No One's Safe | House Program

Joel is known for pushing the boundaries of opera, and has been called “Canadian opera’s enfant not-so-terrible.” In 2010, he founded Against the Grain Theatre in Toronto and served as its Artistic Director until 2023. Joel has adapted and translated over ten operas presented in unexpected venues, and was named an Arts Hero by The Globe and Mail in 2020 for his work directing the critically-acclaimed digital Messiah/Complex. He has also directed over 50 productions for opera companies across North America and Europe including The Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera, and Minnesota Opera.  He is currently Artistic Director for Edmonton Opera.

Dana is a director, writer and actor.  Directing credits include; Director for Opera Excerpt Showcase (Laurier University), assistant director Die Fledermaus and The Magic Flute (Glenn Gould School), revival director Brundibar (Canadian Children’s Opera Company) and assistant director A Little Too Cozy and Atg’s Messiah (Against the Grain Theatre). Performance credits include: the title role in Candida (Classical Theatre Festival, Hogtown (The Campbell House), The Things We Do For Love and The Servant of Two Masters (Odyssey Theatre, Prix Rideau Award best actress).  Writing credits include; The Belle of Winnipeg (Dora Award), The Last Man on Earth and Gold Fever (NOW magazine top ten new plays), Satisfaction (Platinum Award, Audience Choice Award) and Case of the Massey Bodice Ripping (Best short Venice Short Film Festival).

Conductor, pianist and vocal coach, Topher Mokrzewski is a steadily rising figure in the world of Canadian opera. He is currently Music Director of the acclaimed Toronto indie opera company Against the Grain Theatre, is Music Director of the Opera in the 21st Century program at Banff Centre and recently completed four seasons as Resident Conductor of Calgary Opera. A graduate of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio and the Eastman School of Music, he is frequently sought as a soloist, collaborator and music director. He has served on the music staff of the Canadian Opera Company, Opera Atelier, the Chautauqua Institute, Highlands Opera Studio, among others.

Recent conducting engagements of note include: Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, South Pacific and The Mikado at Calgary Opera, Vivier's Kopernikus and Britten's The Rape of Lucretia at Banff Centre and the Toronto Summer Music Festival, Handel's Messiah, Bound (a reimagined updated Handel project) and the critically acclaimed production of A Little Too Cozy with AtG, Corigliano’s Mr. Tambourine Man at the Glenn Gould School and a concert of Armenian music with soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and the McGill Chamber Orchestra.

As pianist, Topher recently performed Messiaen's titanic Turangalîla Symphonie with the Calgary Philharmonic and served as Master Clinician for Tapestry Opera’s Songbook training program.

The remainder of 2018 sees Mokrzewski returning to Against the Grain Theatre, as well as the Banff Centre, where he will conduct Gluck's Orphèe et Eurydice and Bernstein’s Candide.

A Toronto native, Mokrzewski has been described by music critic John Terauds as "one of those bright, eager, whip-smart young artists who could give even the most hardened cynic a jolt of optimism about the future of classical music and opera..." and was named one of CBC Music's "Hot 30 Classical Musicians under 30" in 2013.

Called “a brilliant musical scientist” (CBC), “breathtakingly inventive” (Sydney Times Herald), and “utterly inspiring” (I Care If You Listen), award winning composer and filmmaker Nicole Lizée explores themes of malfunction, turntablism, rave culture, urbex, film theory, psychedelia, game culture, experimental fashion, and thrash metal to create a new kind of expression.

Nicole’s works are regularly performed worldwide to international acclaim. Her commission list of over 60 works includes the Kronos Quartet, BBC Proms, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Bang On A Can, National Arts Centre Orchestra, l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Sō Percussion.

Awards include the 2024 JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the Year, the 2023 Music Critics Association of North America Award for Best New Opera, the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Opera, the Prix Opus for Composer of the Year, and the Canada Council Jules Léger Prize for Chamber Music.

