Tracy Cantin

Praised for her “full, gleaming sound” that is “powerful, articulate, and modulated at will” (Chicago Tribune), soprano Tracy Cantin has been enjoying an exciting career performing on some of the biggest stages in North America, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Santa Fe Opera. Jumping to the forefront of the Canadian music scene, Ms Cantin recently made a surprise mainstage debut at the Canadian Opera Company as the title character in Donizetti’s demanding Anna Bolena, replacing super-star soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, which garnered her rave reviews. She then went on to make her UK debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Bernstein’s Songfest, a program which she is scheduled to repeat with the Seattle Symphony later this season. 

Past performances include Micaëla from Bizet’s Carmen (Calgary Opera), Donna Elvira from Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Pacific Opera Victoria), Chrysothemis from Strauss’ Elektra (Edmonton Opera, Canadian Opera Company), the title role from Donizetti’s Anna Bolena (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Canadian Opera Company), and Brünnhilde’s epic Immolation Scene from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony of Costa Rica). An avid concert performer, Cantin has been heard as the soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem, Bernstein’s Songfest, Handel’s Messiah, Schubert’s Mass in Ab, and Mozart’s Requiem. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 introduced her to Australian audiences, singing alongside Bryn Terfel with Sir Andrew Davis conducting the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Cantin has recently made critically acclaimed debuts with the Ravinia Festival, Grant Park Festival, Oregon Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. 

The Prince Edward Island native is a graduate of the world-renowned Ryan Opera Center of Lyric Opera of Chicago, an alumna of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program as well as the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, and has been the grateful recipient of prestigious awards from the Luminarts Foundation of Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the Sullivan Foundation, the Sylva Gelber Foundation, the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation and the Licia-Albanese Puccini Foundation. She was the first prize winner in Canada’s Lois Marshall Memorial Competition and holds degrees from McGill University, the University of Western Ontario, and the University of Alberta.

Marcel d’Entremont

“I should cite tenor Marcel d’Entremont as a first among equals for his commanding voice and near perfect  diction.” 

Paula Citron, November 3rd, 2022 –https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/2022/11/03/scrutiny-toronto-mendelssohn-choir-justice-namesakes-final oratorio/ 

“Le ténor Marcel d’Entremont (Tamino) est un vrai talent, de jeu et de chant.” 

“Tenor Marcel d’Entremont (Tamino) is a true talent, both vocally and on stage.” 

Michel Joanny-Furtin, February 2nd, 2019, Ludwig van Montreal – https://www.ludwig-van.com/montreal/2019/02/02/critique-5/ 

“As Edgardo, tenor Marcel d’Entremont gave the most polished and stylistic performance of the evening.” Matthew Timmermans, February 1st, 2018, Opera Canada – https://operacanada.ca/review-lucia-di-lammermoor-opera-mcgill/ 

Tenor Marcel d’Entremont is becoming recognized across Canada for both his powerful voice and sincere stage  presence. A former first prize winner of the Atlantic Young Artist Competition, Marcel also placed first in the  vocal division of the National Music Festival of Canada where he also claimed the Grand Award for overall best  performer. In November of 2018, he was named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize at McGill University, which  resulted in solo recitals at La Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur in Montréal and the Richard Bradshaw Theatre  of the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto. 

Marcel has a keen interest in many styles of singing and was a featured soloist for six years with the Royal Nova  Scotia International Tattoo, performing alongside musicians from around the world for audiences in the tens of  thousands. His East Coast roots inspired his collaboration with 8 composers from Atlantic Canada for Atlantic  Arias, a projected fund by the Canada Council for the Arts to combine Maritime folk and popular music with  classical art song. Marcel was personally invited to perform at the inauguration ceremony of The Honourable  Arthur J. LeBlanc, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. He is a current Equilibrium Young Artist, which involves  performances and masterclasses with soprano Barbara Hannigan, and has been a resident artist at the Lunenburg  Academy of Music Performance, the National Arts Center of Canada’s Young Artist Program, the Art of Song  Institute with the Toronto Summer Music, and was a Yulanda M. Farris Young Artist with the Vancouver Opera. 

