Interplay Chamber Music and Opera: The Handmaid's Tale

Soprano Christina Bell is in demand across North America for Concert, Opera, and Oratorio.  She recently made her debut with Toronto City Opera in the title role of Susannah and sang the role of Paquette in Candide with the North York Concert Orchestra.  A graduate from University of Toronto with a Diploma in Operatic Performance, Christina sang the roles of Mrs. Baggett in Footsteps in Campbell House, Lady with a Cake Box in Dominick Argentos’ Postcard from Morocco, Lady Billows in Brittens’ Albert Herring, Donatella in Encouters, as well as being a part of Last Days, a new production with Tim Albery and David Fallis.  

Over the years Christina has attended the Mainstage/Ensemble Programs at Opera on the Avalon, The Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, Halifax Summer Opera Festival, St. Andrews Summer Opera Workshop.  Other recent operatic performances include Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, Liliana in Miracle Flight 571 with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Portia in Le marchand de Venise, Cousin Hebe from Gilbert & Sullivans’ HMS Pinafore, Mrs.Grose in The Turn of the Screw, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Helena in Brittens’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

Christina has been a member of the Canadian Opera Company Chorus since 2015 and when she is not on a stage, she can be found exploring her passion for arts administration and management.  She is the Opera & Public Events Administrator at the University of Toronto and in 2023 took on the role of the Company Manager for the Banff Centre: Opera in the 21st Century & Interplay Programs.

Kamna Gupta is an American Prize-winning conductor experienced in operatic, orchestral, and choral repertoires. Several premieres mark her 2023-24 season: Ms. Gupta leads the Trinity Church Wall Street Choirs and NOVUS in Luna Pearl Woolf’s new oratorio Number Our Days, and returns to Spoleto Festival USA to conduct the world premiere of Ruinous Gods. In addition to these, Ms. Gupta makes her Washington National Opera debut as the cover conductor for Songbird, joins the faculty of Banff Center for Arts and Creativity for their chamber opera program, and returns to Tapestry Opera to conduct Rocking Horse Winner which she recorded to much acclaim during the pandemic and was featured on CBC’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. Recent credits include Les pêcheurs de perles with Vancouver Opera, In Our Daughter’s Eyes with LA Opera and The Prototype Festival, and the world premiere of The Rip Van Winkles at The Glimmerglass Festival.

Brenna Corner is an international opera and theatre stage director working across the United States, Canada and Europe. She is also the Artistic Director of Pacific Opera Victoria, in British Columbia Canada.

Select directing projects include: Il Trovatore (Washington National Opera); Tenor Overboard (Glimmerglass Festival); H.M.S Pinafore (Vancouver Opera); Carmen (Des Moines Metro Opera); Don Giovanni (Seattle Opera); Hansel and Gretel (San Diego Opera & Vancouver Opera); La Bohème (Calgary Opera); Dead Man Walking (The Israeli Opera); La Bohème (The Dallas Opera); Noye’s Fludd & Scalia/Ginsburg (Glimmerglass Opera); Sweeney Todd (New Orleans Opera); Der fliegende Holländer (Cincinnati Opera & Houston Grand Opera); L’Elisir d’Amore (Vancouver Opera); Carmen (The Atlanta Opera); and Cendrillon & La Clemenza di Tito (Manitoba Underground Opera).

She was the founding Artistic Director of Manitoba Underground Opera, which produces a festival of new operatic experiences each August in Winnipeg. She has also worked as a dramatic coach for training programs including The Washington National Opera Cafritz Young Artist Program in Washington D.C.

Brenna made her directorial main stage debut in 2016 with a new production of Hansel and Gretel designed by the Old Trout Puppet Workshop for Vancouver Opera. This production has since toured North America, and was mostly recently produced for San Diego Opera as part of their 2019-20 season. She made her American directorial debut in February of 2017 with New Orleans Opera, creating a new production of Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

During the COVID-19 pandemic she created new opera experiences through film including Don Giovanni for Seattle Opera, Carmen: Up-Close and Personal for Vancouver Opera, Dear Mom: a web series for Kentucky Opera and Green Envelopes for Manitoba Underground Opera.

Brenna was a member of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program with Vancouver Opera and spent two years as the resident director for The Atlanta Opera Studio Artist Program. She is a certified member of Fight Directors Canada and has choreographed many fights for both opera and theatre.

She studied classical music at The University of Manitoba, and she has diplomas in theatre from Grant MacEwan College and The British American Drama Academy.

Amanda Testini (she/her) is a performer, choreographer and director based on the unceded and ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. She has worked at the Arts Club, Bard on the Beach, the Cultch, Theatre Replacement, the Firehall, the Belfry, Opera Kelowna, the Gateway, Savage Society, Theatre Under the Stars, VACT, Carousel Theatre, shameless hussy productions, Neworld Theatre, Speakeasy Theatre, the Electric Company, Vancouver Opera,  and Axis Theatre. Some of her career highlights include assistant choreographing Onegin (Arts Club/Belfry), touring Canda playing lead character ‘Justine Chambers’ in Love Bomb (Shameless Hussy Productions), choreographing 4 East Van Pantos with Theatre Replacement, playing ‘Lydia Wickham’ in Miss Benett: Christmas at Pemberly, and assistant directing La Cenerentola (Vancouver Opera). Most recently, she was the 21/22 Yulanda M Faris Young Artist Stage Director at Vancouver Opera where she directed Cavalleria Rusticana: in Concert, Blond Eckbert, and choreographed and assistant directed HMS Pinafore.  Currently, she is part of developing a contemporary dance show to Laura Reznek’s new record, Agrimony, led by Sophie Dow. Amanda is so grateful to be here at the Banff Centre to continue to develop her craft and dive into the rich world of opera. She also acknowledges the support of the Arts Club Theatre Company’s Bill Millerd Artist Fund. Amanda is a Jessie Award Nominee and a graduate of Studio 58.

Jessica is a Set and Costume Designer, born and raised in Vancouver BC, and a new resident of Edmonton. Her design work has been seen on stage and screens across North America.

Select recent credits: Die Walküre (Edmonton Opera), Dance Nation (The Search Party), Son of a Preacherman (Pacific Theatre), Heist (Grand/Citadel), A Streetcar Named Desire (Citadel/Theatre Calgary), The Sound of Music (Citadel/RMTC/Citadel), Ring of Fire (Arts Club), Sunrise Betties (ITSAZOO), An UnDeveloped Sound (Electric Company), Julius Caesar (Bard on the Beach).

Jessica worked as the Assistant Head of Wardrobe at Bard on the Beach for seven seasons and is a three time Jessie Richardson Award winner, with a total of seven nominations. She is a graduate of Studio 58 and Emily Carr University of Art + Design. 

Sophie Tang is an award-winning lighting and set designer working in Theatre, Opera and Dance. She has worked with companies including Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Electric Company Theatre, Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, City Opera, Theatre Calgary, Artsclub Theatre, Bard on the Beach, Citadel Theatre, Canadian Stage and so on. Selected credits: Pride and Prejudice (Grand Theatre), The Little Prince (Pacific Opera Victoria), Three Musketeers (Citadel Theatre x Artsclub Theatre), The Lehman Trilogy (Theatre Calgary), Salesman In China, Rez Sisters ( Stratford Festival), The Apple Cart (Shaw Festival), Choir Boy (Canadian Stage x Artsclub Theatre), Jersey Boys, Legend of Georgia McBride, 12 dates of Christmas, The Orchard (Artsclub Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Harlem Duet, (Bard on the Beach), The Pearl Fishers, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Vancouver Opera).

