Tarané is a soprano who recently completed her Bachelor of Music in Voice at the University of Victoria, where she studied with Benjamin Butterfield. Originally from Iran, she moved to Canada in 2017 to pursue advanced musical training and has since developed a strong focus on opera and art song.
In early March 2026, she presented her graduation recital, marking an important milestone in her artistic development. She has also gained professional stage experience as a chorus member with Pacific Opera Victoria, most recently in Puccini’s Tosca, where she worked alongside leading artists in a fully staged production.
Alongside performance, Tarané is interested in the expressive relationship between text, colour, and sound in music. She also enjoys visual design and often creates her own concert gowns, bringing together her interests in artistry and presentation.
She looks forward to continuing her studies in a Master’s program beginning in September and is excited to further develop her artistry and collaborative skills at the Banff Summer Opera Program.

Anna is a mezzo-soprano from Ontario with a voice described as “rich and expressive.” She recently appeared with Grand River Opera singing the role of Schwertleite in Die Walküre. Last summer she sang the role of New Ofglen in the Banff Centre for the Arts’ production of The Handmaid’s Tale. Anna has a Master’s degree in Opera from UBC and a Bachelor’s Degree in Voice from Western University. While attending UBC, she sang the role of Olga Olsen in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene and Madame de la Haltière in Jules Massenet’s Cendrillon, in addition to many other roles with the UBC Opera Ensemble. Last year, Anna performed as a soloist with the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra. In 2023, she took part in La Musica Lirica’s young artist program, singing the role of Leonora in Scarlatti’s Il Trionfo dell’onore. When not singing, you might find her in the woods somewhere hugging trees.

Praised for being "fully formed musically and dramatically" (Opera Canada), Canadian soprano Kelsey Ronn is a versatile vocalist known for her euphonious tone, florid coloratura, and warm timbre. She performs actively as a soloist, competitor, and operatic vocalist throughout Canada, the United States and Europe.
This season, Kelsey was engaged with Calgary Opera's McPhee Artist Development Program, where she made several role debuts including Kate Pinkerton and the Aunt in Madama Butterfly, the title role in Little Red Riding Hood and Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
Last season, she charmed audiences as The Squirrel in Nino Rota’s The Witty Squirrel and was appointed the Norina (Cover) in Calgary Opera’s production of Don Pasquale. 
A sought-after performer, Kelsey is an alumna of Opera Kelowna's VOSI Program and L'Institut canadien d'art vocal in Montreal, QC. She holds degrees from the University of Manitoba (BM) where she was mentored by Tracy Dahl and McGill University (MM) where she studied under Joanne Kolomyjec and Dominique Labelle.
She brings a passion for acting to every role she embodies and is dedicated to sharing her voice with the world through performing and teaching.

Sloane Ryan is a soprano from Ogdensburg, New York. Sloane recently completed her first year with University of Toronto Opera where she is pursuing her Master of Music in Opera Performance, studying under Wendy Neilsen. At University of Toronto, Sloane has portrayed Poeta in Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma, Lucia in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, and Medea in the world premiere of With the telling comes the magic: Tales from antiquity to present day. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice Performance from the Steinhardt School of Education, Culture, and Human Development. During her time at NYU, Sloane performed the role of Krysia in Heggie’s Two Remain. She also covered the role of Roselinde in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. Other credits include The Sandman in Hänsel und Gretel and a Knabe in Die Zauberflöte.

Ashley Schneberger is a mezzo-soprano from Cochrane, Alberta, recognized for her expressive performances and commitment to artistic growth. She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Manitoba, where she studied with Tracy Dahl, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Lethbridge under the guidance of Dr. Janet Youngdahl.
Ashley has performed a wide range of repertoire with companies including Little Opera Company of Winnipeg, Good Mess Opera Theatre, Manitoba Underground Opera, and NUOVA Vocal Arts. With the University of Manitoba Opera Theatre, her roles have included Augusta Tabor (The Ballad of Baby Doe), Madame de la Haltière (Cendrillon), and Ottone (L’incoronazione di Poppea). Internationally, she has performed with Chicago Summer Opera.
Concert highlights include Alto Soloist in Handel’s Messiah and A Traditional Christmas with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, as well as Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été and Bach’s St. John Passion. A recipient of multiple awards, Ashley was a finalist in the National CFMTA Voice Competition, earning the Best Musical Diversity prize for Ian Cusson’s Where There’s a Wall. She maintains a private voice studio and is passionate about arts education. Upcoming engagements include revisiting Madame de la Haltière (Cendrillon) with Comic(book) Opera and participation in the Banff Centre Summer Opera program in 2026.

