100-Year Celebration of Insulin with Michael Park’s Opera, Diagnosis: Diabetes
Throughout November 2021, composer Michael Park celebrated 30 years of living with diabetes, as well as the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, by live streaming his award winning opera, Diagnosis: Diabetes for free.
Michael teamed up with diabetes organizations across North America to present livestreams of Erato Ensemble’s world-premiere performance of the world's first interactive opera about diabetes. Hundreds of viewers tuned in to hear the composer discuss the project with representatives from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, We Are Diabetes, and BC Diabetes.
Check out what people are saying about Diagnosis: Diabetes.
+ About the Opera
Diagnosis: Diabetes is a 1-hour chamber opera that tells the story of Charlie, from his diagnosis as a young boy and as he grows up navigating life with type-1 diabetes. The opera is fun, engaging, and lighthearted, without shying away from the realities of living with a chronic condition. By encouraging the audience to answer multiple-choice (musical) questions about diabetes, the work is educational, but also includes dynamic narrative scenes that allow the audience to experience what it’s like to actually have diabetes.
In 2013, an early version of the opera won the Gold Medal at the Boston Metropolitan Opera's International Composers' Competition, and the completed work was premiered by Vancouver's Erato Ensemble in November 2015. We are currently looking for opportunities to remount the work so if you are a performer, producer, or opera lover who who wants to help bring this work to life, don't hesistate to get in touch.
