Empire of Wild (2027), Indians on Vacation (2026), Of the Sea (2023), The Drawing Room (2022), Fantasma (2020), The Snow Globe (2018)
Ian Cusson is a composer of Métis and French Canadian descent. He was an inaugural Carrefour Composer-in-Residence with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and was Composerin-Residence for the Canadian Opera Company. He was a Co-artistic Director of Opera in the 21st Century at the Banff Centre and the recipient of the 2021 Jan V. Matejcek Classical Music Award from SOCAN and the 2021 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize. His compositions are published exclusively by G. Schirmer, Inc.
Empire of Wild
(2027)
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Premiere: Canadian Opera Company, May 2027
libretto
Cherie Dimaline, in English and French, based on Cherie Dimaline’s novel, Empire of Wild forces
Voices, chorus, and orchestra
synopsis
Broken-hearted Joan has been searching for her husband, Victor, for almost a year. One hung-over morning in a Walmart parking lot, she is drawn to a revival tent where the local Métis have been flocking to hear a charismatic preacher — and she hears an unmistakable voice. Has the mythical rogarou brought back her husband in a new form, without any memory of his past? Braving the spirits of the forest, as well as the insidious creep of religious colonialism, Joan embarks on a perilous journey to save him.
Blackbird Mavrias and his wife Mimi set off for Prague, driven by a mix of reasons including Bird’s recent health and Mimi’s quest to follow her ancestor’s trail. Bird’s inner struggles, embodied by his “demons,” add complexity to the journey. Their encounters in Prague, including with the enigmatic Oz, weave through Bird’s reflections on identity, family history, and his unfinished journalistic assignment on Indigenous struggles.
Of the Sea
(2023)
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Premiere: Obsidian Theatre & Tapestry Opera, March 2023
A father will do anything to save his daughter. Of the Sea follows the story of Maduka, his daughter Binyelum, and fellow Africans thrown overboard during the Middle Passage who now populate mythical underwater kingdoms that span the ocean floor. Amidst the waves, fiery plans for revenge are made, a parent is blinded by love for their child, and a fight against fate begins.
press
“...a very considerable achievement that deserves to be seen more...” — John Gilks, operaramblings
Fantasma
(2020)
Duration: 45 minutes
Premiere: Canadian Opera Company, March 2022
libretto
Colleen Murphy, in English forces
tr,S,3Mz,T,Bar,2bbar + 2pf (1 on-stage)
synopsis
Best friends Léa and Ivy go to an old-fashioned carnival and meet a Barker who urges them to, ‘Step right up!’ But the carnival is deserted except for a sad clown, a guy dressed as a Bleeding Zombie, someone in a white sheet called Fantasma, and the boss, Mrs Palladino.
To increase business: Fantasma is to pop up in unexpected places and freak people outfolks will think there’s a real ghost in the carnival and come! When Fantasma scares Ivy she runs and hides in the Haunted Manor. When Lea goes inside to find her, things get serious.
The Drawing Room
(2022)
Duration: 21 minutes
Premiere: Confluence Concerts, September 2022 libretto
André Alexis, in English forces
4voc + pf/vn.db synopsis
A dialogue for three voices and a messenger, serving as a prequel to Shakespeare’s King Lear.
The Snow Globe
(2018)
Duration: 7 minutes
Premiere: Tapestry Opera, December 2018 libretto
Colleen Murphy, in English forces
S,Bar + pf synopsis
A sister and brother go through the belongings of their recently departed mother and find an old snow globe from their youth. They both really want to keep it. A bitter fight ensues and the sister inadvertently blurts out a very painful secret.
