Toronto’s award winning Queen of Puddings Music Theatre burst onto the arts scene in 1995 with its forward-thinking, absorbing, fantastical approach to the tradition we know as classical opera. Founded by musicians John Hess and Dáirine Ní Mheadhra, the company creates, develops and produces original Canadian chamber opera/music-theatre works. Spectacular company successes include Beatrice Chancy (1999), the first opera about Canadian slavery (music James Rolfe, libretto George Elliott Clarke). The opera premiered in Toronto and subsequently toured across Canada and was broadcast coast to coast on CBC television. The Midnight Court. (2005) based on the famous Gaelic poem of the same name (music Ana Sokolovic, libretto adaptation Paul Bentley) premiered in Toronto and in the 2005 year end critics’ picks, the production was chosen as one of the Top 10 shows of 2005 in all genres by The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star and Eye Weekly. Queen of Puddings made its international debut in 2006 when it toured The Midnight Court to the Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London. This was the first invitation extended to a Canadian opera company and a new Canadian opera to perform at this prestigious venue.

Love Songs (music Ana Sokolovic, selected love poems) premiered in March 2008 and toured to Montreal, Ljubljana, Zagreb and Paris in April 2009. In February 2009, the company presented the world premiere in Toronto of Inês, a new chamber opera inspired by Mariza and Portuguese Fado music, with music by James Rolfe and original libretto by Paul Bentley. Other creations in workshop development include Svadba (music Ana Sokolovic, text Antoine Laprise), a tour-de-force for six female singers using Balkan folkloric music as an inspiration, and Beauty Dissolves in a Brief Hour (music Fuhong Shi, John Rea, Pierre Klanac, selected poems) a Chinese, English and French language triptych for two female voices and accordion.

In June each year, Queen of Puddings offers Songs and Scenes, an educational/training intensive dedicated to the advanced training of emerging classical singers and collaborative pianists. It provides an opportunity to work intensively on artsong and contemporary Canadian opera scenes.

And the Queen of Puddings’ name? Well ... Queen of Puddings is Dáirine’s favourite Irish dessert. For the recipe, read on!