Empire of Wild

Empire of Wild bursts onto the operatic stage with a story as haunting as it is heart-pounding. A fusion of myth, mystery, and raw human emotion, this new Canadian opera plunges audiences into a world where love, loss, and legend collide.

Based on Cherie Dimaline’s bestselling novel, Empire of Wild unfolds against the landscape of Georgian Bay, where a woman searches for her missing husband—all the while treading a delicate line between their small-town life and the eerie allure of the spirit world.

Music Director Johannes Debus leads the COC Orchestra through composer Ian Cusson’s electric score, which thrillingly evokes the myth of the Rogarou, a Métis werewolf-like figure that stalks both the forest and the human heart.

Broken-hearted Joan has been searching for her husband, Victor, for almost a year. One hung-over morning in a Walmart parking lot, she is drawn to a revival tent where the local Métis have been flocking to hear a charismatic preacher—and she hears an unmistakable voice. Has the mythical Rogarou brought back her husband in a new form, without any memory of his past? Braving the spirits of the forest, as well as the insidious creep of religious colonialism, Joan embarks on a perilous journey to save him.