In composition:

The Confession of Anna Leonowens – The Last Lecture
A 25-minute monodrama for Soprano, Shruti Box, and Audio Track
Words and music by Janice Isabel Jackson

Anna Leonowens
Anna Leonowens led a vibrant and enigmatic life. She authored several books,
taught the King of Siam’s 67 children, traveled extensively, lectured across the
U.S. about her time in King Mongut's court, studied Sanskrit, advocated for women’s rights in Canada, and founded an art school that became the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.  Yet she continuously reinvented, exaggerated, and concealed most of her history.  The two books she penned about her time in Siam—The English Governess at the Siamese Court (1870) and The Romance of the Harem (1873)—both exaggerated her role in the royal court while keeping her true history hidden, ultimately covering up the fact that she was not a pure bred English woman, but also a quarter East Indian. 

Melodrama
This melodrama is Anna’s final confession, where she can no longer hide her lies. The audience watches as she prepares for her lecture, reflecting on her reasons for this confession.  Accompanied by the Indian Shruti Box, a classical drone instrument, the opera follows an aging Anna as she reveals her true history.  It imaginatively explores the events that led her to fabricate her past and the details of her deception, offering a cathartic release after years of concealment.

Funded by Arts Nova Scotia under the mentorship of Canadian
composer, James Rolfe.