Bow Valley residents can experience the sensation of the new Canadian opera Filumena, composed by John Estacio with libretto by John Murrell, OC, AOE, on CBC Radio Two’s "Saturday Afternoon at the Opera" broadcast of the Calgary Opera world premiere performance on Saturday, April 26, starting at 1:30 pm.

Filumena had its premiere in early February 2003, playing to unprecedented sold-out houses and receiving national critical and public acclaim. Filumena will be the centrepiece of the 2003 Banff Summer Arts Festival (July 11-August 10), presented through our newly re-launched Opera Performance and Opera Orchestra programs on August 6, 8, and 10 in the Eric Harvie Theatre at The Banff Centre.

Filumena follows the tragic true Albertan story of Florence Losandro, a young Italian immigrant who gets caught up in a life of crime, secret love, and the struggle for personal freedom.

The Banff Centre will be holding auditions for the chorus (sopranos, altos, tenors, and baritones) and interviews for supernumeraries (non-singing roles) for the Banff production of Filumena on Saturday, April 26. For more information, or to book an audition or interview, contact Casey Prescott at 762.6359.

Click here to learn more about the Filumena opera.