Bicycle Opera project coming to Guelph this Thursday July 31!

Here is an article from the Guelph Tribune, about the Bicycle Opera coming to town at Harcourt United Church, Thursday July 31.  Come and enjoy the show!

Thursday, July, 17, 2014 - 12:12:45 PM

Opera troupe pedals into town

An opera troupe will pedal into Guelph for a show at a local church on Thursday July 31 that will showcase music by contemporary Canadian composers.
The Bicycle Opera Project, which also had a local show last year, will perform at Harcourt Memorial United Church at 7:30 p.m.
Guelph is one of 14 Ontario communities the troupe is visiting as part of this year’s tour, which will see seven singers and musicians bike over 800 kilometres while hauling instruments, props, costumes and sets, a news release said.
“People tend to think of opera as an elitist art form, conjuring images of corsets and bull-horn helmets,” troupe co-founder Larissa Koniuk said in the release.
“We break these barriers by getting dirty on our bikes and spreading opera across Ontario in a style that is modern and relatable. Cycling also happens to be economically and environmentally friendly!”
The troupe, which was founded in 2012, incorporates bicycle culture into its performances. One of the performers dons a wig made of recycled inner tubes to play Rapunzel.
Audience members can contribute to the production by pedalling a bicycle-powered generator during intermission that runs a projector in the second act, the release said. Helmets, bells, locks and bikes feature prominently as props throughout the show.
The troupe will perform seven opera songs, including six in English and one in French. The repertoire showcases the works of established and emerging Canadian composers, including Tobin Stokes, Brian Current, Dean Burry, Ivan Barbotin, Adam Scime and Chris Thornborrow, the release said.
For tickets, visit bicycleopera.com/tickets or call 416-938-8653.