’s a very powerful place.

Everyone who passed through Ellis Island first had to climb a staircase that emerged in the middle of the hall. Exhausted from a long sea voyage, often in deplorable conditions, and entering a new country, it’s not difficult to imagine their fear and disorientation as they trudged down their ship’s gangplank, entered the imposing brick building, and approached the top of the stairs.

Eyeing them was a team of medical officers who were trained to recognize serious communicable diseases in the few seconds of time that elapsed as each new arrival passed by. Those who showed symptoms were ushered into observation rooms that ringed the great hall, and then on to confinement in a hospital ward on the island, or to another ship, to be sent back home. Those who passed the initial cursory inspection moved on to the next stage: interrogation, identification and, possibly, approval for entry into the United States of America.

I remember the metal staircase and its railing, the clinical white paint, the frosted glass windows, the containment pens, the sad wooden benches, the hollow sounds of human voices against hard surfaces. I remember thinking that this was what a 19th century sanitarium would feel like.

Thirty years later, I imagine Lillian Alling climbing the stairs, surrounded by hundreds of other haggard souls, speaking countless languages she cannot understand. Perhaps she has a fever or bronchitis, acquired during her voyage from Russia. Perhaps she has heard from fellow passengers that you must hide your symptoms, or you might be rejected. By the time Lillian arrived in New York, in the 1927, Ellis Island had become primarily a detention and deportation centre, and had earned its reputation as the “Island of Tears”. But Lillian is fierce, determined, and strong. She makes it onto the mainland and into Brooklyn, to begin her search for Josèf, a man to whom she is bound by family and history.

In the opera Lillian Alling, we’ll get to see how John Estacio and John Murrell, along with set and costume designer Sue LePage and projection designer Tim Matheson, depict Lillian’s experience on Ellis Island. It’s the first big chorus number in the opera, and it’s sure to be evocative and very emotional.


~ Doug Tuck, Dir. of Marketing and Community Programs

Lillian Alling: Fashion Shock

In sharp contrast to the traditional dress of the many newcomers to North America, Lillian Alling, the title character of our new opera, would be introduced to the image of the ‘new woman’ on the streets of Brooklyn.

Costume designer Sue LePage has captured this distinction in her depiction of the passerby Lillian runs into on the streets of Brooklyn (seen above) with the men and women at Ellis Island (seen below).


Representing the dress of 1920s North America is the job of designer Sue LePage from the fashion of New York City to mid-west farming communities to early Vancouver.

Following her research of the period, she created a series of sketches that are now being interpreted by VO’s wardrobe team and transformed into the costumes on stage.

Keep checking in here as we take you from concept to final realization on this and many other aspects of the design for our world premiere opera Lillian Alling, opening our new season on Oct. 16, 2010.



~images by Sue LePage, all rights reserved

New Season, New Look

With the end of our Golden Anniversary Season comes a new look and a new artist, Leonard Dente, to bring the first season of our next fifty years to life.


An aspiring illustrator originally from Attleboro, Massachusetts, Leonard Dente is a recent graduate of Massachusetts College of Art and Design, with a BFA in illustration who specializes in portraiture. Most of his work is done by layering various media such as graphite, watercolor, and gouache.


Did you know that VO commissions original artwork for each of its seasons? It's our way to engage local, Canadian and international visual artists in the same way that we engage our performing artists.


Our graphic designer, Annie Mack, keeps a constant watch for interesting artists and illustrators. She scours design and communications websites and printed catalogues for work that leaps off the page. She came upon Leonard Dente when his award in a student competition was announced to the design world. Attracted by the strong personalities and contemporary colours of his portraits, Annie immediately added him to the short list of contenders for this year's commission. As we made our final decision, we kept coming back to Leonard's portraits and we decided to have him do portraits of the title characters in our 2010-2011 operas.

You can see more of his artwork at http://leonarddente.com/

Get Your Motor Runnin'

The Grand Prize Draw to win the Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe is this Friday June 25th at 3:00pm!



Did you know the VO has a Harley up for a lottery prize? It is a 2010 HD Softail Deluxe from Trev Deeley Motorcycles, and this is a ride fit for a Valkyrie.



If you want in on this, you can now order VO Lottery tickets online at www.vancouveropera.ca

Or you can call 604-682-2871 x4860

Or via email at lotteries@vancouveropera.ca

Tickets are $20 apiece, 3 for $50 or 7 for $100.

