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Simone Osborne
Angela Meade
David DQ Lee

Audrey Elizabeth Luna
Amy Hansen
Rhoslyn Jones
Angela Niederloh
Jordan Shanahan
Erica Brookhyser
Anya Matanovic
Lawrence Brownlee
David Bedard
Keith Harris
Lambroula Maria Pappas
Philippe Castagner

 

  SIMONE OSBORNE,  soprano  
Winner, Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals Concert, February 24, 2008, New York City.

BIRTHPLACE Vancouver, British Columbia, age 21

Currently studying at the University of British Columbia, Simone Osborne was the 2007 winner of the International Czech and Slovak Voice Competition. She has sung Mařenka in The Bartered Bride, Musetta in La Bohème and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with the UBC Opera and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and Atalanta in Xerxes with North Bohemian Opera. She has also sung Strauss’s Brentano Lieder in concert with UBC Symphony, and appeared in solo recitals across British Columbia. (Northwest Region)

http://www.simoneosborne.com

  

 

ANGELA MEADE, soprano

Winner, Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals Concert, April 1, 2007, New York City.

With a voice hailed as “limpid and pure with the ability to hold audiences breathless,” Angela Meade is one of the most promising young talents on the opera scene.  Ms. Meade has been busy collecting top prizes from several major competitions including being a grand prize winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and first place in both the opera and operetta divisions of the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition, the first singer in the competition history to win first place in both categories.

Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Semifinals

“Angela Meade powered out a ‘Casta Diva’ from Bellini’s ‘Norma’ that left everyone  breathless.”

The New York Times    

 

Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Finals

“More energy from the pit, rather than the gentle but leisurely approach of the conductor might have helped. Even for Angela Meade, an impressive soprano, more spark would have benefited ‘Ach, ich liebte’ from Mozart’s ‘Entführung aus dem Serail’, a small-scale choice for a strong voice that proceeded to let loose with ease and authority in ‘Casta Diva’ from  Bellini's ‘Norma’.  She was certainly a deserving winner.”

The New York Times

 

She is also a first prize winner of the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Competition whichled to her Alice Tully Hall debut as well as first place in the opera division of The Liederkranz Foundation Competition which led to her Carnegie Hall debut.  She was also a first place winner in the Violetta Du Pont Opera at Florham Competition and the James Parkinson Foundation Opera Competition. Ms. Meade’s long list of awards and honors also includes second place in the National Opera Association Competition, the Opera Index Competition, the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation Competition, the Giargiari Bel Canto Competition, fifth place in the Loren L. Zachary Competition, international grand finalist in the World Voice Masters Competition in Monaco, Young Artist of the Year in the National Association of Teachers of Singing of Los Angeles Competition and an international semi-finalist in Placido Domingo’s Operalia Competition. She has also been a three time grant recipient from the Gerda Lissner Foundation and was recently awarded grants from both the George London Foundation and from Career Bridges Foundation in New York.   

 

Ms. Meade’s upcoming engagements include her debut season with the Metropolitan Opera covering Elvira in Verdi's Ernani, as well as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and Leonora in La forza del destino, both with the Academy of Vocal Arts and she will make her debut with the Pasadena Symphony in Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Other operatic credits include Agathe in Der Freischütz, the title role in Handel’s Agrippina, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Mme. Herz in Der Schauspieldirektor, Die Königin der Nacht and Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte, and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus. Solo concert engagements include the world premiere of Valery Kikta’s La Luce delle tacite stelle at the World Harp Congress in Switzerland, the world premiere of Jorge Martin's Stronger than Darkness and Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Monmouth Civic Chorus, Verdi’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah with the Pacific Lutheran University Symphony, Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Santa Monica Chamber Orchestra and Rossini’s Stabat Mater with the Academy of Vocal Arts.

 

Angela Meade is affiliated with Astral Artistic Services of Philadelphia.  