Gillian is a set and costume designer based in Toronto, and her work has been seen across the country and internationally.  Most recently she designed costumes for Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata which toured Canada, England, Australia and New York City, USA. She has designed for the Canadian Opera Company, Shaw Festival, Stratford Festival, Soulpepper, Canadian Stage, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Citadel, Theatre Calgary, and The National Arts Centre. In 2021 she received the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, in 2018 she received the Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award for Costume design, and she’s also received a Meta award and four Dora Mavor Moore awards. 

S. Katy Tucker designs video and projection for live performance, working frequently in opera, theater and collaborating with composers and musicians. Her work has been seen internationally, including Broadway, The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, New York City Ballet, Carnegie Hall, Park Avenue Armory, BAM, San Francisco Opera, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dutch National Opera, Sydney Opera House, and the Canadian Opera Company, among others.  She began her career as a painter and video installation artist, exhibiting her work at a variety of galleries, such as the Corcoran Museum, Dupont Underground, Artist’s Space in New York City and a video installation titled Stone Memory, commissioned by The Kennedy Center. Tucker periodically works in television and on events for Drew Findley Productions as a screens producer and animator.  For DFP she has worked on The Emmy’s, Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow 2, the American Music Awards, The Soul Train Awards, and BlizzCon. Tucker was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Letters from Max, a Ritual.

Recent productions include Smash on Broadway with director Susan Stroman, Das Rheingold, Siegfried and Die Walkure at Teatro alla Scala, Tannhauser (Houston Grand Opera), Florencia en al Amazonas, Eurydice, Peter Grimes, Verdi’s Requiem, and Prince Igor (Metropolitan Opera), Florencia en el Amazonas (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and Washington National Opera), Rebecca Das Musical (Vereinigte Bühnen Wien), Klangwolke 23 (Brucknerhaus), and Turandot, MacBeth, Fidelio, Elektra, Don Giovanni, and Samson and Delilah (Washington National Opera).  

Upcoming: The Ring Cycle (La Scala) and Medea (Lyric Opera of Chicago)

Anastasia (she/her) is a queer, certified intimacy director, coordinator and fight designer from Mohkinstsis (Calgary) on Treaty 7 Territory. She is a founding member of Principal Intimacy Professionals (PIPs), and an instructor for the PIP’s SAG-AFTRA accredited intimacy training program. She’s worked with students at Ambrose University, UBC and UofA and is on the Board for the National Society of Intimacy Professionals. Anastasia holds mental health and trauma-informed care as central to her practice.

Select credits include: Legally Blonde (Citadel Co pro), A Streetcar Named Desire, Beaches the Musical, Selma Burke (Alberta Theatre Projects Co Pro), Meteor Shower, Escape To Margaritaville (Theatre Calgary), Hurry Hard (Western Canada Theatre), Mary Stuart (SAGE Theatre), Girl On The Train (Vertigo), Bombay Black (Alberta Theatre Projects), A Midsummer Nights Dream, Measure For Measure (Free Will Shakespeare), Genesis: The Mary Shelley Play (ACT Edinburgh Fringe), Guilty Party (Paramount+), Peacemaker (HBO), Upload S2 (Amazon). 

Special thanks to her PIPs Pals and loved ones for their ongoing support.

An in-demand collaborator, Christopher Bagan is celebrated for his versatility and virtuosity as a chamber musician, basso continuo specialist, and conductor. The 2024/2025 season sees Christopher perform alongside the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Chamber Choir, the Toronto Consort, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and with Early Music Alberta and the Toronto Bach Festival. He has recently conducted Opera Atelier’s Fall production of Handel’s Acis and Galatea, leading the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Christopher has performed with many of the world’s leading baroque singers, instrumentalists, and conductors in performances across the globe, including tours to Chicago’s Harris Theatre and the Royal Opera of Versailles. Recent highlights of these performances are appearances with Apollo's Fire, Les Violons du Roy, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, the Elora Festival, and Symphony Nova Scotia. Since 2021, he has served as the Assistant Music Director for Opera Atelier, making his mainstage conducting debut with the company in 2022 on Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.

Frances Armstrong, originally from Surrey, British Columbia, grew up in a musical family where she showed great promise in both her piano playing and singing from a young age. She had a particular affinity for collaborating with singers and string players, and began accompanying and playing in chamber ensembles when she was just thirteen years old. She holds a Master’s Degree in Collaborative Piano from the University of Toronto, where she studied with esteemed Canadian pianist Steven Philcox, and she also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance with Distinction from the University of Victoria. Frances has studied a broad range of repertoire with internationally renowned artists at summer intensive programs such as the Franz Schubert Institute, Toronto Summer Music, and the Music Academy of the West. She has also completed rigorous training as an apprentice coach at both l’Opéra de Montréal, and the Canadian Opera Company. Frances is in high demand as a collaborator and coach across Canada, having served as Head Coach at Edmonton Opera for two seasons, and she is invited back as a regular collaborator with City Opera Vancouver, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and Highlands Opera Studio. She is known for her intuitive and sensitive playing, and she enjoys a diverse career as a performer, coach, and repetiteur. When she is not busy with music, she can be found enjoying a quiet life by the Pacific Ocean on Gabriola Island, British Columbia.

Grace Ivey, originally from rural Alaska, is an emerging stage director based in Montreal. She received her Bachelor’s of Music in classical vocal performance at McGill University. During her time at McGill, Grace performed roles in multiple productions with Opera McGill. Grace’s passion for storytelling and theater, combined with her background in classical singing, drew her to opera stage directing. Grace received a professional certificate in opera direction through Ithaca College where she staged scenes from Dialogues des Carmélites and studied with Chuck Hudson. She then returned to McGill where she completed a graduate diploma in opera stage directing and studied with Patrick Hansen. As part of her diploma, Grace directed a production of Dialogues des Carmélites and assistant directed Sawyer Craig’s production of Blond Eckbert and David Gately’s production of The Light in the Piazza.

Max Randal, age 26, recently completed a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano at the University of Colorado Boulder in the studio of Dr. Margaret McDonald and Dr. Alexandra Nguyen. Previously, he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he also sang bass in the Nashville Symphony Chorus and served as Minister of Music at Hillwood Presbyterian Church. As a participant in the Music Teachers National Association competitions, he was the Young Artist winner for the state of Tennessee in 2019 and a Chamber Music National Finalist in 2021. Outside the realm of collaborative piano, Max is trained in organ and harpsichord performance, and enjoys composing original works, especially art song. He is also the Lead Musical Engineer at Edify Technologies (developers of MusiQuest) and creator of the ear training app Intonalogy. Finally, Max is an avid distance runner who has won the Seattle Marathon twice and participated in the last five Boston Marathons. He is now located in Chicago.

