Our Story

Pomegranate is a circular story about the endurance of love over time.

Suli and Cassia fall in love during their initiation into the Dionysian Mysteries in the Villa of Mysteries in ancient Pompeii, 79 AD, where they meet the Temple Priestess and her handmaiden Julia. When Vesuvius erupts, they are held in time until we meet the couple again in 1984 at the Fly by Night, a downtown Toronto lesbian bar.

As Cass & Suzie face the challenge of Suzie’s coming out to her conservative refugee family, the lovers are once more separated and the story circles back to Pompeii, now in ruins. But, the power of memory endures and evokes a final duet as they measure out the years of their love in pomegranate seeds.

Press Reviews

A potent integration of voices and instruments that captured me and kept me. The interlacing of instrument with voice was exquisite, breathtaking!

Liz Ukranitz, writer

Pomegranate opera will make a significant contribution to the city’s creative life.

Cynthia Grant, co-founder of Nightwood Theatre

Not only does it focus explicitly on the lesbian world — very rare content for opera — but does so with beauty, with gorgeous music.

Ottie Lockey, former GM of Tafelmusik

Cast & Creative Team

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    Canadian soprano Rebecca Gray, unsmiling and wearing a blue shirt.

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    Cassia/Cass

    Rebecca Gray

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    Canadian mezzo-soprano Camille Rogers, unsmiling and wearing a black suit.

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    Suli/Suzie

    Camille Rogers

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    Canadian soprano Teiya Kasahara, unsmiling and wearing a black suit.

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    Priestess/Bartender

    Teiya Kasahara

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    Canadian mezzo-soprano Stephanie Tritchew, smiling and wearing a black dress.

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    Handmaiden/Mother

    Stephanie Tritchew

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    Canadian baritone Aaron Durand, smiling.

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    Centurion/Uncle

    Aaron Durand

Support Us

Become a patron today with the help of our friends at Ardeleana Chamber Music Society and get a tax receipt by donating through CanadaHelps! Thank you for supporting Pomegranate.

Media

Video & Image Gallery

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    A scene from a video of POMEGRANATE, the opera (Workshop Performance, July 2017).

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