“My dream was to produce the first Acadian opera-ballet in commemoration of

the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Acadian settlers from France.

I felt an overpowering desire to create a timeless gift for the Acadian people. passionately

strove to shape my dreams into abiding sounds, fighting many battles within the walls

of my soul. Romantic, tragic, dramatic, sweet, heroic,dreamy, soulful, brilliant, simple,

grand, forceful… so many musical expressions that can be found in my work. The agonizing

cadences of the lives of loving souls, torn from one another through tragic separation, are felt

through the pathos of the melodic lines. A resonating mirror reflects the flame-like spirit of the

Acadian people, waxing and waning in their struggle to conquer adversity. The lament of

the sea, the muttering of its depths, the tales of gloomy clouds and of starlit skies are etched upon

the orchestral score. The monumental task of musical creation endowed it with an inconceivable

power of expression, a true reflection of the Acadian experience which was not overcome

by oppression but triumphed into a wonderful story of rebirth and affirmation.”

June 10, 2008

Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey

Compositrice/ Composer

“Singing for the Acadian people has always been a way of gathering us

together, of uniting us in one single voice, of giving us renewed hope by connecting us,

simultaneously, and of moving us forward towards a common destiny. Over the course

of the 400 years of this adventure, this destiny has changed greatly. Other voices have

joined in. Other music has appeared. From the merry evenings of “l’Ordre de bon temps”

to the tunes we hear on the radio and from traditional choirs, up to the very moment

of the creation of the first opera, Acadia has kept faith in its music, like a kind of personal

diary where history is written for future generations to revisit many times over. If written

words remain, our wish would be for the words of this opera to give hope and inspire

confidence to those who gathered to listen to this music and share this historic moment of

the creation of the first Acadian opera.”

Le 10 juin 2008

Herménégilde Chiasson

Librettiste / Librettist