Max Randal was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Working primarily in opera for 30 years, Lesley stage manages regularly for the Canadian Opera Company and the Glenn Gould School, at the Royal Conservatory of Music.  She has also enjoyed working with Tapestry Opera, Edmonton Opera, Against the Grain Theatre, Opera Columbus, the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, and the University of Toronto Opera School.

Some of her favourite credits include: Eugene Onegin, Don Pasquale, Fidelio, Tosca, Pomegranate, Die Walkure, Salome, Traviata (COC); Dialogues des Carmelites, Flight, Rinaldo, The Magic Flute, Svadba, Cendrillon (GGS); Die Fledermaus (Edmonton Opera); Figaro’s Wedding, Kopernikus, A Little Too Cozy (Against the Grain Theatre); Orphée (AGT/Opera Columbus/Banff Centre); Gould’s Wall, Shanawdithit (Tapestry Opera); The Queen In Me (Amplified Opera/Nightwood Theatre).

Lesley is thrilled to be back at The Banff Centre this summer, as stage manager for The Handmaid’s Tale.

Keely McPeek (she/her) is a member of the Anisininew Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, with Irish and German settler roots. A lover of storytelling regardless of genre, Keely loves to perform theatre, musical theatre, and opera. She holds a Bachelor of Music and a Post-Baccalaureate in Vocal Performance from the University of Manitoba. Winning the Rainbow Stage Trophy at the Winnipeg Music Festival encouraged Keely's stage performance career. She attended the Banff Centre's Interplay Program in 2024 where she portrayed Didi in the workshop of Ian Cusson and Royce Vavrek's Indians on Vacation. You may have seen Keely in Manitoba Opera’s Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North as Marie Serpente, Vancouver Opera/Pacific Opera Victoria’s tour of Flight of the Hummingbird as Bunny, Manitoba Theatre for Young People’s seven-month tour of Frozen River, Dry Cold’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, or the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. After stage managing a couple of shows during her degree, Keely is excited to further explore the field at the Banff Centre in 2025.

A multidisciplinary artist whose creative journey spans across Canada, Kate Pasula has made her home in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario throughout her career. Her experience as a choral performer has taken her to incredible places across the world, where the effects of creating and sharing music and stories significantly shaped her artistic path and commitment to a career studying and practicing the performing arts.
Kate holds a Master's degree from the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto. She practices as an actor, playwright, singer, and dancer, complemented by her work as a seamstress, potter, and painter. 
Behind the scenes, Kate has worked as a stage manager with Metro Theatre Vancouver and as a production manager with Prime Stock Theatre Company in her hometown of Red Deer, Alberta.

Camila Montefusco is a storyteller at heart. Described as possessing “an instrument of remarkable power and endurance” (Revue L'Opéra Québec), the Brazilian-born mezzo-soprano is a current member of the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal.

Recent highlights include her mainstage debut as Maman in L’Enfant et les sortilèges with the Orchestre de l'Agora, Madame Flora in The Medium with the Orchestre classique de Montréal, and Annio in La clemenza di Tito. She also toured nationally as part of Debut Atlantic’s roster. Closing her 2024-2025 season, Camila will make her role debut as Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale at the Banff Centre.

Previous seasons have seen her in Rinaldo (Handel), Svadba (Ana Sokolović), Suor Angelica (Puccini), and The Mother of Us All (Thompson).

As a co-founder of the Obsidiana Duo, Camila believes in the importance of Latin-American musical culture and history. By bringing the music of historically overlooked composers to the stage, she strives to amplify the voices of communities that have long been silenced. Whether in opera or recital, Camila hopes to connect with audiences through art and inspire a world that hungers for change.

Camila Montefusco was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Dora award-winning “triple-threat … coloratura” (Opera Canada) Maeve Palmer has performed with Tapestry Opera,  New Music Concerts, Continuum Contemporary Music, Opera Atelier, Off-Centre Music, Chorus Niagara, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Orpheus Choir of Toronto, and on tour with the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition.

Maeve is the winner of the 2021 Jim and Charlotte Norcop Prize in Song (UofT) for singer showing the most promise. She is the second prizewinner of the 2017 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, and was a finalist of the 2020 Vancouver Opera Competition (canceled due to COVID19).

Recent performances include Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale at the Banff Centre, Adina in Donizetti’s Elixir of Love, with Highlands Opera, and Genio in the North American premiere of Haydn’s L’Anima del Filosofo, or Orpheus and Eurydice. Other recent performances include Robot 1, and cover of [Helen] in Nicole Lizée’s award winning opera R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, with Tapestry Opera, and Jean MacDonald, and Daisy Fairchild in Dean Burry and Lorna MacDonald’s musical The Bells of Baddeck. In addition to her work in early and contemporary music, Maeve is an interpreter of many classic roles including Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) with U of T Opera, Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos) with Highlands Opera Studio, Sandrina, and Serpetta (La Finta Giardiniera), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte), and Greta Fiorentino (Street Scene). Oratorio performances include soprano soloist in Bach’s Matthäus Passion, Honegger’s King David, and Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia.

In concert, Maeve presented the Canadian premiere of Samuel Andreyev’s cantata Iridescent Notation, with New Music Concerts, and Luigi Nono’s La Fabbrica Illuminata, in Koerner Hall. Other contemporary performances include Mysteries of the Macabre (Ligeti). with the U of T Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the Canadian premiere of Dove’s Mansfield Park, as Mary Crawford with U of T Opera.

World premieres include R.U.R. A Torrent of Light by Nicole Lizée, Lizée’s Malfunctionlieder for soprano, piano, and degraded video, Alice Ping Yee Ho’s Four Seasons Ballad, and Three Songs of the Tang Dynasty, Robert Taylor’s “Opticks,” and Tyler Versluis’s Five poems, for soprano, celli, and harp.

Maeve’s voice is featured in the Hollywood film The Space Between Us, (2017) starring Asa Butterfield, Gary Oldman, and Britt Robertson, and in the TV series Aftermath (2016).

Maeve holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Pedagogy and Performance from U of T where she resided as a Junior Fellow at Massey College. She is an alumna of the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at the Glenn Gould School, and the Sidgwick Scholar program with Orpheus Choir of Toronto (2015-18). Maeve studied with Jill Kelman, Mary Morrison, O.C., and Professor Lorna MacDonald, the Lois Marshall Chair in Voice at the University of Toronto.

Upcoming performances include Adele in a concert hits production of Die Fledermaus with the Stratford Symphony Orchestra on New Year's Day, soprano soloist in Bach’s Mass in B Minor with Chorus Niagara, and Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale by Ruders, arr Schlossberg, at the Banff Centre, summer 2025. 

Maeve Palmer was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Emma Pennell is a trailblazing 2-Spirit operatic soprano and poet with mixed settler and Mi’kmaw roots from South River, a small village in rural Northern Ontario. Growing up off the grid in a forest cabin, their deep connection to the land continues to inspire their artistic voice. Emma recently won 2nd prize in the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage Competition and will join the COC Ensemble Studio for the 2025–26 season.

