Queen of Puddings Music Theatre presents La Selva De Los Relojes (The Forest of Clocks) as part of the Canadian Opera Company’s Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre this upcoming Tuesday, April 30th at 12 PM. Commissioned from acclaimed Canadian composer Chris Paul Harman, this world premiere vocal chamber work is written for Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó and an ensemble of 6 instruments. La Selva De Los Relojes takes its title from a collection of eight poems by Spain’s iconic poet Federico García Lorca. Drawn from his unfinished Suites (1920-23), these brief poetic gems constitute one of Lorca’s most charming and melodious poem series.

Krisztina Szabó – Photo by Bo Huang

Mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó has become highly sought after in both North America and Europe as an artist of supreme musicianship and stagecraft. She is recognized as a stunning practitioner of contemporary vocal repertoire; in this genre she most recently sang the role of The Pilgrim in Kaija Saariaho’s opera Love From Afar for the Canadian Opera Company, and has appeared in several Queen of Puddings productions. An award-winning composer, Chris Paul Harman was born in 1970 in Toronto where he studied classical guitar, cello and electronic music. His music has been performed here and abroad. Federico García Lorca was born in 1898, in Fuente Vaqueros, a small town a few miles from Granada. Lorca is possibly one of the most important Spanish poets and dramatists of the twentieth century.

Federico García Lorca

This is the very last presentation by Queen of Puddings Music Theatre. The company announced in February that it will conclude operations at the end of August this year, after twenty years of developing and producing new Canadian chamber opera. “With Queen of Puddings, we’ve achieved what we set out to do, which was to commission and produce original Canadian opera to a high artistic standard, and to develop an international profile for this work”, stated Artistic Directors Dáirine Ní Mheadhra and John Hess. “We want to conclude in a year like this, which is full of artistic pleasure, highlights, and fulfillment of our goals…”