Bicycle Opera performance pedals to Fields on West Lake

By Celine Papizewska
Prince Edward County is about to be invaded by opera-singing bicycle enthusiasts – or  – enthusiastically cycling opera singers.
Like the troubadours of olden days, this intrepid band of musicians will be travelling the roads from Toronto to Gananoque, with a stop in the County on Friday, July 6 at 7:30 pm at Fields on West Lake.
Nadia Chana, Larissa Koniuk, Katie Avery, Gabi Charron-Merritt and Alex Samaras are not your average opera musicians. Disdaining the image of the diva/divo with an entourage of trunks and bellboys, they’ll be packing their panniers and pushing the pedals to bring contemporary opera-as-theatre to intimate settings where the audience can get up close and personal.

The all-Canadian program features works by Adam Scime, Christopher Thornborrow, Brian Harman, David Brock, Anna Höstman, Michael Albano, Juliet Palmer, Julie Salverson, Darren Russo, and Anusree Roy.
Adapted for guitar, violin and melodica, the six scenes, from heart-breaking to whimsical to comic, address such issues as love in the nuclear age, the life of a homeless seagull, and how to rescue a beloved teddy bear from zombie pirates. In English, this 90-minute performance is an ideal introduction to the operatic art.

Everybody is welcome to experience the sound of the classical human voice, in the superb natural acoustics of Osterhout-Henry Hall at Fields on West Lake.

Tickets are $20 and available online at www.bicycleopera.ca or by calling 647 785 4935, or e-mailing bicycleopera@gmail.com or at the door.