Grand Prize Draw: June 25, 2010 (just in time for summer)

OK, now for the fine print:
Total value of prizes $26,579. Winners will be drawn manually from a raffle barrel. Price per ticket $20.00 (950 tickets), 600 packs of 3 for $50.00 (1,800 tickets) and 250 packs of 7 for $100.00 (1,750 tickets). 4,500 tickets to be sold. Cut-off for ticket sales for Grand Prize is 11:00am June 25, 2010. Grand Prize draw is at 3:00pm June 25, 2010 at Vancouver Opera, 835 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC. 2010 Harley-Davidson Softal Deluxe Value: $24,079 including taxes. Cash alternative to grand prize is $20,000. Second prize is $500 gift certificate for Trev Deeley Motorcycles. Early Bird Draw: May 10, 2010, 3:00pm Vancouver Opera Offices 835 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC. 2 prizes of $1,000 cash. For previous Vancouver Opera Lotteries, please visit our website, www.vancouveropera.ca, where winners' names are posted. Tickets may be sold and purchased only in BC. Personal information that you provide to Vancouver Opera will be used to inform you of upcoming activities within our company and in the region. BC Gaming Event Licence #22212.

UPDATE:
We have a winner!!!!
Harley Davidson: Darin Mould Delta #3371
$500 gift certificate for Treve Deeley motorcycles: Bob Wiebe Abbotsford #2292
Valkyrie image by Thomas Denmark

It's Opera, Baby!!

Vancouver Opera is pleased to announce the birth of Topper, an 8 lb. 1 oz. little boy, who arrived to join mom Annie(our graphic designer) and dad Adrian on Sunday, June 20th. Nice father's day present for Adrian.

He's not quite ready for his close-up yet, so the image above is what you get when you type "opera" and "baby" into the google search engine this morning.

We look forward to seeing Topper and his mom for a visit in a few weeks. Please join us in congratulating Annie and Adrian on this joyous occassion!

Lillian Alling: The Clothes

Lillian Alling costumes are designed by noted theatrical designer Sue LePage. In envisioning the show she had two tasks, reflect the 1920's and the modern era, and reflect the gritty reality of what it might look like walking across the continent.

The amazing photo above is of the real Lillian Alling. As you can see she's dressed for comfort, not fashion. In fact, she looks to be wearing a hodge-podge of men's and women's clothing chosen for their durability and comfort.

She stands in striking contrast to this lady of the same period:



Biggest fashion change of the 1920's? No more bustles or corsets! Now the fashion was lighter, brighter, shorter, thinner. Nothing would be more iconic for this time period than the "flapper".

The Flapper
"The Flapper" was actually a popular 1920 movie starring Olive Thomas. In it, a small town girl chases after a man of means by way of portraying herself as a bejewelled and well-dressed lady of fashion. It set the standard by which flappers were initially judged.

Here's a little picture of dear Olive.
She lived quite a life. Married Mary Pickford's brother.

She only made two more movies after The Flapper.

Died under very tragic circumstances.






The Explorer
Now compare her to Mary Shaffer Warren, Canadian explorer and mountaineer of the same period.

Mary was famous for many things, not the least of which was rediscovering what is now called Maligne Lake.

There is a fantastic book, called No Ordinary Woman (pictured) that you may want to read. It is a fascinating tale of her life of adventure.

So as you can see, Lillian Alling was caught between a revolution in fashion and the needs of the road. It will be very interesting to see these two styles on the stage during the opera.

For some fantastic information on 1920's dresses, try 1920-30.com, there you can not only learn what they looked like, but how to make your own! Perhaps you can whip something up for our opening night October 16?

Lillian Alling's Russia: Civil War

In Lillian Alling, our title character comes to America seeking a new life, a life away from the tumult of her homeland, Russia. But what was happening to drive her to the shores of America?


These Guys

In 1917 the Russian Revolution was launched, overthrowing the Tsarist rule of Nicholas II, and beginning seven years of civil war that was to claim 20,000,000 lives.

In the opera, Lillian sings "I never look back" and with good reason. The period 1917 to 1925 was (as with most civil wars) a dark period for Russia and its people. Whether you were Bolshevik, Tsarist, Orthodox, or Jewish you were at constant risk of death from one of five factions at war.

The Reds: Bolsheviks led by V.I. Lenin were intent on unifiying the former Tsarist Empire under Communist rule.

The Whites: Supporters of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia.

The Blacks: Anarchist army centered mostly in the Ukraine and in Moscow.

The Greens: The Ukrainian nationalists determined not to fall under the rule of either the Red Army, nor the White Army.

