Our Story
Since 2016, Flipside Opera & Art Song Collective has been bringing outside-the-box, inspiring musical experiences to Manitobans.
Each season, Flipside presents one to two main productions. These productions
have included fully-staged operas, like Winnipeg composer Neil Weisensel’s Gisela in her Bathtub (2016), A Hand of Bridge (2016), and The Medium (2019).
As the only organization in Winnipeg that programs art song (poetry set to classical voice and piano) as part of our core activities, we rebranded in 2021 to include “art song” in our name. Our innovative song recitals have included In Plain Sight: Compositions by African-American Women (2022), a concert featuring Winnipeg-born soprano Millicent Scarlett exploring the underrepresented works of African-American women, with spoken program notes by Dr. Marcia Porter; #nofilter (2019), a humour-filled and raw program of modern songs dissecting our modern relationship with the Internet; Greeriad (2017), a celebration of the folk-inspired songs of Manitoba composer John Greer, performed in Winnipeg, Flin Flon and Brandon; and Heavyweights (2016), a recital celebrating rarely-heard songs for larger classical voices.
We actively champion music by Manitoban composers, and create unique opportunities to support the growth of emerging local singers.
ashley boychuk, board president of flipside opera & art song collective
Collaborations have helped us to expand the boundaries of opera and art song.
In 2019, we worked with the Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society to perform Echoes of Spain, an emceed evening of operatic hits adapted for voice and guitar.
In 2021, Flipside and GroundSwell co-presented Bloody Jack, a new song cycle by Manitobans Michael Matthews and Dennis Cooley, commissioned by Dawn Bruch & Laura Loewen. Flipside premiered Aidan Ritchie’s video of five songs of the set in 2021, while Groundswell presented the remaining songs live at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2022. Flipside has also worked with Proximus 5, The Little Opera Company, and looks forward to a co-presentation with the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg in January 2025.
In addition, each season, we offer numerous informal performance opportunities for local singers from emerging to professional. Our popular and ever-growing event, Opera by the Pint, offers audiences a barrier-free opportunity to appreciate the power of the operatic voice, and to recognize the breadth of operatic talent from emerging to professional in Manitoba. Singers love to sing in this supportive, experimental environment, with no holds barred on their expressive possibilities. Held in the intimate, accessible, all-ages setting of Little Brown Jug Brewing Co and hosted by Artistic Director Judith Oatway, this event has attracted a strong base of new and seasoned opera fans since its inception in 2019. As one attendee observed, “There’s a real person behind all that sound!”
We have hosted six Opera Idol competitions, showcasing local emerging opera artists and offering them the opportunity to win cash prizes and a role in a future Flipside show. Past winners have included Lizzy Hoyt, Ana Toumine, Aaron Hutton, Kinnon Weddall, Alice Macgregor, Ashley Rees, and Jessica Kos-Whicher. From 2022-24, Flipside hosted an all-ages outdoor bocce ball fundraiser featuring performances of art song and opera.
Flipside’s role in the Manitoba artistic community is one of bridge-building. We bring together artists of many disciplines, perform underrepresented music in innovative and community-centric ways, and share the joy and depth of vocal theatre with diverse audiences.