Opera Atelier opens its 2026/27 “Season of Heroes” with The Descent of Orpheus, bringing Charpentier’s 17th-century French Baroque masterpiece to the Canadian stage in its first fully staged production in the country. Running October 22–25 at Koerner Hall’s TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, the production explores the timeless themes of love, loss, heroism and the transformative power of music.
Fully staged and choreographed by Opera Atelier Founding Co-Artistic Directors Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, the production gives the historic work a fresh, contemporary sensibility while remaining grounded in period performance. Based on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the opera brings together music, drama and dance in the grand theatrical tradition of late-17th-century France.
Marshall Pynkoski
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg
Koerner Hall itself becomes part of the experience, transformed with an immersive set specially designed for the production. Making full use of the space, including a walkway extending the action directly into the audience, the staging creates a more intimate connection between performers and spectators.
Daniel McGrew
American tenor Daniel McGrew makes his Opera Atelier debut as Orpheus, opposite French-Canadian soprano Mireille Asselin as Eurydice. The cast also features French baritone David Witczak as Pluto, French-Canadian bass Olivier Bergeron as Apollo and Canadian mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel as Persephone.
Mireille Asselin
Adding another distinctive layer to the evening, Opera Atelier Artist-in-Residence Measha Brueggergosman-Lee opens the performance with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Orpheus with his Lute. Presented as a prologue, the art song introduces the myth and its enduring connection to music before Charpentier’s opera begins.
Dance is equally central to the production, with the Artists of Atelier Ballet bringing the theatrical movement of 17th-century France to life. Associate Music Director Dr. Christopher Bagan conducts an ensemble of musicians from Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra from the harpsichord, while designer Gerard Gauci, lighting designer Kimberly Purtell and costume designer Michael Gianfrancesco complete the immersive visual world.
Dr. Christopher Bagan