And who were the fifth group? Your friends and neighbors. In the course of an ongoing civil war, alliances changed, local groups formed and reformed, and today's ally could be tomorrow's enemy. Against this backdrop, Lillian Alling's arrival in New York is actually a journey in progress. What challenges did she face prior to her arrival and what drove her to the shores of Ellis Island?

Stay tuned to find out.

For more on the Russian Civil War Click Here

~photo credit: Wikimedia

Doug's Ride to Conquer Cancer

Call him crazy but our Director of Marketing, Doug Tuck, will be participating in a two-day major cycling event called The Ride to Conquer Cancer this weekend. All proceeds raised will go to BC Cancer Foundation to support cancer research, treatment and services.

So not only does he work crazy long hours, manage a marketing staff of 6 and just celebrated his 60th birthday, but now he's getting on his bike to raise money. Doug is our hero.

Doug will be cycling from Vancouver to Seattle (that's 2 days of 160 km each) with thousands of other Riders. When he's not on his bike, he'll be sleeping in a tent. In a field.

It's going to be an adventure this weekend. I don't know which is more daunting: the idea of riding 320 km or the prospect of sleeping in a tent with a total stranger (if you ride alone they pair you up) in a field in Mt Vernon.

The entrance fee that each rider had to raise is $2,500. Doug had originally set his personal goal to $3600 but has since surpassed that. As of today, he has raised $5000 which was his revised goal. Click here for Doug's webpage.

We'll all be rooting for Doug on his ride this weekend. Go, Doug, Go!

UPDATE: He made it! Through wind, fog and rain, Doug made the trip from Vancouver to Seattle while raising over $5,000 to conquer cancer! Thanks to all of you for your support and congratulations Doug on a major achievement!

~ Ling Chan, Social Media Manager

Lillian Alling's Playlist: Music of the 1920's

In our world premiere opera Lillian Alling, our protagonist lands in NYC in the 1920's, the golden age of Jazz and the early years of what would come to be known as the "Roaring Twenties".

In the opera, we hear snatches of jazz-infused music throughout the New York City scenes, and at one point Lillian is serenaded by a group of boys singing some sidewalk popular music.

So what music might Lillian have been hearing as she roamed the streets of New York in search of her American contacts?

Her playlist is one to envy: George Gershwin; Louis Armstrong; Irving Berlin; Duke Ellington; Jelly Roll Morton; and Cole Porter were all active in this period.

To hear some of this fantastic music, visit us on Blip.fm, our online radio station, where we've loaded up some wonderful tracks for you to stream.

But first, take a listen to the very first piece of Lillian Alling that we ever recorded: Sweet Polly from Poughkeepsie



And this is just a bunch of guys from the cast, sitting around our piano for a flash recording. Can't wait to hear the final version for the show! Hope you enjoyed the sneak listen!

Butterfly Takes Flight

And we thought you didn't notice the SMART Pics photo booth at Madama Butterfly!

Beautiful opera people! You dressed up, you were cheeky, you were cute, you were funny and y'all looked like you had a blast closing out our last opera of the season!

Our Golden Anniversary season this year has been one for the books! You all came out in droves to help celebrate our 50th anniversary and for that, we'd like to thank you:

Thank you for coming to check out Norma, Nixon in China, The Marriage of Figaro and Madama Butterfly!

Thank you for subscribing to VO.

Thank you for your donations.

Thank you for all the awesome feedback we've received.

Thank you for telling everybody and their mailman about us.

Thank you for all the love and support.

We couldn't have done it without you!

And with that, a pictorial look back at unforgettable Butterfly...







See you all down at the theatre in October! Just wait to you see what we have planned for you next season!

~ Ling Chan, Social Media Manager

Lilllian Emigrates

In our opera Lillian Alling, the title character is a poor Russian immigrant who lands in New York City in the early 1920's. Like today, an immigrant in the 1920's faced many challenges, not the least of which was getting in the country in the first place.

What kind of Canada would an immigrant like Lillian Alling have encountered? In the 1920’s the official policy was to accept those most like the English, with less acceptance the further one was from the WASP profile. At the bottom of the list were Jews and those who came to Canada “from the Orient.” Source

The US had a similar racial preference for those of Nordic or English heritage, as well as restricting emigration to 2% of the population of the originating country which currently resided in the US, This significant drop in allowable emigration was the result of changing law in the 1920’s in response to growing concerns about foreign-born workers undercutting wages and raising unemployment amongst native-born workers. By 1925 the US showed a net loss of foreign-born workers. As in Canada, those of Chinese and Japanese heritage were at the bottom of the list of desired immigrants. Source



As a Russian speaker, Lillian would have been far down on the list. While our opera is not specific as to her religion, some have inferred that she is also Jewish, which would have put her even further down the list of desirable immigrants. Between 1900 and 1920, less than 3% of immigrants to Canada were Russian, and only 2%were Jewish.

