From the moment that Queen Hezumuryango joined a children’s choir at age seven, she discovered a “passion and an affinity for music performance that still burns brightly today”. Initially dreaming of a Broadway career, Hezumuryango’s path took a transformative turn in university when she saw a video of Jessye Norman singing “Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix”, “I was immediately obsessed!” she recalls. This pivotal moment led her to the world of opera, and she now prepares to make her mainstage debut with the Canadian Opera Company’s (COC) Toronto premiere of in La Reine-garçon, directed by Angela Konrad, conducted by Johannes Debus, and co-presented with Opéra de Montréal.
Born in Burundi, Hezumuryango earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degrees in vocal performance at the Université de Montréal. Along the way, she won prestigious awards like the Ferguson Scholarship and Gadbois Bursary, and sung in the world premiere of Teemonisha last year, quickly establishing herself as a rising talent. She has portrayed iconic roles such as Mercédès in Carmen, Larina in Eugene Onegin, and Carmen in La tragédie de Carmen. As a returning member of the COC Ensemble Studio, she is poised to make her main stage debut as Countess Ebba Sparre in La Reine-garçon.
La Reine-garçon is a landmark work in the Canadian operatic cannon, marking the first co-commission between the Canadian Opera Company and Opéra de Montréal. Composed by Julien Bilodeau with a libretto by Michel Marc Bouchard, the opera is set in 1649 at Uppsala Castle and focuses on Queen Christine of Sweden. Raised as a boy by her father during the Scientific Revolution, Christine embodies a fusion of what the era perceived as masculine and feminine traits, wrestling with her identity as she navigates the intersections of faith, knowledge, love, and duty. Hezumuryango notes that “this show does a remarkable job juxtaposing the internal turmoil of Queen Christine with her harsh reality; as the ruler of Sweden, she’s definitely a powerful character, but she’s powerless when faced with her passionate emotions.” To Hezumuryango, the most exciting part of this production is the “relentless storm of emotions that underscore the entire story”.
Christine’s internal turmoil resonates against the backdrop of 17th-century societal expectations, making the opera particularly timely. Her story is a compelling exploration of the tension between duty and desire, as well as the profound joys and sorrows that love can evoke. “At some point, [Christine] wonders if things would be different if she was a man: would her burning desire for peace, for a more educated nation, for a female companion be taken seriously?” Hezumuryango’s reflections underscore the contemporary relevance of this story when women’s rights and autonomy are again under strain.
In the role of Countess Ebba Sparre, Queen Christine’s beloved lady-in-waiting, Hezumuryango brings sensitivity and depth. “I try as much as I can to be vulnerable, fragile, and loving with Christine in order to provide a strong contrast between my relationship with her and her relationships with everyone else in her court.” For Hezumuryango, love is timeless: “Always the same exciting, overwhelming wonder and anxiety.”
In preparing for her role, Hezumuryango singles out working with sopranos Kirsten MacKinnon, who plays Christine, and Kirsten LeBlanc, who sings the role of Christine on February 7, as a standout experience. “I’m so lucky to have such amazing scene partners who are really willing to go there emotionally,”
At a time when women’s rights face global challenges, La Reine-garçon is particularly topical, and Hezumuryango reflects that the opera’s themes “compel me to contemplate my legacy,”. “The character of Queen Christine often expresses her wish to be remembered as ‘the most free person in all of Europe,’ but is she? I would like to be remembered as someone who championed work by composers that have been historically excluded from the Western classical music canon, but will I?” Hezumuryango’s doctoral thesis, which explores the contributions of Black composers to classical music, furthers this mission. “When I eventually publish my research, I hope that people can use it like a performance guide to music by Black classical composers, and be encouraged to perform that music.”
Hezumuryango hopes Christine’s story of pushing against societal constraints will inspire audiences to embrace their own identities. “I hope the audience feels inspired and empowered to become who they really long to be, like Queen Christine.”
As La Reine-garçon prepares to take the stage, it promises a compelling blend of history, emotion, and contemporary resonance. It runs at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto from January 31 to February 15, 2025. For tickets and information, visit coc.ca.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2025
