OpéraFest 2025 – Celebrating l’Opéra Française!
Bonjour! Et bienvenue to OpéraFest 2025 celebrating the grand tradition and the luscious music of French Opera! The proposition with this year’s program is the juxtaposition of 3 landmark composers of 3 very different aesthetics, all within the particular style of French language, music and its expression. Join us as we embark on a voluptuous journey through major excerpts of Georges Bizet’s CARMEN, Jules Massenet’s WERTHER and from one of the great composers of the Opéra Comique Jacques Offenbach and his LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN. All of this showcased by the wonderful talents of our international cast that features Brazilian tenor Thiago Soares, Mexican mezzo Estefanía Cano and tenor Alexander Torres, Chinese mezzo Anna Gao, along with exciting emerging Canadian singers in sopranos Michaela Chiste & Julia MacVicar, baritone James Coole-Stevenson and our OpéraFest chorus!
Our Artists:
Michaela Chiste is an Italian-Canadian soprano hailing from Okotoks, Alberta. Originally trained as a stage actor, she spent most of her life studying and performing in the dramatic arts and musical theatre before crossing over to the world of classical singing in 2013. She completed her Bachelor of Music under the tutelage of John Tessier at the University of Alberta in 2017, and recently completed her Master’s degree in Vocal Literature and Performance at the University of Western Ontario, studying with Jackalyn Short. Michaela specializes in operatic repertoire; she received praise for her debut portrayal of Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème with Mercury Opera. Opera Canada described her performance as “a fine balance of fragility and hopefulness”. She was also described as “effective… a great actress” (I Don‘t Get It), and that she “rises to the occasion” (Daze Magazine) and “more than holds her own among the seasoned cast” (Edmonton Journal). Other career highlights include Alcina (Alcina), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Adina (L’Elisir d’amore), Principal (.Gabriel), Frasquita (Carmen), The Dormouse/Alice cover (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), Gustave (Pomme d’Api ), and The Boy (Der Jasager). She has performed as a soloist internationally and across Canada; she has sung in works such as Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and A Ceremony of Carols, and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Her most notable work as a chamber musician is when she premiered The Dream, a cantata for soprano and pianoforte by Anders Muskins at the Alberta Mozart Festival in 2016. Michaela is passionate about contemporary music and has premiered several new art songs and operas, including Ronald Beckett’s 2019 cycle Songs of Fracture, for which she authored the poetry. Michaela is an alumna of Arcady’s Emerging Artist Program and former roster singer for Cowtown Opera.
Julia MacVicar; Soprano (She/They) is an opera singer and interdisciplinary artist based in Tkaronto. Hailing from Epekwitk (PEI), and an alumnus of the Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University (B.A.Mus 2020). MacVicar has been described onstage as having “a voice to be reckoned with” (Paula Citron – Ludwigvan) as well as being “impressive dramatically and vocally… a big stunning sound” (Leslie Barcza – Barczablog). As a neurodivergent individual, MacVicar is passionate about increasing inclusivity within creative spaces and exploring different narratives.
Performance highlights include: Lida – Verdi’s La Battaglia di Legnano (Voicebox: Opera in Concert 2024); Diana – Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld (Toronto Operetta Theatre 2022); Dido – James Rolfe’s Aeneas and Dido (Dal Opera 2020)
Native to Culiacán México, mezzo-soprano Estefanía Cano began her formal training at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in the studio of Rosa María Diaz Hidalgo. From there she went on to professional apprentice programs with the Taller de Ópera de Sinaloa (TAOS) and later with the prestigious Estudio de la Ópera de Bellas Artes (EOBA) in Mexico City, from which she guested with the Mexico Ópera Studio where she sang the roles of Suzuki and the Countess of Tripoli under the baton of Alejandro Miyaki. In 2024, Estefania was an artist in residence at La Roche d’Hys (France) under the direction of Jeannette Aster and Stuart Graham.
Ms. Cano has enjoyed public and critical success as soloist with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Toluca, the Orquesta del Sur de Arizona, the Orquesta Sinfónica de San Luis Potosí, the Camerata Mazatlán, Orquesta Sinfónica de las Artes, Orquesta Sinfónica del a UANL and the Orquesta del Teatro de Bellas Artes. She has interpreted the roles of Clarina in La Cambiale di Matrimonio (Rossini) and Suor Angelica under the baton of mtro. Enrique Patrón de Rueda, Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen with conductor Linus Lerner, as well as soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Orquesta Sinfónica de las Artes directed by Miguel Salmón del Real.
