HBAF 2021 - The Cunning Little Vixen

The Cunning Little Vixen - Directed and Conducted by José Aparicio

In partnership with the 2021 Hawke's Bay Arts Festival, Festival Opera proudly presents Leoš Janáček’s operatic fable The Cunning Little Vixen.

Whether you’re an opera lover or new to the genre, The Cunning Little Vixen offers a fantastic opportunity to witness the first opera performed back in the Toitoi Opera House (formerly Hawke's Bay Opera House) since 2013.

The Cunning Little Vixen is a tale that is both tragic and life affirming, revealing that from death comes growth and renewal. The story, adapted from a 1920’s comic strip, follows the life of a clever vixen who is captured by a local forester as a cub. Through her wild antics, the vixen manages to escape from the forester’s clutches while he is left forever haunted by her memory. Janáček’s dramatic score inspired by Czech music folk tradition is paired with comedic and philosophical elements, posing man’s complicated relationship with nature.

Director and Conductor Jose Aparicio will lead an outstanding cast featuring Soprano Joanna Foote as the Vixen, Soprano Anna Pierard as the Fox, Baritone James Harrison as the Forester, Soprano Sarah Walmsley as the Forester’s Wife, Bass-Baritone James Ioelu as the Parson, Tenor Lila LJ Crichton (Project Prima Volta Graduate) as the Schoolmaster and Baritone Fa'amanu Fonoti-Fuimaono (Project Prima Volta Graduate) as the Poacher.

The piece will showcase over 130 performers onstage, including the phenomenal Hawke's Bay Orchestra players and a lively chorus of woodland creatures sung by Project Prima Volta Senior and Project Prima Volta Junior students.