Saturday March 9, 2024 7:30pm
It’s OPERA! It’s FESTIVE!
It’s a vocal PALOOZA!!
As talent presents itself, we create and OpéraFest is upping its showcase game celebrating the Italian Bel Canto repertoire juxtaposing 4 principal composers Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi with scenes from NORMA, I CAPULETTI E I MONTECCHI, DON PASQUALE, LA CENERENTOLA & UN BALLO IN MASCHERA. This year’s cast is a thrilling and talented group of emerging and established artists featuring sopranos Stephanie DeCiantis, Emily Rocha, mezzo-sopranos Katherine Barr, Daryn Nowlin, tenor Mike Fan, along with our guest tenors from Mexico Christopher González Arellanes and returning artist Alonso Sicairos-Leon, baritones Parker Clements and Gregory Finney, bass-baritone Miguel Sagrero, all under the artistic direction of Stuart Graham, musical direction of the incomparable pianist Narmina Afandiyeva along with renowned operalogue Jeannette Aster as artistic advisor. Do come out this coming Saturday March 9, 2024 at 7:30pm and join us in this high energy musical adventure all in the glorious acoustic of Toronto’s JEANNE LAMON HALL.
Celebrate with us the magic of live performance! We look forward to welcoming you to our audience!
A little souvenir highlight from last year’s edition, featuring returning guest artist Alonso Sicairos Leon…
OUR ARTISTS:
born in Baku (Azerbaijan). A fourth-generation musician, Narmina 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 demand as a 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 the honour to work with Canadian composers, such as Victor Davies and Peter Togni, and enjoys 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.
Stephanie DeCiantis is a ‘top Canadian voice’ (Opera Canada) gaining attention for her “powerful” sound (Jake Evans, the Intelligencer) and “lush musical ebb and flow” (Opera Canada). Recent performances include at the Meermusik festival in Dusseldorf, Germany, as the Overseer in Powerhouse Opera’s Elektra, and as the Soprano Soloist in Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 14 with the Kindred Spirits Orchestra. Stephanie also appeared as Leonora in Opera Sustenda’s production of Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi – a live production as well a full-length feature film; I trovatore: The Movie.
Stephanie’s recent achievements include being named a finalist for Opera America’s ‘Digital Excellence in Opera’ award in November of this year. She has also received recognition as a semi-finalist in the Vincerò World Singing Competition and as a winner and laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques with Thèâtre Lyrichorégra 20. Her notable performances span a range of roles, such as Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci with the Southern Ontario Lyric Opera, Senta in Wagner’s Der Fliegende Höllander with Opera by Request, and Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Brott Opera.
An exciting, silvery soprano with captivating stage presence, Emily Rocha’s past and upcoming performances span Germany, Portugal, Austria, France, Switzerland, England, Romania, Israel, and North America, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall. She is a citizen of Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Portugal.
Emily was the 2nd Prize Winner at COC Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition (2023) at the Canadian Opera Company’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. She will be a Vocal Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in the summer of 2024.
This season, Emily performs the role of Gilda in a concert performance of Rigoletto with Opera by Request, Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra as the 2023 Concerto Competition Winner, as a featured soloist with the Durham Youth Orchestra and the North York Concert Orchestra, and a noon hour recital in collaboration with Helen Becqué, piano, at the University of Toronto’s Walter Hall. She will perform the roles of Adele (Die Fledermaus) and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) on tour with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Vienna-Tel Aviv Vocal Connection (postponed).
Emily has offered dazzling operatic performances as Ernestine (M. Choufleuri restera chez lui le…), Cassandra (Disobedience – premiere), Lucie Manette (A Tale of Two Cities), Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), and Beth Moss (The Tender Land). In a workshop for the new opera Melancholia (Karlsson, Vavrek), premiering in Fall 2023 at the Kungliga Operan, she sang excerpts as Justine.
Katherine, born in Hamilton, Ontario, discovered her passion for singing at the age of nine when she joined the Hamilton Children’s Choir. She is a graduate of Western University and continues her dedication to the stage through active involvement in Toronto’s OIC and TOT companies. As a gifted mezzo-soprano, Katherine marked her professional debut in 2019 by portraying Glascha in Opera in Concert’s rendition of Káťa Kabanová.
