+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
categories = "News"
date = "2017-04-21T18:46:00-04:00"
lastmod = "2017-04-22T08:39:00-04:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1492816234274/2017-04-21---Century_Song_1.jpg.jpg"
primary_image_credit = "Neema Bickersteth, creator of Century Song. Photo by John Lauener."
publishDate = "2017-04-22T08:39:00-04:00"
related_articles = ["articles/in-review-obeah-opera.md","articles/in-review-tapex-tables-turned-or-go-see-this-show.md"]
short_description = "&quot;Once I became comfortable with my ability as an opera singer, once I got to the point where I felt immersed in the form, then I began to question the form itself,&quot; says Bickersteth. &quot;I started to wonder how I, as a black person singing white European roles from another era, connect personally to this art form. It became problematic to connect with what I was trained to sing. I love the music, but I began to feel constricted in my expression of it. I began to look for other ways to fuse my training and love of classical music, with my dawning awareness of other modes of expression.&quot;"
slug = "dont-miss-century-song"
title = "Don&#039;t miss: Century Song"
+++

Over at the Crow's Theatre until **April 29**, you can catch [*Century Song*](http://www.nightwoodtheatre.net/index.php/whats_on/century_song), the fascinating "live performance hybrid" created by soprano Neema Bickersteth that "melds classical song and movement to inhabit a century of Canadian women."

Bickersteth is a magnetic performer with a striking poise about her work; *Century Song* has toured successfully throughout Canada and Europe, and it's currently in the middle of a limited run in Toronto, presented by Nightwood Theatre.

She collaborates with two Dora award-winners, choreographer Kate Alton and director Ross Manson, for a unique performance that features music by Rachmaninoff, Messaien, Geroges Aperghis and Toronto's Reza Jacobs. Projections by Germany's [fettFilm](http://www.fettfilm.com/de/index.html) bring to life extraordinary visuals, inspired by major art movements of the 20th century.

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1492816296370/2017-04-21---Century_Song_5.jpg.jpg)
<figcaption>Photo by John Lauener.</figcaption>
</figure>

"Once I became comfortable with my ability as an opera singer, once I got to the point where I felt immersed in the form, then I began to question the form itself," says Bickersteth. "I started to wonder how I, as a black person singing white European roles from another era, connect personally to this art form. It became problematic to connect with what I was trained to sing. I love the music, but I began to feel constricted in my expression of it. I began to look for other ways to fuse my training and love of classical music, with my dawning awareness of other modes of expression."

If you're as intrigued by *Century Song* as we are, you're in luck. We're teaming up with Nightwood Theatre to give away a **free pair of tickets** to a lucky reader who shares or retweets this post by Monday, April 24. Help spread the word, and we'll enter your name to win!

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1492816305294/2017-04-21---Century_Song_4.jpg.jpg)
<figcaption>Photo by John Lauener.</figcaption>
</figure>

>For full details about *Century Song*, running at Crow's Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue until April 29, [click right here.](http://www.nightwoodtheatre.net/index.php/whats_on/century_song)



