VOICES IN NATURE
Where: Government House (1401 Rockland Ave.) and Saxe Point Park (Esquimalt)
When: June 16-26
Admission: Free
Pacific Opera Victoria’s genre-bending Voices in Nature program debuted in 2021 during what turned out to be an opportune time for outdoor, physically distanced performances.
Now in its third year, the summer park tour/outdoor performance series hybrid, which is designed to highlight the impact and importance of art and how it relates to the environment, continues to evolve.
“It was one of the few things we could do in the pandemic,” said series creator Rebecca Hass, director of engagement programs and partnerships for Pacific Opera.
“That first iteration, it was so eye-opening in terms of how people reacted, we just knew we wanted to build on it and grow the program.”
The upcoming edition includes ambitious performances from a range of singers and poets, including sopranos Natalya Gennadi and Jaclyn Grossman, baritone Luka Kawabata, and tenor Pierre Heault, four multidisciplinary performers enrolled in the company’s civic engagement artist residency program. Two-hour events by the performers will be held on the grounds of Government House (June 16-17) and Esquimalt’s Saxe Point Park (June 23-26) over the next 10 days, and are presented free of charge.
Voices in Nature offers something unique to the region as it blends environmental messaging with arts programming, according to Hass.
“When people are out in nature, they already have such big, open hearts. When you throw music over top, it makes this magical moment where people are really transformed by art out in nature.”
Hass said upwards of 400 people took in the inaugural event, which told her the series was on the right path. She went bigger in 2022, with events held in five unique locations, including Beacon Hill Park and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. While last year was deemed a success, she skewed smaller for the 2023 instalment, in order to make the events more intimate and put the focus back on the singing-in-nature aspect of the series.
“I’m a visionary, ambitious person, and I wanted to try a lot of locations last year. What I learned was that some places served this experience better than others. I think we found two fantastic locations this year, a beautiful mix of the wild and the tame.”
Voices in Nature, which requires a minimum of amplification, has been heartily embraced by opera supporters and nature lovers alike, and is now counted as a key part of Pacific Opera’s annual programming.
“We looked at how we, as an opera company, can facilitate so that artists can make relationships with place and land,” Hass said.
“It’s not just about coming here to become a better singer, we’re looking for young artists who want to have a bigger conversation about their role as artists with regards to reconciliation.”
More information on locations and parking can be found at pacificopera.ca.