In 2022, Katherine continued to push her boundaries taking on new roles as Fanny Nightingale in The Lady with the Lamp, Sister Berthe in The Sound of Music, and most notably, playing both the Witch and the Mother in Hansel and Gretel with Summer Opera Lyric Theatre.
Recently, Katherine had the pleasure of collaborating with international singers through OpéraFest in The Hand of Bridge, where she played Sally and also understudied the role of La Frugola in Il Tabarro.
Katherine is looking forward to playing the role of Romeo; a hopeless romantic and Tisbe, one of the nasty step sisters in the upcoming performance with OpéraFest
Daryn Imani Nowlin is a mezzo-soprano and second year M.Mus student at the University of Western Ontario. Originally from Lamoni, Iowa, she has received two B.A. degrees in vocal performance and English with a minor in creative writing from Graceland University. She is currently studying voice in the studio of Professor Patricia Green. Her performed opera roles include Angelina/Cenerentola from La Cenerentola, the Witch from Hansel and Gretel, La Ciesca and the Notaio from Gianni Schicchi, Zulma from L’italiana in Algeri, and Suor Osmina from Suor Angelica. In addition to opera, Daryn has been the alto soloist for Handel’s Messiah at First St. Andrews church, the alto soloist for Mozart’s Requiem with the Beal Singers and London Symphonia, a featured soloist with pianist Angela Park, a featured soloist in the “Celebrate Women” recital with pianist Megaria Halim, a featured soloist for Western’s Homecoming Recital for alumni, and a featured soloist with the Western Symphony Orchestra as a result of winning the Marista Brookes Concerto Competition in 2023. She also gave a performing lecture at Western University on her SSHRC funded summer research project “American Female Contemporary Composers.” She is always thrilled to have the opportunity to perform and to share the unique power music has in making connections with others.
Tenor Mike Fan | 范祖铭 (they) whose “dramatic side is remarkable” (Barcza Blog) has performed in 11 languages “sung extremely well and acted even better” (Opera Ramblings) across North America, Europe, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Recent performances include the new, season-opening production of Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Canadian Opera Company; world première of Chan’s Dragon’s Tale co-produced by Tapestry Opera, Harbourfront Centre, Soundstreams, and Luminato Festival; and their Scottish début at Edinburgh Fringe’s Spotlight Canada at the invitation of the High Commission of Canada in the UK and supported by Conseil des arts du Canada. In addition to the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Gold Medal and Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques’ Prix Poulenc, Mike has competed for the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona’s Tenor Viñas Competition at the Metropolitan and San Francisco Operas. Mike holds a Masters in Opera & Voice Performance on full scholarship as a SSHRC scholar (McGill University) and trained at Pacific Opera Victoria, Rossini Opera Festival (Italy), and Tampere Conservatoire (Finland). As a passionately committed QTBIPOC+ multi-disciplinary artist, Mike is founding Artistic and Executive Director of Opéra Queens. Upcoming, Mike makes their role débuts as Remendado (Carmen) and Elder Gleaton (Susannah) with Toronto City Opera.
Christopher Gonzalez Arellanes is a Mexican tenor, born in the city of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. Being part of a musical family, he commenced his studies at an early age, with his first encounter with the opera taking place in 2011, where he formed art of the choir in a production of the opera El Elixir de Amor by Gaetano Donizetti in the Coatzacoalcos City Theatre. In 2012, he joined the Camerata Vocal luvenes Vocem, in which he would participate in the 47 days of choral singing in Barcelona, Spain. In the same year, he started his formal studies of singing as a student of Alberto Arellanes, whilst also learning to lay the recorder as a student of Edgar Trujillo.
