Scenes from a New Opera in Development by Kent Monkman: The Miss Chief Cycle

The artist Kent Monkman, known for his symbolic and epic paintings, presents some excerpts of The Miss Chief Cycle, an operatic work currently in development consisting of three scenes based on The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle by Kent Monkman and Gisèle Gordon. This unique work, performed by some of Canada’s most talented singers accompanied by OSM musicians, brings the narrative of Kent Monkman’s paintings to the stage, highlighting the divide between the worldview of the Cree and of European colonists. Don't miss out on this fabulous show being premiered at Bourgie Hall!

In connection with the exhibition Kent Monkman: History Is Painted by the Victors

The performance will be followed by a conversation between Cree artist Kent Monkman;N’lakapamux playwright, actor, director, author and documentarian Kevin Loring, the founding Artistic Director of Indigenous Theatre at Canada’s National Arts Centre; Nege’ga, mezzo-soprano, and professor Marion Newman; and tenor, composer, and musicologist Jeremy Dutcher, whose Polaris and Juno-winning album  Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa used century-old wax cylinder recordings of his people’s songs in their language. These artists will discuss why and how they use classical European art forms to tell Indigenous stories.

A co-production between Kent Monkman Studio and Bourgie Hall, presented in collaboration with the MMFA and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

Painting : Kent Monkman, Study for Watching Catlin Paint the Portrait of Ha-na-tá-nu-maúk, 2025, Acrylic on canvas, 123 × 91 cm