Tenor and Opéra Queens Founder Mike Fan with sopranos Thera Barclay and Christina Yun at the 2024 Gaysian Gala 3.0 for the Canadian Opera Company’s Showcase Series. Photo by Karen E. Reeves.
…An artist-driven, human-centred approach works best—at least for our artists! This is counter to so much of the pain, guilt, and struggle often glamourized in the performing arts, and especially in a traditionally rigorous genre and discipline such as opera.
Opéra Queens
Opéra Queens
Compassion Fund and Flexible Scheduling
Level UP! Strategy Area: Care Solutions
Pilot Project: Compassion Fund and flexible rehearsal scheduling
Project Duration: 2023 – 2024
Continuing to Implement: Yes, continuing to add caregiving expenses to grants and eventually, hoping to incorporate caregiving into the company’s operating budget.
Resources Shared: Project Field Notes
About Opéra Queens
Location: Ontario and Quebec
Artistic Discipline: Opera
Operating Budget: Less than $100,000
Opéra Queens presents classical music in FULL COLOUR: majority LGBTQ+ and/or BIPOC+ in drag, gender-bent, and queerified! Opéra Queens reinvents canon works while commissioning new works by emerging marginalized creators including Melbourne, Sérpa, and Marchand Knight. Live productions include A Night of 1000 Cleopatras and Tanya’s Secret while full-length film productions include Drama Queens and Latin Night. Opéra Queens recently made their sold-out UK début at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, chosen to represent Canada by the High Commission of Canada in the UK. Other collaborations include Pacific Opera Victoria, Rainbow Reels, and Jeunesses musicales.
Opéra Queens’s Level UP! Project
Opéra Queens implemented a Compassion Fund for artist caregivers and developed a flexible rehearsal schedule while aiming to also maintain overall balance for the central administrative team. Artistic and Executive Director Mike Fan led the project, working nimbly in the ways a small company demands—sometimes engaging with offers through conversation, and at other times via email.
Project Highlights:
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- Learning about how age and physiology intersects with the demands and opportunities in opera performance. For instance, with the voice maturing after the age of 30, the artist is often in the height of their career when they might also be arriving at their caregiving.
Resources
Opéra Queens | Project Field Notes
About This Resource Opéra Queens created these Project Field Notes in 2024 as part of their Balancing Act Level UP! Pilot Project. Their project focused on developing a Compassion Fund and flexible rehearsal scheduling for artist caregivers.
Related Resources
More Information
For more information about the Opéra Queens visit operaqueens.ca.
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