In 2015, he joined the music faculty at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where he furthered his recorder studies for 2 years under the teaching of recorder players Denia Diaz and Horatio Franco, and started to take classes with Soprano Celia Gomez, who is his current teacher. In 2017, he began his music degree under tenor Alfredo Portilla, forming art of various productions of the UNAM´s opera workshop. He recently finished his degree at the UNAM Faculty of Music. He has received masterclasses from international figures such as tenors Ian Bostridge, Jesus Leon, baritones Olaf Bar, Stuart Graham, Genaro Sulvaran, vocal pedagogues Carlos Aransay and Antonio Juvarra and vocal coaches Rogelio Riojas, Angel Rodriguez, Adrian Salinero and Jeremy Cooke. He has given recitals of opera and lieder repertoire in different national forums such as the theater of the city of Coatzacoalcos, the multipurpose theater, the Clavijero theater, recently he presented a recital at Hombi’s salon in Switzerland as well as a recital at the Church of San Cyprian in London.
Born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México. Alonso Studied in Escuela Nacional de Música de la Universidad Autónoma de México. He is an experienced theater actor, voiceover actor and radio and TV announcer, whose debut was in the Opera Company of Sinaloa, directed by Eric Steinman.
He is known for his vocal and musical versatility, his stage presence and the freedom in which he controls his voice. He has performed roles such as Nemoríno in elisir d´amore by Gaetano Donizetti, Chamaco in the Zarzuela Don Gil de Alcalá by MAnuel Penella, Leandro in La Tabernera del Puerto by Pablo Sorozabal, Aladinno and Genie in the Musical Aladino, Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady, Erik in The Phantom of the Opera, Anselmo in The Man of La Mancha, Lomper in The Full Monty, Marius Pontmercy in Les Miserables, Tamino in La Flauta Mágica de W.A. Mozart, Luigi in ll Tabarro, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Beppe in ll Pagliaci by Rugeiro Leoncavallo, Fenton in Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi, The Young Collector in A Streetcar Named Desire by André Previn, Don José by Mario Lavista (in the City Theater Esperanza Gris commemorating its 100th anniversary), Diegode la Vega (zorro) in el Zorro by H Armienta, Mozart in Mozart & Salieri by Rimski Korsakov, Alfredo Germont in La Traviata and Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto.
Alonso has studied with teachers such as Eric Steinman, Martha Felix, Teresa Rodriguez, Armando Mora, Rogelio Riojas-Nolasco, Alejandra Sandoval, Ted Taylor, Andrés Sarre, Michael Sylvester, Bernardo Villalobos, Guadalupe Campos, Eva Santana, Enrique Patrón de Rueda, Joseph Mc Clain, Nadine Secunde, Jane Dutton Michael Chioldi y Carlos Aransay.
He was a member of the “Ensambe Vocal Naval” and a Soloist in the orchestra and symphonic band of the Army-Navy of Mexico, as well as its institutional voice. Soloist of the monumental orchestra and choir of the Mexican Armed Forces for the 100th anniversary of the institution (army, navy and aerial force) and soloist in the military festivities of the bicentenary of the mexican independence. He has performed in the most important theaters and orchestras in México, as well as international sceneries such as the Esperanza Iris Theater, Palacio de Bellas Artes, National Auditory (Mexico), Fox theater in Tucson, Arizona and Francisco Cardoso theater in São Paulo, Brasil.
He has worked with opera companies such as Escenia Ensamble, Opera Cultura San José, West Bay Opera. He has received a scholarship by the San Miguel Institute of Bel Canto, Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las artes (Mexico) and Taller de Opera de Sinaloa (Mexico). He was a winner of the Sociedad Internacional de Valores de Arte Mexicano prize during the 10th edition of the national singing contest of Sinaloa in 2018. Third place and price by the Southern Arizona Symphonic Orchestra and Orquestra do Rio Grande do Norte (Brasil) in the international voice competition Linus Lerner in 2019. Second place and audience award in the international voice competition Maria Callas in 2019 in São Paulo, Brasil, same place in which he was part of a master class with the amazing tenor Chris Merritt. Finalist in Medici International Music Competition in 2022.
Mr. Sicairos has collaborated with Casa Circulo Cultural in the Día de Muertos festivals in the mexican community in California, USA. He was a winner in the first edition of Raiz México, giras artíticas creating the spectacle “Cantos de la Tierra”.