A blog such as this cannot begin to address the complexity of immigration activities and legislation during this period, nor can it begin to address the varied levels of acceptance that immigrants would find in the US or Canada at the time. Then, as now, immigration was a “hot button” political topic, and even the slightest review of the arguments for/against immigration reform reveals a striking similarity to the opinions expressed today.

A very interesting timeline related to events surrounding Canadian immigration can be found at the Canadian Council for Refugees website.

Another great resource to show what Lillian might have faced getting into the US in the 1920's can be found here: Source

On a final note, it is interesting that Lillian Alling would have been one of the “first wave” Russian immigrants to land on the shores of North America, a wave that brought one George Ignatieff to Canada.

images by G W Peters, source

Retirement And Giving Back

If there's a picture window on the soul of Vancouver – a city I love so dearly – I think it must be the Ambleside seawall. Mountains rising straight out of Burrard Inlet’s waters and the majestic profile of the Lions' Gate Bridge, connecting nature and culture unlike any other place in the world. And the people you meet when out for a stroll there: a cross-section of the vital, multi-cultural population that makes Vancouver so amazing.

If I'm waxing poetic about the seawall, it's because I've had a chance to get reacquainted with the little pleasures of Vancouver since my retirement three years ago. But scenic strolls aren't all that I've been up to. I've been working hard to strengthen and sustain a thriving arts scene and to support a profound local commitment to the less fortunate. After concluding my career at Canadian Western Bank & Trust, I'm now sitting on the board of directors of three crucially important Vancouver-based organizations: the Vancouver Bach Choir, the Vancouver Opera Foundation, and the Health and Home Care Society of BC.

For the internationally renowned Vancouver Bach Choir, which turns 80 this year, I’m working to help support several programs, such as the invaluable youth choir programming that for the past 25 years has spawned national and international singing careers for several young British Columbians. I’m also involved with the Vancouver Opera Foundation’s several new initiatives to help garner support from individual and corporate foundations that support arts, education and young artist programs associated with the Vancouver Opera, which also has a landmark (50th) anniversary this year. For the Health and Home Care Society of BC, which has proudly provided community-based health and social services since 1898, I’m helping to raise funds for such critical programs as Meals on Wheels and the Family Respite Centre.

In addition to the above attempts to help local, successful organizations continue to thrive, I've also found time to help share the marvels of Vancouver's North Shore and the city's amazing restaurant scene with the rest of the world. I’m working closely with Vancouver author Evaleen Jaager Roy to promote her new coffee table book, Four Chefs One Garden. Filled with lavish photos of Jaager Roy's North Shore garden, the book also includes seasonal recipes from local superstar chefs Tojo, Umberto, Vij, and Michel Jacob of Le Crocodile.

Check your local bookstore or ask me in person about how you may help out with any of the above initiatives. You know where to find me - soaking up the unique combination of nature, culture and social life on Vancouver’s salubrious seawall.

~ Terry Pask, Vancouver Opera Foundation Trustee

A Long and Winding Road

An excerpt from Vancouver Foundation's latest "Success Stories" series

In the early 1920s …
A young woman named Lillian Alling arrives on the east coast of North America. Part of the post-war crush of immigrants from Europe, she joins the hordes of people seeking prosperity, a new world, or just a fresh start in America. Like millions of others, she is processed through Ellis Island, and then dumped, dazed and slack-jawed, on the burgeoning streets of New York.

And like countless others before her, penniless after the trip, Alling works menial jobs just to survive. But she grows increasingly dissatisfied with the unfulfilled promise of America. Unlike most of her fellow immigrants, Alling decides to do something about it -- she will go home. With no money for the boat fare back, she decides to walk home … to Russia.

Over the next three years, Alling is spotted, walking, in Chicago, Fargo (North Dakota), Winnipeg, and Ashcroft (BC). By 1927, she has crossed the continental US, alone and apparently on foot. Almost 4,000 km, with only the clothes on her back (men’s clothes at that; they didn’t make hiking clothes and boots for women) and a piece of lead pipe for protection.

In the fall of 1927 she stops briefly in Vancouver, preparing to head north another 2,300 km to Alaska and the Bering Strait. She ends up spending the winter on the coast, part of it in Oakalla Prison Farm. Some say she was imprisoned for swearing. Others claim the local constable put her in jail because he was concerned she would try to head north during the bitter winter months.