 

  DAVID DQ LEE, countertenor

David DQ Lee is fast establishing an enviable reputation among countertenors of his generation as mentioned by Elissa Poole in the Globe and Mail, “With a powerful instrument and high A’s to rival any mezzos, reinterprets the same kind of voice as something voluptuous and exotic.” An award winner of numerous international competitions; such as Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Queen Elizabeth International Competition in Belgium, Musica Sacra International Competition in Italy, Rosa Ponselle International Vocal Competition, Young Concert Artist inc International Competition to name a few. With his wide repertoire range from Baroque to Contemporary and Jazz to Opera and New Age, he is at ease singing in operas as well as in concerts in collaboration with many international Orchestras and Opera Companies working with many re-known Conductors in the past, such as Christoph Eschenbach, Timothy Vernon, Andrey Boreykyo, Sergiu Comissiona, Edoardo Müller, and Carlos Miguel Prieto to name a few. He has recently released two Recordings titled “Arianna a Naxos” and “Bach Cantatas vol. 2” both under the Label: ATMA classique. In 2006, he will have Two more new recordings titled “Aeterna Romantica” singing duets with Natalie Choquette and another Solo recording of Arias titled “Reflection” accompanied by the Prague Philharmonia Orchestra. In recent performances, Mr. Lee made his Montreal Symphony Orchestra Debut performing Handel’s Messiah and another Debut performance of Celebrated Handel Arias with the Orchestra London Canada. He will perform the Messiah with the London Orchestra again in 2006. In Pop stage, he shared a stage with the World re-known New Age group, “Secret Garden” of Norway and a Jazz Christmas Concert with Ron Branton’s Jazz group. In addition, he will make his debut appearance at the Vienna Volksoper in Austria singing Oberon from Britten’s “Midsummer night’s Dream” in November 2006, Musica Sacra Concert in Rome, Italy, and Solo Recitals in Korea

http://daviddongqyulee.tripod.com/

 

     AUDREY ELIZABETH LUNA

Soprano Audrey Elizabeth Luna stepped in last season as the Queen of the Night for the entire run of Die Zauberflöte with The Pittsburgh Opera. Her success with the role takes her to Opera Ontario next October. This season in Pittsburgh brings the Controller in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, the student matinee and cover of Giulietta in The Capulets & the Montagues, and cover of Adina in The Elixir of Love. Ms. Luna's current season includes her debut with Hawaii Opera as Juliette in Romeo et Juliette and Anne in A Little Night Music.  Future seasons include Blonde in Abduction of the Seralio with Hawaii Opera, Cunegonde with Toledo Opera and the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with National Philharmonic Orchestra in Bethesda, Maryland. Other roles include Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Portland Opera Music Festival, Gilda with Aspen Opera, Adina with Bel Canto Northwest, Erisbe in Cavalli’s Ormindo with Pittsburgh Opera and Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel with Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.  In recent years Ms. Luna has been awarded first place in the Altamura/Caruso International Voice Competition and the Eleanor Lieber Awards, an encouragement grant from the George London Foundation, and prizes from the Giulio Gari Foundation, Elardo International Opera Competition, Liederkranz Foundation, Lee Schaenen Foundation, Gerda Lissner Foundation, and Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

 

(Webmaster's note) Ms. Luna competed in the NW Regional MONC Metropolitan Opera Regional  Audition 2006  in Seattle and won $6,000 2nd prize as well as $1,000 PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD. Ms. Luna then went on to win First Place (and $10,000) one week later at the biennial Eleanor Lieber competition in Portland. 

 

  Amy Hansen

American soprano Amy Hansen has been hailed as an "impressive diva" (The Columbian), "stellar", her voice "clear yet rich and vibrant". (Oregonian) In performances across the United States, Europe and Asia, she has charmed audiences as Norina in Don Pasquale, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Musetta in La Bohème, and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel under notable conductors such as Robert Spano, Imre Pallo, and Paul Nadler. Her recent roles include Don Giovanni’s Donna Anna, L’Elisir d’Amore’s Anina, and Despina in Portland Opera and Brooklyn Philharmonic productions of Così fan tutte. Concert highlights include New Year's Eve at the Kennedy Center, Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with the Oregon Symphony, and opera arias in a gala series with the New Israeli Opera.