Currently he is preparing the character El Novio in the opera Bodas de Sangre by Ildemaro Correa, Cuautemoctzin for the epic cantata Cuitlahuárzin by Samuel Zyman, Latin American Live Composers Symphonic Tango by Debora Simcovich and also the spectacle “Mi novia la Soledad” premiered in Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco California in February 2023.
“Alonso is a real histrion. , capable of doing everything on stage”. Manuel Yrizar, Ópera World.
“His voice had a striking purity, an effortlessly liquid golden sound of a tenor in his best moment” Adam Brones, Repeat Performances.
Originally from Prince Edward Island, Parker Clements is a Toronto-based baritone and alumnus of the Diploma of Operatic Performance at the University of Toronto. His role highlights include Creonte (Haydn’s “L’anima del Filosofio”), Malatesta, Des Grieux (Massesenet’s “Le portrait de Manon”), Edmund (Dove’s “Mansfield Park”), Escamillo, Belcore, and Don Giovanni. Parker is also a member of the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir.
Hailing from Cape Breton Island, NS, Gregory Finney has made his entire life on the stage. Starting out studying Theatre/Voice and Speech through the Royal Conservatory of Music he developed a love of Shakespeare and Spoken Text early on. By 16, he would be gaining school credits for his extra-curricular theatre work. Always keen to be on a stage of any sort Gregory sang in any choir that would have him, took piano lessons, played in school band, even founded and directed his High School Dramagroup. His choral background would find him singing in honour and mixed professional choirs right up until his mid-twenties as a member of the Nova Scotia Youth Choir, National Youth Choir, Nova Voce, Mendelssohn Singers and Mendelssohn Choir to name a few. This love of making music with others led him to Musical Theatre which saw him studying Music Theatre and Vocal Performance at Acadia University where he won the Provincial Music Festival at the age of 21. The theatre always had his heart though. After graduating Gregory shifted his focus on fewer choral gigs and shifted to soloist (MESSIAH – Handel, MISSA SOLENNIS – Mozart, REQUIEM – Durufle) and eventually led him to Toronto in 2005. Hitting the ground running he was cast in THE MIKADO (Nanki-Poo) and then A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (Marcus Lycus) followed quickly by BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Narrator/M. D’Arque) and FOOTLOOSE: THE MUSICAL (Rev. Moore). Things changed when he joined the ensemble for Toronto Operetta Theatre (TOT) and their production of THE COUNT OF LUXEMBOURG. His dancing prowess and elegance in period productions saw his resume blossom with loads of operetta and light opera roles. THE BIRDSELLER (Schneck), COUNTESS MARITZA (Prince Popolescu) HMS PINAFORE (Sir Joseph) THE GONDOLIERS (Plaza-Toro) THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER (Popoff) THE MERRY WIDOW (Baron Zeta) and DIE FLEDERMAUS (Prince Orlofsky) being the highlights. No stranger to heavier works either, Gregory has been seen in shows like LA TRAGEDIE DE CARMEN as Escamillo (LOOSE TEA MUSIC THEATRE), STREET SCENE as Abraham Kaplan, (VOICEBOX: Opera By Request) and ADRIANA LECOUVREUR as Michonnet (OPERA BY REQUEST) A lifelong comedian who’s been called “a masterclass in over-the-top, irrepressible physical comedy” by barczablog.com, Gregory revels in the comprimario realm enjoying roles like Benoit/Alcindoro in LA BOHEME, Le Maitre de Plaisirs in CENDRILLION, Bardolfo in FALSTAFF, Leporello in DON GIOVANNI and every male role save the title role in NOZZE DI FIGARO. A Dora Award winner for Outstanding Ensemble for their work on Against The Grain Theatre’s MESSIAH and a nominee for the same award with the same company for FIGARO’S WEDDING, Gregory loves to bring new works to the stage. Whether it’s the World Premiere of KAMOURASKA (Jerome Rolland), TAPTOO! (Ebenezer Hatchway) or A NORTHERN LIGHTS DREAM (Taylor) or the Canadian Premiere of LUISA FERNANDA (El Saboyano), THE COUSIN FROM NOWHERE (Roderich de Weert), or JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA (Dwight/God) he has proven that you really never know where you’re going to see him pop up next. Unless you’re at the Drake Hotel for his monthly hosting spot at ATG’s OPERA PUB. You can also read his op-eds and reviews on the wildly popular opera blog schmopera.com.
