Dragon’s Tale

Performed on Toronto’s waterfront, Dragon’s Tale celebrates the origin of Dragon Boat racing.

Dragon’s Tale dives into the rich and sometimes tense dynamics of first and second-generation immigrants, exploring the fable of Chinese poet Qu Yuan as a foil to the journey of a young Chinese-Canadian woman Xiao Liang and her ailing father. Undeniably, Dragon’s Tale bursts with soaring music, song and storytelling, spanning continents and generations.  

Trigger warning: death by suicide.

Created by the world-renowned team behind Tapestry Opera’s smash-hit Iron Road, composer Chan Ka Nin, one of Canada’s most accomplished Chinese-Canadian composers, and award-winning playwright and librettist Mark Brownell. Directed by Tapestry Opera’s Artistic Director, Michael Hidetoshi Mori, with Musical Direction by David Fallis.

All seating is general admission. Please arrive 15-30 minutes before the performance for the best seats. Additionally, all performances are at Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage. Please allow additional time to reach the venue. This is a free outdoor public performance on Toronto’s waterfront; please dress for the weather and bring layers for cooler evenings next to the water.

Relaxed Performance Information

Relaxed Performances are open to everyone, but the environment has been specifically adapted for those who are neurodivergent and may experience sensory sensitivities, folks with communication or learning disabilities, and people who would benefit from a more relaxed theatre environment. During a Relaxed Performance, patrons are free to enter and exit the theatre, use fidget toys, make noise or vocalize, stand up and move about the space as needed, and use their phones. Some technical elements, including lighting and sound, have been adjusted for this performance. An Access Table will be available onsite with Relaxed Performance Consultants Emily Maxwell and Ali Hand, who will also have fidget toys and earplugs for patrons who may need them.

Accessible tickets can be booked using the Luminato Access Concierge service by emailing Emily Maxwell at emaxwell@luminato.com or by phone at (437) 776-1569‬.

Getting to Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage

TTC

509 Harbourfront streetcars run between Union and Exhibition. 510 Spadina streetcars run between Spadina and Union. Exit your streetcar at the Harbourfront Centre stop. Subway: Head southbound on the Yonge-University Line to Union Station.

Car

Underground parking is available on-site at 235 Queens Quay West or above-ground one block west at Rees Street and Queens Quay West. Motorists exiting from the new off-ramp MAY make a right turn and travel south on Lower Simcoe Street. There is NO TURN on Lake Shore Boulevard for travel south on Lower Simcoe Street. Motorists travelling WESTBOUND on Queens Quay West MAY make a left turn at Lower Simcoe Street into our site. Please note the advance left turn signal light. Motorists travelling EASTBOUND on Queens Quay West MAY NOT make a right turn into our site.

Bike

Ride the Martin Goodman Trail or take any street between Bathurst and Parliament, travelling south to Queens Quay West and bike along the water for the most scenic route. Bike parking is available.

Walk

Head South down York Street from Union Station. Take a right on Queens Quay West for about two minutes, and Harbourfront Centre will be on your left at 235 Queens Quay West. Or The PATH provides a direct route south to Queens Quay West.

Soundstreams Choir 21

Founded in 2010 by Soundstreams’ Artistic Director Lawrence Cherney, Soundstreams Choir 21 is a  pre-eminent group of exceptional singers selected on a project basis by Music Director David Fallis. Soundstreams Choir 21 members are handpicked for their ability to perform contemporary choral music. They are drawn from a pool of professional choristers, including the Canadian Opera Company Chorus, Tafelmusik Choir, and The Elmer Iseler Singers. The choir appears in Soundstreams’ concerts under David Fallis and with renowned guest conductors such as James MacMillan, Tõnu Kaljuste and Péter Eötvös. Soundstreams Choir 21 has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and for the Toronto International Film Festival, Art of Time, and Continuum. Soundstreams Choir 21 is committed to the highest possible standards for the performance of compelling new choral music in the 21st century.

Ensemble Soundstreams

Soundstreams has no permanent ensemble but has worked for more than twenty years with a nucleus group of some of Toronto and Canada’s finest instrumentalists assembled by the excellent cellist David Hetherington. As with Soundstreams Choir 21, they have appeared under esteemed international conductors of the stature of James MacMillan, Tõnu Kaljuste and Péter Eötvös. Ensemble Soundstreams made its first international tour to the Beijing Modern Music Festival and Taiwan’s National Concert Hall in 2013, returning to China in 2018 at the invitation of the Shanghai New Music Festival.

Cultural Media Partner

Fête Chinoise is a cultural platform that aims to empower individuals to deepen the connection between identity and Chinese culture. Through a curated lens and critical thinking, they present meaningful stories, artful experiences, and inspiring products and editorial content. Their mission is to move culture forward, through compelling editorial and design work surrounding the arts, tradition, lifestyle and community which are areas in the Chinese-Canadian community that suffer from the lack of representation and high-quality presentation.

Fête Chinoise Magazine has consistently been recognized for its exceptional work. Fête Chinoise Edition No. 7 has recently won the Gold Award for Best Feel Good Story, the Silver Award for Best Multicultural Story and Top 10 stories overall by The Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPAs 2022).