FAWN Chamber Creative of Toronto and NUMUS of Kitchener-Waterloo will co-present the debut concert performance of “Cells of Wind,” a new chamber opera by Anna Höstman and Oana Avasilichioaei.

Inspired by the real-life experiences of Romanian artist Lena Constante, “Cells of Wind” delves into the psychological and emotional toll of prolonged, forced isolation. The opera which is set in a Canadian context, where practices resembling “solitary confinement,” now known as “Structured Intervention Units” (SIUs), remains a pressing human rights issue. Avasilichioaei’s libretto portrays the inner world of women confronting the boundaries between memory, imagination, and reality while being kept in an SIU. At its core, “Cells of Wind” is a meditation on survival and the fundamental need for human connection.

This concert performance features mezzo-soprano Rebecca Cuddy, baritone Evan Korbut, soprano Rebecca Gray, and tenor Xander Bechard. Supporting the main cast is a five-soprano chorus of incarcerated women, sung by Justine Owen-Garber, Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor, Keely McPeek, Danielle Aprile, and Emma Heaton. They are all joined by a six-piece instrumental ensemble.

NUMUS Artistic Director Guy Few shared in a press release, “NUMUS is committed to finding the unique in new works, composers, performers and the audience through context, identity and experience. There is no question that ‘Cells of Wind’ has a political, social, and very human message that will reverberate throughout our community, here in K-W, and beyond. NUMUS is proud to collaborate with FAWN to share this important, new creation.”

“Cells of Wind” will be performed at The Registry Theatre on Jan. 29, at 7 p.m.

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