Monteverdi’s Orfeo
A Fully Staged Opera – Matinee Performance Added!
Artists: Marc Mauillon, Orfeo; Guillaume Bernardi, stage director; Alexander Weimann, music director; with Pacific Baroque Orchestra
Pre-Performance Chat: July 31 – 7:00pm hosted by Silvia L’Ecuyer with Orfeo director Guillaume Bernardi. August 2 – 2pm hosted by Sarah Pelzer with director Guillaume Bernardi.
Run Time: Approximately 120 Minutes + 20 Minute Intermission
Sung in Italian with English Projected Titles
Description
EMV is thrilled to launch our 2026 Summer Festival with Claudio Monteverdi’s opera Orfeo in a bold and ambitious fully staged production. When Orfeo’s beloved wife Euridice dies suddenly on the night of their wedding, he decides to journey deep into the underworld to bring her back, equipped only with the power of his music.
While some operas were composed and performed before the 1607 premiere of Orfeo, Monteverdi was the first to reveal the genre’s true dramatic and musical potential. It remains one of the most powerful and influential works in the operatic canon.
This production is directed by baroque performance expert Guillaume Bernardi and conducted by Pacific Baroque Orchestra Director Alexander Weimann. With a dozen singers on stage, an orchestra full of rarely heard 17th century instruments in the pit, and the incredible beauty of titular star Marc Mauillon’s singing, Orfeo promises to be a special event for lovers of early music, opera, and the eternal power of storytelling.
July 31, 2026 at 7:30pm | Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.
Visit the Chan Centre’s Virtual Tour to see the view from your seats
Please note that this performance is not eligible for subscription discounts, Youth tickets or Student tickets. Other restrictions may apply.
This production is made possible by the generosity of the following donors: An Anonymous Donor, The Graham & Gayle Cooke Foundation, Always ON UPS Systems Canada Inc., Mike & Kathy Gallagher, Elaine Godwin, Jens & Linda Lee Henriksen, Marta and Nicolas Maftei in memory of Stephen Drance, Ian Michaud, Simon Murphy, George Pick & Santi Pelaez.
Images below are drawn from Opéra Comique’s production of L’Orfeo, featuring Marc Mauillon in the title role, and are provided for illustrative purposes only. EMV’s final production will vary.