When spring arrives, Alling is off again, and is seen numerous times on the difficult Telegraph Trail – the only land route between Quesnel and Hazelton. There are rumours of love with a linesman, and occasional glimpses of her travelling with a dog in northern BC and Alaska. There is even an alleged report by two Inuit hunters of the time who claim to have transported a white woman across the Bering Strait.

What happened to Alling? Did she reach Russia and find her way home at last? Or perish en route?

Now, more than 80 years later …
Vancouver Opera is about to premiere a new work that tells the story of Lillian Alling and her mysterious, monumental journey.

Read More...

Vancouver Foundation is a supporter of our world premiere production Lillian Alling

Patron Alert: Butterfly Thursday June 10

Coming to Madama Butterfly on Thursday June 10th?

PLEASE COME EARLY

We have experienced unprecedented sales for our closing show of the Golden Anniversary Season. At last count, we expect over 1,000 people to be lined up to pick up their tickets tomorrow night.

This may mean long waits to pick up your tickets before the show.

Show starts at 7:30pm. Doors open at 6:15.

We have a great pre-show talk about the show starting at 6:30 that you could come to.

We also have a bar. You can pre-order your drinks for intermission and save yourself having to wait in that line too!

CLICK HERE FOR PARKING TIPS

CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS

We still have some tickets left for our final performance and you can buy them online ******HERE******

Come join us for what looks to be an amazing closing to our Golden Anniversary Season!

Last Chance To See This “Once In A Lifetime” Production!

James Valenti and Mihoko Kinoshita. Photo by Tim Matheson.

There are only 2 performances remaining of Madama Butterfly!

“A Madama Butterfly like this wings its way into town once in a lifetime"
– Georgia Straight

Read some of the other rave reviews. The Vancouver Sun says Madama Butterfly “soars anew”. The Globe & Mail exclaims that the production “lifts this opera to a new level".

“I had tears.” “Fabulous! Maybe the best opera we have seen.”
Click here to see what our audiences said of the production.

Good seats are still available! Get your tickets now!

Call the VO Ticket Centre at 604-683-0222 or buy online.

Tuesday June 8th & Thursday June 10th
Performances @ 7:30pm
Queen Elizabeth Theatre


James Valenti and Mihoko Kinoshita. Photo by Tim Matheson


Mihoko Kinoshita. Photo by Tim Matheson

Let's Be Famous For 15 Minutes

The last opera of the season! And what better way to remember being at the opera than with a photo booth picture?

The SMART Pics photo booth will be at Madama Butterfly's June 8 AND June 10 performances. Take a picture, "love it" or "try again", then email it to yourself as a souvenir.

The SMART Pics photo booth will be situated by the east end lobby staircase and bloggers table, just waiting for your smiles and poses.

And voila, a thank you from us for making our Golden Anniversary season such a success!

~ Ling Chan, Social Media Manager

Audiences Love Madama Butterfly!

Photo credit: Tim Matheson

“absolutely loved it.”
“I had tears.”
“one of a kind piece of art on the stage.”
“the most beautiful production I’ve ever seen!”

Audiences agree with the critics that Madama Butterfly “soars anew" – Vancouver Sun

Click here to see what other audience members had to say!

The Globe & Mail exclaims that the production “lifts this opera to a new level".

The Georgia Straight agrees and says “A Madama Butterfly like this wings its way into town once in a lifetime".

There are only 3 Performances Remaining! Saturday is sold out, but great seats are still available for Tues. June 8th and Thurs. June 10th! All Performances at 7:30pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

For tickets, call the VO Ticket Centre at 604-683-0222 or buy online here.

The Draw Of Opera

So not only are opera fans and bloggers liking our operas, but now illustrators are digging on what we do.

On the night of dress rehearsal, artist Paul Zeke was invited to sketch the Madama Butterfly performance. Paul was set up just off the side of the stage with his easel, pencil crayons and charcoals, sketching by the light in the orchestra pit. He was quite the draw that night!

Here's a couple of sketches from his blog:


Portrait of James Valenti


Portrait of Maestro Darlington

At Thursday's performance, artist Val Nelson did one better. Val, seated with her husband Michael Cox (who created the awesome schematic of the story of Figaro), drew in the dark of the theatre, what was playing out onstage. She was so low-profile that people seated around her did not even notice.

Here are Val's sketches:


Act I


Act II

Can we just say WOW to theses 2 illustrators? Colour us impressed at yet another way to be inspired by opera.

Thank you Paul and Val for sharing!

