Louis Riel

Co-presented by the UBC School of Music and Theatre at UBC

2009/10 UBC Opera and School of Music Season

by Harry Somers
Nancy Hermiston, director
Dwight Bennett, conductor

with UBC Opera Ensemble & the UBC Symphony Orchestra
(In English, French and Cree with English Surtitles)

Riel-Who was he? “The idealist driven mad by continued betrayal by ruthless realists…the thinker paralyzed by his thinking…the schizophrenic outsider who belongs to no people, the leader of a small nation standing in the way of “progress”…hero or fool?…a martyr-saint…a devil…a patriot…a traitor…a political genius…a certifiable megalomaniac? the argument still lives…his legend grows” –Mavor Moore.

Written for Canada’s Centennial, Louis Riel is arguably this country’s most famous opera and “one of the most imaginative and powerful scores to have been written in this century” -W. Margrave, Washington Star, Oct. 1975.

Louis Riel Pre-Show Talks (new addition!)

Delve deeper into the opera and enhance your theatre experience. Each evening a guest will speak to themes connected with the legacy of Louis Riel. Use your attendance to bring context to broader issues addressed in the opera.

February 4, 5, 6, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm;
February 7, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm | Chan Centre (Royal Bank Cinema)
Admission is free.

Speakers:
Thursday 4: Madame Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin
Friday 5: Professor Mike Evans (UBC Okanagan) and Jean Barman (Prof. Em. UBC)
Saturday 6: Jean Teillet (Great Grand Niece of Louis Riel)
Sunday 7: Henry Hall (Minister for Housing and Education, Métis Nation BC)