Nicholas Skene is a Latvian Canadian operatic stage manager and director based in Toronto, Ontario. He is currently completing his B.Mus. at Western University, where Nicholas produces and directs his own productions, including most recently, a production of Euripides’ Bacchae with the classics department. The production had a cast of over 30 performers—including actors, singers, dancers, instrumentalists, and original music by composition student Pauline Boers.
Nicholas started going to the opera when he was nine years old through a ticket program at the COC, but he didn’t work on an opera production until he joined the Canadian Children’s Opera Company in 2017. Nicholas performed in COC productions of Tosca, Turandot, and Hansel and Gretle, working with established Canadian and international talent like Joel Ivany and Robert Wilson. He originated the role of Marcel in the COC-commissioned opera Fantasma, written by Métis Canadian composer Ian Cusson. The CCOC fostered an appreciation for new and Canadian opera, which still drives
Nicholas to work on the cutting edge of an ancient artform. To keep track of everything Nicholas is up to, including his production of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex in 2027, follow his instagram: @nicholaselliottskene

Daria Tereshchenko is a Canadian mezzo-soprano and a recent graduate of Mannes School of Music, where she studied under the tutelage of Amy Burton. She is a 2026 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Encouragement Award winner (Los Angeles District), a recipient of the Prix du Domaine Forget from the 2025 Concours OSM, and an Opéra de Montréal National Auditions Finalist.
Her recent operatic performances include Silvia Lombardi in Korngold’s The Silent Serenade with Mannes Opera, Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Music on Site, Beulah in Ricky Ian Gordon’s This House as part of the 2025 Works & Process Opera Series, the title role in Handel’s Silla with Chicago Summer Opera, and covering Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina with Mannes Opera.
Equally passionate about contemporary music, Daria made her Alice Tully Hall debut as the alto soloist in Luciano Berio’s Sinfonia with the Mannes Orchestra and has also appeared as the alto soloist in John Adams’s Grand Pianola Music with the Mannes Wind Symphony.

Nicole Wilson is a Toronto-based actor, creator, director, and theatre educator driven by a deepcuriosity about people and the stories they carry. She is a co-founder of Good Old Neon, an ensemble-driven experimental performance company, and the former Artistic Director of act2studioWORKS, an educational and production company for actors aged 50+, where she championed bold, actor-led work at every stage of life. She was part of the 2024 Michael Langham Directors’ Workshop at the Stratford Festival, working alongside Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino, and recently completed her tenure as Apprentice Artistic Director to Rachel Peake at the Grand Theatre for the 2025/2026 season.
Select directing credits: Piaf/Dietrich (assistant director, Grand Theatre), Frozen (assistant director, Grand Theatre), Ivona, Princess of Burgundia (George Brown Theatre School), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (assistant director, Canadian Stage), London Assurance (assistant director, Stratford Festival), Dead Elephants (Good Old Neon), The Last Mammoth (Good Old Neon), Frankenstein(esque) (Silent Protagonist), A Lysistrata (act2studioWORKS), Us Against Everyone (Toronto Fringe Festival), One Left Hour: The Life and Work of Daniil Kharms (Good Old Neon), and Blue Remembered Hills (Good Old Neon).
Select acting credits: Mrs. White in Clue (Segal Centre), The Real Sherlock Holmes (Lighthouse Festival Theatre), UK tour of Mankind and The Pride of Life (Poculi Ludique Societas); Dead Elephants, The Two Character Play, One Left Hour: The Life and Work of Daniil Kharms, Potosi (Good Old Neon); Brimstone and Treacle (Precisely Peter Productions);The Belt and the Necklace (Odyssey Theatre); and The Seagull (Chekhov Collective at The Berkeley Theatre), Claire Tinsdale in Good Witch (seasons 6, 7). Upcoming: Carly in A Woman’s Love List (Lighthouse Festival Theatre ),iona (The Geek) in Heist Theatre Aquarius.

Tristan Wilson (b. 2002) is a composer and violist from Detroit, Michigan. Following the premiere of his Sinfonietta for string orchestra in 2014, his works have been performed regularly across the continental United States. He has enjoyed collaborations with the Grammy-nominated Neave Trio, TEMPO Ensemble, and the Julius Quartet, as well as with members of the Slee Sinfonietta, American Modern Ensemble, and Akron (OH) Symphony Orchestra. He was awarded first prize in the 2023 Cleveland Composers Guild collegiate competition for his work Five Songs, and his works are also featured on Petrichor Records’ series New Music by Living Composers, released in 2021.
He holds a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied viola performance with Mark Jackobs and composition with Keith Fitch, and is currently pursuing a Master of Music at the Mannes School of Music, where he studies composition with Christopher Cerrone and David T. Little. He currently lives in New Jersey

Tkaronto-born mezzo soprano Emma Yee (she/her) is an active interdisciplinary musical artist based in Tiohtià:ke. This season, Emma is assistant directing and stage managing The Medium (Opera McGill), directed Riders to the Sea (Opera McGill), and assistant stage managed Come Closer (Opera 5). Other technical theatre credits include directing The Sapphic Passion (Sapphonix Collective) and stage-managing Dialogues des carmélites (Opera McGill), An Inspector Calls (Motyer-Fancy Theatre), and PRÉCIPICE (Tintamarre). Emma is also an active performer across opera, musical theatre, and choral scenes. Performance highlights include Cordelia in Falsettos (Contact Theatre), Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia (Opera McGill), various roles in Elegies (Opera 5), Serse in Serse (Halifax Summer Opera Festival), Sorceress in Dido & Aeneas (Opera McGill), and alto soloist in Messiah (Christ Church Cathedral). Emma is informed by her role as a performer-scholar, with a publication in Nota bene titled “Liberatory Praxis in Operatic Rehearsal Processes,” a talk at the McGill Graduate Music Symposium titled “Trains, Drones, and Continued Routes of Coloniality in Opera,” and research related to music and colonialism, music and politics, and operatic power structures. 
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