Marcel’s opera role performances include Rodolfo in La bohème with Opera Saskatoon, two tours with Jeunesses  Musicales du Canada as the title role in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette as well as Alfredo in La Traviata, Edgardo in  Lucia di Lammermoor and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Opera McGill, and Il Podesta in La Finta Giardiniera 

and Luiz in The Gondoliers with Opera Nova Scotia. He also performed with Tapestry Opera in their 2022  production Tapestry Briefs: Les Short Qui Chantent, a series of mini opera scenes created by Canadian composers  and librettists. In concert, he has been the tenor soloist in Elijah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and  Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and performed Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings with the PEI  Symphony Orchestra. He also appeared as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Orchestre classique de  Montréal. In 2016 Marcel made his international opera debut as Don Ottavio with Opéra de Rouen in Rouen,  France and at the Château de Versailles as a laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques. Marcel also performed  the role of Rodolfo over 20 times in a cross-Canada tour of La bohème with Against the Grain Theatre. This  production was the first live broadcast of a professional opera in Canada and was nominated for a Canadian  Screen Award in the category of Best Performing Arts Program. Most recently, Marcel’s curated recital program A  World Transformed which tells the tragic story of Matthew Shepard through vocal and piano music as well as  spoken word, was presented by Echo Chamber Toronto, in a fully staged and choreographed production. In 2020,  Marcel was named one of the Top 30 Under 30 classical musicians in Canada by CBC Music.

Dakota Scott-Digout

“Scott-Digout was the perfect collaborative pianist, showing his dazzling technique but never taking the spotlight from the singer.” 

Joseph So, December 1st, 2019, Ludwig van Toronto – https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/2019/12/01/scrutiny-prize-song-marcel-dentremont-wirth-vocal prize-winners-recital/ 

Dakota Scott-Digout is quickly establishing himself as one of Canada’s brightest up-and-coming pianists. Heard in recitals across Canada as both a collaborator and a soloist, he has especially gained praise for his performances of chamber music and art song. Recently, he was heard in a full-length recital on CBC Music during Saturday Afternoon at the Opera alongside Canadian tenor and frequent collaborator Marcel d’Entremont. Dakota is an in-demand and passionate educator in Toronto, where he maintains a full studio of piano students in addition to serving on the artistic team of the Toronto Children’s Chorus. He is a highly sought as a vocal coach and is the pianist for undergraduate vocal classes at the University of Toronto. 

Dakota holds degrees in piano performance from Université de Montréal and Mount Allison University. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto where he was named the 2020 winner of the Gwendolyn Koldofsky Prize in Accompanying, awarded to the top collaborative pianist. He has further refined his skills at the Orford Music Academy and the Barachois Summer Music Festival, and he was an Art of Song Fellow as part of the Toronto Summer Music Festival in the summer of 2021. His principal teachers have included Stephen Runge, Jimmy Brière, and Steven Philcox. Particularly passionate about French vocal repertoire, Dakota’s research interests are centred around early twentieth century performance practice and the mélodies of Gabriel Fauré.

About Christina Raphaelle Haldane

CHRISTINA’s career spans the UK, Europe, Asia and North America, and she is currently based in Canada’s Atlantic provinces. She has interpreted many lead opera roles, having performed for opera houses such as The Finnish National Opera, The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Scottish Opera and Musica Viva Hong Kong. Her specialism is performing HANDEL’S HEROINES, COMEDIC BEL CANTO roles and CONTEMPORARY opera. Christina enjoys performing and curating RECITAL and CHAMBER MUSIC concerts, and she is often invited to perform with LEADING ORCHESTRAS. Her exploration of contemporary music has led to many collaborations with composers, and she continues to bring their VOCAL WORKS TO LIFE. She is a bilingual English and French speaker, and her Canadian heritage is Acadian.
Christina is looking forward to some exciting creative activities and collaborations in the upcoming 2021/ 22 season. Her artistic partnership with her cousin, interdisciplinary artist Carl Philippe Gionet, continues to flourish. Together, they will be curating and workshopping his reimaginings of 12 ACADIAN FOLKSONGS, which will culminate in a new vocal edition and recording of the arrangements. This project is generously funded by ARTS NB and MUSIC NB. Christina is also thrilled to have been selected as one of this season’s ‘EXPORT NB’ artists, a prestigious career development initiative with MUSIC NB, in her home province of New Brunswick.