Ms. Hansen graduated with honors from Oberlin College Conservatory and, after studies at Indiana University, concertized extensively as a resident artist with the Portland Opera 1996-98. She is a Metropolitan Opera Auditions regional finalist, Ellen Faull Gordon vocal competition winner, an Eleanor Lieber Awards winner, and Petri grant recipient. She especially enjoys championing 20th Century music, having performed works by Crumb, Henze, and newer American composers. She sang Pat Nixon in the Midwest premiere of Adams' Nixon in China at Indiana University of which the British journal Opera said Hansen "sang Pat Nixon purse dangling from her arm with sweetness, handling the high tessitura breezily."

Ms. Hansen will performs the title role in Lakmé with Edmonton and Calgary Operas, Donna Anna in Sacramento Opera’s Don Giovanni, and Pamina in Townsend Opera Players’ The Magic Flute this season.

 

RHOSLYN JONES, soprano

Canadian soprano Rhoslyn Jones is a graduate of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver where she received both her Bachelor and Master’s degrees. She was recently part of the San Francisco Opera Merola Program where she performed the role of ‘Norina’ in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. She was one of this year’s Winners in the CBC Debut Competition, as well as the Winner of the Vancouver Women’s Musical Society Competition. She was Second Place Winner at the Northwest Regional Metropolitan Opera Competition in 2002 and 2003, as well as the People’s Choice Award Winner in 2003. While studying in Vancouver she performed roles such as ‘Parnina’ in Die Zauberflöte, ‘Hanna Glawari’ in The Merry Widow, ‘Marenka’ in The Bartered Bride, and the title role in Massenet’s Manon. She has also appeared as the soprano soloist in Hayden’s Creation and Handel’s Messiah. She is currently studying with Marlena Malas at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she has recently performed the roles of ‘Despina’ in Mozart’s Così fan Tutte, and ‘Morgana’ in Handel’s Alcina. Future plans include returning to the Merola Program this summer in San Francisco.

 

ANGELA NEIDERLOH, mezzo soprano

Angela Neiderloh has been acclaimed by the New York Times as, “a charismatic mezzo soprano”. She recently finished three years in the Houston Grand Opera Studio, where her roles included Karolka in Jenufa, the Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Flora in La Traviata, Rosette in Manon and Olga in The Merry Widow. Other operatic engagements for the American artist include Dorabella in Così fan tutte (San Francisco Opera Center) The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors (Opera Omaha) Annius in La Clemenza di Tito, and Mrs. Sender in Salieri’s Falstaff (Wolf Trap Opera). Equally at home on the concert stage, Ms. Niederloh’s solo credits include performances with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Columbia Symphony, Choral Arts Ensemble and Choral Crossties. An active participant in many of the nation’s most respected competitions, Ms. Niederloh was a National Finalist in the 2000 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and the 2004 sinner and audience favorite in the Eleanor Lieber Award Competition. Last fall she sang Melibea in Il Viaggio a Rheims with Portland Opera, and she is currently singing Meg Page in Falstaff with Houston Grand.

 

  •   JORDAN SHANAHAN, baritone
  • Jordan Shanahan (baritone) has been very busy recently, with debut’s at the Metropolitan Opera and The Santa Fe Opera, several recordings and numerous competition wins.  In addition to his award from the Liederkranz Foundation, he has won major awards from the Elardo International Opera Competition, Loren L. Zachary Society, Denver Lyric Opera Guild, Joyce Dutka Foundation, The New Jersey Verismo Opera Association, The Opera Index, Metropolitan Opera National Council, and the George London Foundation.  He is featured on several new recordings, including Verdi’s Don Carlo with Rolando Villazon on DVD from Opus Arte, the title role in Pasatieri’s Signor Deluso on Albany Records and a forthcoming recording of Pasatieri songs also on Albany Records.  Mr. Shanahan is currently a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Center for American Artists.
  • http://www.lottelehmann.org/artsong/bios/bio_shanahanJordan.shtml , a lovely review with a sound bite
  • more about Jordan on the Internet

