About the Competition

Posted by The Canadian Opera Company

Following auditions in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and New York City attended by Canadian Opera Company administrators, 10 out of a pool of over 160 young, aspiring opera singers have been selected to compete in the final auditions at the inaugural COC Ensemble Studio Competition.

For the first time in the history of the COC, the final auditions for singers seeking to join the Ensemble Studio training program will be made public as a vocal competition.  In addition to an offer of a coveted position in the 2012/2013 Ensemble Studio, the singers will be competing for one of four cash prizes.

A limited number of tickets priced at $30 are now on sale for the COC Ensemble Studio Competition, which takes place on Nov. 28, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Over the course of the two-hour competition, each finalist will perform two arias showcasing their vocal technique and range.  The judging panel will deliberate on location and announce the competition winners at the conclusion of the evening’s event.

Select finalists will be invited to join the 12/13 Ensemble Studio, with the number of offers to be determined by the judging panel.  First, second and third prizes, worth $5,000, $3,000, and $1,500, respectively, will be awarded, in addition to a People’s Choice Award, selected by audience vote, worth $1,500.

The young artists of the COC Ensemble Studio Competition are generously sponsored by Laurie & Fareed Ali, Earlaine Collins, Ninalee Craig, George & Kathy Dembroski, Marjorie & Roy Linden, Trina & Don McQueen, Sue Mortimer in memory of Clive Bennett Mortimer, Colleen Sexsmith, Sandra L. Simpson, Mr. Brian Wilks an two anonymous donors.

The COC Ensemble Studio Competition is presented in part by RBC Foundation and the Hal Jackman Foundation.

About the Judges

The finalists will perform in front of a panel of judges. The judges are:

Alexander Neef, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company

Sandra Gavinchuck, Music Administrator of the Canadian Opera Company

Liz Upchurch, Head of the Ensemble Studio

Wayne Gooding, Editor of Opera Canada

Wendy Nielson, Canadian Soprano, Opera Coach, and Ensemble Studio alumna

Insights from the Finalists

Cecily Carver, the Social and Interactive Media Co-ordinator for the Canadian Opera Company has been posting short statements from each of the finalists. I've linked them on my facebook page and will also link them here as they're posted. Or at least I'll try to. It's easy to fall behind. Way too easy. *L*

Linday Barrett, Soprano from Sudbury, ON

Claire De Sévigné, Soprano from Montreal, QC

Sasha Dijhanian, Soprano from Montreal, QC

Rachel Fenlon, Soprano from Victoria, BC

David Gibbons, Tenor from Red Deer, Alberta

Danielle MacMillan, Mezzo Soprano from Toronto, ON

Owen McCausland, Tenor from St. John, NB

Laura McLean, Soprano from New Glasgow, NS

Cameron McPhail, baritone from Brandon, Manitoba

Aviva-Fortunata Wilks, Soprano from Calgary, AB

Read more and buy tickets:

Thoughts About The Competition

by Brian Hay with Information From the COC

This competition is something that should be of interest to anyone who either enjoys opera or has at least a passing interest in it. Many of the artists who work with COC's ensemble now already have impressive credentials. Mireille Asselin performed as 'Servilla' in Opera Atelier's Production of 'La Clemenza Di Tito' last spring and had the lead in their Production of 'Acis and Galatea' earlier in their season. Ambur Braid played the role of 'Diana' in Opera Atelier's Production of 'Iphigénia' a few years ago. Pianist Timothy Cheung played parts of the score of 'Figaro' at a concert performance that UWO Opera staged in Sarnia earlier this year. He captured the warmth, fun and mischievous playfulness of Mozart's score beautifully. With COC's Ensemble Studio their hope is to hone their skills to a level of excellence that prepares them for any stage in the world. Recent graduate Simone Osborne was stunning in COC's recent production of Rigoletto.

Since its inception in 1980 the COC Ensemble Studio Program has provided the first professional operatic experience for more than 150 young Canadian singers, opera coaches, stage directors and conductors. Graduates include such well known singers as Isabel Bayrakdarian, John Fanning, Robert Gleadow, Ben Heppner, Joseph Kaiser, Allyson McHardy, Jessica Muirhead, Wendy Neilsen, Gidon Saks and Krisztina Szabó. Successful stage directors include Brian Deedrick, Tom Diamond, Roman Hurko and Maer Powell.

The few of these performers I'm familiar with though make this list an impressive one. Isabel Bayrakdarian's work was covered extensively by CBC Radio back in the days when much of their daily programming was dedicated to Classical Music. Some recordings well worth looking at are 'Cleopatra' which she did with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, 'Tango Notturno' and a performance of 'Xerxes' by Handel that's available of DVD. She brings an exquisite sensibility to versions of 'Cleopatra' by Handel's contemporaries and to those by Handel himself. 'Tango Notturno' is a spirited recording that puts the lady's passion for this musical form on full display. The staging of Handel's 'Xerxes' features breathtaking performances by Bayrakdarian, Sandrine Piau and Patricia Bardon. The score is conducted by Christophe Rousset and performed by Les Talens Lyriques. The camera work is good as well which makes this a viable choice for a first look at Handel's Italian Operatic output.

Ben Heppner is well known to any Canadian who likes opera. He was interviewed by CBC a few times as well and those dialogues make it easy to understand why is performances have such an obvious depth of intelligence behind them. He thinks quickly and is able to condense a thought into a concise form with razor-like precision. He also seems genuinely warm, a characteristic that enhances any artistic endeavour. He did a recording of Wagner's Lohengrin with Colin Davis several years ago that answers any questions about why the opera became so popular in the German Provinces at a time when Wagner himself was living in exile for his part in the Dresden uprising of 1849.

Joseph Kaiser is a more recent graduate. His performance in COC's Fall Production of 'Iphigénia in Tauris' was fabulous. He has a wonderfully silly voice but he also has a presence on stage and a theatrical sense that makes him a natural performer. He never looked lost and the emotion he projected carried beautifully throughout the performance. That he was doing it alongside Russell Braun and Susan Graham makes the achievement all the more impressive. A true superstar will almost always look and sound great but if the supporting cast can't stand at the same level they bring the work of the star down to that level.

The work done by COC's Ensemble Studio insures that current performers receive the level of support they deserve. It also also ensures the development of the next generation of performers. Seeing their growth is like getting a sneak preview of the future.

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Soprano Wendy Nielsen
One of Five Judges for the Competition
Opera Coach and Ensemble Studio Alumni
Photo by Ivan Otis
From Colbert Artists Management Page

Canadian Opera Company:
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