Opera Northwest adds theatrical depth to Thunder Bay

THUNDER BAY - Theresa Thibert has had to travel to pursue her passion of performing opera.

But now the Thunder Bay singer has a chance to share her talent and enthusiasm with a local audience.

A new performance company, Opera Northwest, is hosting A Night at the Opera concert along with scenes from Mozart, Monteverdi and Bizet operas this Friday at St. Paul’s Anglican Church.

Thibert, the artistic director of Opera Northwest, said the group has held a series of galas and recitals over the past year but this is the first concert in the city in more than five years.

“There isn’t anything like this happening in Thunder Bay,” she said. “There’s a lot of theatre, a lot of choral music and orchestral but right now there is no operatic repertoire being explored in the city.”

She said there is a large audience that goes to symphony concerts and showings of Metropolitan Opera performances at the movie theatre.

Getting to bring that experience to a local stage, in front of family and friends, brings meaning for performers who have ventured abroad to perform the art.

“What it would bring here would be an opportunity for singers like my colleagues and myself to be able to delve into that repertoire at home rather than having to leave the city to explore that art,” she said.

“Many of the other singers and myself that I have involved have studied out of town and have returned to Thunder Bay to work. We want a chance to do what we’ve been trained to do, here in Thunder Bay.”

There has been a significant amount of interest in the upcoming production, with a large demand for tickets.

It will be a performance that will both delight regular opera fans as well as people that might be getting their first taste of the art, she said.

“The repertoire we’ve chosen is light-hearted, it’s funny and the characters are relatable. I often will compare it to that of music theatre because opera was the first musical. Opera is what set the stage for music theatre and those composers to write musicals that we love and as a culture love to experience now,” Thibert said.

“This is going to be something that will introduce people to what opera is and we’re trying to break down stereotypes of what opera is supposed to sound like and what opera is supposed to be.”

The concert will start at 7:30 p.m.