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 and in Europe, 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.).
His most recent credits include his solo recital (Dvorak | Poulenc | Mahler) with pianist Namina Afandiyeva (Jeanne Lamon Hall – Toronto, La Roche d’Hys – France). In opera/operetta his most recent roles include Don Hilarión in Toronto Operetta Theatre’s Canadian premier production of Bretón’s zarzuela La Verbena de la Paloma, as Orest (Strauss: Elektra) with Powerhouse Opera, The Doctor (Barber: Vanessa) and Il Principe di Bouillon (Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur) with VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. Stuart has also played 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: 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.
Miguel studied composition at the Royal Northern College of Music. His works include the following premieres: Sweet water poems, 2001; Whale Project (electroacoustic), 2003; String Quartet, 2004; Mini piezas, 2010; A una dama bizca y hermosa, 2011, Incidental music to perform in real time for the movie the Gold Rush, 2012 and the international premiere of the children’s opera “Yorick, El Jorobado” (Yorick, The Hunchback) in Buitrago de Lozoya, Spain, 2015. He studied conducting in Czech Republic and Manchester, U.K. He has conducted in Argentina, Honduras and Mexico. In 1995 he debuted with the role of Dr. Grenvil in the opera La traviata. In 2009 participates with the Orquestra do Norte in its opera season in Portimao, Portugal. In 2010 he made his debut as soloist in Europe with Benoit’s role in the opera La Boheme at the Opera Festival of Obidos, Portugal. In 2011 he was soloist in Samson et Dalila, with Orquestra do Norte in Porto, Portugal. In 2010 he founded and directed the chamber choir “Omnia a Capella”, with which in 2012 was awarded a scholarship by the FONCA. He has received singing lessons from Jean Hornbuckle, Barbara Llanes, Stefano Lovato, Irena Sylya and Carlos Fernandez Aransay latter also Conducting. From 2007 to date, he has performed several operas with the group Opera Omnia, lyric galas, operatic galas and international tours, among those highlight the tour in the Madrid Sierra.
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.
BOX OFFICE:
ONLINE BOX OFFICE CLOSES AT 12PM, Saturday March 9, 2024
If you have come to this concert page via a 3rd party site, in particular any social media platform, chances are that the link you clicked is corrupted with tracking cookies and you came to this notice on the PayPal checkout page…
Hence, the security block when trying to access PayPal and process your ticket purchase. After a week’s long intense troubleshooting with the developer team at PayPal, we discovered that THAT was the issue and that there was a very easy solution. All you have to do is copy and paste this fresh link https://stuartgraham.ca/operafest-2024/ into a fresh browser tab and you should have clean and secure access to the PayPal Checkout function.
If you have further difficulties in trying to process your purchase, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Graham for further assistance.
TEL/SMS/WhatsApp: +1 416 927 9105
EMAIL: info@stuartgraham.ca
ONLINE BOX OFFICE
IS NOW CLOSED
Tickets may be purchased at the venue. Doors open at 6:45pm
AT THE VENUE:
***Cash, Debit and Credit Cards Accepted***
Single: $35 | “Bring-A-Date” (2 tickets): $60
Music Students* & Children (18 yrs of age or under): $10 cash/debit at the door
– The venue doors and box office will be open 1 hour before showtime-
*With valid Student ID
BOX OFFICE POLICIES:
- All tickets are GENERAL SEATING.
- Your PAYPAL receipt acts as your ticket. Please print your receipt or show your PAYPAL email confirmation/receipt on your electronic device for presentation to enter the venue, OR, note your receipt number for verification at the door.
- All tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE. Full refunds will be issued in the case of event cancellation.
- Your online purchase is done through the PAYPAL secured website. We do not collect personal or financial information.
- You ticket purchase will appear on your credit card statement as STUART GRAHAM.
For inquiries about the program or box office, please contact us at:
Tel: +1 416.927.9105
Email: info@stuartgraham.ca
JEANNE LAMON HALL, Trinity-St. Paul Centre, Toronto, Canada