Estefanía has enjoyed good success in competitions both national and international where she was finalist in the X Concurso Internacional de Canto Sinaloa 2018, received the Public and Hass Prizes in the Concurso de Canto Linus Lerner, won the Honorable Mention in the XXXVI Concurso Nacional de Canto Carlo Morelli 2018 making her debut in Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexico City) directed by Srba Dinic, winner of the Prize SIVAM and Finalist in the XXXVIII Concurso Carlo Morelli 2021, as well as being a semifinalist in the Concurso Internacional Competizione dell’Opera in Sochi, Russia.
Yingshan Anna Gao, a mezzo-soprano from China, is a graduate of McGill University’s Schulich School of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance (’24); she studied under the guidance of Anja Burmeister. Anna has performed in a variety of operatic and concert settings; her recent roles include Annio in La Clemenza di Tito with the Croatian Opera Academy, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Trentino Music Festival, and Teresa in La Sonnambula with Opera McGill. As a versatile artist, Anna has also embraced contemporary music, appearing as a soloist in Ten Devolving Songs and Five Songs for Soprano and Bassoon. Her accolades include the Mariana Paunova and Stefano Algieri Scholarship in Voice. Fluent in Mandarin and English, with a working knowledge of French and German, Anna is committed to growing as an artist and sharing her passion for operatic excellence on international stages.
Brazilian tenor Thiago Soares holds a Master’s degree in Voice Performance at Georgia State University, and a B.M. in Voice Performance, at Universidade de São Paulo. First place prize winner in the first Bauru-Atlanta Competition, Mr. Soares madehis debut as Paolino in Il Matrimonio Segreto at São Pedro Theater, and his engagements have included among others, Don Jose in Carmen (São Paulo and Belo Horizonte), Nemorino in L’elisir d’Amore (São Paulo), Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (Atlanta and Belo Horizonte), Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Novafeltria and Bellaria / Italy), Candide in Candide (Henderson, USA) Nadir in Pêcheurs de Perles (Sao Paulo), Romeo in Romeo et Juliette (São Paulo), Il Conte d’Almaviva in Il Barbieri di Siviglia (São Paulo), Remendado in Carmen (Atlanta), Fernandez in Carlos Gomes Salvator Rosa, and O Garatuja, in the world-wide premiere of Ernst Mahle’s O Garatuja. In 2008 sang the roles of Scaramuccio in Ariadne auf Naxos and Revolutionary Priest in America’s premiere of Roger Water’s Ça Ira, both at Amazonas Opera Festival. He also appeared with premier orchestras in works such as Bach’s St. Mathews Passion, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Saint- Saën’s Oratorio de Nöel, and Schubert’s Mass in G. As a concertist, gave a recital of Brazilian art songs by Villa-Lobos at the Steinway Hall in New York and Boston. Among his last performances include the title role in Albert Herring, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, and Fenton in Falstaff.
Mexican tenor on the rise, Alexander Torres, began his vocal journey in a youth choir under the direction of Mario Velarde and later studied with tenor David Ramírez in Culiacán. There he participated in productions of La Traviata (Verdi) and Romeo et Juliette under the baton of Mtro. Enrique Patrón de Rueda. He was a member of the Taller de Ópera of Mazatlán where he studied under conductor Enrique Patrón de Rueda, mezzo Martha Félix and bass José Miguel Valenzuela. In 2020, Alexander interpreted the role of Toby in The Medium (Menotti) in a production that toured the state of Sinaloa, directed by soprano Eymi Osuna. Later, Mr. Torres continued his apprenticeship in the Taller de Ópera de Sinaloa directed by José Manuel Chu where he had the opportunity to sing Nemorino (Elisir d’Amor) as well as Dancairo in a gala production of Carmen and Rinuccio/Gherardo (Gianni Schicchi) with Enrique Patrón de Rueda.
James Coole-Stevenson, baritone, has impressed audiences in a number of operatic roles including Sydney Carton in Arthur Benjamin’s A Tale Of Two Cities, Demetrius in Britten’s Midsummer night’s dream, and Don Giovanni in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. His sensitivity and nuance in art song, opera and sacred music, as well as his wide reaching musical interests has been a defining characteristic in his career. Currently living and working as a musician in Toronto, he strives for authenticity in each performance.