They hold an Honours Bachelor’s in Voice Performance with a minor in Indigenous Studies from Western University, an advanced diploma from Cambrian College, and are completing their Artist Diploma at The Glenn Gould School. Emma is also a dedicated advocate, having co-authored the Indigenous Policy Paper for OUSA and founded the Faculty of Music Indigenous Leadership Initiative.

Their stage credits include roles in Falstaff, Dialogues des Carmélites, L’Enfant Prodigue, Into the Woods, Ice Time, and Die Zauberflöte, all performed at Koerner Hall. Emma recently completed a Banff Centre residency, workshopping Indians on Vacation by Ian Cusson and Royce Vavrek, and made their Koerner Hall debut alongside Tanya Tagaq for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Emma Pennell was generously supported by the Joyce and David Keith Scholarship for the Arts.

Italian-Canadian soprano Teresa Tucci is establishing herself as a compelling and versatile performer. She showcases her diverse opera and musical theatre talents and is recognized for her vibrant stage presence and musical sensitivity.

Teresa recently completed her Artist Diploma in Operatic Performance at the University of Toronto, where she has debuted in roles such as Despina in Così fan tutte and La Fée in Cendrillon, to name a few. This summer, she will join Opera Neo as a studio artist, covering the role of Asprano in Vivaldi’s Motezuma.

An accomplished competitor, Teresa won third prize in the 16th International Opera Singing Competition, “City of Brescia—Tribute to Maria Callas.” She has also been recognized as a finalist and award winner in the Camille Coloratura Award Competition and won the Arizona District in the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition.

Originally from Vaughan, Ontario, Teresa earned her Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory in 2023 before returning home to further her training in Toronto. She looks forward to debuting the role of Moira in The Handmaid's Tale here in Banff. She is eager to embrace new challenges and grow alongside her renowned faculty and talented colleagues in this vibrant artistic community.

Teresa Tucci was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Katie Kirkpatrick is a soprano originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and is currently based in Toronto. She is pursuing a Masters degree in Opera at the University of Toronto, studying under the tutelage of Monica Whicher. Katie is a recent graduate of U of T, where she earned her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance with honors. Recent performance highlights include the roles of “Miranda” in Kaija Saariaho’s The Tempest Songbook with U of T Opera and “Machine Gun Mabel” in the U of T student composer collective’s opera The Avenue of Avarice. Katie is an enthusiastic collaborator and performer of contemporary music. She has participated in concerts with the University of Toronto New Music Festival, the Concreamus Chamber Choir, and the Free Concert Series at the Four Seasons Centre for Performing arts – Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. Katie is grateful to have grown as an artist at the Canadian Opera Company Summer Intensive program, and is looking forward to performing the role of “Janine/Ofwarren” in The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s production of Poul Rouder’s The Handmaid’s Tale in July 2025.

Katie Kirkpatrick was generously supported by the Hicks Memorial Scholarship.
 

Mezzo Soprano Amanda Weatherall holds her MMus of vocal literature and performance from Western University.  She is from Cranbrook, British Columbia, where she had her first taste of the stage.  The highlight of her Cranbrook performances was performing with Fort Steele Heritage Town as various historical residents and performing with the Symphony of the Kootenays on multiple concerts.

Amanda was thrilled to take part in the Yulanda M Faris Young Artist Program with Vancouver Opera, and performed as the Wife in the Music Shop, a Canadian Premier, and as Carmen in Carmen: Up Close and Personal, a new adaptation of the classic work by Bizet, during her time there.  Her other operatic credits include the title role in Bizet’s Carmen (Western), the chorus in Verdi’s Otello (Canadian Opera Company), Mrs Ott in Floyd’s Susannah (Toronto City Opera), Filippyevna in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (Highlands Opera Studio), Romeo in Bellini’s i Capuleti e i Montecchi (Opera NUOVA), Fox in Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen (NUOVA), Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (NUOVA), Meg Page in Verdi’s Falstaff (Western), and Third Lady in Mozart’s Magic Flute (Western). She is excited to return to Handmaid’s Tale as Offred in the before times at the Banff Centre this summer.

Amanda Weatherall was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Recognized for her “haunting, smoky tonality” and “thrilling artistry” (Opera Canada), French-Canadian mezzo-soprano Justine Ledoux is an artist-in-residence at the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal for the 2024-2026 seasons. An alumna of Calgary Opera’s McPhee Artist Development Program, she has performed Wellgunde (Das Rheingold), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Béatrice/Ursule (Béatrice et Bénédict), and Mercédès (Carmen). Selected by the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques 2024, she is a laureate of European prizes for the 2024-2025 season, including a gala-konzert at Eisenach's Wartburg Castle in May 2025.

In 2024, Justine made her role and company debut as Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) at Brott Opera. This season, she has performed Mrs. Nolan (The Medium) with l’Orchestre classique de Montréal, the Teacup and Dragonfly (L’Enfant et les sortilèges) at l’Opéra de Montréal, and was the alto soloist in Messiah with Brott Music Festival.

At Banff Centre’s Opera in the 21st Century, she portrayed Rachel in a workshop of Mary Kouyoumdjian and Royce Vavrek's opera Adoration, in collaboration with Beth Morrison Projects.

Justine continues to refine her craft under the mentorship of Lena Hellström-Färnlöf, artistic director of the Academy of Music and Opera at Mälardalen University (Sweden).  She holds her BM and MM in Vocal Performance from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal.

Justine Ledoux was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Alyssa Nicole Samson is a Vancouver-based Filipino-Canadian artist passionate about advocacy through contemporary/new music. Notably, she is driven by her belief that classical music can make an impact that transcends beyond traditional performance settings. This is evidenced by her breadth of experience leveraging music to advocate for marginalized voices, share contemporary stories about pivotal societal issues, and build community between musicians and non-musicians alike. This passion for unity has brought her opportunities to perform internationally in Portugal, Italy, Spain, Austria, and the United States, in addition to working with musical communities across Canada.

On the stage, Alyssa is committed to a fiery presence to every role she brings to life. Recent highlights for the 2023-2024 season include Mrs. XE in Angels Bone and Shi Ping in Thunderstorm. Alyssa also had the pleasure to workshop the role of Medusa/Melpomene in Monster’s Made with Good Mess Opera Theatre. For the 2024-2025 season, Alyssa collaborates with Re:Naissance Opera for the world premier of Eurydice Fragments. In addition to performance, Alyssa is currently working with Re:Naissance Opera through the Convergence Cohort program to develop her own piece, Hiraya, an exploration of identity and community within the Filipino diaspora through theatre and song.

Alyssa holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabo.

Alyssa Samson was generously supported by the David Spencer Emerging Vocalists Endowment Fund.

Treaty One-based tenor Nolan Kehler is a performer dedicated to collaboration and reconciliation. Recent operatic highlights have included performances with the Banff Centre (Indians on Vacation), Manitoba Opera (Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North), and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (Alcina). On the concert stage, Nolan recently performed double duty as Evangelist and tenor soloist in the Canadian Mennonite University Festival Chorus’s presentation of the St. John Passion as part of the Winnipeg Baroque Festival. Nolan has also had the pleasure of working with Juno-nominated Cree composer Andrew Balfour on his compositions Captive and Nôtinikêw in performances with Winnipeg’s Dead of Winter at the Montreal New Music Festival, the Brandon University Chorale, and with Edmonton’s Chronos Vocal Ensemble.

