Toronto’s opera innovator Against the Grain Theatre (AtG) has announced the appointment of Canadian librettist Royce Vavrek to the role of the company’s new Artistic Director. His appointment follows a search period after founding Artistic Director Joel Ivany left the company in the summer of 2023 to take the helm at Edmonton Opera.
The AtG Board conducted a thorough and extensive executive search for Ivany’s replacement.
Board Chairperson Marc Chalifoux writes in a statement, “As our new Artistic Director, Royce brings a wealth of experience, and a reputation as one of the most celebrated librettists in contemporary opera”.
Royce Vavrek
Born in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and based in Brooklyn, NY, Vavrek is known as a librettist, writer, lyricist and filmmaker. After a bachelor’s degree in filmmaking and creative writing from Ottawa’s Concordia University, and a master’s at New York University in musical theatre writing, Royce developed his specialty in opera librettos at the American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program.
His work has been commissioned, and widely performed, by major companies in the US and Canada, including the Metropolitan Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Washington National Opera, and Los Angeles Philharmonic, in Toronto by Tapestry Opera, and by the Norwegian National Opera, among many others. He was called, “an exemplary creator of operatic prose,” by The New York Times, and he wrote the libretto to Angel’s Bone with composer Du Yun, which won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Music.
Royce has been co-commissioned by Edmonton Opera and Against the Grain Theatre to adapt Thomas King’s Indians on Vacation with composer Ian Cusson, set to premiere in 2026.
Royce Vavrek Answers A Few Questions
We asked incoming AD Royce Vavrek a few questions as he takes the helm of groundbreaking company Against the Grain.
What drew you to this opportunity?
I am very excited and honoured to shepherd Against the Grain into this second chapter, continuing Joel Ivany’s legacy of presenting singular, dynamic opera works to Toronto and all of Canada. As an Alberta-born (and raised) librettist whose career has been predominantly based in the United States and Europe, this is an opportunity for me to bring my energy, my experience, my collaborators, and my artistry to a company that means a lot to me.
What’s the core mandate of AtG, as you understand it?
Against the Grain brings world-class projects to Toronto. It is also important that we contribute to the contemporary Canadian repertoire — Against the Grain’s commissioning of me and Ian Cusson to adapt Thomas King’s “Indians on Vacation” is an example of our commitment to that. And I, along with the rest of the staff and Board, want the company to reflect the Canadian cultural landscape through its programming and representation.
What can you tell us about the plans you have for AtG, and its next stage of development as an organization?
I have so many ideas about projects and people that I want to empower over the next few seasons, I can’t wait to unveil the first season under my stewardship. I hope that the company might also be used as an incubator — planting seeds for collaborations that will benefit the performing arts in Canada. But all will be revealed later in the season!
Against the Grain: Second Act
Along with Indians on Vacation, Identity — Live Presentation, a song cycle by Dinuk Wijeratne and Shauntay Grant, starring baritone Elliot Madore, is currently under development. The work, originally developed for digital delivery during the pandemic, is being reworked for a live stage performance.
If you’d like to support Against the Grain, who brought us the luminous and internationally acclaimed Messiah/Complex, in their next chapter of evolution, Chairperson Marc Chalifoux and the AtG board have launched a new fundraising campaign today in support the vision of their new artistic leader.
- Against the Grain Theatre’s Second Act campaign will extend through to May 2026;
- The campaign’s 2-year target is $750,000.
Donations can be made [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is a Toronto City Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an experienced freelance writer, blogger and writing instructor.
