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Crown The Muse advocates for the highly creative by providing a platform for collaboration and performance between musicians and interdisciplinary artists. Interested in creative autonomy and a desire for innovation in the field of classical music, co-founders Mireille Lebel and Rachel Fenlon launched Crown The Muse in 2021. By pushing the boundaries of masterworks, and questioning and re-examining sociological narratives, we feel the medium of classical music can be an instigator for change, a mediator for perspective and diversity, and a balm for our wounds.
A transposition of Schönberg's Pierrot lunaire
Music: Rachel Fenlon and Arnold Schönberg
Text: Albert Giraud, French translation by Alphonse Cemin and Maxime Pascal
Premiered at the Festival d’ Opera de Quebec summer 2025, produced by Mireille Lebel (Crown The Muse) Idan Cohen (Ne.Sans Opera and Dance) and Opera de Quebec
"The combination of singing and dancing, performed at this level of excellence, brings a breath of fresh air to a setting far removed from the grand opera stages." La Scena Musicale
"...we come away moved, perhaps more than we realize, by the expressionistic intensity of Pierrot Lunaire." Le Soleil
Pierrot entre 3 lunes is a contemporary opera and dance performance inspired by Arnold Schönberg’s groundbreaking masterpiece Pierrot lunaire. This all-new creation presents the original work in its entirety, with the addition of new compositions by versatile artist Rachel Fenlon. For these additions, the composer selected from the collection Pierrot lunaire: Rondels bergamasques by Albert Giraud and some of the poems left out of Schönberg’s own Pierrot lunaire. New electronic arrangements echo Schönberg’s poetic and musical themes. Directed by Israeli-Canadian choreographer Idan Cohen, Pierrot entre 3 lunes isa unique production that fuses contemporary dance and opera. Through movement and theatricality, it explores a world of shifting identities. Cohen sees the clown as a queer entity that becomes a canvas for shifts in identity and social class, from cleaning lady to queen to clown. The show’s backdrop depicts the dichotomies between masculine and feminine, poverty and prosperity, otherness and belonging. On stage, Mireille Lebel and Rachel Fenlon share the role of Pierrot, joined by dancer Will Jessup. Each is actively involved in the different facets of the show, blurring the boundaries between disciplines and creating a unique, poetic and touching work.
Radio-Canada - Le Festival d'opéra de Québec propose Pierrot entre 3 lunes
Opera Wire - Rachel Fenlon & Mireille Lebel to Headline Opéra de Québec’s ‘Pierrot entre 3 Lunes
Pierrot entre 3 lunes is available for touring. Please use the contact form for inquiries.
A new take on Poulenc/Cocteau's operatic tragedy La Voix Humaine
Crown the Muse’s inaugural project is a dark, sensual fantasy inspired by Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine. A collaboration between CTM co-founders mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel, and soprano/pianist Rachel Fenlon alongside stage director Bruno Ravella, this work was created in Berlin during the 2021/2022 season and was made possible by the Canada Council for the Arts.
The inspiration, Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine, is a one-woman opera which takes place entirely over the telephone. The audience witnesses a heart-wrenching one sided break-up; the abdicating lover is neither seen nor heard. The three artists began exploring the idea of creating a new work using fragments of the Poulenc and inserted songs from the same era, to introduce the pianist as an onstage character who is the departing lover. Fenlon and Lebel use their unique musical and dramatic skills to embody the ill-fated lovers. A dream-like musical filmed prequel chronicles the meeting of the two women and tells a love story from each of their perspectives. The artists delve into the creation and destruction of a love affair; the final result is a full length musical theater work for the stage.
Take me down the garden path
Inspired by Nick Cave’s popular song, Where the Wild Roses Grow, this is a custom curated programme of romantic, moody, and avant-garde music interpreted by mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel and soprano Rachel Fenlon with accompaniment by guitar and/or lute. Originally conceived for Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, this musical programme with performance art component sweeps the public to different locations both in and outdoors. The 40 minute dynamic musical exploration offers a dramatic narrative linking vocal and instrumental music by Monteverdi, Dowland, and composers of the French baroque court alongside avant-garde, contemporary works by Pascal Dusapin, and Cathy Berberian, and leads us to dreamy arrangements of popular songs - Birkin & Gainsbourg’s “Je t’aime, moi non plus”, and Nick Cave’s “Where the Wild Roses Grow”, uniquely arranged for two voices and guitar.
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