FAWN

Surveillance was a key theme we tested during our creative production design workshop for Cells of Wind, in association with

Cells of Wind written by:
(composer) 
Oana Avasilichioaei (librettist)

Production Workshop Team:
- Stage Director & Co-Dramaturge: Amanda Smith
- Set Designer: Shannon Lea Doyle
- Lighting Designer: Noah Feaver
- Projection Design Team: potatoCake_Digital (Emily Soussana & Andrew Scriver)
- Choreographer: Alyssa Martinjpg - Costume Designer: Joyce Padua
Co-Dramaturg: Graham Cozzubbo
- Rebecca Cuddy, playing L, an incarcerated woman (mover)
- Gwenna Fairchild-Tayler, playing an incarcerated woman (mover)
- Sam Grist (mover/dancer)
- documentation videographer: Taylor Long
- intern - Nuha Yousuf
- intern - Philipp Samutin



Day 3 was VERY productive and full of discoveries for our production design workshop for Cells of Wind, in association with 💕

Workshop Team:
- Stage Director & Co-Dramaturge: Amanda Smith
- Set Designer: Shannon Lea Doyle
- Lighting Designer: Noah Feaver
- Projection Design Team: potatoCake_Digital (Emily Soussana & Andrew Scriver)
- Choreographer: Alyssa Martinjpg - Costume Designer: Joyce Padua
Co-Dramaturg: Graham Cozzubbo
- Rebecca Cuddy, playing L, an incarcerated woman (mezzo-soprano)
- Gwenna Fairchild-Tayler (soprano)
- Sam Grist
- documentation videographer: Taylor Long
- intern - Nuha Yousuf
- intern - Philipp Samutin



Workshop test from day 2 of this week’s production design workshop for Cells of Wind, in association with 💕

Workshop Team:
- Stage Director & Co-Dramaturge: Amanda Smith
- Set Designer: Shannon Lea Doyle
- Lighting Designer: Noah Feaver
- Projection Design Team: potatoCake_Digital (Emily Soussana & Andrew Scriver)
- Choreographer: Alyssa Martinjpeg - Costume Designer: Joyce Padua
Co-Dramaturg: Graham Cozzubbo
- Rebecca Cuddy, playing L, an incarcerated woman (mezzo-soprano)
- Gwenna Fairchild-Tayler (soprano)
- Sam Grist
- Nuha Yousuf
- Philipp Samutin



About Michael Bridge, playing accordion in Cells of Wind:⁠

Michael Bridge is a musical maverick. He’s a virtuoso performer on both the acoustic accordion and its 21st Century cousin, the digital accordion. His concerts capture the energy and panache of stadium rock with the elegance and discipline of chamber music. He’s won numerous competitions in Canada and abroad and was awarded the Canada Council's 2024 Virginia Parker Prize. He received his doctorate in accordion performance from the University of Toronto and was a Rebinds Fellow at the Glenn Gould School. He gives over 100 concerts a year as a soloist and as a member of Bridge & Wolak and Ladom Ensemble.

Dr. Bridge embraces a musical aesthetic that is alternatively irreverent, deadly serious, meticulously prepared and completely in-the-moment. He’s at home with classical, contemporary, jazz and folk music and has premiered 53 new works. Ultimately, he aims to make your world more bearable, beautiful and human—even if only for the length of a concert. www.MichaelBridge.ca
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Co-presented by Numus Concerts & FAWN Chamber Creative, the opera-in-concert debut of Cells of Wind will be performed in concert on January 29, 2025 at The Registry Theatre.⁠
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At its core, Cells of Wind is a highly impactful meditation on survival, systemic control, and the fundamental need for human connection.⁠
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The Cells of Wind project is supported by the & the .council.⁠
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⁠Graphic design by Andre Edwards-Roderique

About Justine Owen-Garber, playing an incarcerated women in Cells of Wind :⁠
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Justine Owen-Garber () is a Soprano who hails from Toronto, Ontario with Guyanese heritage. She has shared the stage with Opera legends such as Meesha Brugergosman and Jessye Norman. Justine filmed and recorded with the Bicycle Opera Project in their adaption of the opera ”Sweat”, which premiered at the Kingston Film Festival in March 2023 and in Toronto this past summer. It was also the winner of the LA independent women film awards 2024 and the winner of Artistic Creation for Digital Excellence. Justine shares her passion for music as a musical educator working with the Toronto District School Board.
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⁠
Co-presented by Numus Concerts & FAWN Chamber Creative, the opera-in-concert debut of Cells of Wind will be performed in concert on January 29, 2025 at The Registry Theatre.⁠
⁠
At its core, Cells of Wind is a highly impactful meditation on survival, systemic control, and the fundamental need for human connection.⁠
⁠
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⁠
The Cells of Wind project is supported by the & the .council.⁠
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⁠Graphic design by Andre Edwards-Roderique