~ Ling Chan, Social Media Manager

9 Questions With Jonathan Darlington

Photo credit: Christoph Müller-Girod

Maestro Jonathan Darlington has been keeping the beat for Vancouver Opera as Conductor and Music Director for the past 8 seasons. He also does double duty as the Music Director of the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany.

In recent seasons, he has kept our audience enrapt as he conducted Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci, Fidelio, Eugene Onegin, Salome and The Marriage of Figaro.

As he takes the nightly podium at Madama Butterfly, VO catches up with Jonathan for a quick round of 9 questions:

Guilty musical pleasure?
Too many to mention.

Where do you love to sing?
In the bath

What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A balmy summer’s evening with the family on a Greek island

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Over enthusiasm

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines of fiction?
Captain Dobbin in Thakeray’s “Vanity Fair”

Who are your favourite characters in history?
Nelson, Frederick the Great, Henry the 4th of France.

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines in real life?
Stephen Hawking

Who is your favourite author?
Tolstoy

Your favourite musician?
Haydn

Getting Opera Down To An Art

If you're new to the opera world and uncertain of what to expect, how to dress or even what's all about, check out blogger Carolyn Coles' tips!

Opera-goer Carolyn was at The Marriage of Figaro and wrote a fantastic post on her blog about everything you wanted to ask about going to the opera but were afraid to ask.

The tricks of our trade:

Arrive early. Taxis and parking can be hard to come by, especially if a concert or Canucks game is on. Arriving early reduces stress and increases the pre show fun. We now aim to arrive about 30-45 minutes early to settle in, enjoy a drink and biscotti, and people watch.

Attend shows on weekends or non work nights. This leaves time for an indulgent dinner out pre Opera and just adds to the fun. The crowd seems slightly older on weekend nights, and slightly more dressed up.

Choose your seats wisely. We originally sat very close to the stage, but have now moved back to around the 9th row. This way we do not have to strain our necks too hard to see the subtitles and also are not being spit on (seriously).

Drink more coffee than alcohol based beverages. We’ve found the recipe to staying awake and engaged during the Opera is to have ample cappuccinos or mochas well before the show begins. No matter how riveting the show, wine makes us zzzz.

Eat before you arrive. The food options are slim. We’ve arrived so starving that we devour a bag of chocolate covered almonds and peppermints for dinner. This does not set you up for long lasting energy.

Dress up! Or don’t! You will see people wearing t-shirts and jeans, evening dresses, and everything in between. Wear what makes you feel comfortable that night.
The opera is a particularly great place for fashion watching! I personally like to dress up, and enjoy seeing Vancouver dressed in something other than gortex and luon for the night.

Read the program! They do a wonderful job creating a content rich program. I prefer not to read the show summary (it gives too much away!) but I love getting to know the performers and musicians.

We couldn't have said it better ourselves! Thanks Carolyn!

~Ling Chan, Social Media Manager

You Can Never Have Too Many Handbags

What an event!

Lunch at DB Moderne, an auction featuring to-die-for handbags and sunglasses and a very enjoyable fashion show!

PURSEuasian Designer Bag Auction & Luncheon raised nearly $28K for Vancouver Opera in Schools' Cinderella opera, which will tour BC schools and reach 50,000 school kids.



Special shout-out to all our sponsors:

* DB Bistro Moderne

* Boboli

* Chanel

* Salvatore Ferragamo

* Hugo Boss

* Michael Kors

* Leone

* Ports 1961

* Bruce Eyewear

Also big props to emcees Fred Lee and Tamara Taggart, as well as fashion show host, Christopher Bates for presenting his Italian Riviera summer collection.

~ Ling Chan, Social Media Manager

20 Questions With Leslie Swackhamer

Director Leslie Swackhamer collaborated with highly acclaimed visual artist Jun Kaneko and Opera Omaha for 3 years, in order to bring to the stage a Madama Butterfly that is unlike any production you've ever seen before.






The Houston based director makes her Vancouver Opera debut to direct the very same Butterfly for Vancouver audiences.

VO catches up with Leslie for our round of 20 questions:

Guilty musical pleasure?
Salsa and Tango!

Where do you love to sing?
In my car with my daughter and her friends. Very jolly!

What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A long walk on my favorite beach with friends and family, after a stellar dinner with wonderful food, wine and conversation. It would be nice to arrange for the stars to be out, and for the water to be warm, just in case a midnight swim is called for.

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Chocolate-dark chocolate. I cannot resist.

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines of fiction?
Captain Jean Luc Picard , Dumbledore, Frodo, Nancy Drew

Who are your favourite characters in history?
Elizabeth I, Galileo, Jacques Cousteau, Aphra Behn.