Recently Christina has begun delving into the world of recording. In 2019 she released her critically acclaimed debut album ‘… LET ME EXPLAIN’ a collection of Canadian art songs which explores folk, jazz and avant-garde styles, and in 2020 she was the lead artist for ICARE, an interdisciplinary digital performance product produced through the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Innovation initiative, in partnership with CBC/ Radio Canada.

Highlights from Christina’s operatic career in the bel canto and music of Handel feature the title role in Donizetti’s LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT (Swansea City Opera & Musica Viva Hong Kong), Clorinda in Rossini’s LA CENERENTOLA (Iford Arts & Scottish Opera), Adina in Donizetti’s L’ELISIR D’AMORE (Musica Viva Hong Kong), Cleopatra in GIULIO CESARE (Finnish National Opera) and the title role in RODELINDA (Opera in Concert Toronto).

Christina has enjoyed a strong relationship with the Royal Opera Covent Garden. She performed the London premiere of Jonathan Dove’s MINTERNE in the Crush Room recital space and the role of Rapunzel in their production of Sondheim’s INTO THE WOODS. As a cover artist for the Royal Opera, Christina has been engaged as Fiorilla in Rossini’s IL TURCO IN ITALIA, Sifare in Mozart’s MITRIDATE, Nella in Puccini’s GIANNI SCHICCHI and Silvia in Thomas Adès’ bold opera THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (also for the Salzburg Festival). Christina’s performance of Silvia’s aria was streamed to over 50 000 viewers in the ROYAL OPERA HOUSE INSIGHTS special on Adès’ exciting new opera.

In 2019 she joined the Voice Faculty at Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts, and continues to combine performing and teaching. Home for Christina is in Moncton, where she lives with her partner Patrice and their two diva dog Pomerians.

-Click HERE for Christina’s Full Biography-

About Carl Philippe Gionet

Carl Philippe Gionet is an Acadian pianist and multidisciplinary artist, with a focus on visual arts and literature. As a musician, whether as a soloist or a collaborative pianist, he is in great demand across Canada and Europe. After obtaining his doctorate in piano performance (Université de Montréal, 2010), he pursued specialized training in Austria and England, and participated in numerous internationally renowned master classes and residencies. Carl is a recipient of many arts awards, including those from the Sylva-Gelber Music Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts and the New Brunswick Arts Council, amongst many others. Carl is dedicated to enabling young musicians through his teaching work, and in 2013 he founded Musique sur mer en Acadie, a festival dedicated to the education and promotion of classical music in the Acadian Peninsula, and he is on faculty as a piano teacher and vocal coach at Biima in Italy. As a visual artist, he works mainly within the world of painting and large format video installations, where he creates almost exclusively in black and white. He finds himself inspired by the contrasts observed in nature, and his work is intended to be both introspective and contemplative, allowing the pieces to express, thus offering audiences many avenues of interpretation. An accomplished writer, Carl’s first book, Icare, will be published this autumn by Éditions Prise de parole.

Samantha Louis-Jean, soprano

Vincent Lauzer, recorder

Camille Paquette-Roy, baroque cello

*Mélisande McNabney, harpsichord

*Mélisande McNabney is replaced by Luc Beausejour for the Debut Atlantic tour.

Les Songes

Ensemble Les Songes consists of soprano Samantha Louis­‐Jean, recorder player Vincent Lauzer, baroque cellist Camille Paquette­‐Roy and harpsichordist Mélisande McNabney. These four dynamic young performers were brought together by friendship and their common passion for the baroque repertoire. In 2015 and 2016, Les Songes were on the road across Canada performing their program Alma Innamorata, with two tours presented by the Jeunesses Musicales Canada.

With this program, they were nominated at the Prix Opus in the Concert of the Year – medieval, Renaissance, baroque music category. Les Songes have performed in the Clavecin en Concert and La Dauphine concert series, at the Bourgie Hall and the Chapelle historique du Bon­‐Pasteur, as well as the International Baroque Music Festival in Lamèque. Their concert Agitata was recorded and broadcast by CBC ICI Musique.