Adriana Bogaard is a graduate of the National Theatre School’s Set and Costume design program and UBC’s Drama and Film department. She has designed sets, costumes, lights, props, and puppets for companies including Caravan Farm Theatre, Harthouse Theatre, The Howland Company, Nightwood Theatre, The Canadian Children’s Opera Company, Against the Grain Theatre, and The Banff Centre. Originally from Nelson, British Columbia, she is a three-time recipient of the BC Arts Council’s Scholarship for outstanding students of the arts. Also a scenic painter and an assistant art director in the film industry, she lives and works in Toronto.  

Originally from southwestern Ontario, Chantal is a Montreal based lighting designer and a recent graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada (NTSC). In the past year she lit for Ondinnok, Imago Theatre, The Great Canadian Theatre Company, Théâtre la Catapulte, Théâtre du Trillium, Vox Théâtre, and Théâtre Français de Toronto among others. She has also worked on lighting installations at the Complexe Desjardins and continues to work alongside lighting designer Nicolas Ricard in numerous events and festivals. In 2016 and 2017, Chantal won a Rideau Award for best lighting design of the year for On Verra (Théâtre du Trillium, Ottawa) and Les Passants (co-production between Théâtre la Catapulte and GCTC, Ottawa). In addition to designing, Chantal also tours internationally with la Compagnie Marie Chouinard as their main lighting manager. Chantal is thrilled to be back in Banff this summer to work along side Joel Ivany

Kate Porter is a Toronto-based stage manager, working in both opera and theatre. Last summer she stage managed No One’s Safe, at Banff Centre, and The Secret Garden, in 2012. She has spent fifteen seasons as assistant stage manager at the Canadian Opera Company, where she was recently the stage manager for Robert Wilson’s Turandot, as well as La Bohème, L'elisir d'amore, and Götterdämmerung. At Vancouver Opera, she has stage managed Dead Man Walking and Carmen, both directed by Joel Ivany, The Overcoat, a musical tailoring (co-produced with Tapestry Opera and Canadian Stage), and Rigoletto. She also spent three seasons as assistant stage manager at the Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland. Her recent theatre credits include A Million Billion Pieces (Young People’s Theatre), We Are Not Alone (Crow's Theatre), and What a Young Wife Ought to Know (2b theatre company).

Marcie Januska has been working as an arts administrator and stage manager for over 20 years. She is the co-founder and Producer at reWork Productions (reWorkproductions.com), and Co-Producer at Spontaneous Theatre/Northan Industries. She has also worked in a producer/associate position for Coal Mine Theatre, Theatre Direct, Eldritch Theatre, and fu-GEN Theatre.  She has held administrative positions at Vancouver Opera and Calgary International Children’s Festival. As a stage manager, she worked on over 150 shows, including over 45 new plays, with companies across Canada. She has worked as a mentor to emerging stage managers throughout her career, most recently at the National Theatre School of Canada, her alma mater. 

Johnathon Kirby is a baritone from Newmarket, Ontario who is building a national reputation for his vocal skill, stage presence and energetic enthusiasm for every project he is a part of. He went to Dalhousie University, The Glenn Gould School, and completed two years in the Calgary Opera Emerging artist program. He made his professional debut with Opera Nova Scotia and has returned for five seasons as a featured lead. Kirby has performed in numerous concerts and recitals; his most recent oratorio was Haydn’s The Creation as Raphael and Adam with The Festival Chorus in Calgary. With Calgary Opera, Kirby performed such roles as Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin, Angelotti in Tosca and Don Alphonso in Cosi fan Tutte. Ending his 2017-2018 season Johnathon returned to Toronto to perform Figaro in The Barber of Seville with Opera Five, receiving critical acclaim for his performance. Kirby begins his 2018-2019 season debuting with Manitoba Opera in the role of Masetto. Visit www.johnathonkirby.com for more details.

Praised by international publications, soprano Lara Secord-Haid has been described as “possessing a rich and expressive overall quality” (Attencion San Miguel), “charismatic” (Opera Today) and was praised for her “flinty acuity” by the New York Times.