When not performing, Nolan is a radio host with Winnipeg’s Classic 107, where he covers Manitoba’s fine arts community and curates listener experiences in a wide range of repertoire. Nolan’s bylines as an arts writer and podcaster have appeared in Opera Canada, CANNOPY, IDAGIO, and Canadian Mennonite, with his latest project being an in-depth piece on Silent Light by Paola Prestini and Royce Vavrek, which was workshopped at the Banff Centre and debuted at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, New York.

Nolan Kehler was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Graeme Linton is a tenor based in Victoria, BC. He has a Graduate Diploma and a Bachelor of Music in Voice and Opera from McGill University. Throughout his time at McGill, he performed in choruses, operatic productions, and solo recital works. Through his classes and teachings, he developed a keen interest in art song repertoire, and romantic opera. He loves the ability to tell stories through music and collaborate with other musicians. While at McGill, he performed as Monostatos in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and as Mr. Jones in Weill’s Street Scene. He has recently performed The Evangelist in Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium with the Victoria Philharmonic Choir. He also has performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s second symphony Resurrection, Opera Kelowna in Hector Berlioz’s Beatrice and Benedict, and the Bach Festival Montreal in Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium. He has collaborated with Juno Award winning Ensemble Caprice through the Ensemble Art Choral, where he recently sang in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and a tour of Handel’s Messiah. During the summer, he sang the role of Bill in Jonathan Dove’s Flight at Opera Nuova. He has also started a master’s degree in vocal performance at the University of Victoria.

Graeme Linton was generously supported by the David Spencer Emerging Vocalists Endowment Fund.

Bass Jason Somerville recently graduated with his B.Mus in Opera Performance from the University of British Columbia. He discovered his passion for opera after joining the chorus of Edmonton Opera in 2016 (Turandot, Cenerentola, Les Feluettes, Don Giovanni, La Traviata & Rigoletto) going on to perform his first role as Betto in Pop Goes the Opera’s production of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Since then, he has portrayed an array of characters with the UBC Opera Ensemble, including Don Alhambra (The Gondoliers), Bartolo (Le Nozze di Figaro), Nonancourt (Il cappello di paglia di Firenze), Dr. Cajus (Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor), Jezevec/Farář (Příhody lišky Bystroušky), and Don Alfonso (Cosi fan Tutte).

In Spring 2024, he debuted with Burnaby Lyric Opera as Colline in Puccini's timeless classic La bohème and with City Opera Vancouver in Missy Mazzoli’s multimedia chamber opera Song from the Uproar. Having diverse interpretive interests, Jason obtained a certificate in Electronic Music Production at the Art Institute of Vancouver, followed by certification as a Sommelier through the International Sommelier Guild.

Jason Somerville was generously supported by the Ruby Mercer Endowment.

Anna is a mezzo-soprano from Ontario who would not stop singing when she was little; she never really stopped. She is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Opera at UBC. She graduated from Western University with a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance with Honors. Anna recently sang the role of Olga Olsen in UBC’s production of Street Scene. She has also performed as Buttercup in HMS Pinafore, Madame de la Haltiére in Cendrillon, Lapák in The Cunning Little Vixen and as Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana, with the UBC opera ensemble. In 2023 she performed in Italy, singing the role of Leonora in Scarlatti’s Il Trionfo dell’onore, as part of La Musica Lirica’s young artist program. Anna won the open voice category of the Ontario Music Festival in 2023. She is always looking for new opportunities to learn and fulfill her goal of bringing a little bit of wonder and magic to the world through music.

Anna O'Drowsky was generously supported by the David Spencer Emerging Vocalists Endowment Fund.

Heard in a wide variety of roles, Italian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Alessia Vitali has been praised for her “dedication to character and spine-tingling freedom” (emerging artist reviews).

Alessia is in her first year of the McPhee Artist Development Program. Her 2024-25 Calgary Opera season includes a role study of Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, the title role in Nino Rota’s family-friendly production of The Witty Squirrel, and the role of La Ciesca in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.

Recent highlights include Signora Guidotti in the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory’s production of I due Timidi by Nino Rota, participation in a Good Mess Theatre’s workshop for a new Canadian Opera titled Monsters Made by Roan Shankaruk, Mercédès in Carmen by Bizet with Southern Ontario Lyric Opera, Miles in Grand River Opera's production of The Turn of the Screw by Benjamin Britten, Old Lady with the North York Concert Orchestra in their production of Candide and Rosina in the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra's concert version of Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Alessia received a Master of Music in Opera Performance and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Elizabeth McDonald.

Alessia Vitali was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

From West Yorkshire, UK, Patricia Yates now lives in Montréal, where she completed her Master’s and Artist Diploma at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, studying with tenor John Mac Master. Patricia is a proud advocate for trans singers everywhere, and revels in being a rare female tenor.

As Peter Quint in Opera 5’s The Turn of the Screw, Patricia was described as “the quintessential English Britten tenor in that long lineage which traces back to Peter Pears.” Other recent operatic credits include Imeneo Imeneo, Elvino La Sonnambula, Jupiter Semele, Don Ramiro La Cenerentola, Alfred Die Fledermaus, Tamino Die Zauberflöte, and Der Sandmann Hänsel und Gretel. Patricia created roles in world premieres by such composers as Dean Burry, Anna Vienna Ho and Ramin Amin Tafreshi. Oratorio work includes Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater and Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Patricia has sung in masterclasses with figures such as Warren Jones, Irene Kudela, Helmut Deutsch, Wolfram Rieger, Pierre Vallet, Jeff Cohen, François Le Roux, Giovanni Reggioli, Martin Constantine, Peter Ford, Marjan Kuiper and Lisette Oropesa.

A passionate wordsmith, Patricia has written articles for publications, including Opera Canada and the Musician’s Union of the UK, centering issues of decolonisation, gender variance and EDI in opera.

Patricia Yates was generously supported by the Sheila K. Piercey Opera Endowment.

Briana Sutherland is a Canadian mezzo-soprano whose artistry and passion for music were nurtured in a vibrant musical community in Northern Ontario. She has gained recognition for her dynamic stage presence, with recent role credits including Rosette (Manon), Olga Olsen (Street Scene), Buttercup (H.M.S. Pinafore), Nancy (Albert Herring), Meg Page (Falstaff), Vera Boronel (The Consul), Alyson (A Grand Night for Singing), and the Second Fairy in the Drunken Poet scene of The Fairy Queen.

In concert, Briana has performed major oratorio works such as Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem. She has also performed internationally with organizations such as the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, London Symphonia, International Symphony Orchestra, Sudbury Symphony Orchestra, Opera NUOVA, the Breno Italy International Music Academy (BIIMA), and Nebula Performances.

Briana holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Western University and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Opera Performance at the University of British Columbia.

Briana Sutherland was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Canadian soprano Emma MacNeil is celebrated for her “purity of tone” (Ludwigvan) and “compelling stage presence” (Opera Ramblings). She is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Historical Performance at the University of Toronto under the guidance of Jean Macphail and Daniel Taylor. A graduate of Queen’s University (BMus) and The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music, where she earned an Artist Diploma in Opera studying with renowned soprano Stephanie Bogle, Emma has developed a reputation as a versatile and dedicated performer.