About Tamara Vuckovic, stage manager for Cells of Wind:⁠
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Tamara is a Toronto based Stage Manager, Producer and Director in primarily Theatre and Opera. She has worked in most Toronto theatres, as well as across Canada, into the US, and overseas. Tamara is the Artistic Producer of theatre company ARC, and the Administrative Manager and Resident Stage Manager of Off Centre Music Salon.
Select Stage Management credits include: The Secret Chord, The Big Easy (Soulpepper Theatre); The Turn of the Screw (Opera 5); All Is Love, Handel’s The Resurrection (Opera Atelier); Rockabye, Martyr, Gloria, Oil (ARC); The Shape of Home (Crow's Theatre, County Stage); Electric Messiah, Hell's Fury (Soundstreams); (as Assistant Stage Manager) Nabucco, Fidelio (Canadian Opera Company); Treemonisha (Volcano); HMS Pinafore, Dead Man Walking (Vancouver Opera)
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⁠
Co-presented by Numus Concerts & FAWN Chamber Creative, the opera-in-concert debut of Cells of Wind will be performed in concert on January 29, 2025 at The Registry Theatre.⁠
⁠
At its core, Cells of Wind is a highly impactful meditation on survival, systemic control, and the fundamental need for human connection.⁠
⁠
****⁠
⁠
The Cells of Wind project is supported by the & the .council.⁠
⁠
****⁠

⁠Graphic design by Andre Edwards-Roderique

About Gwenna Fairchild Taylor, playing an incarcerated woman in Cells of Wind & the project's Community Engagement Coordinator:⁠
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Canadian soprano and teaching artist Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor believes in the power of music as a catalyst for community building and social change and strives to make sure everyone has access to creative experiences. Recent performance highlights include Sieglinde in scenes from die Walküre (Boston Wagner Institute) Mozart Requiem (Dalhousie Collegium Cantorum), premieres with the Artsong Collaborative Project, and new opera workshops with FAWN Chamber Creative and Good Mess Opera Theatre.

Gwenna regularly conducts choirs, adjudicates at music festivals, runs teaching artistry and community engagement workshops, and consults on curriculum and programming for universities, opera companies, and other nonprofits. As a teaching artist, Gwenna has written and facilitated community music programming for over 30 organizations across Canada and the United States.Learn more about Gwenna and her work at gwennafairchildtaylor.com
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Co-presented by Numus Concerts & FAWn Chamber Creative, the opera-in-concert debut of Cells of Wind will be performed in concert on January 29, 2025 at .⁠
⁠
At its core, Cells of Wind is a highly impactful meditation on survival, systemic control, and the fundamental need for human connection.⁠
⁠
****⁠
⁠
The Cells of Wind project is supported by the & the .council.⁠
⁠
****⁠

⁠Graphic design by Andre Edwards-Roderique

About Xander Bechard, playing the Guard in Cells of Wind:⁠
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Xander Bechard is a performer and private voice instructor from Kitchener-Waterloo. An alumnus of Wilfrid Laurier University (BMus ’23), they studied privately with Kimberly Barber. Stage credits include Emcee in Cabaret (KWMP), Narrator in Into the Woods and Laurie in Little Women (Opera Laurier). He has also premiered various works, having played the role of Brayden in the new musical Why I Said Goodbye by Maia Coates as well as participating as a tenor soloist in three new choral works by Justin Lapierre, Messe de Ste. Anne, Stabat Mater and One Thousand Shields of Gold.
⁠
****⁠
⁠
Co-presented by Numus Concerts & FAWN Chamber Creative, the opera-in-concert debut of Cells of Wind will be performed in concert on January 29, 2025 at The Registry Theatre.⁠
⁠
At its core, Cells of Wind is a highly impactful meditation on survival, systemic control, and the fundamental need for human connection.⁠
⁠
****⁠
⁠
The Cells of Wind project is supported by the & the .council.⁠
⁠
****⁠

⁠Graphic design by Andre Edwards-Roderique

About Ilana Waniuk, playing violin in Cells of Wind:⁠
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Ilana Waniuk is a versatile violinist with interests ranging from improvisation to visual arts. She is a founding member and co-artistic director of Tkarón:to (Toronto) - based ensemble Thin Edge New Music Collective, Balancing on the Edge (multidisciplinary production company merging contemporary music and circus arts) and in^set (flexible chamber ensemble dedicated to improvisation, creation and experimentation. Ilana has performed on concert stages across Canada, Italy, Argentina, Poland, Japan, Iceland, Mexico, the U.S and Germany. She received a doctorate in contemporary performance from the University of California, San Diego where her research explored crossmodal perception in collaborative audiovisual practices.
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****⁠
⁠
Co-presented by Numus Concerts & FAWN Chamber Creative, the opera-in-concert debut of Cells of Wind will be performed in concert on January 29, 2025 at The Registry Theatre.⁠
⁠
At its core, Cells of Wind is a highly impactful meditation on survival, systemic control, and the fundamental need for human connection.⁠
⁠
****⁠
⁠
The Cells of Wind project is supported by the & the .council.⁠
⁠
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⁠Graphic design by Andre Edwards-Roderique