Samantha Louis-Jean, soprano

The Canadian and French soprano Samantha Louis‐Jean received her vocal training at the Maîtrise de Radio-­France, the University of Montreal, then with Marie Daveluy and Yolande Parent. She made her professional debut singing Euridice (Monteverdi, L’Orfeo)
with the Montreal Baroque Festical and Lauretta (Puccini, Gianni Schicchi) with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

Since then, she has performed with the Portland Trinity Consort, the Orford Festival, the Ensemble Caprice, the Lamèque International Baroque Festival, Clavecin en Concert, the Ensemble Masques, Les Violons du Roy and the Quebec Opera Festival.

In 2015-2016, Samantha was selected for the Handel Residency at the Festival Internation d’Aix-en-Provence conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm. She then performed at the Montpellier Opera, the Festival des Lumières de Sorèze and the Nuits Musicales d’Uzès with Ensemble les Ombres; and sang the role of Elvira (Rossini, L’Italiana in Algeri) at the Tourcoing Lyric Atelier and the Champs­‐Élysées Theatre, conducted by Jean-Claude Malgoire.

In 2016-2017, she will perform at the Comédie de St-­Étienne, the Aix-­en-­Provence Festival, the Tourcoing Lyric Atelier and the Champs-­Élysées Theatre.

Samantha Louis­‐Jean is a winner of the Froville International Baroque Competition, the Prix d’Europe Competition, the Lyndon-­Woodside Oratorio Society of New York Competition and the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation. She is a grant recipient of the Conseildes Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Canada Council of the Arts and the Jeunesses Musicales du Canada.

Vincent Lauzer, Recorder

Révélation Radio­‐Canada 2013-­‐2014 and Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2012 Opus Awards, recorder player Vincent Lauzer is the artistic director of the Lamèque Internation Baroque Festival in New Brunswick. Winner of several prizes in nation and international competitions, he has recently been awarded the Fernand Lindsay Career Award, a scholarship given to a young promising Canadian musician for the development of an international career.

A versatile performer, he plays with Flûte Alors!, Les Songes, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, La Bande Montréal Baroque, Les Idées Heureuses, Arion Baroque Orchestra and La Cigale. Vincent has also performed for various series and festivals in Canada and the United States, as well as in Mexico, France, Germany, Spain and Belgium.

Mélisande McNabney, harpsichord

Mélisande McNabney performs keyboard music of all periods, on harpsichord, piano and fortepiano.In August 2015, she recieved the third prize at the International Competition Musica Antiqua in Bruges, Belgium. A Graduate of McGill University and the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, Mélisande was granted her Master’s degree from the Amsterdam Conservatory in June 2010, where she studied harpsichord, continuo and fortepiano in the classes of Bob van Asperen and Richard Egarr. She is now pursuing her Doctorate degree at McGill University under the guidance of Hank Knox and Tom Beghin, thanks to the support of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program.

Currently based in Montréal, Mélisande is regularly invited to play with ensembles such as Les Violons du Roy, Arion Orchestre Baroque, Les Idées Heureuses, the Theatre of Early Music and Ensembles Caprice. She is also a member of Pallade Musica and ensemble Les Songes, which will be on tour with Jeunesses Musicales Canada in the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons.

Mélisande has received scholarships from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Banff Centre, the FQRSC and the CALQ.  She is replaced on this tour by Luc Beausejour.

Camille Paquette-Roy, baroque cello

Having shown an interest and talent for music at a very early age, cellist Camille Paquette-Roy was admitted to the Music Conservatory of Trois‐Rivières in 1999, where she studied under Jean-Christophe Guelpa for ten years. In 2009, she graduated from the conservatory of Trois­‐Rivières with a Diplôme d’Études Supérieures. In the same year, she began her Master’s degree at McGill University under Brian Manker, which she completed in 2011.

A versatile artist, Paquette-Roy works frequently with a variety of ensembles, including Les Songes, l’Orchestre Baroque Avion, Caprice Ensemble and Quatuor esca. In addition to her activities in the Classical and baroque realms, Paquette-Roy is an active performer in Montréal’s pop music scene with artists such as Ingrid St-Pierre, Jean Leloup and Half Moon Run.

Luc Beausejour, harpsichord

Luc Beauséjour leads a very active concertizing career. He has performed as soloist in North and South America as well as in Europe. He was named “2003 Performer of the Year” by the Conseil Québécois de la Musique and has won Félix awards for two different recordings at the Gala de l’ADISQ. His love of Bach’s music has led him to perform the Cantor’s works for harpsichord and for organ almost in their entirety.