Recent highlights include her portrayal of Sister Constance in Dialogues des Carmélites by Francis Poulenc and Laurel in The Laurels by Jeffrey Ryan at The Glenn Gould School. Additional roles include Cleopatra in Handel’s Julius Caesar (Summer Opera Lyric Theatre), Controller in Jonathan Dove’s Flight (GGS), and Shepardess in John Blow’s Venus and Adonis (GGS).

Combining opera, musical theatre, dance, and acting, Emma’s artistry is defined by her versatility, passion, and a commitment to delivering performances that captivate and inspire audiences.

Emma MacNeil was generously supported by the Anonymous Artist Award.

Soprano Sarah Caulfield is a recent M.Mus graduate from the University of British Columbia. For her portrayal of Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), she was hailed by Opera Canada as “a singer to watch ... her voice was brilliant and full, with floating high notes and effortless coloratura.” Other credits include the title role of Rusalka, Frau Fluth (Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor), Corinna (Il viaggio a Reims), Giulietta (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Casilda (The Gondoliers), Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte), and the Madame in Shadow Catch, a Noh theatre inspired Canadian chamber opera. In the latter half of 2025, she will join Good Mess Theatre as Suzy in La Rondine at the Edmonton Fringe Festival, and the Vancouver Island Symphony as the soloist for their Bella Italia concerts.
Concert highlights include solo appearances with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Traditional Christmas tour), Richmond Orchestra (Fauré Requiem), Bach on the Rock (Handel Messiah,) and the UBC Early Music Ensemble. Having a multifaceted passion for the arts, she’s worked as a music instructor, choral section lead, and stage technician. Besides singing, she enjoys trivia, crafts, and spending time outdoors.

Mezzo-soprano Grace Ronan completed her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance at Wilfrid Laurier University in April 2024. Grace is currently studying with Wendy Nielsen at the University of Toronto in the Master of Music in Opera program. In October, Grace received 2nd place in the finals for the prestigious Norcop Prize in Song at UofT. Recent performance highlights include Dorabella in Così fan tutte (UofT Opera), Queen Arete in Castaway (UofT Opera), the Witch in Into the Woods (Opera Laurier), Meg March in Little Women (Opera Laurier), and Flora in La Traviata (Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony). Grace performs with a chamber choir and orchestra based in Waterloo, conducted by Ben Wallace. She was honoured to be the alto soloist with this ensemble in three premieres of Canadian composer Justin Lapierre’s choral works: The Gatherers (June 2025), One Thousand Shields of Gold (June 2024), and Messe de Ste. Anne (June 2022). In October of 2025, Grace will be premiering the role of Leah in a workshop performance of a new musical, Finding Her Voice written by Lori-Ann Clancy with music by Canadian composers Justin Lapierre and Ian Cusson.

Grace Ronan was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.
 

Kozmo Sammartino (He/Him) is a bass-baritone singer, actor, and pianist, born and raised in Nelson, British Columbia. He graduated from St. Clair College’s Music Theatre Performance program and finished his Performing Arts Honours degree at the Atlantic Technological University in Sligo, Ireland. He sang with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra as a guest soloist on two occasions, including a performance of ‘Epiphany’ from Sweeney Todd. He was the baritone soloist in Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem and will be performing as the bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah this coming winter. Selected theatre credits include Professor Callahan in Legally Blonde, Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Cosmé McMoon in the two-hander play with music, Souvenir. In this role, he played piano, acted, and sang, and will be coproducing the remount of it in the West Kootenay’s this fall. As a pianist, he has accompanied a number of shows, including the new children’s opera, Anything is Possible. Kozmo is also passionate about education, teaching piano, voice, and musical theatre at Studio 88. He aims to use his art to bring hope, humanity, and protest to the world, at a time where we must be stronger and kinder than ever.

Kozmo Sammartino was generously supported by the David Spencer Emerging Vocalists Endowment Fund.

Andrés Romero is a Colombian violinist with a deep passion for chamber and symphonic performance. Since 2020, he has participated in various orchestras, ensembles, and music festivals in Canada, with notable engagements including Symphony New Brunswick, Tutta Musica Orchestra,Orchestre de la Francophonie  and special projects at Moncton University. In Colombia, he performed with esteemed organizations such as the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Bogotá, and the Youth Philharmonic of Colombia.

Currently, Andrés teaches violin at Sistema  New Brunswick in Moncton, where he shares his expertise and inspires young musicians.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from the Conservatory of the National University of Colombia and a violin Performance Master’s degree from the University of Montreal.

Andrés Romero Guzman was generously supported by the N. Murray Edwards Family Fund.

“Her singing shows careful sonority, freshness and vitality”. Pro Ópera, 2023. 

Winner of the Met Laffont competition of the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Mexico district in 2022 and titular mezzo-soprano in the 2024/2025 season of the MOS Mexico Opera Studio under the direction of R. Piñero and A. Miyaki.

Her main work includes: Lead role in “Carmen” by Bizet in Medellín Colombia 2024, Anna I Die Sieben Todsünden, KurtWeill in Monterrey 2024, Orlando, Händel in Teatro Bicentenario 2023, Rosina in “Il barbiere di Siviglia” by Rossini, Dorabella in Mozart‘s “Così fan tutte“, Mabarak's “Misa deseis“, “Luisa Fernanda“ by M. Torroba, “El gato con botas” by Montsalvage, Maman, “L'enfant et les sortilegès“, Verdi's “Latraviata“. Her next engagements Carmen and Madame Butterfly in Jacksonville and New Jersey, USA.

Internationally she`s sung Rossina from Il barbiere di Sivigliaby Rossini in Daytona Beach, Jacksonville and New Jersey2024. She was soloist in Karl Jenkins's “The Armed Man” in Ireland with The Ulster Orchestra, under the baton of the renowned director of the BBC in London Neil Ferris, she`s sung concerts at Barbara Mann Hall in Florida, Loyola UniversityNew Orleans and at the Summerfest in Milwaukee, USA.

She has taken master classes with distinguished teachers such as Elīna Garanča, Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Verónica Villaroel, David Gowland, Michael Sylvester, among others. Her concert repertoire includes Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Rossini's Stabat Mater and Petite messe solennelle, Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater.

Born in Lithuania. For her international musical activities, she received official compliments from President Grybauskaite and President Nauseda for the success and achievement of her international debut. She won the Grand Prix of the 7th Aoniyoshi Music Competition in Nara, the 3rd Prize of the 7th S. Vainiunas International Chamber Music Competition, and the Special Prize for the Best Interpretation of a composition by S. Vainiunas, among others.

Žydrė has performed as a soloist with the Vilnius State St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, many Lithuanian orchestras, and the Toyohashi Symphony Orchestra in Japan. She was concertmistress of the Davos Camerata of the Davos Music Festival and the St. Christopher's Chamber Orchestra.