Ms. Secord-Haid is enjoying a dynamic international career. Recent performances: a concert at Linz Oper (Austria), Poulenc’s Gloria with Greenwich Chorale Society, Micaëla in La Tragedie de Carmen (City Lyric Opera), soloist in Salute to Bernstein (Little Opera Winnipeg).
Upcoming: The Governess in The Turn of the Screw (Nashville Opera) and Frasquita in Carmen (Manitoba Opera).

She holds degrees from New England Conservatory and the Juilliard school.

Originally from Jalisco, Mexico, Carlos Arambula attended the Bachelor of Singing at the Conservatory of music in Chihuahua.

He was a fellow of the Sinaloa Opera Workshop under the guidance of teachers Carlos Serrano and David Ramírez, during the third and fourth generation, and afterwards he continued his preparation in the workshop of the SIVAM.

He has participated in productions by Gianni Schicchi in Zacatecas, Zapopan and in the esplanade of the Palace of Fine Arts, as well as in La Fanciulla del West by Puccini in the Palace of Fine Arts. He sang the role of El Conde in Las bodas de Fígaro by Mozart in Talqná hall in Xalapa, Veracruz under the musical direction of Lanfranco Marcelletti and in the theater Nazas of Torreón, Coahuila directed by Ramón Shade.

Carlos recently participated in the Rossini Gala with the tenor Javier Camarena and in the tribute to the tenor Ramón Vargas in the Palace of Fine Arts.

He was the 2017-2018 beneficiary of the Study of the Opera of Fine Arts, INBA-Fonca.

Canadian mezzo soprano, Georgia Burashko, is thrilled to spend her 18/19 year as a Rebanks family fellow at the Glenn Gould School. She recently finished a Master’s degree in Opera Performance from the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Laura Tucker. Georgia received her BMus of vocal performance at McGill University's Schulich School of Music. She previously studied with celebrated Canadian soprano Mary Morrison and has participated in summer festivals such as The International Vocal Arts Institute (IVAI), The Canadian Vocal Arts Institute (ICAV), St. Andrews by the Sea Opera Workshop, Tafelmusik Baroque Institute, Opera in the 21st Century at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity and the Neil Semer Voice Institute (NSVI). Recent operatic roles Georgia has performed include Juno in Orphee aux Enfers, Tirinto in Imeneo, Zosha in Farewell Auschwitz, and most recently, Zerlina  in Don Giovanni in which she was praised for her 'heartfelt delivery, her luminous voice matching her radiant beauty’ (Opera Canada). Up next for Georgia is Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen at the Sony Centre in early October 2018.

Born of Greek and Italian descent, tenor Elias Theocharidis has attended programs such as the Chautauqua Institution, SongFest & St. Andrew's by-the-Sea Workshops. Elias sings the role of Daniel Buchanan in the University of Toronto Opera’s production of Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. In the Summer of 2019, Elias will perform the role of Alex Bello in Lizée/Ivany’s No One’s Safe at The Banff Centre of the Arts: Opera in the 21st Century Program and will be an Art of Song Fellow at the Toronto Summer Music Academy Festival. In November 2018, Elias was a Finalist in the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal National Auditions’ Callback Competition and Gala. In his 4th and final year, he studies at the University of Toronto pursuing an undergraduate degree in Classical Voice in Performance. Elias is under the tutelage of renowned soprano Wendy Nielsen and Belgian pianist Helen Becqué.

Admired for her rapid coloratura and present sound, Canadian coloratura soprano Sarah Dufresne has recently completed her Masters of Music in Voice and Opera at McGill University. This past winter Sarah was awarded an Encouragement Award at the 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions and competed as a finalist in McGill University’s prestigious Wirth Vocal Prize Competition. Sarah recently sang the role of Queen of the Night in Opera McGill’s production of Die Zauberflöte. Other recent roles include Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring (Opera McGill) and Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Halifax Summer Opera Festival). Sarah has also participated in a masterclass with Soile Isokoski at the Concours Musical International de Montreal competition and has been a featured young performer on WNED Radio Buffalo/Toronto.