In the Spring of 2024, James had his professional debut as Ping and the Mandarin in Puccini’s Turandot, through the Gate City Bank Fargo-Moorhead Young Artist Program. It was there that he fostered a love for Puccini, and developed a serious interest in the role of outreach as a tool to educate and introduce people to opera. With his newfound desire to broaden Opera’s reach, James had the honor of participating in Manitoba Opera’s Digital Emerging Artist’s Program, where he worked with several industry talents to create a video project tracing his Newfoundland heritage through the lens of traditional folk songs collected by Maud Carpeles and Ralph Vaughan-Williams. He was able to travel to his grandfather’s ancestral home where he met and interviewed long lost relatives about the importance of music in the small village of Newman’s Cove, Newfoundland. He hopes that through his music, he can share his passion with the world.
Fresh off of a critical success with her most recent performance as pianist and music director for VOICEBOX Opera in Concert’s production of Puccini’s LA RONDINE, Narmina, born in Baku (Azerbaijan), a fourth-generation musician and never had to think about her occupational choice. After an early start, she gave her premiere solo concert at the age of 6. During her studies at the Bülbül Specialized musical school under the guidance of Adelya Vekilova, Narmina frequently gave solo concerts and performed with the orchestra. Prize-winner of many piano contests in Azerbaijan, Narmina graduated from the U. Hadjibeyov Azerbaijan State Conservatory with master’s degree in 2000. In October 2012, she was awarded the Gwendolyn Koldofsky Prize in Accompanying, (University of Toronto, Faculty of Music). In great demand as a chamber musician, collaborative pianist and coach, Narmina has been working as a music director for VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert, Summer Opera Lyric Theatre and other companies. Being involved in many great projects, Narmina has had the honour to work with Canadian composers, such as Victor Davies and Peter Togni, and enjoyed working under the batons of Robert Cooper, Derek Bate and Larry Beckwith. Recent performances include chamber music and piano works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Grieg, Chopin and such operas as Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, Chrubini’s Médée, Elektra by Richard Strauss, I Due Figaro by Mercadante, THE ECSTACY OF RITA JOE by Victor Davis, WERTHER by Massenet (Opera in Concert) amongst others.
Born in Linz, Austria, Jeannette Aster was brought up and educated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Trained initially as a classical dancer, she obtained her BMus in Voice Performance from McGill University before going on to study Opera Production at the London Opera Centre in London, England.
After serving 5 years as a staff director in the Netherlands Opera, Hamburg State Opera and the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Aster made her Canadian debut as stage director in 1977 at the National Arts Centre Festival in Ottawa with Mozart’s Magic Flute, returning the following season to direct Cosi fan tutte.
She began working with the Canadian Opera Company in 1972. In 1979 together with General Director Lotfi Mansouri, and his associate John Leberg, she helped found the COC Ensemble (Young Artist programme) and in 1980 became its first resident director. In 1986, at the invitation of Peter Hemmings, she joined the newly formed Los Angeles Music Center Opera as a founding Associate Director and resident stage director.
From 1988 to 1998 Aster was Artistic Director of Opera Lyra Ottawa. In addition to presenting mainstage opera productions at the National Arts Centre, Aster commissioned 3 new operas, instituted a comprehensive training programme which included a boys’ choir, teen chorus and Associate Artist Studio, and community-based education projects for adults and young people.
Between 1999 and 2008 Aster has been Artistic Consultant and Director of Productions for Eurostage, a private opera producer based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which developed new opera productions in collaboration with the State Operas and National theatres in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Moldova and Russia for touring throughout Western Europe. Her productions of Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, Lucia de Lammermoor, and La Traviata have been presented in theatres in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland and England.
Aster works internationally as an opera consultant and free-lance stage director. She has produced Verdi’s Falstaff in Los Angeles, Otello with Plácido Domingo in Los Angeles and Houston (after which Domingo invited her to direct this opera in Puerto Rico). Her staging of Tristan und Isolde, designed by David Hockney, at the Maggio Musicale in Florence won the 1990 International Critics Prize. Other international engagements include the European Premiere of Sir Michael Tippett’s New Year at Glyndebourne and a revival of Katya Kabanova in Paris. She produced Salome at the Lyric Opera Chicago, Washington Opera, San Francisco Opera, Detroit, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Hong Kong Festival. Aster produced The Marriage of Figaro in New Zealand, later directing La Bohème and Les Contes de Hoffmann.
Aster regularly teaches masterclasses in operatic role study and dramatic interpretation in many opera studios and conservatories around the world . She also sits on the juries of numerous international voice competitions. Since 2001 she has been General Director of La Roche D’Hys – Domaine des Arts, an international centre for cultural encounters and professional development in Burgundy, France. Its programmes include workshops, masterclasses, seminars, exhibitions, conferences, and artists’ residency retreats in all the arts disciplines as well as the presentation of concerts, theatrical and literary events.