About Rebecca Gray, playing G in Cells of Wind:⁠
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Rebecca Gray is a soprano, composer and improviser passionate about performing and creating both classical and contemporary repertoire. As a soprano, she has performed with Pacific Opera Victoria, Esprit Orchestra, Tapestry Opera, Opera Q, and is a member of FAWN chamber creative. She loves contributing to Canada's q***r opera scene as a performer and composer, and has presented interdisciplinary work at many national and international festivals and residencies. She has composed unique vocal music for Voces Boreales in Montréal, New Music Concerts in Toronto, Pro Coro in Edmonton and Soundstreams in Toronto. She has received Canada Council and Opera America grants to support the composition and workshop of “BUS Opera,” a q***r fantasy of overnight millennial angst, and won first prize in the choral category of SOCAN young composer awards in 2024. She won the Mecenat Musica Prix 3 femmes, and composed “Raccoon Opera: a fable of the housing crisis” in which she performed the titular role at Salle Bourgie, 2024.
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****⁠
⁠
Co-presented by Numus Concerts & FAWN Chamber Creative, the opera-in-concert debut of Cells of Wind will be performed in concert on January 29, 2025 at The Registry Theatre.⁠
⁠
At its core, Cells of Wind is a highly impactful meditation on survival, systemic control, and the fundamental need for human connection.⁠
⁠
****⁠
⁠
The Cells of Wind project is supported by the & the .council.⁠
⁠
****⁠

⁠Graphic design by Andre Edwards-Roderique

About Emma Heaton, playing an incarcerated woman in Cells of Wind:⁠
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Emma Heaton is an emerging vocalist, who is applauded for her “artistry and musical integrity” as well as for the “well-balanced…real and engaged” timbre of her voice. Currently based in London, Ontario, Emma is pursuing her MMus in voice at Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music. Originally from Toronto, her musical mentors in both Toronto and London have included Jean Macphail, Monica Whicher, Bethany Horst, and most recently Todd Wieczorek. Emma performs music of a wide variety of eras, and feels a particular affinity for the music of both early and contemporary composers. She is delighted to be collaborating with FAWN Chamber Creative on Cells of Wind this season.
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Co-presented by & , the opera-in-concert debut of Cells of Wind will be performed in concert on January 29, 2025 at .⁠
⁠
At its core, Cells of Wind is a highly impactful meditation on survival, systemic control, and the fundamental need for human connection.⁠
⁠
****⁠
⁠
The Cells of Wind project is supported by the & the .council.⁠
⁠
****⁠

⁠Graphic design by Andre Edwards-Roderique

About Dobrochna Zubek, cellist in Cells of Wind:⁠
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Polish-Canadian cellist Dr. Dobrochna Zubek has established herself as a versatile artist dedicated to a wide-ranging musical repertoire and to exploring boundaries between artistic disciplines. A soloist, chamber musician, orchestral cellist and educator, Zubek’s multi-faceted career has taken her to cities across Europe, Asia and North America. She has collaborated with some of music’s most distinguished artists, including Peter Gabriel, José Carreras, Shauna Rolston and Gioconda Barbuto. From 2009-2012, Zubek held an orchestra position with the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico. As a soloist, she has appeared on many festival stages, including Geneé International Ballet Competition (2019), Banff Center for Arts and Creativity (2019) and Ottawa Chamberfest (2016). From 2017-2023 served as a principal cellist of Sudbury Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, Zubek was invited by Symphony New Brunswick to be their principal cellist and a quartet cellist in residence. Zubek made her New York debut at La MAMA , an Off Broadway experimental theatre where she appeared in an all-female production of This is Why We Live. Written for cello and two actors, Zubek’s performance was hailed by critics as that of a virtuoso whose playing is soulful and wonderful. As a recording artist, Zubek’s repertoire includes Mexico-Voyage and the JUNO -nominated CD Hymns of Heavens and Earth, composed by Peter-Anthony Togni among others.
Dobrochna holds DMA from University of Toronto.

http://www.dobrochnazubek.com
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⁠
Co-presented by Numus Concerts & FAWN Chamber Creative, the opera-in-concert debut of Cells of Wind will be performed in concert on January 29, 2025 at The Registry Theatre.⁠
⁠
At its core, Cells of Wind is a highly impactful meditation on survival, systemic control, and the fundamental need for human connection.⁠
⁠
****⁠
⁠
The Cells of Wind project is supported by the & the .council.⁠
⁠
****⁠

⁠Graphic design by Andre Edwards-Roderique