In recent years, Žydrė has been interested in collaboration with other arts (dance, visual art) and contemporary music. Living in Japan, she has been broadening her knowledge of Japanese composers and exploring the fusion of classical and contemporary music with traditional Japanese arts, traditional Japanese instruments, and Lithuanian culture and music.

Žydrė Ovsiukaite was generously supported by the OK Gift Shop Endowment.
 

Selen Nsabiyeze is a 19-year-old violinist pursuing a Bachelor of Violin Performance at the University of Toronto, studying under Jonathan Crow, Concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Originally from Calgary, she trained for 12 years with Heidi Behrenbruch while actively participating in prestigious programs at the Mount Royal Conservatory of Music, including the Advanced Performance Program and the Calgary Youth Orchestra, where she served as Concertmaster.

A 2023 graduate of Bishop Carroll High School, Selen was not only the Concertmaster of the Bishop Carroll Virtuosi Strings but also explored choral music through ensembles like the Bishop Carroll Chamber Choir and Vocal Jazz ensemble. Passionate about chamber music, she has performed in numerous small ensembles—piano trios, string quartets, and piano quintets—at conservatories and summer festivals, including the renowned Meadowmount School of Music.

Beyond performance, Selen finds joy in teaching. She has worked with El Sistema Calgary, a nonprofit dedicated to providing music education to underserved communities. She currently teaches privately at the Willowdale School of Music in Toronto. Looking ahead, she aspires to establish a free violin program in her father’s home country of Burundi, bringing classical music to a region where it is scarce.

In her spare time, Selen enjoys painting, singing, and writing music.

Selen Nsabiyeze was generously supported by the Edith Marion Ramsay Memorial Endowment.

Recently named in the Canada Broadcasting Corporation’s 2024 edition for the “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30”, emerging Korean-Canadian cellist, Solina Lee, is recognized for her musical sensitivity and sincerity. She currently serves as the President and Artistic Director of Wild Rose Chamber Music, a budding arts non-profit organization dedicated to bringing accessible and inclusive classical chamber music to the Edmonton community.

Solina has been a recipient of numerous awards and scholarships. She was awarded the Persons Case Scholarship from the Alberta Ministry of Arts, Culture and Status of Women in 2024. Ms. Lee was a semi-finalist at the Concours Prix D’Europe in 2023, and a semi-finalist in the 2022-2023 Golden Violin Competition at McGill University. Solina was a selected participant of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal “Orchestral Immersion Project” in 2022, where she had the opportunity to perform in the orchestra under the baton of Maestro Rafael Payare.

Summer festivals she has attended include Morningside Music Bridge, Orford Music, Encore Chamber Music Institute, and Toronto Summer Music.

Solina received her Bachelor of Music and Master in Music at McGill University, Schulich School of Music, where she studied with principal cellist of the Montréal Symphony, Brian Manker.

Solina Lee was generously supported by the N. Murray Edwards Family Fund.

Gahlord Dewald is a creative musician devoted to experimentation in acoustic, electric, and synthetic bass frequencies. He works seamlessly through the spectrum of composed and improvised musical expression, often blending acoustic and synthetic sound worlds to create complex textures and soundfabric.

For The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, he assembled a quad sound, synthetic sound texture to stir the inner workings of the mind, the heart, and the body. Each fragment was performed once and only once, an ephemeral experience of music, time, and space. 

Gahlord lives in Vermont along the banks of the Winooski River. He drinks an awful lot of coffee.

Sarah Yunji Moon is a Toronto-based flautist celebrated for her expressive artistry, technical mastery, and commitment to contemporary music. She has performed as a soloist with esteemed ensembles such as the Seoul Philharmonic and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and held principal flute positions with Symphony Nova Scotia (2008–2010) and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (2016–2018).

An advocate for new music, Moon is the founder of Rosedale Winds, a chamber group dedicated to modern woodwind repertoire, and a member of the Thin Edge New Music Collective. She also performs with Charm of Finches, Canada’s first professional flute quintet, known for its innovative programming and dynamic performances. Ms. Moon’s academic credentials include a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Flute Performance from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Music in Contemporary Performance from the Manhattan School of Music.

As an educator, Sarah serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at Queen’s University, where she directs the Flute Choir and teaches flute performance. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes the integration of contemporary works into the classical canon, fostering a deeper connection between performers and audiences. Ms. Moon’s dedication to expanding the flute repertoire and her dynamic presence on stage continue to inspire audiences and students alike.

Sarah Yunji Moon was generously supported by the Frederick Louis Crosby Memorial Endowment.

Ben Gannon is an Irish oboist known for his thoughtful musicianship and versatility as a performer. In March 2025, he made his solo debut with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, performing Françaix’s L’Horloge de Flore under the baton of Stephen Bell.

A finalist in the Irish Freemason’s Young Musician of the Year 2019, Ben has received support and recognition from the Willem Mengelberg Fund of the Concertgebouworkest, the Trench Award at the Birr Festival of Music, the Arts Council of Ireland, and Music Network Ireland.

He has performed with Camerata Ireland, the Ulster Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. His engagements have taken him to leading venues including Carnegie Hall, Het Concertgebouw, the National Theatre of São Carlos, and Ireland’s National Concert Hall, with recent festival appearances at Birr and Clandeboye in 2023.

Ben holds a Bachelor of Performance with First Class Honours and a Licentiate from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and a Master of Music from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He is a Howarth of London Artist and plays on an XM model oboe.

Ben Gannon was generously supported by the Richard and Sidney Killmer Oboe Endowment Fund.

Nikki Pet, clarinetist, is a D.M.A. student at Yale School of Music, studying with David Shifrin. She also holds an M.M. in clarinet performance from Yale School of Music and a B.A. in computer science from Columbia University, where she was a member of the Juilliard Exchange Program studying with Alan Kay.  Awards Nikki has received include the Philip Francis Nelson Prize, Horatio Parker Memorial Prize, Yale CCAM Studio Fellowship, runner-up in the 2023 Coltman Chamber Music Competition, and Rapaport Prize. Festivals attended include the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and Kneisel Hall.  A focus of Nikki’s work is producing multimedia performances, often incorporating A.I. technology. Live and digital productions include Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, Bach’s Second Violin Partita, and Joan Tower’s Wings, to be performed live with reactive animated accompaniment.

Nikki Pet was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Logan Lambert is a clarinetist and repair technician. She has studied performance in New Orleans, New York, Paris, and Los Angeles, although she has spent the bulk of her career in NYC so far. She received her Bachelor’s of Music from New York University, where her focus was on contemporary solo and chamber performance. She now plans to move to Vancouver and start her Master’s in clarinet performance at the University of British Columbia in the fall. In addition to her Western classical training, she also enjoys playing folk and vernacular music. She loves anything she can dance to and walk away still humming. Logan can otherwise be found in the boxing ring at her gym in Pasadena or at the barre.

Logan Lambert was generously supported by the Finch Chamber Music Scholarship Fund.