Saskatchewan born baritone Stuart Graham, received his formal education at the Faculty of Music of McGill University in Montréal, Canada, with the renowned Canadian baritone Mr. Bernard Turgeon. In 1998, he continued his studies with Diane Forlano at the Koninklijk Conservatorium, Den Haag, Nederlands, and since January of 2000, Mr. Graham has enjoyed the mentorship of Diana Soviero (Metropolitan Opera, New York) as well as coaching with the incomparable Maestra Teresa Berganza (Madrid, España).
Since 1992 Stuart Graham has been heard in recital, oratorio and in opera in Canada, the United States, Europe and in Mexico, enjoying successes accompanied by orchestras and ensembles, such as: l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, I Musici de Montréal, the Saskatoon Symphony, Silesian State Opera, Slovak State Philharmonic (Košice) and the Oakville Symphony Orchestra. His performance in the world premier of Edifice by Arlan Schultz was broadcast by CBC, the BBC, Radio-France and the Bavarian Radio. In 1993, Mr. Graham made his New York debut as invited artist in recital as part of the Riverside Chamber Music Series (Riverside Church, New York, NY.).
2018/19 was a very full season with performances as Plagio in VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert’s Canadian Premier production of Mercadante’s I DUE FIGARO, as Fr. Andrew in Opera in Concert’s World Premier production of Victor Davies’ adaptation of George Ryga’s THE ECSTACY OF RITA JOE (also presented at the Ryga Festival, Summerland, BC), as Agamemnon in Toronto Operetta Theatre’s LA BELLE HÉLÈNE of Jacques Offenbach. 2018 also saw Mr. Graham’s Italian debut in Milan performing the roles of Tonio/Taddeo in Leoncavallo’s I PAGLIACCI with La Compagnia di Canto Vittorio Tosto. He returned to Milan in February 2019 to sing further presentations of I PAGLIACCI. Other recent performance credits include: Recital of songs of Rachmaninoff, Rachel Laurin’s LES TROIS FABLE Opus 9, and Gustav Mahler’s DES KNABEN WUNDERHORN with pianist Narmina Afandiyeva at Jeanne Lamon Hall (Toronto) and later at La Roche d’Hys (France), Peter Tongi’s ISIS AND OSIRIS: THE GODS OF EGYPT as the Grand Vizier Khamet (world premier) with Toronto’s Opera in Concert, as Marquis Evrémonde in Victor Davies/Eugene Benson’s TALE OF TWO CITIES (world premier), as well as performances of Jacques Offenbach’s LA VIE PARISIENNE (Baron Gondremark) with the Toronto Operetta Theatre, Angeles Lopez-Artiga’s YO VIVO (for baritone & orchestra) at the Palau des Arts (Valencia, Spain) and in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony as guest artist with the Opera Nacional Bellas Artes (Mexico City) and the Orquesta Sinfónica Silvestre Revueltas in Celaya, México.
As a voice technician and performance coach, Mr. Graham maintains a very active private studio in Toronto and, most recently, workshops in Milan (Italy) and Mexico (Masterclass series: Opera as Theatre). In addition, he is often called upon to adjudicate for exams (graduate level) and music festivals.
Artists in his studio have directly achieved:
- Admittance (full performance scholarship – Graduate level) to McGill University, Conservatoire de Musique de Québec à Montréal, Université de Montréal, Royal Academy of Music (London, England), Britten-Pears School, Manhattan School of Music (New York, USA), Berkley School of Music (Boston, USA)
- 1st Prize winner of the Classical Singer International Singing Competition (New York, New York)
- Prize winners in competitions in Barcelona, Brataslava.
- Engagements for concert, opera and musical theatre in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Chicago, New York, Sarasota, London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Budapest, Prague, Bratislava, Burgos (Bulgaria), Brasov (Romania), as well as Festival Juste Pour Rire, Cirque du Soleil, Shaw Festival.
Can’t come to the concert, but would like to support our event? Please consider donating tickets.
OpéraFest and FORO S Pro Artist Incubator do not rely on public funding. Your donated tickets will go to the students of the Regent Park School of Music and to the YMCA Youth Groups. Your generosity goes a long way to support the creation of dynamic events such as OpéraFest and enable our community cultural outreach. Your gesture is greatly appreciated and we thank you.
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BOX OFFICE:
ONLINE BOX OFFICE CLOSES AT 12PM, Saturday March 23, 2025
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