+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
categories = "Review"
date = "2015-05-22T09:41:00-04:00"
lastmod = "2015-05-22T10:44:00-04:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1432305050894/IMG_20150522_102801.jpg.jpg"
publishDate = "2015-05-22T10:36:00-04:00"
related_articles = ["articles/chatting-with-the-bicycle-opera-project.md","articles/does-new-opera-raise-the-bar-for-performers.md","articles/on-the-road-the-bicycle-opera-project.md","articles/in-review-shadow-box.md"]
related_companies = ["scene/companies/the-bicycle-opera-project.md","scene/companies/royal-conservatory-of-music.md"]
related_people = ["scene/people/larissa-koniuk.md","scene/people/chris-thornborrow.md","scene/people/dean-burry.md","scene/people/liza-balkan.md"]
short_description = "Last night, as part of the Royal Conservatory of Music&#039;s ongoing contemporary music festival, 21C, the Bicycle Opera Project presented a teaser of their upcoming season. The BOP team will first take up an artist residency in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, to premiere Dean Burry&#039;s new opera, The Bells of Baddeck. "
slug = "the-bicycle-opera-project-at-21c"
title = "The Bicycle Opera Project at 21C"
+++

Last night, as part of the Royal Conservatory of Music's ongoing contemporary music festival, [*21C*](https://www.rcmusic.ca/media/news-releases/21c-music-festival), the [Bicycle Opera Project](/scene/companies/the-bicycle-opera-project/) presented a teaser of their upcoming season. The BOP team will first take up an artist residency in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, to premiere Dean Burry's new opera, *The Bells of Baddeck*. After that, they'll tour both Nova Scotia and Ontario with *shadow box*, a cohesive collective of Canadian scenes. At last night's preview, Bicycle Opera gave us a small taste of *The Bells of Baddeck*, plus about half of *shadow box*. A quick list of the BOP team:

- Larissa Koniuk, soprano
- Stephanie Tritchew, mezzo-soprano
- Graham Thomson, tenor
- Alexander Dobson, baritone
- Ilana Waniuk, violin
- Erika Nielsen Smith, cello
- Wesley Shen, music director and piano
- Liza Balkan, staging
- Sonja Rainey, projectionist & set designer

The Bike Opera crew made sure we knew who they were right off the bat, riding their bikes onstage, and playing the world premiere of Chris Thornborrow's *Ride of the Bicycle Bells*. I know what I'll be thinking of each time I get on my bike now. 

The scenes were a varied slice of contemporary Canadian opera. On the program were some of my new-found favourites, like Ivan Barbotin and Liza Balkan's *(What rhymes with) Azimuth?*, and *The Blind Woman* by James Rolfe and David Yee. I loved the creepy scene, *The Yellow Wallpaper*, about a woman dealing with mental illness, who senses a ghostly presence in the wall. Bike Opera has a great sense of humour, too, which is why they indulged us with Tobin Stokes' *A five-minute bicycle opera*. The piece is a quick story of two guys with bikes, vying for the affection of a girl with a bike; more importantly, the opera is bike-pun-tastic. *shadow box* is an impressive collection, and I look forward to seeing the full version when Bike Opera comes to Toronto at the end of their Ontario tour.

I was fortunate to chat with composer Dean Burry earlier in the day yesterday, and he spoke about *The Bells of Baddeck*, and achieving a balance of sophistication and accessibility with his opera, which will have its first audiences in Cape Breton. I liked the small bit I heard, which had a friendly, earthy sound to it. 

Congrats, Bicycle Opera, on what looks like a creative and eclectic grouping of operas, short and long. I'll be checking in with them while they're in Cape Breton this summer, so stay tuned to meet the delightful team.

*21C* runs until May 24th; [click here](https://performance.rcmusic.ca/21c) to find out what's on and to purchase tickets.