My name is Kaitlyn Jones and I am from Spring Texas, located north of Houston. I started playing the French Horn in 2015, and as I finished high school in 2022, I recognized that I wanted to make a career out of playing the horn, so I decided to apply to college with that in mind. For the next school year, I will be a Senior Music Performance Major at Baylor University studying under Dr. Kristy Morrell. I have participated in masterclasses with Canadian Brass, WindSync (specifically Anni Hochhalter), and Pablo Ortiz. I have played in various orchestras over my playing career, including several from summer festivals such as Sewanee Summer Music Festival and Monteux Music School, and various Baylor University ensembles. Additionally, I enjoy various outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and tennis and/or pickleball. When I’m not curating my next best YouTube video, I love being around animals and friends as much as possible!

Kaitlyn Jones was generously supported by the Rebecca Levant Performing Artists' Scholarship.

Sarah Camm is a dynamic and expressive trumpet player based in Melbourne, Australia, known for her versatility and engaging musical presence. A passionate performer, she is currently completing her honours year at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She has performed with ensembles such as Melbourne Opera, iOpera and Cathedral Brass, bringing spirit and artistry to both orchestral, chamber and solo settings. Sarah is dedicated to building a career in orchestral performance, embracing opportunities to challenge and inspire, as she continues to develop her craft.

Beyond classical performance, Sarah thrives on collaboration and meaningful connection through music. She is a member of Queen of Hearts, a pioneering all-female ensemble blending mariachi and contemporary influences. The group has performed at major festivals, including Port Fairy Folk Festival, Cygnet Folk Festival and is set to appear at the Australian National Folk Festival in 2025.

Alongside her trumpet playing, she is also a guitarist and singer-songwriter, collaborating as part of a folk duo that explores storytelling through music. With a strong belief in music’s power to connect, she continues to refine her artistry through performance and creative collaboration.

Sarah Camm was generously supported by the Finch Chamber Music Scholarship Fund.

Jihong Son, a tenor trombonist from South Korea, is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Chamber Music degrees at the University of Michigan (USA) under David Jackson's guidance and studying with Ohtae Kwon at the Los Angeles Brass Academy. He began to play the trombone at the age of nine and gained public recognition by his first solo debut through the Kum-ho Music Prodigy Audition in South Korea. Winning many national competitions, he moved to the United States for his further musical studies. Since then, Son has showcased his talent as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician, participating in numerous competitions as a finalist, summer festivals as a fellow, concert tours, and recording projects. He recently played with Detroit Opera and Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and every summer, as a founding member of the Pacific Trombone Project, he performs and records commissioned works with professional trombonists in Asian and Pacific Countries. He has had many opportunities to perform and learn from world-renowned trombonists in masterclass settings as well. Son earned his Master of Music degree at Rice University and Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, graduating with honors.

Jihong Son was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Alexander Meagher is a versatile and dynamic Australian percussionist from Melbourne/Naarm who enjoys surprising audiences with unique repertoire to create exciting and evocative performances. While classically trained from both the University of Melbourne and the Australian National Academy of Music, he enjoys the multifaceted nature of percussion and is adaptable to all sorts of situations, as a soloist or ensemble member, from early music and exciting rhythms to sweet melodies, harmonies and experimental performance theatre.

Alexander is passionate about music that is energetic or transportive, and has performed in (amongst other things) Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Asia TOPA, Speak Percussion, Astra Chamber Music Society, APRA Music for Screen Awards, CLOC Musical Theatre, Victorian Opera, Adelaide Festival, and as a session musician for dance projects and film. Recent performance highlights include performing in the Asia TOPA commission “Opera for the Dead”, presenting his original work “A Brilliant Seagull” as part of Speak Percussion’s Bespoke Artist Program, playing bodhrán in “Come From Away”, and being the Foley Artist Fish in “The SpongeBob Musical”. Alexander also trains in the Brazilian martial art of capoeira and hopes to one day be a musician in Cirque du Soleil.

Alexander Meagher was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Cassandra Wolff is a freelance percussionist and musician from St. Catharines, Ontario. She holds a Master’s degree in Performance from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor’s degree in Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University. She also holds a Diploma in Chamber Music from Laurier. She studied under the tutelage of Aiyun Huang, Beverley Johnston, Charles Settle, Ryan Scott, Brennan Connolly, and Dave Campion during these post secondary educations.

Cassandra thrives as a musical artist, enjoying many different styles of music from classical to modern, and continues to expand her horizons and abilities to as many genres as she can. As an orchestral percussionist, Cassandra has played with many orchestras across the Kitchener-Waterloo and the Greater Toronto areas, and toured Canada in both 2023 and 2024 as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. As a contemporary artist, Cassandra has performed with the NME ensemble at the Glenn Gould School, and in 2022, she won the NUMUS Emerging Improvisers Competition; she improvised alongside Ben Grossman and Kathryn Patricia Cobbler in their Double Bill show.

When she’s out of the practice rooms or not performing, Cassandra can be found reading a good book and drinking a good hot chocolate. 

Cassandra Wolff was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Kelly Lenahan is a pianist and organist from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She received a Master’s Degree from the Royal College of Music, London, and an undergraduate degree from Belmont University. In addition to solo performances, Kelly has worked as a répétiteur, choral accompanist, and chamber musician. As an orchestral pianist, she has performed with the Britten-Pears Orchestra, the Royal College of Music Opera Orchestra and New Perspectives Ensemble, Chautauqua Festival Orchestra, and the Nashville Symphony. She has been named a Britten-Pears Young Artist, performing as a soloist with the Britten-Pears Orchestra. Other appearances as a soloist include the Nashville Symphony, Belmont Symphony, Round Top Festival Orchestra, and the Royal Danish Orchestra. As a ballet pianist, Kelly has worked with companies including the Washington Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Group and American Ballet Theatre. Currently, Kelly is devoting her solo work to studying and performing works by female composers. She has taken a particular interest in the music of Louise Farrenc and Lili Boulanger, and has recently given UK and European premiers of rare works by female composers from the 19th and 20th centuries. She lives in Copenhagen, Denmark where she is a pianist for the Royal Danish Ballet and Orchestra.

Kelly Lenahan was generously supported by the Cyril and Elizabeth Challice Fund for Musicians.

Colombian pianist whose career encompasses a deep commitment to performance, collaboration, and education. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in piano at EAFIT University under the mentorship of Claudio Suzín and Blanca Uribe, graduating with honors. In 2018, Mora completed his Doctor of Music (DMus) in Performance – Piano at the Université de Montréal with Mme. Maneli Pirzadeh.

Mora’s passion for vocal music has shaped his artistic journey. He has participated in renowned courses and festivals in Canada and France, working with mentors such as Jeff Cohen, Dalton Baldwin, Christian Ivaldi, Gabriel Tacchino, Francis Perrón, David Lutz, and François Le Roux. He has also worked with eminent pianists, including Julian Martin, Marc Durand, Robert McDonald, and Luiz de Moura Castro.

His performance career includes appearances at some of Colombia’s most distinguished venues. He debuted at Bogotá's Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo alongside bass-baritone Valeriano Lanchas. He has also served as pianist for productions of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at Teatro Metropolitano in Medellin and Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle at Teatro Colón in Bogota.

Since 2018, Juan David Mora has been a full-time professor of piano and chamber music in the undergraduate and master’s programs at EAFIT University in Medellín.

Juan David Mora was generously supported by the Cyril and Elizabeth Challice Fund for Musicians.