Close to 1,000 free tickets are available in Surrey for an operatic The Flight of the Hummingbird, coming to Bell Performing Arts Centre on Thursday, May 16.
Suitable for audiences of all ages, the 45-minute original production is called “an environmental fable about moral courage” by presenters Pacific Opera Victoria and Vancouver Opera in Schools.
The story encourages doing what we can for our planet – “a fitting call to action for these turbulent times,” explains a post on hummingbird.vancouveropera.ca.
“In the opera, the animals of the forest are inspired to come together by Dukdukdiya, the Hummingbird, to save their beautiful home from a raging fire.”
The free tickets (six per order maximum) can be reserved on the Bell theatre’s ticket website (tickets.bellperformingartscentre.com). Seats are unassigned, and doors will open 30 minutes before the 7 p.m. curtain.
Touring B.C. this spring, The Flight of the Hummingbird is part of an effort to help kids discover the magic of opera.
The show, composed by Juno award-winner Maxime Goulet, was mothballed during the COVID pandemic, other than online viewing.
Based on an indigenous parable from the Quechuan people of South America, The Flight of the Hummingbird is influenced by the graphic novel written by acclaimed Haida artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas and includes elements of his Haida-manga illustrations.
The opera features Olivia Kang as Dukdukdiya, Bruno Roy as Owl, Marcel d’Entremont as Bear and Keely McPeek as Bunny, accompanied by Nathaniel Ben-Horin on piano and Matthew Udry on cello.
Vancouver Opera In Schools is described as one of the largest opera touring programs of its kind in Canada. Started over 40 years ago, VOIS aims to maintain a tradition of professional opera performances in schools across B.C. Their fully staged operas, in English, are followed by a Q+A with the cast and learning materials for educators.
Meantime, Vancouver Opera says its current production of Carmen achieved “unprecedented success,” becoming the highest-grossing opera in the company’s illustrious 64-year history. The first two performances were completely sold-out, and limited tickets remained for performances on May 2, 4 and 5.