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Camryn Dewar at the University of British Columbia – 21 October 2026
In Their Own Voices: Camryn Dewar Puts Indigenous Women at Opera’s Centre Stage
“Thought provoking, nicely performed” — Opera Ramblings, on Dewar’s Canadian Opera Company presentation
VANCOUVER, BC — October 16, 2026 — Red River Métis soprano and Fulbright Scholar Camryn Dewar brings her lecture-recital, The Evolution of Female Indigenous Representation in Canadian Opera from 1879 to Present, to the University of British Columbia on Wednesday, October 21, following its September 30 presentation at the Canadian Opera Company on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Presented by the UBC School of Music as part of its Wednesday Noon Hours series, the performance runs from 12:00–1:00 p.m. at Roy Barnett Recital Hall. Dewar will be joined by pianist Dr. Risa Tonita, a UBC Doctor of Musical Arts graduate whose research explores identity and gender equity in performance.
Combining live operatic excerpts, historical research and a Q&A, Dewar examines how Indigenous women have been portrayed on the Canadian opera stage, who created those portrayals, and how representation is changing as Indigenous artists take a leading role in telling their own stories.
Dewar begins with Canada’s Welcome (1879), in which Canada is personified by a stereotyped “Indian Maiden,” and traces the changing representation of Indigenous women through newer works including Missing (2017), by Marie Clements and Brian Current, commissioned by City Opera Vancouver, in which Dewar herself has performed. She continues with Shanawdithit (2019), by Yvette Nolan and Dean Burry, and the forthcoming Empire of Wild, with a libretto by Métis author Cherie Dimaline and music by Métis composer Ian Cusson. Empire of Wild is scheduled to premiere at the Canadian Opera Company in May 2027. Dewar’s presentation offers audiences an opportunity to explore the history of Indigenous representation in opera ahead of this major new Canadian work created by Métis artists.
Dewar’s perspective is shaped by her own experience performing in contemporary Canadian opera, including Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North.
“The first time I sang an Indigenous opera, I could feel my ancestors behind me as I cried out for justice, truth, and understanding. That experience showed me that my true purpose is serving as an educator about Indigenous people and music and using the power of music to encourage understanding and reconciliation.”
The UBC presentation is part of a growing national tour. Dewar first presented the work in a three-date tour across New Jersey in 2025, followed by Canadian dates in early 2026 at the University of Calgary, University of Manitoba, Brandon University, Canadian Mennonite University and McGill University. A Yukon tour with Gwaandak Theatre follows in April 2027.
“For nearly 150 years, Indigenous women were sung about on Canada’s opera stages. Now we’re writing the words, composing the music and singing it ourselves. That is what reconciliation can sound like,” said Camryn Dewar.
Event details
The Evolution of Female Indigenous Representation in Canadian Opera from 1879 to Present
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Time: 12–1 p.m., including Q&A
Venue: Roy Barnett Recital Hall, UBC School of Music, 6361 Memorial Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
Performers: Camryn Dewar, soprano; Dr. Risa Tonita, piano
Presented by: UBC School of Music, Wednesday Noon Hours series
Tickets: $15 general; $10 UBC faculty and staff; $8 UBC students (ID required). Available online or at the door. Card payments only; no cash.
Tickets and event information – UBC School of Music
About Camryn Dewar
Camryn Dewar is a Red River Métis soprano based in Stony Mountain, Manitoba (Treaty 1 Territory) and Fulbright Scholar whose work spans opera, contemporary music, musical theatre and concert performance. Her credits include Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North, Missing, Blind Injustice and The Grapes of Wrath, with performances at Carnegie Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Her Fulbright research examines female Indigenous representation in opera and the growing role of Indigenous artists in telling their own stories. She developed this lecture-recital through that research and has presented it at universities and arts organizations across Canada and the United States.