Soprano Alexandra Smither is making a name for herself in the worlds of both old and new music. With a vocal technique described as “beautiful, elegant, and masterfully manipulated” (Schmopera), she was named one of Canadian Broadcasting Co’s 2017 “30 Young Hot Classical Musicians Under 30”. Grand prize winner at the 2017 Eckhardt-Gramatée Competition, earning both first prize and the prize for best performance of the commissioned work, Nicole Lizee’s Malfunctionlieder, Ms. Smither has been making a name for herself in the worlds of old and new music. She made her triumphant debut with Houston Grand Opera in the Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied, later returning as Diana in Cruzar la cara de la luna. As a soprano fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival (2017/2018), she performed in concerts alongside Emmanuel Ax, Thomas Ades, Stefan Asbury, and the TMC Orchestra. She has performed with numerous organizations including the Wyoming Symphony, the Baryshnikov Arts Center, the Banff Centre, Ars Lyrica, BARE Opera, and many more. For more information please visit: www.alexandrasmither.com

Andrew Adridge (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist and opera producer based in Toronto with a passion for equity and industry reform. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto holding both a Bachelor of Music Performance in Voice and a Master of Music in Opera. He has performed as a soloist in Canada and the United States with companies such as Soundstreams and Against the Grain Theatre and on such stages as the Four Seasons Centre of the Performing Arts and the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C. He recently made his debut as a stage director with Edmonton Opera directing the 2022 Valentine’s Day Gala and has since worked with Against the Grain Theatre and the Canadian Opera Company as an Assistant Director. He has worked as an arts administrator with such organizations as the Association for Opera in Canada and Tapestry Opera and currently works in Artistic Operations with Against the Grain Theatre under the Metcalf Foundation Internship program. Andrew’s recognizable commitment to EDIJA advancement in the arts sector has made him sought after as a panellist, consultant, and outlet contributor. He is the Co-Founder of the national arts collective Opera InReach.

Midori Marsh is a Canadian-American soprano from Cleveland, Ohio. She received her BMus in Honours Voice Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2017, and her opera diploma in 2018, studying with mezzo soprano Kimberly Barber. Her opera roles performed include Antonia in Les contes D’Hoffmann and Laurie Moss in The Tender Land, both with Laurier Opera, Magda Sorel in The Consul with Long Reach Opera Workshop, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Portland Summer Opera Workshop. Recent roles include Rose Maurrant in Street Scene and Arminda in La Finta Giardiniera, both with U of T Opera, where she is currently attending graduate school to receive her MMus degree in opera, studying with Wendy Nielsen.

Kyle Brenders, Program Manager for Performing Arts at Banff Centre, has a career shaped by his own experiences as a creator and producer of contemporary music. Brenders received an MA in Experimental Music at Wesleyan University studying with American maverick composers Alvin Lucier and Anthony Braxton. After completing this degree, Brenders moved to Toronto where he established himself as a performer and composer in the city’s contemporary music scenes. As Artistic Associate for Soundstreams Canada, Brenders helped develop their digital initiatives including the live-stream production of all their concerts and diversified their artistic programs through the introduction of the Ear Candy series and expansion of Salon21 outreach events. Brenders served as the President of the Canadian New Music Network from 2014-16 helping to develop year round strategies to create an inclusive national organization. 

As a saxophonist, Brenders has worked with Ab Baars, Bry Webb, Caribou, Bobby McFerrin, Jean Derome, Roscoe Mitchell, Tanya Tagaq, The Australian Art Orchestra, Evan Parker, Marshall Allen, and Mary Halverson. Brenders strives to create artistic work and residencies that provide an audience (and performers) with a feeling of suspended time. Brenders wants the audience to experience the performance at hand; to be mindful of the events that are occurring and experience the weight of the performance. By supporting the performing arts through multiple entry points (stylistic and/or aesthetic) Brenders aims to generate work that allows an audience to discover something that resonates within themselves.