 

  •   ERICA BROOKHYSER, mezzo soprano

  • Acclaimed for her “exquisite musicality”, “radiant stage presence” and  “full, secure, and attractive mezzo” voice (Boston Globe), Erica Brookhyser is a performer of a wide array of styles.  In scenes and on the opera stage, she has delighted audiences as Cendrillon, Rosina, Cherubino, and Mercedes.  Next spring she will make her professional debut as Myrtale in Thaïs with Boston Lyric Opera.  As a concert artist and ensemble singer, Ms. Brookhyser has performed extensively with “historically informed” ensembles including the Harvard Early Music Society, Emmanuel Music and the Handel and Haydn Society.  In addition, Ms. Brookhyser frequently presents works by living composers.  Recently she was the soloist in the North American premiere of Sophia Gubaidulina’s newly reorchestrated piece, Stunde der Seele, in Boston’s Jordan Hall.  Among Brookhyser’s many achievements are Semi-finalist at the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, 1st place at the Northwest Regional Met Auditions, and Vocal Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center.  She is also the recipient of the prestigious full-tuition Anne J. MacColl Scholarship at New England Conservatory.  Ms. Brookhyser began her voice studies in her native state of Oregon with Milagro Vargas at the University of Oregon.  Currently she is pursuing a Master’s degree at New England Conservatory with voice instructor, Patricia Misslin.

 

  • ANGELA MEADE, soprano

  • Winner, Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals Concert, April 1, 2007, New York City.

  • American soprano Angela Meade is rapidly emerging as an artist to watch. Her operatic roles include the title role in Handel’s Agrippina, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Gertrude in Humperdink’s Hänsel und Gretel, Madame Herz in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor, die Königin der Nacht and Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, the Abbess in Suor Angelica, Mother Goose in The Rake’s Progress and Contessa Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. In scene work, Ms. Meade has portrayed Desdemona in Otello, Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilda in Rigoletto, the title role in Lakmé, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. Ms. Meade will continue her operatic training at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia in September 2005, studying roles from Wagner’s Das Rheingold, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Massenet’s La Navarraise, and Verdi’s Rigoletto.

  • Ms. Meade’s accomplishments include being a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Competition, as well as first place in the following competitions: the career division of the National Association of Teachers of Singing – Los Angeles Young Artist of the Year Competition, the Palm Springs Opera Guild of the Desert Competition, the Rio Hondo Symphony Competition, the Olympia Opera Guild Competition, the Long Beach Mozart Festival Competition including the audience choice award, the New Century Singers of Whittier Competition, and the American Educators of Italian Origins United Competition. She has also received numerous grants from organizations such as the Annamaria Saritelli-DiPanni Bel Canto Foundation, the Leni Fé Bland Foundation, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, and the Opera Buffs Association of Los Angeles. Upcoming competitions for Ms. Meade include the finals of the Loren L. Zachary Competition, where she will compete against nine other singers from across the nation for a $10,000 prize and a trip to Germany for auditions. She is also thrilled to be a finalist in the Monte Carlo World Voice Masters competition held in honor of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, where she will compete against seven other singers from throughout the world for a prize of 30.000 EUR ($40,000 USD) and a contract for a concert tour of France.