Who are your favourite heroes/heroines in real life?
The Dalai Lama, Julie Taymore, Desmond Tutu, Jun and Ree Kaneko!

Who is your favourite author?
William Shakespeare-there is a reason his stories are still being told. Living, probably Margaret Atwood-I read everything she writes!

Your favourite musician?
My sister, Betsy. She never met an instrument she could not play, and she played with amazing joy. But if I were to pick someone today to go and hear, it would probably be Joyce DiDonato-her voice is otherworldly and she is very special.

Your favourite composer?
My daughter, Sarah. She just composed a piano piece for four hands, “Dancing Fire”, which has won multiple awards, including best elementary composition for the State of Texas! It is playful, complex, and full of surprises, just like Sarah.

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Kindness

Your favourite virtue?
Kindness

Your favourite occupation?
What I do! I get to be around wonderful creative people all the time, and I’m the one that gets to inspire them to dig inside and find their best selves. All the while, I am being inspired by the composers, the playwrights, the originators of the operas and plays I direct. I feel like every play or opera I direct is a passport to adventure. Its hard work, sometimes slightly crazed, but incredibly rewarding.

What did you want to be as a child?
Brain Surgeon. I could list every part of the human body in latin by the time I was 12.

Your most marked characteristic?
I am an intellectual omnivore.

What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty, Loyalty and Humor.

For what would you like to be remembered?
A passionate commitment to making the world a better place.

What natural gift would you most like to possess?
I would like to be able to time travel.

What is your motto?
Theatre is not an escape from life, but a means of entering it more fully.

What non-opera song do you rock?
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY!

I Want My Tickets!

(Pagliacci) Sad face indeed!

Our apologies people, but our online ticketing website is down right now. (darn technology!)

But never fear, to get your Madama Butterfly tickets for tonight, please call the good folks at our ticketing department at 604.683.0222 and they'll make sure you get tickets to tonight's performance.

Alternatively, if you want to get 50% off regular price tickets, please go down to see our box office folks at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, located at 600 Hamilton Street. Half price tickets for tonight's performance will be on sale from noon - 4pm only.

Parking Advisory For June 3 Performance Of Butterfly!

TRAFFIC ADVISORY FOR JUNE 3, 2010
Because of the Nickelback concert at GM Place, downtown may be very busy. Please allow plenty of time to get parked and into the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for the 7:30 pm start.

Please note that latecomers will not be seated until an appropriate break in the performance.

OPERA PATRONS: PARK FOR ONLY $6 ONE BLOCK FROM THE QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE!
VO has made a special arrangement with Impark to use its 300-stall lot under the BC Hydro Building, just 1 block from the theatre complex. The lot is located at the corner of Homer and Dunsmuir Streets (enter from Homer Street). Identify yourself as an opera patron when you pay, and you'll receive the preferred rate of $6.00.

OTHER PARKING NEAR THE QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE
775 Hamilton Street – Vancouver Public Library – 712 spaces. Entrance from Hamilton just north of Robson.

520 West Georgia Street – 337 spaces
Southwest corner of West Georgia and Richards with entrances from both West Georgia and Richards.

150 West Pender Street
Southeast corner of West Pender and Cambie. Pay-and-display facility, one block from the theatre complex.

88 Richards Street – 99 spaces
Northeast corner of Richards and Robson with entrance from southbound Richards.

These lots are operated by EasyPark. *Please call 604-682-6744 to confirm rates on event nights.

Moby Dick And Amelia Make Me Anticipate The Arrival Of Lillian Alling

It has been my privilege to experience many world premiere operas. From Dead Man Walking to Dr. Atomic, Nicholas & Alexandra to Anna Karenina, Cold Sassy Tree to Cyrano, seeing new additions to the operatic canon has been something that I have relished over the past 15 years. While some have thrilled and others frustrated, I am always eager to experience something new. That is why I went on a recent journey to see two world premieres in a week.

Photo credit: Karen Almond

The first stop was to Big D to experience Dallas Opera’s Moby Dick composed by Jake Heggie. While I had not read the Melville classic, the opportunity to see the work and how the story would translate to the stage was most enticing. It promised to be a great evening of theatre. Thankfully, the novel was pared down to a manageable tale to tell - one that made sense and didn’t require an understanding of the entire book to appreciate. The physical production was quite impressive with an innovative set, amazing video projections and an effective wooden peg leg for Ben Heppner as Captain Ahab. In fact, it was most often for something technical in the production that the audience erupted with appreciation. That was quite telling about today’s audiences and through which points they most readily connect with live performances.

