Red River Métis soprano Camryn Dewar will present a lecture-recital on Indigenous women’s representation in Canadian opera on Sept. 30 at the Canadian Opera Company (COC), marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The event, titled “The Evolution of Female Indigenous Representation in Canadian Opera from 1879 to Present,” takes place in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and is part of the 20th season of the COC’s Free Concert Series.

Dewar, a Fulbright Scholar, developed the lecture-recital through her Fulbright research tracing how Indigenous women have been portrayed on the Canadian opera stage since “Canada’s Welcome” in 1879. The program includes arias from operas across that history and offers a preview of “Empire of Wild,” an opera by Métis composer Ian Cusson and Métis librettist Cherie Dimaline, which is set to have its world premiere at the COC in May 2027.

Métis pianist and composer Jesse Plessis joins Dewar for the performance, which concludes with a Q & A.

“What has been powerful for me is seeing how far we’ve come in the portrayal of Indigenous women in opera. As Indigenous artists, composers and librettists have become part of telling our own stories, in our own voices, we’ve moved beyond romanticized stereotypes to characters who are complex, strong, joyful and relatable,” Dewar said, per an official press release.

Dewar’s research also traces the evolution of Indigenous representation through “Missing,” a 2017 chamber opera by Marie Clements and Brian Current on missing and murdered Indigenous women, and “Shanawdithit,” a 2019 opera composed by Dean Burry with a libretto by Yvette Nolan.

Dewar has also performed in “Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North,” an Indigenous-led opera by Métis librettist Suzanne M. Steele and co-composers Alex Kusturok and Neil Weisensel.