Feb 24, 2025
The Bohemian Life
The opera La Bohème is primarily based on a collection of short stories – Scènes de la vie de Bohème – written by French novelist and poet Henri Murger in the mid-19th century. The collection paints a vibrant picture of the lives of struggling young artists in Paris, focusing on their challenges and camaraderie amid poverty.
The characters in La Bohème are ordinary people experiencing everyday events, no kings and countesses here. And indeed, some of those events actually did occur in the lives of Henri Murger and Giacomo Puccini, the composer.
This semi-autobiographical novel about life in the Latin Quarter of Paris, relates the experiences of Murger when he was in his 20s. For example, the character of Rodolfe in Scènes is an unabashedly honest self-portrait of the writer.
Giacomo Puccini also included some of his own memories of his student days in Milan when he shared a room with Pietro Mascagni, a baker’s son who went on to compose Cavalleria Rusticana. It is said that they pooled their meagre funds to buy the score of Parsifal, cooked beans in the only pot available – their washbasin – and marked a city map with areas to be avoided, in order to not run into creditors. Like Colline in the opera, Puccini is said to have even pawned his coat at one point, although not to help a dying friend.
This initial glimpse into the lives of these characters, their relationships, and their struggles with both art and finances hints at the deeper themes of passion, ambition, and the sacrifices that come with a life dedicated to creativity.
In his preface, Murger wrote “Bohemia is a stage in artistic life.” Eventually, like Murger, most of his characters make their escape into the next stage of life – respectability. At the end of the novel, Colline inherits money and marries a rich woman; Schaunard becomes a successful writer of popular songs; Marcello secures an exhibit of his work, sells a painting to an ex-lover of Musetta and moves to better accommodations; Rodolfo’s writing career is launched when he publishes his first book; and even the fiery Musetta settles down.
Click to read – Scènes de la vie de Bohème
View Press ReleaseFeb 24, 2025
Evan Maydaniuk joins Staff Team
Evan Maydaniuk has joined the team at Manitoba Opera and will be leading the fundraising department as director of development. He started in January and is looking forward to connecting with the company’s donors.
“As director of development, I will have the privilege of helping to connect those who love Manitoba Opera with the joy of giving,” says Evan. “Donors keep the art form on the stage and are at the heart of Manitoba Opera. I am looking forward to getting to know the folks who make it possible for opera to thrive here on the Prairies.”
A proud citizen of the Red River Métis nation and a born and raised Winnipegger, Evan graduated with a business administration degree from the University of Winnipeg, where his studies focused on non-profit management. From there, he took the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ fundraising course and then launched his career in the development sector as the stewardship officer for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
He has since earned his CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive professional designation) and gives back by serving as the current president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Manitoba Chapter.
Evan has also held positions as the annual giving manager with the Inuit Art Foundation; development and marketing director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg; and most recently, was the director of development for Rainbow Resource Centre.
“Now, I’m living the dream!” says Evan of his position with Manitoba Opera. “My goal has been to work in the arts sector, and I am so happy to be able to use my fundraising and leadership abilities to help bring opera to the stage. It’s a gift to come to work every day.
I may not know that much about the art form yet, but I certainly believe in the power of the arts. The arts tell our stories, make the world a more beautiful place, and build community. And I look forward to learning more about opera from those who love it most, our donors.”
Music is a big part of Evan’s recreational life as well. He plays the great Highland bagpipe and is the Pipe Major of Glenaura Pipes & Drums, leading a community band that focuses on preserving and celebrating Scottish music. Ballet also figures into Evan’s life as well.
“Ballet is my happy place. I’m proud to sit on the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Board. I’ve danced recreationally but leave the real dance to the professionals. My favorite ballets are Don Quixote, Dracula, and The Wizard of Oz,” says Evan.
“My Roman Empire (thinks about daily) is the Eurovision Song Contest. I’m obsessed with it. It’s quirky, it’s fun, and it’s great music. But moreover, the song contest brings people together across borders to celebrate and create unity through music.”
View Press ReleaseFeb 12, 2025
TB, Mimì and Indigenous Peoples
Winnipeg opera and theatre performer Keely McPeek is a member of the Anisininew (Oji-Cree) Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation in northwestern Ontario with Irish and German settler roots. She made her MO debut as Marie Serpente in Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North in 2023 and sits on the Manitoba Opera Community Engagement Committee.
In La Bohème, Mimì suffers from an infectious disease contracted by inhalation called tuberculosis (TB).1 Referred to as consumption at the time in which the opera is set, TB is depicted in the opera as a social disease that particularly impacts those living in poverty.2 Mimì suffers from malnutrition and inadequate living conditions, creating an ideal environment for tuberculosis and in the end, she wastes away and succumbs to the disease.3
A group of young patients at Clearwater Lake Indian Hospital in 1964. This building was not intended for long-term use, leading to many structural issues. Image source: https://indigenoustbhistory.ca/projects/photos/will-01-39-001
Tuberculosis has disproportionately affected Indigenous peoples in Canada since Europeans brought the disease in the 18th century.4 In the 1930s, the term “Indian TB” was coined to label a more virulent form of the disease that Indigenous peoples were thought to be more racially susceptible to.5 The “experts” who coined the term failed to consider the social aspects that caused higher TB rates in Indigenous populations, such as poverty, malnutrition, and overcrowded and inadequate housing on reserves and in residential schools.6 Indigenous peoples were deemed a public health threat, “soaked with tuberculosis,” which could “leak” into settler communities.7 In Manitoba’s response to the perceived threat of “Indian TB,” an “Indian Hospital” opened near Selkirk in the late 1930s.8 “Indian Hospitals” promised to segregate Indigenous peoples to contain TB while giving the impression of a humanitarian Canadian government.9 The care of Indigenous peoples was expected to cost half as much as the care given to non-Indigenous people.10 “Indian Hospitals” provided substandard medical care in overcrowded facilities that were ill-suited for proper care.11 Many patients experienced abuse from staff, were subjected to medical experiments, and were isolated from their communities.12 Indigenous peoples have suffered a long history of being disproportionately impacted by TB.
Tuberculosis is not a disease of the past; it still disproportionately affects Indigenous people.13 In 2023, Indigenous individuals accounted for 77% of new TB cases among the Canadian-born population.14 Manitoba has a higher incidence of tuberculosis compared to most provinces, falling behind only Nunavut and Saskatchewan in 2022.15
Poverty has been a risk factor for developing TB since before the time La Bohème was written. Indigenous peoples in Canada continue to face socio-economic disparities compared to the non-Indigenous population.16 Many Indigenous peoples today live with malnutrition and inadequate housing, increasing their risk for TB infection – these same risk factors which the seamstress Mimì confronted.17
