ARIAWORKS
In 2004 poet/librettist Sharon Singer began envisioning Isis and Osiris as an opera, and founded ARIAWORKS in 2009.
The Art Gallery of Ontario enthusiastically agreed to partner with ARIAWORKS for the production of a thirty-minute workshop of the opera Isis and Osiris, in its first public performance, during their major exhibition of Ancient Egyptian art: King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs. At this point Guillermo Silva-Martin, General Director of Opera in Concert, joined the production as Director. His enthusiasm for the project brought Opera in Concert in as a co-producing partner. Composer Colin Mack provided the score for this workshop.
The March 31, 2010 production played to a sold-out house with standing-room only. Following this successs, Opera in Concert agreed to produce the complete opera for a world premiere at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts.
Sharon Singer is a published Toronto poet, journalist, librettist, and spoken word performer. With an Honours B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Toronto, Sharon has been publishing her work since the early 1990s, and collaborating with musicians and composers. Composer Colin Mack set three of Sharon’s poems to classical music resulting in the song cycle The Names of Water, sung by soprano Doreen Taylor-Claxton for the CD Hail: Canadian Art Song (CanSona Arts Media, 2006).
In 2006, Sharon was commissioned to write lyrics for Hamilton composer Marko Lukac for his CD Sunrise. Two years later, Wordsinger Music released the jazz/spoken word CD Global Warming, a collaboration between Sharon Singer and renowned New York jazz saxophonist Bob Mover. That same year, Toronto classical composer Philip McConnell wrote music for Sharon’s short story The Museum and her documentary poem, The Burning Book. Sharon performed these works with the Toronto Sinfonietta Orchestra at the Royal Ontario Museum in 2008.
Sharon’s work has been published in poetry journals, anthologies, and as original art posters. Her four published poetry books include Global Warming, LyricalMyrical Press (2008); Moses, Batsheva Books (2007); The Last Years of the Natural World, Rising Phoenix Press (2002); and Fire Rider, Fire Mountain Press (1996). Sharon’s more than thirty year study of Ancient Egypt and her love for that culture resulted in the libretto for Isis and Osiris.
“Ten Most Influential Hispanic-Canadians" award-winner Guillermo Silva-Marin is the current General Director of Opera in Concert and the Toronto Operetta Theatre. He has performance credits with major Canadian symphony orchestras, the Canadian Opera Company, New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Lyra in Ottawa and the Casals Festival in his native Puerto Rico. Silva-Marin is credited with two CBC Radio Broadcasts featuring Opera in Concert, three CD recordings for Opera in Concert under the Naxos label: Rameau's CASTOR ET POLLUX, Handel's RINALDO and Vivaldi's LA GRISELDA, launched in late 2007.
Silva-Marin joined Opera McGill at McGill University in Montreal as stage director and teacher, an association that lasted almost eight years. He served as Interim Co-Director of Opera McGill in 2006.
Interested in Canadian works he staged the world premiere of Canadian composer Frederic LaCroix's SNOW WHITE at Carleton University in Ottawa in April 2006, Telgmann's LEO, THE ROYAL CADET, Lavallee's THE WIDOW for TOT and featured over 8 Canadian operas for Opera in Concert within the past ten years. He made his debut in Ireland with THE MERRY WIDOW in June 2007 and he directed two world premieres, EARNEST, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING by Victor Davies and Eugene Benson (TOT) and KAMOURASKA (OIC) by Charles Wilson in 2008- 2009.
ISIS AND OSIRIS is being produced in Association with OPERA IN CONCERT.
OIC is an incorporated not-for-profit performing arts organization.
Charitable Registration/Business Number: 11906 8864 RR 0001
ISIS AND OSIRIS is being produced in Association with OPERA IN CONCERT.
OIC is an incorporated not-for-profit performing arts organization.
Charitable Registration/Business Number: 11906 8864 RR 0001
