On the occasion of the Montreal Arab World Festival 2024, the Chants Libres company and the Oktoecho ensemble present the creation of a new opera inspired by Sainte-Marine la Déguisée. Sainte-Marine lived in the 5th century AD and remained disguised as a man all her life in order to live the life of a Maronite monk in what is now Lebanon.
Why this subject for an opera now? What type of music has composer Katia Makdissi-Warren imagined to illustrate the life of this extraordinary character? Why is it called an ‘immersive opera’? What kind of experience can we expect at the SAT (Society for Arts and Technology), where the opera will be performed? We spoke to Marie-Annick Béliveau, artistic director of Chants Libres, to find out.