The artists delivered some spectacular performances that evening. Ben Heppner was an amazing Ahab. His physical appearance along with vocal power made it clear that he could command this extensive crew of men with a combination of respect and intimidation. Among my other favourites were Stephen Costello as Greenhorn and Morgan Smith as Starbuck. Robert Orth was wonderful as Stubb. After 3 different productions, it was nice to see him in a role other than Nixon. Given what a transformation this role was to my mental perception of him only made me more impressed with his ability to embody the former president of the U.S. It was one of Stubb’s arias that stuck in my head and had me humming as I left the theatre. As far as music was concerned, it was not the vocal lines that connected me to the tale as much as the rich orchestration. The score was beautiful and epic in feeling. The imagery and colours it evoked were rich. It’s great to know there were several co-producers meaning this work will make more appearances around North America.

Photo credit: Rozarii Lynch

The next stop was in Seattle for their conclusion to the season, Amelia by Daron Aric Hagen. The company had put out some wonderful material to familiarize audiences with the piece, but it still took until I read the synopsis to fully understand how complex a tale I was about to experience. The opera was not focused specifically on the well-known aviator but rather was a weaving of stories that took place in different eras. Some were presented simultaneously, and I found that interesting and intriguing. The technique for telling the story became more interesting to me than the story itself. The physical production was impressive. It was, in fact, what I most heard audiences talking about at the intermission. I was two for two on being impressed about how the companies had invested significant resources to develop captivating sets, and again it confirmed how much of the audience was accessing the piece.

As I looked at trying to connect with the work, I found that I was really drawn to some impressive performances. William Burden, Nathan Gunn, Luretta Bybee and Jane Eaglen were as captivating as ever. Through the work, I was introduced to Kate Lindsey in the title role and Jennifer Zetlan as the female aviator evoked by the name. Again, incredible performances - especially by Ms. Lindsey whose acting chops were put to work with the complex story line. Musically, the work did not grab me in the same fashion as the week’s previous offering. As is often the case with newer operas, I left the theatre not offended by the melodies used to sing the dialogue, but not having a sense of repetition that would have allowed any of them to linger in my head much beyond when they were initially uttered. The orchestration was effective for what it needed to accomplish, but felt like it was as much about creating interludes for scene changes as it was for informing us about the tale that was unfolding onstage.

I realized through this that I tend to look at operas - particularly new ones - through five different areas. In doing so, I have found an ability to really identify and share the joy that I found in each evening with a new creation. The areas in which I focus are:

1. The story/libretto
2. The vocal line
3. The orchestration
4. The physical production
5. The performances

Illustration credit: Leonard Dente

Why am I so excited for the arrival of Lillian Alling? Looking at these five areas the answers would be:

1. The story is accessible and interesting. It is character driven and it unfolds in a manner that is consistent with many plays and films. Thus, audiences can enter it pretty rapidly and not spend too much time as an analytic observer. Plus, I have already experienced sympathy for the characters and teared up at sing-throughs in a church hall with only piano accompaniment. Imagine what will be possible with a full orchestra, sets and costumes.

2. From the musical workshops that we have done for this work, there are already some vocal lines that stick with me. I think that the composer is using a mix of sung dialogue and repetition to give audiences hearing it for the first time some musical handles to hold on to. That is something that I appreciate.

3. I haven’t heard any of this yet, but John Estacio’s other works seem lush and evocative. The answer to this will be revealed in the fall I guess.

4. Again, time will answer this one. However, the design renderings that I have seen seem to be an effective mix of the literal and those elements that allow us as audiences to use our imagination - creating in our minds the production that we each individually need and want to see.

5. We have seen many of these performers on the Vancouver Opera stage already, and they deliver. It has also been a joy to see some of them working on the evolution of their roles throughout the workshop process for the creation of the opera. There is already a depth to the characters they are portraying that comes through in their performances.

Like most audiences, I don’t expect to love everything equally. I am just always excited to experience something new that allows me to appreciate more fully what is possible with the art form. Sometimes that comes by experiencing something that was truly effective, and sometimes it comes from seeing something that didn’t quite work but reminded me of a prior experience that was successful. Thus, it solidifies my appreciation for the former. Having a chance to see two world premieres in short succession was a unique opportunity - especially when neither was lacking in resources to ensure a good quality product. It just goes to show that opera is a pretty powerful story-telling tool. When you have successfully assembled characters, with music and creative visionaries, one can cross vast seas, soar the skies or even scale mountains.

~ Jeff Sodowsky, Chief Development Officer