Beauséjour has carried out over 35 recording projects, either as soloist or as musical director. Since 1994, he has been the artistic director of Clavecin en Concert. He teaches at Le Conservatoire de Montréal and at the l’Université de Montréal where he also completed a Doctorate degree. He is pleased to be appearing with Les Songes on their Debut Atlantic tour.

-VISIT LES SONGES’ EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT PAGE – 

Martha Guth, soprano

Tyler Duncan, baritone

Erika Switzer, piano

New Voices: Earthquakes and Islands
A newly commissioned work by esteemed Canadian composer Andrew Staniland on the brutally
honest, strange, and powerful poetry of Robin Richardson.

Earthquakes and Islands is a co-commission with Sparks & Wiry Cries and the Brooklyn Art Song Society. An ambitious song cycle, this piece melds the poetry of Robin Richardson, including poems from her forthcoming third volume of poetry “Sit how you want,” in combination with the lyrical, forceful, moving musical landscape of composer Andrew Staniland. Robin Richardson’s own artwork illustrates the score.

(Projections available but not required of the performance)

-Read more about the creative artists here-

PERFORMING ARTISTS:

Soprano Martha Guth’s recital performances include Wigmore Hall, the Leeds Lieder Festival and the Vancouver International Song Institute with Graham Johnson; the Liederkranz with Dalton Baldwin; recitals in NYC with Malcolm Martineau, and numerous appearances throughout North America and Europe with long-time collaborator, pianist Erika Switzer. Her recitals have been broadcast by the CBC Radio/Radio Canada, NPR, the BBC, and the WDR in Germany. Recent concert performances include The National Cathedral in Washington D.C., Sacred Music in a Sacred Space in NYC, The Flagstaff Symphony, the Newfoundland Symphony, the Columbus Symphony, and the Toledo Symphony. Recent recitals include performances in Berlin, Worms, Hannover, NYC, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Norfolk, Virgina. Her operatic credits include The Canadian Opera Company, The Santa Fe Opera, Opera Lyra, and the Grazer Oper. She has performed under Maestro’s Seiji Ozawa, Robert Spano, Helmut Rilling, John Nelson, Richard Bradshaw, Alan Gilbert and others. Martha’s growing discography includes the Latin GRAMMY nominated recording of Roberto’s Sierra’s song cycle ‘Beyond the Silence of Sorrow’, recorded with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Puerto Rico for Naxos. She has also recorded a solo disc of Schubert songs with fortepianist Penelope Crawford for Musica Omnia, John Fitz-Roger’s ‘Magna Mysteria’ for the Innova label, and the Five Borough’s Song Book for GVR records.  She is a founding faculty member of the Vancouver International Song Institute and co-director of its Contemporary Performance Studies program.  Together with Erika Switzer, she is Co-Director of Sparks & Wiry Cries, a global platform for art song spanning dissemination, performance and commission of new works. Their first recording on the ‘Sparks & Co.’ label of the Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes is available for purchase on iTunes.  More information can be found www.marthaguth.com  &  www.sparksandwirycries.org

