Speakers, Abstracts, and Showcases

We have assembled a dynamic schedule of guest speakers, presentations and workshops that examine creative, professional, and academic explorations in lyric theatre. see the conference PROGRAMME (PDF, 2.5 MB)

The conference will take place at Brock University in St. Catharines and at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The conference will be inspired by our Plenary and Keynote Speakers, all renowned creators of the North American lyric stage:

KEYNOTE Speaker:   Stewart Wallace
New York-based composer of opera (Harvey Milk, The Bonesetter’s Daughter)

title: FATE! LUCK! CHANCE! Adventures in Opera Making

Stewart will be speaking about the creation and world premiere of The Bonesetter’s Daughter, a new opera by Stewart Wallace based on Amy Tan’s best-selling novel of the same name with a libretto by the acclaimed author. This was the highlight of San Francisco Opera’s 2008-09 Season.

. . . . see the short film produced by the Center for Asian American Media and KQED San Francisco about the creation of this seminal 21st century opera.

PLENARY Speaker: Jim Betts
composer, lyricist, librettist (Colours in the Storm, Thin Ice, Shooting of Dan McGrew ) and author of Field of Stars: Songs of the Canadian Musical Theatre (2004) and Field of Stars: More Songs of the Canadian Musical Theatre (2008) (Toronto: Northern River Music). Smile Company; Scriptlab, ON

title: Why Canadians Can't Write Musicals (And Why Almost No One Else Can, Either)

. . . . see Northern River Arts and Entertainment for more information about Jim Betts

The participation of Jim Betts is made possible by the generosity of the Department of Dramatic Arts.

PLENARY Speaker:   Sarah Schlesinger
lyricist and librettist (The Ballad of Little Joe, Prairie Songs, and Swing Shift)
Chair of Graduate Musical Theatre Writing, Tisch School of Arts (NYU)

. . . . will be speaking about the nurturing and development of future writers in music theatre.

. . . . see the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program website for more information.

A special component of the conference program will be the presentation of new and recent works in the Lyric Canada 2010 Showcase. Our program includes a special presentation of excerpts from Maria Severa by Jay Turvey and Paul Sportelli with members of the Shaw Festival company. Presenters will include Tapestry New Opera, Leslie Arden, Ted Baerg, Sheldon Rosen and David Warrack - among others.

For the Schedule, Program, and list of Presenters see the Schedule.