Toronto-based conductor and educator Sandra Horst is celebrated for her “superb direction” (La Scena), professionalism, and musical integrity throughout her thirty-year career. Recent conducting engagements include Orphée+ with Edmonton Opera, Florence, the Lady with the Lamp with Voicebox: Opera in Concert, and the premiere of Cusson and Vavrek’s Indians on Vacation at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Since 1998, she has served as the Price Family Chorus Master at the Canadian Opera Company, amassing a repertoire of over seventy operas to date. In past seasons, she has worked with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Juilliard Opera Centre, the Chautauqua Institution, and made her mainstage conducting debut at the Canadian Opera Company with Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims in 2002. Next season, she looks forward to conducting the COC Ensemble Studio's performance of Rossini's Barber of Seville. In 2022, Horst joined Tapestry Opera’s groundbreaking Women in Musical Leadership program as an industry mentor and was appointed to the board of the Association for Opera in Canada in 2024. 

Spencer Kryzanowski is a passionate crossover artist working as a conductor, music director, répétiteur, and vocal coach in both musical theatre and opera.

Spencer is the assistant conductor and pianist for Edmonton Opera; a staff member in the University of Toronto Opera department; resident music director for Good Mess Opera Theatre; and resident music director for Pop Goes the Opera in Edmonton, Alberta. On top of these regular positions, Spencer maintains a busy freelance schedule.

As a conductor and music director, Spencer has worked on numerous opera and musical theatre productions across Canada. His recent opera credits include Wagner’s Die Walküre (Edmonton Opera), Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle (Edmonton Opera), Strauss Jr's Die Fledermaus (Edmonton Opera), Puccini's Il tabarro (Pop Goes the Opera), Massenet's Cendrillon (UofT Opera), Hank and Gremlin (Good Mess Opera), and La bohème (Mercury Opera). Spencer's recent musical theatre credits include Newsies, Mean Girls: The Musical, and Beauty and the Beast with Bravo Academy.

Spencer's recent répétiteur credits include Guerrero's El huésped del sevillano with Toronto Operetta Theatre, Nino Rota's Il cappello di paglia di Firenze, and a comedic triple-bill of Hindemith's Hin und zurück, Offenbach's Monsieur Choufleuri, and Douglas Moore's Gallantry. Other credits include Humperdink's Hänsel und Gretel with Berlin Opera Academy; Copland's The Tender Land; Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia; Puccini’s Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi; and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. Spencer had the pleasure of workshopping Melancholia, an opera based on the Lars von Trier film, by Mikael Karlsson and Royce Vavrek in 2023 for the Royal Swedish Opera. Additionally, Spencer assisted as a répétiteur and vocal coach in a workshop of Indians on Vacation by Ian Cusson and Royce Vavrek in 2024 as part of a collaboration with Against the Grain Theatre and Edmonton Opera.

Emma Hammond (she/her) is a west coast based stage manager who has been working in theatre and opera for over 10 years. She thrives on being calm under pressure, pastries, and calling perfect cues. Emma has worked with a variety of companies such as: Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera, City Opera, The Firehall, Ruby Slippers, Sticks and Stones, Theatre Under the Stars, Theatre Replacement, and The Cultch. 

Coming up next for Emma is working on Rigoletto at Vancouver Opera. She would like to thank Justin for his love, support, and for always pretending to be impressed when she says “places” in real life.

Carolyn Choo (she/her) is a skilled props artisan currently living on the traditional lands of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱ SÁNEĆ Peoples. Her professional work in theatre and opera has been showcased on national and international stages with prestigious companies, including the Canadian Opera Company, the Shaw Festival, and the Banff Centre. Most recently, she contributed her talents at the Prague Quadrennial of Space and Performance 2023 in the Czech Republic.

Beyond her professional practice, Carolyn is passionate about arts education. She fosters inclusive and thoughtful learning environments, grounded in the belief that creativity is deeply shaped by our surroundings. She views the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity as a uniquely inspiring space—one that nurtures exploration, innovation, and connection within the field of props and beyond.

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)

Eric Elliot Lee is a Montréal-based biracial theatre practitioner and musician. Originally from Waterloo, Ontario, Eric specializes in musical theatre composition and music direction. He has studied at Concordia University (BFA) and McGill University (BA), and is a very active member of the English-language Montréal theatre community. Most recently, Eric has been working as one of the music directors and teachers at the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts and has worked on dozens of productions for kids and young adults; he is also currently collaborating with the NAC's English Theatre department as a songwriter. Eric also runs a private voice studio for young students looking to explore every colour of their voices, emphasizing the value of improvisation and mindfulness in music. One of Eric's primary passions is music copying, which allows musicians from many different backgrounds the ability to communicate quickly and effectively. He spends most days freelancing as a music copyist/engraver, and is thrilled to be collaborating once again with the Banff Arts Centre as the music librarian (having worked as a remote freelancer in the 2024 production). Eric believes that music can open up infinite worlds to explore and create, and he can't wait to see what possibilities lie ahead.

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).

Chihiro Yasufuku・安福知優 (she/her) is an early-career portfolio artist of Japanese descent, currently based in Tkarón:to, Ontario. With a background of 20 years of study as a violinist which eventually expanded its roots to singing, Chihiro is an active vocalist, actor and performer-collaborator in opera, theatre and workshop spaces. When not on the stage or pursuing her studies as a violinist, Chihiro nurtures her passion for arts administration. In 2021, Chihiro co-founded the Hibiki Project, a collective committed to expanding the prominence of Japanese and related musical genres within and beyond the community. In previous seasons, she served as Production Assistant to Amplified Opera’s digital development workshop, Infinity Café, and was Associate Producer of the concert series, AMPLIFY 1.0. A strong advocate of Japanese recital and choral repertoire, Chihiro has also offered Japanese lyric diction coaching for clients in the Greater Toronto Area including Soundstreams Choir 21, Brampton Children’s Chorus and Exultate Chamber Singers. Chihiro is an alumna of the University of Toronto’s Opera School and Classical Voice Performance program. She currently studies with Dr. Lorna MacDonald.

Christian Matta is a rising Italian-Canadian tenor currently pursuing a Master’s of Opera at the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Wendy Nielsen. He has been recognized for his warm tenor sound and clear top register. Christian has appeared in several productions in Toronto including Gastone in La Traviata, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, and Raymond Massey in The Avenue of Avarice.

Christian has had the privilege of participating in masterclasses with renowned artists and educators such as Jason Ferrante, Alain Coulombe, and Ambur Braid. His versatile repertoire spans from early music to contemporary opera, as he has performed everything from Monteverdi to works composed within the last decade. He has performed a multitude of Oratorio works as a soloist, including Handel’s Esther, Mozart Requiem, and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

Christian looks forward to workshopping as Paul Lucas in The Book of Tales, Mithri in Aarna and the Silver Cypress, and St Matthew's Passion here at Banff this summer. He is excited to learn from esteemed faculty alongside talented colleagues in a growing artistic community like Banff.

Christian Matta was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.