Ana Sokolović’s new opera, Clown(s), produced by the Opéra de Montréal, will premiere this Saturday, 31 January.
Here are some images, videos and preview articles ahead of the grand premiere.
– Photos from the rehearsal
– Preview article in Le Devoir
– Videos and other content on the Facebook page.
From 31 January to 8 February 2026 at Théâtre Maisonneuve (Place des Arts). Ticket office
Symposium: Breaking Sonic Conventions — The Languages and Non-Languages of Clowns
Held alongside the creation of Clown(s) by Ana Sokolović at the Opéra de Montréal, this symposium aims to foster reflection on the languages and non-languages of clowns and their relationship to the clownesque sonic universe, as explored by Sokolović in her opera.
February 5–7, 2026
Place des Arts (Montreal)
Ana Sokolović’s new opera will be presented in collaboration with the Opéra de Montréal from January 31 to February 8, 2026, at Théâtre Maisonneuve (Place des Arts).
Clown(s) is an ode to humanity. Inspired by the worlds of Sand, Fellini, Chaplin, and Keaton, this favola in musica—a musical fable—explores, through seven tableaux, the major stages and emotions of life. More info.
Go behind the scenes of this favola in musica, inspired by the circus, commedia dell’arte, and silent cinema, and discover the creative process with stage director Martin Genest. Watch the video.
Ana Sokolović has been nominated for the Opus Award for Creation of the Year for the work Kisi nputi’oqsip menaqaj nike – You Can Die Properly Now. Premiered last spring by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), the piece sets to music a poem by Michelle Sylliboy, inspired by the tragedy of Indigenous children who disappeared in residential schools. More information
Watch a video excerpt (Medici.tv)
Excerpt from the review (in French)
Mais c’est la partition d’Ana Sokolović qui a touché au plus juste, une œuvre vocale également. Alors qu’Elisabeth St-Gelais avait chanté Cusson, c’est Emma Pennell qui a vécu le texte en micmac, particulièrement poignant puisqu’il célèbre la mémoire des enfants victimes des pensionnats pour Autochtones. – Christophe Huss, Le Devoir
On November 16 and 17, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will be performing Ana Sokolović’s Concerto for Orchestra. It’s the first time she’ll be working with the TSO and conductor Gustavo Gimeno.
Interview with Ludwig van Toronto
Ana Sokolović is one of six composers invited to participate in the EarShot Readings program as a mentor. This American Composers Orchestra project offers young composers professional collaborations with orchestras across America. This edition took place for the first time in Canada with the National Arts Centre Orchestra on October 28 and 29.
More info.
The film version of the opera Svadba has been awarded the Prix Digital Opera Awards in the Artistic Creation category. The winners were announced on December 4 at a ceremony at OPERA America’s National Opera Center in New York.
Many thanks to all those who took part in this adventure, including Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Philadelphia.
To celebrate, Svadba will be broadcast free of charge on Boston Lyric Opera’s YouTube channel until February 2024. Watch it on blo.org/svadba
Boston Lyric Opera’s film version of the opera Svadba has been nominated for Opera America’s Excellence in Digital Opera Awards in the Artistic Creation category. The winner will be announced on December 4 at a ceremony at OPERA America’s National Opera Center (New York).
Infos.
4 short operas created as part of the Pocket Opera project can be discovered at the “Constructions opératiques” exhibition this September. The exhibition is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration between Ana Sokolović, professor in the Faculty of Music and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Opera Creation with Olivier Asselin, professor in the Department of Art History and Film Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Science, and Marie-Josèphe Vallée, professor in the School of Design in the Faculty of Environmental Design, and several partners such as the Opéra de Montréal and the Society for Arts and Technology.
September 5 to 23 at Galerie de l’Université de Montréal (salle B)
Vernissage: Thursday, September 7, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Curator: Marie-Josèphe Vallée
Infos.
Ana Sokolovic’s music will be performed many times in the first half of 2023.
In January, a collaboration with Hélène Blackburn and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein gives birth to the ballet Coppélia X Machina.
Performances of Nine Proverbs (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra), Commedia dell’arte (Ensemble Prisme, Quatuor Bozzini), Vez (The Happenstancers, Natasha Brofksy), Chant (Violaine Melançon and Meagan Milatz), Shower Song (Duo AIRS and Marina Thibeault), Evta (Isabella D’Éloize Perron), and And I need a room… (Turning Point Ensemble) also punctuated the first half of the year.
On the premiere side, the piece Melita is presented by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Rafael Payare while Automne à Montréal (tribute to Ligeti) is premiered in the United Kingdom.
Concerning its academic activity, the Canada Research Chair in Opera Creation directed by Ana Sokolović also presents several events within the framework of the MNM festival and at Orford Musique in particular.
The opera Svabda continues to tour with dates in Ljubljana, New York, and Belgrade, the city of birth of the composer.