A new opera paying homage to one of the most adventurous women of the late 1800s, Isabelle Eberhardt, will make its Canadian debut in February.

Performed by City Opera Vancouver, Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt details the extraordinary life of Eberhardt—from challenging gender norms to travelling the globe as both an explorer and a journalist.

Penned by composer Missy Mazzoli, the story will be brought to life by Kwagiulth and Stó:lō First Nations mezzo-soprano Marion Newman.

“Eberhardt lived during an age of adventure. And yet, her name is much less familiar than contemporaneous male explorers such as Shackleton or Livingstone. In fact, for much of her writing and travels, she had to do so in the guise of a man,” says Gordon Gerrard, artistic  director of City Opera Vancouver, in a release. “To be forgotten in such a way is a disservice to this remarkable figure, who not only left a legacy of daring tales—but also profound, powerful insights in her writing.”

The composition uses Eberhardt’s own journals as the basis for its story, detailing her adventures from converting to Islam and joining a Sufi order to travelling the Algerian desert on horseback, alone, surviving an assassination attempt, and earning the ire of local governments through her staunch anti-colonial views. The Geneva-born adventurer was perhaps the founding member of the “27 club,” having met an untimely death at that age after drowning in a desert flood.

Along with Newman, the show promises a chorus made up of singers Katie Fraser, Christina Demeo, Emma Jang, Kiho Sohn, and Jason Sommerville.

City Opera Vancouver presents Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt

Where: York Theatre (639 Commercial Drive, Vancouver)

When: February 29 and March 2 at 7:30pm; March 3 at 2pm

Tickets: $25 to $68, available at cityoperavancouver.com