  • “Her soaring delivery of ‘Casta Diva’ from Bellini’s Norma was marked by gorgeous trills…she navigated all sorts of vocal pitfalls that demanded a vast range, and her glissando ornamentation demonstrated extraordinary breath control.” – The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA)

 

  • ANYA MATANOVIC, soprano
  • Soprano Anya Matanovic made her professional debut as Mimi in Baz Luhrmann's widely acclaimed production of La Bohème in January of 2004 at the Los Angeles Ahmanson Theater. Anya began singing at age five in her hometown of Issaquah, Washington with the Northwest-based group A Fine and Curious Company.  While attending undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music she sang the roles of Mary Warren (The Crucible), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) and Gretel (Hansel and Gretel).  She was also a recipient of the John Raitt Award, the Flora L. Thornton Scholarship, and a Jeannette MacDonald Scholar at USC. In 2003 she won 1st place in the NATS-LA Young Artist Competition Apprentice Division, and this past October was the 1st place recipient in the Sun Valley Competition and the 2nd place recipient in Metropolitan Opera National Council District Auditions Regionals of the Northwest. Anya is co-founder of NachtMusik, an operatic outreach group dedicated to bringing opera to the many different communities of Los Angeles.  Concert engagements include appearances with the Bakersfield Symphony, the Samammish Symphony, the Bellevue Philharmonic, and the Sun Valley Opera.  This summer she will attend the Apprentice Program for Singers at the Santa Fe Opera and will return to her native Northwest as a Young Artist with the Seattle Opera in the fall of 2005.  Anya is a student of Elizabeth Hynes and currently lives in Los Angeles.

 

  •  lbrownleea.jpg (35284 bytes) LAWRENCE BROWNLEE Tenor

  • As a specialist in Rossini, Donizetti, Mozart and Bel Canto roles, Lawrence Brownlee is being recognized as one of the best young tenors in the world today. He is a winner of the 2001 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and is a recipient of the 2003 ARIA Award and a 2003 Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation. In response to a performance of Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia the Weekly Review stated, "Lawrence Brownlee, as the lovesick Count, may be the perfect Rossini tenor, his voice moving without break through the showy cadenzas with ease, and with breath control which left the audience gasping for air."

  • In the 2003-2004 season Mr. Brownlee makes his debuts at the Carla Felice in Genoa as Cavalier Belfiore in Il Yiaggio a Reims, Opernhaus Zurich as Atar in Salieri's Axur, Re d'Ormus, Teatro Communale di Bologna in the title role of Le Comte Ory, Cincinnati Opera as Tonio in La Fille Du Régiment and with Washington Concert Opera as Rodrigo in La Donna del Lago. Mr. Brownlee also debuts with the Cleveland Orchestra singing Handel’s Israel in Egypt, and with the Baltimore Symphony in Messiah. In future seasons Mr. Brownlee will make his debut at the Royal Opera Covent Garden, Teatro Real Madrid, Washington Opera, Houston Grand Opera and San Diego Opera, return to La Scala for L’Italiana in Algeri and will sing various leading roles with Seattle Opera for several seasons to come:

  • In the 2002-2003 season, Mr. Brownlee made his immediate return appearance at Teatro alla Scala as Lindoro in L’Italiana in Algeri. Important operatic debuts this season included Ernesto in Don Pasquale with Seattle Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre, and Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Boston Lyric Opera. On New Year's Eve 2002, Mr. Brownlee debuts with the New York Philharmonic singing selections from Porgy and Bess under the direction of Lorin Maazel, in a gala concert nationally televised on PBS. He also performed Bach's Magnificat with the Cincinnati Symphony, and a solo recital at the Musashino Cultural Society in Tokyo, Japan. Mr. Brownlee's engagements in the summer of 2003 included selections from Porgy and Bess with the New York Philharmonic in Cagliari, Italy; Mozart's Mass in C minor with Grant Park Music Festival; and a Gala Concert with Monadnock Music Festival.

  • During the 2001-2002 season, Lawrence Brownlee made his debut at Teatro alla Scala as Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, a role he also sang with Virginia Opera. Additional engagements in 2001-2002 included an appearance with Klassisch Television in Berlin, Germany, and a concert of arias with the Anderson Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Brownlee also performed solo recitals in New York City and Bermuda and sang a recital, under the auspices of the Marilyn Home Foundation, in Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Brownlee also performed on the Marilyn Horne Foundation Gala Concert in New York City. As a member of Seattle Opera's Young Artist Program, Mr. Brownlee performed the roles of Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.

