Introduction
Produced by Toronto's independent queer opera company OperaQ, Handel's "Drag Messiah" is a fresh and fun take on this holiday standard of classical music.
Join 6 voice students from the University of Toronto Faculty of Music as they explore the many layers drag has to offer, in a Messiah like you've never seen before (we guarantee!). Over the past few weeks, each student has had the chance to develop an original drag number with the expert guidance of Toronto drag performer Gay Jesus. Please join us for a fantastic evening of silliness, beauty, and a whole lot of *gender* :D
This performance was filmed in Tkaronto on the territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. Filming took place in accordance with current Covid-19 regulations. OperaQ thanks the University of Toronto Student Initiative Fund and the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies for their generous support, as well as University of Toronto Opera.
English closed captions are available by clicking on the "CC" button in the bottom right of the screen.
Video
Good evening and welcome to OperaQ's production of Handel's Drag.
Messiah., My name is Gay, Jesus., I'm, your drag king and host for the evening and I'll be guiding you through a number of phenomenal performances.
As we spend our night, together., This, evening's production was done in collaboration with queer and trans undergraduate students from the University of Toronto.
They as well as myself and OperaQ operate out of Tkaronto.
And so we would like to take a moment to acknowledge the original caretakers of this land:, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabe, the Wendat.
And this is also the treaty territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.
It was once offered to me that land acknowledgments should not only be acknowledgments, but vows of action taken on behalf of the people saying them as well as their audiences, every time they are iterated.
I would be remiss to not mention that we are currently seeing headlines of water defenders and land defenders going missing in so-called Canada so I offer you this opportunity to reflect on what day-to-day actions.
You can take to elevate and prioritize Indigenous voices, as well as learn about the original caretakers of the land that you might be on- since we're virtual.
And you may be scattered around the world.
In case.
This is your first time attending an OperaQ production, I wanted to give you a little bit of backstory on the phenomenal people that run this company and their focus as an artistic collective.
Founded in 2018 by Ryan McDonald and Camille Rogers, OperaQ is a Toronto-based independent opera, collective dedicated to amplifying queer and trans voices to offer unique perspectives on traditional narratives.
Although.
The opera industry involves countless queer, artists, opportunities for authentic and complex expressions of queerness are few and far between.
OperaQ's mission is to create a space in which queer and trans artists can tell their stories on their own terms, an opportunity, which is largely missing from the current operatic canon.
OperaQ is run as an artist collective, allowing queer artists, the autonomy to explore and share their own unique experiences of queerness.
This is my first time working with OperaQ and I was very very excited to be brought on not only as a host.
But as a drag consultant for these evening's performances.
I got to see firsthand some of the amazing creativity happening behind the scenes and I'm so excited to be sharing it with you this evening.
But.
What is this evening's production? Are, you expecting a classic opera? Are.
You expecting a tip-them-with-five-dollar-bills drag show? Let's, learn a little bit more about it, shall we? Handel's.
Drag Messiah has been one of the standards in classical music.
Since it was first performed in 1742.
It's, one of the first pieces that students learn about when taking music history classes.
And it gets performed every single year, all the way from fancy music halls to your local community, gyms.
And as anyone who has ever seen a three-hour opera before might tell you.
It is also rumoured to sometimes be a little, tad bit.
Stodgy.
So OperaQ wanted to take this opportunity of a classic piece and infuse it with some queer and trans vision.
They had each of these individual artists, choose one of their songs from the piece and create a drag performance within it that expressed their artistic spirit and approach to gender.
Some played with the classic biblical themes.
While others took it in a different direction.
I.
Am.
So so proud to introduce our first performance for the evening.
We have Oli Guselle with "He shall feed his flock" And, a little note from our artist tonight to introduce us to their piece: "Gloria hates to wear the sheepish grin, but she'll do what she must for a lamb burger dinner." Please.
Welcome with warmth in your little homes, Oli Guselle, Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened And.
The ears of the deaf unstopped Then shall the lame man leap as an hart And.
The tongue of the dumb shall sing He shall feed his flock like a shepherd And.
He shall gather the lambs with his arm, And carry them in his bosom And, gently lead those that are with young Come unto him.
All ye that labour Come unto him ye that are heavy laden, and he will give you rest Come unto him, all ye that labour Come unto him ye that are heavy laden.
And he will give you rest Take his yoke upon you and learn of him For.
He is meek and lowly of heart.
And ye shall find rest unto your soul.
Take his yoke upon you and learn of him For.
He is meek and lowly of heart.
And ye shall find rest.
And ye shall find rest unto your soul.
Please give a warm round of applause to Oli Guselle from your homes, from the internet.
What, a way to open a show.
Next up.
We have Anika Venkatesh with "He was despised" In.
This scene.
We see an unfortunate clown trapped in a box on display for everyone to see as they try to figure out who they truly are.
Please.
Welcome Anika.
Venkatesh He was despised despised and rejected rejected of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
He was despised rejected He was despised and rejected of men A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
He was despised, rejected A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, He gave his back to the smiters And his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, He hid, not his face from shame and spitting He was despised despised and rejected rejected of men, A man of sorrows A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
He was despised, rejected He was despised and rejected of men A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
He was despised, rejected A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, Absolutely phenomenal., Thank you so much Anika Venkatesh for that incredible moving performance.