From the music scene in Toronto to the vibrant sound stages of Los Angeles, flautist Laura is frequently sought after in many artistic collaborations. Currently acting Principal of the London Symphonia, Laura also performs with The Niagara Symphony and the Aradia Ensemble and has worked with the National Ballet of Canada. In 2017 she played in an epic performance of The Rite of Spring at Burning Man. Laura is a founding member of “The Charm of Finches”, Canada’s sole professional flute quintet. She can be heard on the 2018 Juno nominated soundtrack Cuphead and is currently pursuing a Doctorate at York University.

In his final year of a Licentiate at McGill with Amy Horvey, Duncan Campbell has enriched his artistic practice through immersion in diverse styles. On baroque trumpet, he appears with Ensemble Caprice, SMAM and Clavecin en Concert. On modern trumpet, he appears with the Orchestre Symphonique de l’Agora and the Société de la Musique Contemporaine de Québec. Last year, he collaborated with students at the National Theatre School to create an improvisatory live soundtrack for Roberto Zucco by Bernard-Marie Koltès. He is also a countertenor, singing at the church of St. Andrew and St. Paul with Jean-Sebastien Vallee.

Veda Hingert-McDonald is a violinist, composer, and theatre artist currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in violin performance at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she studies with Jerzy Kaplanek and the Penderecki String Quartet. She has recently performed at NUMUS Concerts, Open Ears Festival, Summer Music Vancouver, Soulpepper Theatre Company, and Paprika Theatre Festival.  In her compositions Veda explores the theatrical side of music by employing poetry and staging effects. She is also a member of Erso: a singer-songwriter duo focused on nature and environmental conservation. Veda is an all-seasons cyclist, and loves hugs, trees, and hugging trees.

British cellist Sophie Gledhill enjoys a varied career both on and under the stage, performing with orchestras (BBC Symphony Orchestra), as an actor-musician (Opera for the Unknown Woman), for opera (English National Opera), ballet (Royal Ballet Sinfonia) and on the West End (Les Misérables). She studied music at the University of Cambridge before receiving a master's degree in cello performance at the Eastman School of Music, USA. Sophie is delighted to return to Banff Centre this summer, having occupied the role of Artistic Associate for Banff Musicians in Residence Winter 2019.

From playing banjo with orchestra, to electric guitar in the musical theater pit, to collaborations in rock/art-pop bands and her work with Jess Tsang as party of one, Liz Faure wants to do it all. In addition to exploring new experiences, instruments, and electronic capabilities, Liz cherishes the intimacy of the classical guitar with her work as an accompanist and solo composer/performer. Liz graduated from Yale School of Music with her master’s in performance and holds a bachelor’s degree from Mannes. Her hopes and dreams include learning every plucked instrument in existence and exploring America’s backcountry.

Tom Fleming is a guitarist, bassist, arranger, and producer based in the UK. His performing work encompasses musical theatre in London’s West End (Broken Wings), contemporary opera (The Electrictionary), touring shows including The Johnny Cash Roadshow and an eclectic range of ensembles from jazz trios to Scottish and Irish folk bands. As an arranger and producer, Tom played a major role in the creation of Trinity College London’s acclaimed Rock & Pop grade exam syllabus. He graduated from Leeds College of Music with a degree in Jazz Studies.

Native of France, Matt Dupont began the harp at the age of eight. Since then, he fell in love with the instrument. He obtained a Bachelor of Music and Musicology in 2013 at the prestigious Paris-Sorbonne Paris IV University while completing a music degree at the Paris Centre Conservatory.  The next year, Matt received a scholarship from the Soochow University to study at the brand new Soochow University School of Music under the tutelage of Nicolas Tulliez in China. On his way to discover the world, he moved to Canada. Matt graduated from a Master of Music in 2017, in the studio of Heidi Krutzen at the University of British Columbia. During summer 2016, Matt was chosen to feature with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada as Principal Harp for their Portugal tour. Finally, Matt decided to finish his studies at the University of Montreal. There, he received the Jamet-Lardé merit scholarship and graduated from an Artist Diploma under the tutelage of Caroline Lizotte in May 2018.

