Awarded second place at the Canadian Opera Company’s prestigious Centre Stage competition. The Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage is an annual gala and showcase dedicated to discovering and nurturing the next generation of operatic talent. At this prestigious event, emerging opera singers from across Canada compete for a place in the COC Ensemble Studio, Canada’s premier training program for young opera professionals. Held at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Centre Stage features thrilling performances from finalists, offering audiences a glimpse of Canada’s rising opera stars. Winners receive scholarships and the opportunity to join the Ensemble Studio, gaining mentorship, stage experience, and training from leading opera professionals
The Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage Competion -
Second Place Winner!
Commemorate The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation-With Tanya Tegaq, Emma Pennell, and others
Presented by The Royal Conservatory of Music and Koerner Hall October 1st 2024.
To commemorate the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Indigenous artists gather to reflect, pay respect, and to give hope to survivors of residential schools.
Headlined by the internationally celebrated Inuit singer Tanya Tagaq performing with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra conducted by Jennifer Tung, the evening will include healing laughter, storytellers, testimony, traditional drum and dance, an appearance by Elder Jacqui Lavalley, performances by Afro/Indigenous/Colombian/Canadian singer Lido Pimienta, the Manitou Mkwa Singers, Layla Staats, The Glenn Gould School soprano Emma Pennell, and others.
June 2024 -Workshop showing of an opera adaptation of the beloved comedic novel by Thomas King, composed by Ian Cusson, libretto by Royce Vavrek.
A peek behind the curtain at the creative process in a workshop presentation of this light comic story of middle aged couple Mimi and Bird as they face ageing and each other on a spontaneous trip to Prague.
Featuring faculty member Marion Newman in the role of Mimi.
An Against the Grain and Edmonton Opera Commission.
The Glenn Gould School Spring Opera - Mere Marie in Poulenc’s Dialogue des Carmelites
March 2024 - The Glenn Gould School and The Royal Conservatory Orchestra performs Francis Poulenc’s heartbreaking masterpiece ““Dialogues des Carmélites.” Set during the French Revolution, Dialogues des Carmélites tells the story of 16 condemned Carmelite nuns and Blanche de la Force's quest for refuge.
Directed by: Stephen Carr
Conducted by: Nicolas Ellis
Set & Costume Design By: Shannon Lea
Lighting Design By: Jason Hand
Wig Design By: Brooklyn Johnson
The Glenn Gould School’s Chamber Opera - The Skater in Ka Nin Chan’s Ice Time
November 2023 -Students from The Glenn Gould School’s vocal program presented five short and mostly comic works with a common, distinctly quirky Canadian sensibility, all commissioned and premiered by Toronto’s Tapestry Opera between 2002 and 2009. Settings include a park, an ice rink, a hardware store, an ant colony, and a sock drawer.
Peter Tiefenbach returns once again as music director, with director Dana Fridkin and designer Adriana Bogaard.
March 2024 - Shakespeare’s timeless classic The Merry Wives of Windsor, brilliantly set to music by the great Giuseppe Verdi, sees Sir John Falstaff finally get his due. This promises to be a performance of hijinks and fun with the titular role performed by Western Music's own faculty members Theodore Baerg and Chad Louwerse. This is an opera not to be missed for its wonderful music and hilarious comedy. Sung in Italian with English surtitles.