Press review: Clown(s)

(In French)

Clown(s) à l’Opéra de Montréal : l’avènement d’un nouveau genre
Avec Clown(s), Sokolović et sa bande ont créé un cas d’école, une œuvre de référence que les concepteurs et artisans du monde du spectacle au Québec, et même à l’échelle du Canada, pourront étudier, fouiller encore et encore pour en faire ressortir toute la substance. Lire la suite
– La Scena Magazine

«Clown(s)», un stupéfiant chef-d’œuvre
De manière générale, une proposition artistique ne saurait revendiquer un statut particulier, juste parce qu’elle est « neuve » ou inouïe. Ce qui fait le génie de Clown(s) c’est son originalité, certes, mais aussi sa force, son intelligence et son degré d’aboutissement. Lire la suite
– Le Devoir

Attention, génie !
Il se passe tellement de choses sur la scène du Théâtre Maisonneuve qu’il faudrait voir le spectacle deux ou trois fois pour en apprécier toutes les subtilités. Il y a du cirque, de la commedia dell’arte, du Fellini, et bien d’autres choses. Du vrai théâtre par intraveineuse. Lire la suite
– La Presse.ca

Spectaculaires et fascinants CLOWN(S)
L’œuvre est éloquente. La compositrice réussit ici un sans-faute avec une partition efficace et évocatrice, inventive et foisonnante. L’aspect baroque de la réalisation scénique, couplé à l’imagination musicale débordante, crée un spectacle unique, original, qui sort des sentiers battus. Lire la suite
– Ludwig van Montréal

Clown(s) à Montréal : quand l’opéra met son nez rouge
Clown(s) s’impose ainsi comme une forme contemporaine de Gesamtkunstwerk (œuvre d’art totale) intergénérationnel, où les arts se mélangent sans hiérarchie, et où l’émotion circule librement. Lire la suite

Upcoming performances on February 3, 5, and 8.

Clown(s) Premiere

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 on the Creation of the Opera Clown(s)

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)

Full programme

Next opera in creation: Clown(s)

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.

Tickets

A Nomination at the Opus Awards

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

Mentoring for the EarShot Readings program

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.

Svadba, winner of the Digital Excellence in Opera, Artistic Creation

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

“Constructions opératiques” exhibition

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.