A former trombonist, Austin Lewellen found his calling when the bass player in his high school jazz band was arrested for possession. Well-versed in both orchestral and contemporary music, he holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and Rice University. Outside of his studies, Austin is a Young Artist with Da Camera of Houston; a founding member of Loop38, a Houston-based new music ensemble; and an active member of Lynn Lane’s Transitory Sound and Movement Collective, a multidisciplinary improvisatory ensemble. When Austin isn’t playing bass, you can often find him out on a run, or at his second job as a coffee roaster.

Holly is an operatic vocal coach, collaborative pianist and répétiteur based in Montreal, QC. A graduate of Opera de Montreal’s Atelier Lyrique Young Artist Training Program (2018-2021), she currently works as Artistic and Administrative associate for the program. Most recently, Holly worked as principal repetiteur on Don Giovanni (NAC, Ottawa/Banff Arts Centre), Cosi Fan Tutte (Opéra Kelowna) and Le Nozze di Figaro (Opéra de Montréal).

This year, Holly was also seen on projects such as Bluebeard’s Castle (Against the Grain Theatre), Madama Butterfly (Opera de Montreal), as well as a new music workshops of Cusson/Vavrek’s Indians on Vacation, as well Ricketts/Vavrek’s Cremation of Sam McGee. 

Other production credits include Riders to the Sea/Le Flambeau de la nuit by Vaughn Williams/Tanguay-Labrosse (Opera de Montreal), Bizet’s Les pecheurs de perles (Jeunesse Musicales du Canada) , Cosi Fan Tutte (Edmonton Opera) and Die Zauberflote (Opera de Montreal), and Prestini/Vavrek’s Silent Light (Banff Centre). 

Andrea Van Pelt is a collaborative pianist and vocal coach from Toronto, Ontario. She holds a Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano and a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from the University of Toronto, and a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from McGill University. She is an alumna of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the Franz-Schubert-Institut, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Opera NUOVA, and the Accademia Europea dell'Opera. Ms. Van Pelt has performed as a soloist and collaborator in Canada and internationally. She is currently the music director at Oak Hill Academy in Hamilton, Ontario, and works as a vocal coach and accompanist at the University of Toronto.

@vanpeltandrea

A graduate from the Manhattan School of Music and the Université de Montréal, Marie-Ève Scarfone has a distinguished career as a pianist both in Canada and abroad. She has performed across North America as well as in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. As a recitalist and chamber musician, she has been the guest of many festivals including Centro Històrico (Mexico), Printemps musical de Silly (Belgium), Flâneries musicales de Reims (France), Louvre Thursday Concerts (Paris), The Song Continues (Carnegie Hall, New York), Debut Atlantic, the Domaine Forget International Festival, the Orford Festival, the MSO’s Virée Classique, the Lanaudière International Festival and the Montreal Vocal Art Society, to name a few.

Recently appointed Head Coach at the Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier Lyrique, Marie-Ève Scarfone has a great love for vocal art. She has been musical director of various opera productions, including at the Wexford Festival Opera (Ireland) and the Opéra de Québec. Ms. Scarfone also works as a vocal coach at McGill University, as a repetiteur at the Opéra de Montréal and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra as well as an official pianist at the Montreal International Musical Competition.

Winner of the Marilyn Horne Foundation Song Competition Piano Award and the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation Award, she has received several awards from the Opéra de Montréal during her training at the Atelier Lyrique. Her recordings with various artists have been acclaimed by international critics and have been selected for many awards.
 

Rebecca Northan is a professional actor, director, playwright, and producer. Through her company, Spontaneous Theatre, she creates original theatrical pieces which invite one audience member on stage to play a lead role. Rebecca has been a Guest Instructor at the Canadian Film Centre, the University of Calgary, and Stratford Festival Academy, the Shaw Festival.

