"Serinette", a 'Festival opera' in two acts with music by Harry Somers and libretto by James Reaney, was commissioned with the support of the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council for the tenth season (1990) of Music at Sharon; it was designed specifically for production in the temple. It premiered on 7 July 1990, and was broadcast on CBC radio's 'Saturday Afternoon at the Opera'. The production was conducted by Victor Feldbrill, directed by Keith Turnbull, and designed by Sue LePage. Reaney's libretto is based on an historical feud between the Ridout and Jarvis families in the 1830s, and the attraction of the fictitious central figure, Colin Jarvis ('younger brother' of the historical Samuel Jarvis) to the utopian community at Sharon. A central symbol is the "serinette," a mechanical singing bird imported from Europe. Each act began with the performers and audience processing into the building; the finale was performed inside the candle-lit Temple with the spectators observing from outside, in imitation of the original annual "illumination" of the temple. The success of the opera led to the rebirth of the now annual tradition of a fall "illumination." The work calls for 14 singer-actors, and a 12-piece chamber orchestra.