What does success mean when dreams collide with reality? And how much Life can you pack in a suitcase? Natalya with a Y is a multimedia portrayal of a young immigrant mother and aspiring opera singer, navigating identity, ambition, and belonging within the Western classical music industry. This eclectic surreal short film weaves together memories, aspirations, and disillusionment, ultimately arriving at a peaceful acceptance of life’s complexities.

The narrative confronts themes of ageism, body image, financial hardship, and artistic reinvention, inspiring audiences with humor and empathy to reflect on their own paths.

Produced during the 2023 CEAR with Pacific Opera Victoria, the project features original puppetry, archival footage, AI animation, stop motion, CGI, and sound design — all created by Gennadi. Music selections by Verdi, Handel, Cecilia Livingston, and Stanyslav Lyudkevych underscore the narrative, performed by pianist Trevor Chartrand and Natalya Gennadi, soprano.

About the Producer

Ukrainian-Canadian Natalya Gennadi is a versatile vocalist and multimedia creator. She earned critical acclaim and a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for her debut in Tapestry Opera’s Oksana G. Recent performances include the title role in Cherubini’s Médée with Voicebox: Opera in Concert, Gerhilde in Die Walküre with Pacific Opera Victoria, and scenes from Here Be Sirens with Slowrise Music in Toronto. In 2024, Gennadi will present a recital of Irish, Canadian, and Ukrainian music at the Ukrainian Lights Festival in Vancouver.

Her operatic repertoire includes roles such as Adriana (Adriana Lecouvreur), Violetta (La traviata), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Suor Angelica, and Mimì (La bohème). In 2024, Gennadi was awarded the New Voices curatorial grant from Soundstreams Theatre to produce Grandma’s Shawl, a project exploring cultural ties between Ukrainian and Indigenous communities in early 20th-century Canada.

As a 2023 Civic Engagement Artist in Residence at Pacific Opera Victoria (POV), she developed several multimedia projects, including her autobiographical short film Natalya with a Y, a live installation with Cree-Irish visual artist Natalie Rollins, and Letters Home, a recital showcasing newcomer musicians. This residency, led by Rebecca Hass, provided mentorship in project management, community engagement, and storytelling, enhancing Gennadi’s exploration of digital media and socially engaged art.

As an emerging producer, she participated in Tapestry Opera’s Opera Artist Resilience Program, apprenticing on the Of the Sea production. In 2021, she co-founded the HBD! Project with Catharin Carew, celebrating diverse composers and fostering an inclusive performance space. Gennadi is a recipient of the REACH Development Grant from the Shevchenko Foundation.

The Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera are supported by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.