Sandra Horst is a conductor and educator based in Toronto. In addition to making her conducting debut with the Canadian Opera Company in Il viaggio a Reims, she is also the Price Family Chorus Master, with repertoire spanning more than 70 operas.

As Director of Musical Studies for Opera at the University of Toronto she has conducted repertoire on the main stage ranging from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, to Gershwin’s Of Thee I Sing. Last fall, with the first live audience in three years, she conducted a triple bill of Hin und Zurück (Hindemith), Monsieur Choufleuri (Offenbach) and Gallantry (Moore) and in spring, Arthur Benjamin’s A Tale of Two Cities. 

Sandra was a guest faculty member of Open Space: Opera in the 21st Century at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity and she is also a frequent Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition judge. Ms Horst served as Chorus Master and audition consultant for Opera Theatre of St Louis, Chorus Master for Edmonton Opera, and has been on the music staff of the Canadian Opera Company, Juilliard Opera Centre, Chautauqua Institute School of Singing, Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Ontario. She currently serves as an industry mentor for Tapestry Opera’s Women in Musical Leadership program. 
Recognized as one of the 100 Alumni of Achievement, in 2019 she received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Wilfrid Laurier University and holds a Masters degree in Accompaniment from New England Conservatory, Boston. An active collaborator, she has been heard in recital with Brandon Cedel, Michael Schade and Marie Berard, Erin Wall, Myles Mykkanen and Elena Tsaligova. Recent conducting performances include Orphée+ with Edmonton Opera and Florence, the Lady with the Lamp with Voicebox: Opera in Concert. 

Canadian mezzo-soprano Judith Forst has sung with most major opera companies throughout North America and Europe, including over 250 performances with the New York Metropolitan Opera. She has performed frequently with the San Francisco Opera Company, the Chicago Lyric Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, Dallas Opera, Houston Lyric Opera, New York City Opera and the Vancouver Opera Association. Recent European engagements have included performances in Italy, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. She made her debut at Italy’s legendary La Scala in 2006 singing Kabachinka in Janacek’s Kata Kabanova. Ms. Forst’s most recent North American successes have included highly-acclaimed performances as Kabachinka at the Met, Kostelnika in Janacek’s Jenufa with the Dallas Opera, and Dead Man Walking with the Pittsburgh Opera. She has sung for over 10 seasons with the Santa Fe Opera. Her 2013 performances of the Old Prioress in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites with the Canadian Opera Company were hailed as “emotionally shattering” and “magnificent.”

Ms. Forst scored a personal and critical triumph in 2010 with her world premiere performance as Lillian Alling with the Vancouver Opera Association. She performed another world premiere with the Calgary Opera in January 2011, singing in Bramwell Tovey’s The Inventor.

An award nominated actor and director Amanda Liz has been active in both professional and semi-professional theatre, Film and Television for 22+ years. Amanda has worked as an actor advocate and Intimacy coordinator/director for the last 6 years and is currently certified with Intimacy Directors International. For theatre: Lo or ( Dear Mr Wells) Neptune Theatre, Sex with Strangers ( DIY theatre, Theatre Canmore), I Hate Hamlet, Then the lights went out (Pine tree Players) For film & TV: Upload (Reunion Upload productions), The Magicians S.5 ( NBC Universal), Motherland: Fort Salem (Fullform), Canmore Town. Amanda works internationally assisting in creating safe workplaces for artists on both stage and film sets. Currently, Amanda is in the process of creating a physical movement lexicon for Intimacy which hopefully will be published by 2021. amandacutting.com

John is a Calgary based theatre artist and educator. He is a Certified Instructor with The Academy of Fight Directors Canada and the proprietor of Knight Fights (www.knightfights.ca). Selected fight direction credits include: Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing (The Shakespeare Company), Filumena (Calgary Opera), A Streetcar Named Desire, Wolf on the Ringstrasse (Spirit Fire Theatre), and The Monument (Theatre of Consequence). John shares his life with his brilliant wife and two spirited daughters, for which he is ever thankful.