The Luminary Series
Sunday
Jan 18, 2026
7:30pm
Venue McPherson Playhouse
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We’re delighted to unveil the next chapter of Pacific Opera Victoria’s Luminary Series at the McPherson — an ongoing celebration of extraordinary artists and bold performances that challenge, uplift, and inspire.
Following the resounding success of last year’s inaugural lineup of Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou, Lawrence Brownlee, and Gryphon Trio: ECHO – Memories of the World, this year’s edition welcomes genre-defying works that continue to push the boundaries of classical music and operatic storytelling. These are not just concerts — they are conversations, provocations, and deeply personal statements from some of today’s most compelling performers.
This season, Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 returns to Victoria with their groundbreaking one-person show, The Queen in Me. A tour de force of voice, vulnerability, and vision, this electrifying piece uses Mozart’s Queen of the Night as a prism to examine the ways opera has constrained — and can liberate — identities of race, gender, and sexuality. With arias from Puccini, Strauss, Donizetti, and more, Teiya invites us into a reimagined operatic future where everyone belongs.
Also featured is the haunting and poetic Zombie Blizzard, an intimate and powerful collaboration between soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, author Margaret Atwood, and composer Aaron Davis. Drawing from Atwood’s 2020 poetry collection Dearly, this evocative project blends classical and jazz idioms to explore grief, gender, humour, and survival in a changing world. With Atwood’s voice featured in recorded recitations, and Measha’s luminous interpretations of Davis’ settings, Zombie Blizzard is a spellbinding meditation on the art of resilience.
With voices that challenge convention and music that dares to dream, this season of the Luminary Series invites you into a world of performance where truth, beauty, and transformation meet. Join us for these unforgettable one-night-only events at the McPherson Playhouse — where brilliance meets boldness, and where you just might see the future of opera unfold.
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