Tapestry Opera Marks 30 Years of LIBLAB with 2025 Roster Announcement, Debut at Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre
TORONTO, ON – June 27, 2025 – Tapestry Opera, Canada’s leader in the development of new opera, is proud to announce the roster of talented composers and librettists selected for its 2025 Composer-Librettist Laboratory (LIBLAB). This marks the 30th anniversary of the acclaimed program, a cornerstone of new opera creation in Canada.
From July 15 to 25, 2025, the intensive program will take place at Tapestry Opera’s new creative hub, the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre. This year’s LIBLAB will bring together four librettists (top row, left to right): Rachel Gray, Sarah Henstra, Pierre-André Doucet, and Christene Adina Browne. They will collaborate with four composers (bottom row, left to right): Rebecca Gray, Saman Shahi, Roydon Tse, and Prokhor Protasoff.
Three Decades of Fostering Operatic Excellence
Since its inception in 1995, LIBLAB has been the creative hotbed at the heart of Tapestry Opera’s commitment to new work. It addresses a critical need in the growing field of opera by providing a unique platform for writers and composers to forge creative partnerships and refine their collaborative skills. This focus on practical, hands-on development is essential for companies venturing into new opera, ensuring the creation of successful and impactful works.
“For 30 years, LIBLAB has been an unparalleled incubator for operatic talent, fostering the collaborations that lead to groundbreaking new works,” says Michael Hidetoshi Mori, Tapestry’s Artistic Director. “We’re thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of artists to our new home at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre, and we look forward to seeing the innovative projects that emerge from this milestone year.”
How LIBLAB Ignites New Opera
LIBLAB is a 10-day intensive program where four composers and four writers engage in a cycle of collaborative discovery. The artists create sixteen 5-minute scenes, with each scene written, composed, and performed within a tight 48-hour cycle. This process is repeated four times, allowing each writer to work with every composer, maximizing creative interaction and diverse perspectives.
Guiding the participants throughout the process are composer James Rolfe and director Michael Hidetoshi Mori. They will be supported by some of Canada’s most versatile contemporary performers, including soprano Reilly Nelson, mezzo-soprano Adanya Dunn, tenor Keith Klassen, baritone Jorell Williams, and collaborative pianists Jennifer Tung and Hyejin Kwon.
A Legacy of Groundbreaking Works
To date, 134 artists have graduated from LIBLAB, with over 50 creative teams emerging to create new works for the stage, both for Tapestry Opera and for other companies nationally and internationally. This esteemed alumni network continues to shape the operatic landscape.
Notable operas that have emerged from relationships fostered at LIBLAB include:
- 10 Days in a Madhouse, (Rene Orth and Hannah Moscovitch): co-commissioned and co-produced by Opera Philadelphia and Tapestry Opera, premiered at Opera Philadelphia in September 202, and was the second Canadian recipient of the prestigious Music Critics Association of North America’s Best New Opera Award.
- Of the Sea (Ian Cusson and Kanika Ambrose): Co-commissioned and co-produced with Obsidian Theatre Company in partnership with TO Live. This first Canadian large-scale Black opera premiered at the Bluma Appel Theatre in 2023.
- R.U.R. A Torrent of Light (Nicole Lizée and Nicolas Billon): Produced in collaboration with OCAD University and developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, this opera took home 6 Dora Mavor Moore Awards in 2022, including Outstanding Production and Outstanding New Opera, and was the first Canadian recipient of the prestigious Music Critics Association of North America’s Best New Opera Award
- Rocking Horse Winner (Gareth Williams and Anna Chatterton): premiered in 2016 to great acclaim, winning 5 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Best Production and Best Performer. It was returned to the stage in association with Crow’s Theatre in 2023.
- Iron Road (Mark Brownell and Chan Ka Nin): Premiered at the Elgin Theatre in 2001 and inspired the 2009 TV miniseries by the same name
- Sanctuary Song (Marjorie Chan and Abigail Richardson-Schulte): Co-commissioned by Theatre Direct and presented by the Luminato Festival in 2008, and remounted by Tapestry Opera in 2025.
About Tapestry Opera
Tapestry Opera is Canada’s leading company for the creation and development of new opera. With a focus on innovative storytelling and collaborative processes, Tapestry Opera champions Canadian artists and brings groundbreaking new works to stages across the country and around the world.
For more information about Tapestry Opera, please visit tapestryopera.com/about/about-us/. For more details on LIBLAB, visit tapestryopera.com/programs/liblab/.
For further media information, artist interviews, or an invitation to the LIBLAB’s final reading recital, please contact:
Clay Jones, Manager, Marketing and Communications, Tapestry Opera 416-537-6066 #104 cjones@tapestryopera.com
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