One dead after potential wrong way crash on Highway 401 in Milton: OPP
One person is dead and another is in life-threatening condition after a driver was travelling in the wrong direction on Highway 401 in Milton Sunday, according to police.
When the opera "La Flambeau" premieres next week in Montreal, Black performers will be front and centre in an artistic medium where they have historically been under-represented.
The work by Haitian-Canadian composer and pianist David Bontemps explores topical themes such as women's rights and the need for social justice and compassion, while criticizing corruption, misogyny and the abuse of power.
Taras Kulish, the executive director of the Orchestre classique de Montreal, said he specifically chose the project because the chamber orchestra is on a mission to prove that the world of classical music consists of more than just "white male composers."
"We are very proud of this world premiere," Kulish said in an interview. "We really want artists from different backgrounds, whether it be from the LGBTQ community, or the Black community or Indigenous communities, to shine."
Bontemps, who was born in Port-au-Prince and moved to Montreal in 2002, composed the chamber opera in 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
"For me, it is the story that shines because the text has strong historical references to what the Haitian culture has retained of its African ancestry and its concept of being Creole," he said in an interview. "It's both historical and artistic, which is the link to (Black History Month)."
The opera tells the story of a dysfunctional couple, Monsieur and Madame. Monsieur is an intellectual with political ambitions, and Madame appears to have gone mad as she continues conversing with her deceased mother and uncle. The couple hires Mademoiselle, a young working-class woman from a small village, as their maid.
Monsieur becomes infatuated with Mademoiselle's beauty and betrays his own principles by abusing her psychologically and physically. Mademoiselle flees the home in search of help. Finally, in the middle of the night, Monsieur is visited by a stranger who condemns him to live as a zombie who must serve Mademoiselle and the community.
"I love the story because it touches on language in Haiti with French and Creole, class, education, justice and belief systems and also the idea that a society or a country without respect, love and harmony is in total chaos," Bontemps said.
"La Flambeau" features four prominent Black opera performers: Cameroonian-born soprano Suzanne Taffot, Canadian mezzo-soprano Catherine Daniel, Jamaican-Canadian tenor Paul Williamson and Canadian bass Korin ThomasΓÇæSmith.
"This project was really marvellous and perfect for us. And the music is interesting and powerful," Kulish said. "With these types of projects, we want to align ourselves with what is happening within the community, and we knew that February is Black History Month, so it was obvious that this needed to be presented then."
Williamson, who plays the part of Monsieur, has been an opera performer for the past 30 years. During a break from a recent rehearsal, he recounted that throughout his career, he has faced discrimination because of the colour of his skin.
"I had to deal with racism. Colleagues not knowing how to relate to me. I had to deal with people calling me all sorts of derogatory names," he said. "My hope is that projects like this will show people that it is more than just what somebody looks like and that we can be part of a blend of art. That you can be any race or colour and that you can still play the part because you have the skills to do it."
Taffot, who interprets the character of Mademoiselle, noted that operas today need to reflect their audience and the public.
"To have a company like Orchestre classique de Montreal that really wants to do its part is really important and really admirable," she said. "Representation in the arts, and specifically in opera, is essential, and not just during Black History Month but every day."
The opera is based on a play by Haitian poet and playwright Faubert Bolivar, whom Bontemps befriended when they attended law school together in Haiti.
"The themes of justice and respect for others are universal themes that we will never stop addressing," Bontemps said. "We can never stop reflecting on these themes. We have been speaking about justice since the beginning of time in many forms."
"La Flambeau" will make its debut Tuesday at Salle Pierre-Mercure in downtown Montreal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2023.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
One person is dead and another is in life-threatening condition after a driver was travelling in the wrong direction on Highway 401 in Milton Sunday, according to police.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
"The Fall Guy," the Ryan Gosling-led, action-comedy ode to stunt performers, opened below expectations with US$28.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, providing a lukewarm start to a summer movie season that's very much to be determined for Hollywood.
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
The Montreal-born actor, famed for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek," says he is open to reprising the iconic role in the sci-fi franchise as long as the storytelling is stellar.
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.
The latest round of Gaza cease-fire talks ended in Cairo after "in-depth and serious discussions,"{ the Hamas militant group said Sunday, reiterating key demands that Israel again rejected.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.