And.
So with that joy, I would like to bring forth our following performer Tarquin with "I know that my redeemer liveth" Around this time of year, we see plenty of angels atop of tall trees wrapped in glitter.
With this piece, we witness glitter be donned in the form of a beard, and find how tall we stand atop of the tree of redemption.
Please.
Welcome Tarquin, I know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, I know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, And, though worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see, god, I know that my redeemer liveth And, though worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see, god, I know that my redeemer liveth For now is Christ risen from the dead.
The first fruits of them that sleep For.
Now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep Absolutely phenomenal., I, am.
So so so excited to have gotten to share that piece with you all tonight.
Thank, you Tarquin for that performance.
Next up.
We have one of the founders of OperaQ performing for us.
This evening.
Please.
Welcome Camille.
Rogers with "The.
Trumpet shall sound" Picture this:.
You've been dead a really really long time and suddenly you're resurrected to find yourself in a world where you get to decide how you relate to your body.
And what that means.
How does it feel? Camille Rogers.
Everyone Behold I, tell you a mystery We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed In.
A moment in the twinkling of an eye At.
The last trumpet The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised.
And the dead shall be raised incorruptible.
The trumpet shall sound.
And the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.
And we shall be changed For.
This corruptible must put on incorruption And.
This mortal must put on immortality.
The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible And.
We shall be changed.
The.
Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible And.
We shall be changed Please, give a warm round of applause to Camille Rogers for that beautiful.
And also handsome, performance.
I have been so blown away by Camille over the course of this project, not only their amazing work as a performer.
But seeing the work they do behind the scenes alongside Ryan McDonald.
The.
Two of them have done an amazing job supporting these artists, bringing their visions to life, and bringing their voices to the forefront.
It, truly truly makes me very excited about the future of opera and the future of performance in general.
Next up.
We have a duet.
Very, exciting, I, know!, We have Ivan Vutev and William Salinas-Crosby with "O death.
Where is thy sting" What if Messiah, but bees? Prepare yourself for shenanigans., Ivan, Vutev and William, Salinas-Crosby, everyone O death, where is thy sting?, O grave, where is thy victory?, The, sting of death is sin.
And the strength of sin is the law Thank.
You Ivan, Vutev and William Salinas-Crosby for that.
Incredible moving interpretation of the Messiah.
I am blown away.
So.
Everyone at home.
Please clap, cheer, wiggle your little stingers for that amazing duet.
With that we come to our final piece for the evening.
I, know, I know.
We are heartbroken.
We don't want it to end.
But.
You can always find all of these artists, online.
Check out their work, see what they're developing.
You can also find more information on OperaQ online so that you can learn about their future projects as time goes on, and become involved, potentially with the company, one day.
For, our final piece, this evening we close the show with a performance by an absolute queen, wrapped in decadence, painted to perfection, and topped with hair that could reach the heavens.
Our final piece for the night is performed by someone we just took a little peek towards.
And now get to learn more about.
William Salinas-Crosby with "If god, be for us who can be against us", William, Salinas-Crosby, everyone., If, god, be for us who can be against us.
Who shall lay anything to the charge of god's elect? It is god that justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died.
Yea rather, that is risen again.
Who is at the right hand of god.
Who makes intercession for us.
Who is at the right hand of god.
Who makes intercession for us.
Please put your hands together for William Salinas-Crosby and that stunning performance.
Additionally, whether you're watching us from home, or at a friend's apartment, or on your phone on the TTC, I want you to stand up and cheer as loud as you can for our entire lineup.
This evening.
In order of appearance.
We have had Oli Guselle, Anika, Venkatesh, Camille, Rogers, Tarquin, Ivan, Vutev, and William Salinas-Crosby performing for you OperaQ's production of Handel's Drag Messiah.
I would like to personally give a loving.
Thank you to Camille Rogers and Ryan McDonald for the work.
They do over at OperaQ taking these voices, bringing them forward and making them as loud as possible.
Additionally.
Thank you to each one of you who've tuned in with us, tonight.
We're so thankful to you for supporting these amazing artists and for witnessing with us tonight, the future of opera in action.
It is so beautiful to share tonight with you.
We'd also like to extend very special thanks to our videographer who made this entire presentation, possible, Taylor, Long, as well as the University of Toronto Opera department, the University of Toronto, Student Initiative, Fund, as well as the University of Toronto Mark, S., Bonham Centre for Sexual, Diversity Studies, all of which helped make tonight possible.
My name is Gay.
Jesus I have been your host for this evening.
You can find me on social media.
@Theirholiness You can also find OperaQ on social media @operaqto to find their future.
Endeavours.
They have a show coming up entitled Medusa's Children, an original queer, mystical opera with music by Colin McMahon and libretto by Charlie Petch.
It is something you are not going to want to miss.
Thank you for joining us.
Tonight.
Please, stay safe, know that queer artistry is going strong, and enjoy your holiday season.
Thank you and good night.