About Dr. Risa Tonita
Dr. Risa Tonita is a pianist and singer whose work spans solo and collaborative performance, contemporary music and interdisciplinary research. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of British Columbia, piano performance degrees from the University of Ottawa, and conservatory training in France. Her doctoral research explored how pianists can use performance to express identity, engage with questions of gender equity and connect more meaningfully with audiences.
Media inquiries and interview requests
Camryn Dewar is available for interviews in Vancouver October 19–21, and by phone or video before then. High-resolution photos are available.
Email: music@camryndewar.com | Phone: 204.295.6536 | Instagram: @camryn_dewar
Universities, festivals, Indigenous organizations and arts presenters interested in hosting the lecture-recital can contact music@camryndewar.com.
Camryn Dewar at the Canadian Opera Company – 30 September 2026
Red River Métis Soprano Camryn Dewar Brings Indigenous Opera to the Canadian Opera Company on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Manitoba-based Fulbright Scholar’s lecture-recital explores 150 years of Indigenous women in Canadian opera—and offers a first look at Empire of Wild—as the COC’s Free Concert Series launches its 20th season.
TORONTO, ON — September 23, 2026 – On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Red River Métis soprano and Fulbright Scholar Camryn Dewar will present a lecture-recital at the Canadian Opera Company (COC) on Wednesday, September 30, exploring nearly 150 years of Indigenous women’s representation on the Canadian opera stage.
Dewar’s performance is part of the 20th season of the COC’s Free Concert Series and will take place in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
Dewar’s lecture-recital The Evolution of Female Indigenous Representation in Canadian Opera from 1879 to Present takes place at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30, in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, as part of the COC’s Free Concert Series. While admission is free; advance registration is recommended at the event page.
She is joined by Indigenous pianist and composer Jesse Plessis (Métis Nation British Columbia), whose work spans new music, film, and collaborative Indigenous-led projects.
Developed through Dewar’s Fulbright research, the lecture-recital combines live performance, history and discussion to trace how Indigenous women have been portrayed on the opera stage for more than a century. The program features arias from Indigenous operas across Canadian history, as well as Empire of Wild, the Indigenous-led opera by Métis composer Ian Cusson and Métis librettist Cherie Dimaline, which will have its world premiere at the COC in May 2027.
For Dewar, one of the most compelling parts of the research has been seeing in detail how opera with Indigenous characters has changed for the better over time.
“What has been powerful for me is seeing how far we’ve come in the portrayal of Indigenous women in opera. As Indigenous artists, composers and librettists have become part of telling our own stories, in our own voices, we’ve moved beyond romanticized stereotypes to characters who are complex, strong, joyful and relatable. We’re seeing more whole and honest depictions of who we really are,” says Dewar.
Her research begins with Canada’s Welcome (1879) and then traces the evolution to Missing (2017), Marie Clements and Brian Current’s chamber opera on missing and murdered Indigenous women, and Shanawdithit (2019), composed by Dean Burry with a libretto by Yvette Nolan. These operas were instrumental in shifting Canadian opera toward greater Indigenous representation and storytelling.
Dewar’s own experience with contemporary Indigenous opera includes her long-standing involvement with Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North, the Indigenous-led opera by Métis librettist Dr. Suzanne M. Steele and co-composers Alex Kusturok (Métis) and Neil Weisensel, which premiered with Manitoba Opera in 2023. Her growing career has taken her to stages and programs across Canada, Italy, France, and the United States, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Her Fulbright research brings together two threads of her artistic life: her work as an opera singer and her exploration of the changing place of Indigenous voices in Canadian classical music.
Presented on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the program invites audiences to experience not only the evolution of the music, but the growing role Indigenous artists have in shaping how their stories are told. “For nearly 150 years, Indigenous women were sung about on Canada’s opera stages. Now we’re writing the words, composing the music and singing it ourselves. That’s what reconciliation can sound like.”
The presentation concludes with a question-and-answer session with Dewar.
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