Raccoon Opera: A fable of the housing crisis 

Raccoon Opera is a 45 minute absurdist chamber opera that explores Canada’s housing crisis through the lens of an intimate and exploitative relationship between a tenant and a raccoon. Created by composer Rebecca Gray and librettist/visual artist Rachel Gray, this absurd dark comedy explores millennial burnout, parasitic relationships, and the anonymity of urban life in the 21st century. This chamber opera is commissioned by Montréal’s Musique 3 Femmes, with support from the Mécénat Music Prix 3 Femmes, a national prize encouraging new opera compositions by female and non-binary creators, of which Gray and Gray were named winners in September 2022. The work is scored for 2 treble voices and a 6 piece chamber ensemble: violin, cello, clarinet, trumpet, piano, and percussion. 

Plot synopsis:

At the start of Raccoon Opera, Erin is a tenant spending 70% of her income on rent, and who cooks her meals on a bunsen burner in her bedroom to avoid interacting with her pervy landlord. One night, a charismatic Raccoon appears at the window, lending a sympathetic ear and railing against the systems and people who have failed her. The Raccoon encourages Erin to take charge of her life and dominate her landlord, but in a Faustian twist, it is ultimately the Raccoon who gains control of Erin and her apartment.