Canadian baritone Tyler Duncan recently performed at the Metropolitan Opera as Prince Yamadori in Puccini’s Madam Butterfly. At the Spoleto Festival he debuted as Mr. Friendly in the 18th-century ballad opera Flora, returning the next season as the Speaker in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Other appearances have included the role of the Journalist in Berg’s Lulu and Fiorello in Rossini’s Barber of Seville, both at the Metropolitan Opera, Raymondo in Handel’s Almira with the Boston Early Music Festival, Dandini in Rossini’s La cenerentola with Pacific Opera Victoria; and Demetrius in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Princeton Festival. Issued on the CPO label is his Boston Early Music Festival recording of the title role in John Blow’s Venus and Adonis. Mr. Duncan’s concerts include Mahler’s 8th Symphony with the American Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony, Berlioz L’enfance du Christ with the Montreal Symphony; both Bach and Mendessohn’s Magnificat with the New York Philharmonic; Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Munich Bach Choir, Montreal Symphony, and the Oregon Bach Festival; Haydn’s The Creation with the Québec, Montreal, and Winnipeg symphony orchestras; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Calgary Philharmonic and Philharmonie der Nationen in Munich, Berlin, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt; Haydn’s The Seasons with the Calgary Philharmonic; Handel’s Messiah with Tafelmusik, the Montreal and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, Handel and Haydn Society, San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque, and Portland Baroque; Mozart’s Requiem with the Montreal, Toronto, and Salt Lake City Symphony Orchestras. He has also performed at Germany’s Halle Händel Festival, Verbier Festival, Vancouver Early Music Festival, Montreal Bach Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, Lanaudière Festival, Stratford Festival, Berkshire Choral Festival, and New York’s Carnegie Hall. Frequently paired with pianist Erika Switzer, Tyler Duncan has given acclaimed recitals in New York, Boston, and Paris, and throughout Canada, Germany, Sweden, France, and South Africa. Mr. Duncan has received prizes from the Naumburg, London’s Wigmore Hall, and Munich’s ARD competitions, and won the 2010 Joy in Singing competition, 2008 New York Oratorio Society Competition, 2007 Prix International Pro Musicis Award, and Bernard Diamant Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts. He holds music degrees from the University of British Columbia, Germany’s Hochschule für Musik (Augsburg), and Hochschule für Musik und Theater (Munich). He is a founding member on the faculty of the Vancouver International Song Institute. Mr. Duncan’s recordings include Bach’s St. John Passion with Portland Baroque and a DVD of Handel’s Messiah with Kent Nagano and the Montreal Symphony from CBC Television. On the ATMA label are works by Purcell and Carissimi’s Jepthe with Les Voix Baroque. www.tylerduncan.com

Erika Switzer is an internationally active pianist, teacher, and arts administrator. She performs regularly in vocal and chamber music recitals with a great variety of artists and also enjoys long-term partnerships with several notable singers, including soprano Martha Guth, mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn, tenor Colin Balzer, and baritone Tyler Duncan. Erika Switzer has been heard on the stages of New York’s Weill Recital Hall (Carnegie), Rockefeller University, Frick Collection, and Bargemusic, at the Kennedy Center, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Spoleto Festival (Charleston, SC), the Bard Music Festival, Stanford Live, as well as all across Canada at festivals including Toronto’s Canadian Voices, Montreal’s André Turp Society and Ottawa’s ChamberFest. Her commitment to new music speaks through premiers of works for the 5 Boroughs Music Festival (Matthew Aucoin, Evan Fein, Whitney George, Missy Mazzoli, Paola Prestini), the Brooklyn Art Song Society (Andrew Staniland), and Vancouver’s Music on Main (Jocelyn Morlock, Caroline Shaw). During her seven-year sojourn to Germany, she presented recitals at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and the Winners & Masters series in Munich, and she won numerous awards, including pianist prizes at the Robert Schumann, Hugo Wolf, and Wigmore Hall International Song Competitions.  Erika Switzer is on the music faculty at Bard College and the Vocal Arts Programs of the Bard Conservatory of Music. She also has been on the faculty of several summer programs, including the Vancouver International Song Institute, the CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster Choir College, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar at Stanford. She received her doctorate from The Juilliard School. As co-creator of Sparks & Wiry Cries (sparksandwirycries.org), Erika Switzer contributes to the future of art song performance through publication of The Art Song Magazine, presentation of recitals in New York City (Casement Fund Song Series), and the commission of new works (Sparks Commission). erikaswitzer.com

– VISIT NEW VOICES’ EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT PAGE –

Praised for her stage presence and her distinctive vocal tone, Lebanese-Canadian soprano Miriam Khalil is described as being “a lush lyric with spinto overtones” (Opera Canada) and “on the road to future greatness” (Classical 96.3 FM).

A former member of the prestigious Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, Ms. Khalil has performed in such roles as Leah in the world premiere of James Rolfe’s Swoon, Laura in Luisa MIller, the Confidante in Elektra, and Pamina in The Magic Flute. She is a graduate of The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, holding an Artist Diploma in Voice and a Bachelor’s Degree in vocal performance from the University of Ottawa. In 2007 she won First place in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions for the Great Lakes Region. She is a recent member of both The Steans Institute for Young Artists at Ravinia and the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme.

Get to know Miriam, Lauren & Julien through this interesting video!

Another memory was performing in the Dartmouth concert series.  It was a marvelous experience because the audience was so very receptive to the songs and we felt very welcome at the reception afterwards.”

–  Janice Jackson (July 22, 2014)