Nova Scotian contralto Portia White was the first Black Canadian concert performer to achieve international fame in the mid- 20th century, touring North America and performing in Europe while being hailed as the best classical voice of her generation. Yet despite such artistic accomplishments, her story has been erased from Canadians’ collective memory. Working against this history, Aportia Chryptych is a bold, new Black opera that sets out to reclaim Portia White’s story, evoking memories of the past as a form of political resistance. Spoken word, rap, folk songs, hip-hop, R&B, and classic opera repertoire collide in an explosive score that seeks to break down musical silos and unite artistic and cultural communities.
Sheree Spencer finds creative balance as a Producer, Stage Director and Performing Artist with a strong passion for interdisciplinary art expression. Born in Toronto with Barbadian heritage, Sheree is currently based in Toronto and works with live-music theatre company, Volcano as the company producer, with current projects including Scott Joplin's Treemonisha Opera, The Book of Life and the virtual reality operatic song cycle The Agreements. Previous notable producing credits include TD Emerging Producer of the Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival 2016 and Associate Producer of Luminato Festival's 2022 Artists In Residence Program. **As a freelance director, her credits include: Assistant Director for Gould’s Wall with Tapestry Opera (2022), the World Premiere of Musique 3 Femmes's contemporary opera Plaything in Berlin (Sept 2022) and its Canadian Premiere at Opera McGill (in Nov 2022). She will be directing A 1000 Night's of Cleopatra with Opera Queens (Aug 2023), Sanctuary & Storm with ReNaissance Opera (Nov 2023) and is ecstatic to be working on Aportia Chrpytych in the hybrid capacity of Associate Producer/Assistant Director which is produced by the Canadian Opera Company with the world premiere scheduled for June 2024.