Symposium on La Reine-Garçon
Saturday January 18, 2025, 9:15 am - 5:00 pm
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From January 31 to February 15, 2025, the Canadian Opera Company (COC) will be mounting the Canadian composer Julien Bilodeau’s new opera, La Reine-Garçon, with a libretto by Michel Marc Bouchard. It focuses on Queen Christina of Sweden and her interactions with the philosopher René Descartes, whom she invited to Stockholm in late 1649.
This one-day symposium will explore how La Reine-Garçon is grounded in Cartesian philosophy and contemporary theories of gender and performance.
Program
9:15-9:30—Welcome
9:30-10:30—Christina and Descartes: History and Philosophy
- Marleen Rozemond, Philosophy, University of Toronto
- Alison Smith, History, University of Toronto
- Chair: Donald Ainslie, Philosophy, University of Toronto
10:30-11:00—Break
11:00-12:00—Representations of Christina
- Alice Maurice, English and Cinema Studies, University of Toronto
- Michael Slowik, Film Studies, Wesleyan University
- Chair: Dana Seitler, English and director of Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, University of Toronto
12:00-1:30—Lunch
1:30-2:30—Opera and Gender
- Jane Forner, Music, University of Toronto
- Aria Umezawa, Director & Co-founder Amplified Opera
- Chair: Caryl Clark, Music, University of Toronto
2:30-3:00—Break
3:00-4:00—A Conversation with the Composer and Librettist from the Canadian Opera Company’s La Reine-Garçon
- Julien Bilodeau, Composer (tentative)
- Chair: Norbert Palej, Music, University of Toronto
4:00-5:00—A Conversation with the Creative Team from the Canadian Opera Company’s La Reine-Garçon
- Chair: Johannes Debus, Music Director, Canadian Opera Company
Conference Sponsors:
- Jackman Humanities Institute, University of Toronto
- Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto
- Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto Mississauga
- Department of French, University of Toronto
- University College, University of Toronto
- Faculty of Music, University of Toronto
- Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, University of Toronto
- Department of English, University of Toronto Scarborough
