May 13 , 2009
For immediate release

Calgary Opera Winner of
$50,000 New Creation in the Arts award
towards The Inventor

Calgary AB…  Calgary Opera is delighted to have been selected as one of ten winners of the inaugural New Creation in the Arts awards, announced by the Imperial Tobacco Canada Foundation on May 12 in Montreal.  In keeping with the Foundation guidelines of supporting the commissioning, workshopping and production of new Canadian creations, the $50,000 donation to Calgary Opera is directed to the development of The Inventor, a new Canadian Opera by composer Bramwell Tovey and librettist John Murrell.

The Inventor is based on a Canadian story of the black sheep nephew of Alexander Keith, famous Canadian brewery founder.  Alienated from his family, nephew ‘Sandy’ Keith turned to racketeering and smuggling on behalf of the South during the American Civil War.  His misdeeds forced him to flee and reinvent himself as British, Canadian, American; as a businessman engaged in various fictional pursuits; and as the husband of at least two different women, with two different families.  When his past eventually caught up with him, Sandy Keith hatched a scheme to blow-up the transatlantic steamer Mosel so he could collect the insurance money.  When the dynamite exploded prematurely killing many people, the consequences for Sandy Keith were magnified to a whole new level.

Of the 194 organizations that applied to the Imperial Tobacco Canada Foundation for the inaugural New Creation in the Arts awards, ten were selected from across Canada, with Calgary Opera being the only Alberta company to be selected.

“We are especially pleased to be recognized for the importance of our new Canadian opera creation, The Inventor,” says W.R (Bob) McPhee, General Director and CEO. “With the support of this award we will be better equipped to bring this Canadian story to the stage with the truly great creative team of composer Bramwell Tovey and librettist John Murrell. As we continue to develop this new Opera we look forward to sharing it with others at its world premiere in our 2010-2011 season.”

“We are proud to play a role in the fostering of new Canadian works in the performing and visual arts, as the vitality of our cultural resources is key to our identity as Canadians. We look forward to seeing the results of our investment in these highly imaginative and creative projects,” said Joan Pennefather, general manager of the Imperial Tobacco Canada Foundation.

The New Creation in the Arts program received 194 applications from all regions of Canada; a Selection Committee recommended ten winners, with a final decision made by the Board of the Foundation. A complete list of recipients may be obtained on the website at www.imperialtobaccofoundation.ca in the media room.

Further details on the arts policies of the Foundation may be obtained on the site or by contacting Joan Pennefather, at info@imperialtobaccofoundation.ca.

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