ABSTRACT

As I write this article about Pimooteewin (The Journey), the first opera set to a libretto in the Cree language, a touring production of the work is completing its ten-day tour of Northern Ontario. 1 On this tour, the opera has played to mixed First Nations and non-First Nations audiences, whereas the premiere production in Toronto played to a cosmopolitan but largely non-First Nations audience. The website of Soundstreams Canada, the Toronto-based company which commissioned Pimooteewin and brought it to the stage, has tracked the progress of the northern tour via a blog, an online video diary, and links to reviews, educational materials, and the libretto for the work. 2 Pimooteewin, then, is a vehicle that has allowed traditional Cree culture and storytelling to fuse not just with opera, but also with online social media and information sharing networks.