  • Mr. Brownlee received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Anderson University and a Master of Music Degree from Indiana University.

  • Larry's Web Site

 

  •   DAVID BEDARD  

  • David Bedard is considered a 'young' Opera singer in the Opera world.  His career started about 5 years ago with the Calgary Opera Chorus.  He joined the chorus after stretching his stage legs with a walk-on role in Tosca.  David played Roberti (Robert for all you non-Italian types).  Calgary Opera's next production was none other than Faust and David was very excited to be able to sing this time.  After a few years of complete bliss in the chorus, David tried his hand at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and managed to make his way through 2 rounds of competition before losing in New York City.  Even with this loss, he managed to use the experience as a jumping board to a young career. 

        Since that time, David has performed many roles in a few cities around North America and Asia.   These include Houston Grand Opera, Vancouver Opera, Kansas City Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Hamilton Opera (Opera Ontario), Calgary Opera, Edmonton Opera, Winnipeg Opera (Manitoba Opera), Saskatoon Opera, New Orleans Opera, New National Theater Tokyo, Merola (San Francisco Opera Center) and Western Opera Theater (San Francisco Opera Center).

        Mr. Bedard's repertoire has included, from most recent:  Il Bonze (Madame Butterfly), Il Commendatore (Don Giovanni), Fasolt (Das Rheingold), Friar Laurence (Romeo and Juliet), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Osmin (DIe Entfuhrung aus dem Serail), Sarastro (Die Zauberflote), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Bartolo (Le Nozze di Figaro), Colline (La Boheme), Benoit (La Boheme), Alcindoro (La Boheme), Dottore Grenvile (La Traviata), Balthazar (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Falstaff (The Merry Wives of Windsor), Falstaff (Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor), Old Andy Jr (The Turtle Wakes) and Elder Ott (Susannah).  Future engagements include: Fasolt (cover) and Hunding (cover) in Der ring aus dem Nibelungen with Seattle Opera and Sarastro in Die Zauberflote with Calgary Opera.

  • David's Web Site

 

  •   KEITH HARRIS  

  • The winner of  the 2003 MONC NW Regional Audition is Seattle’s own Keith Harris a golden-haired baritone who three years ago was a member of Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program and sang the role of Dandini in the Meydenbauer Center production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola. 

  • Visit Keith's website at Keith's Web Site

 

LAMBROULA MARIA PAPPAS    

Acclaimed for her charismatic presence and exquisite tone, Lambroula Maria Pappas is rapidly emerging as one of Canada’s finest young singers. With her sparkling coloratura and shimmering voice, Ms. Pappas is an audience favorite in opera, oratorio, concert and recital. 

In Canada Ms. Pappas has performed with the likes of the Vancouver, Montreal, Trois-Rivières and Quebec Symphonies, Festival en Lumiéres, Festival de Lanaudière and Lachine Festival. Internationally she has appeared with Germany’s East West Symphony, France’s L’Opéra d’Avignon, Belgium’s Opera Royal de Wallonie, Spain’s Delegada Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, Orquesta Pablo Sarasate of Pamplona and New York’s Opera Eurydice. 

Ms. Pappas gave memorable performances as Marie in La Fille du Régiment, Despina in Così Fan Tutte, Amelia in Amelia goes to the Ball and the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor as a member of Montreal Opera’s Young Artist Program. She has also appeared on mainstage with Montreal Opera in the roles of Giannetta in L’Elisir d’Amore, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, and La Charmeuse in Thaïs. Other significant performances in Ms. Pappas’ career include Gilda in Rigoletto, Adele in Die Fledermaus, and Sandrina in La Finta Giardiniera.

Ms. Pappas has also proven to be a formidable competitor in international singing competitions, winning first place at the Metropolitan Opera Competition in Seattle and Pittsburgh, advancing to the semi-finals at the Metropolitan Opera Competition in New York, and finishing second and third in Spain’s Julian Gayarre International Competition and Belgium’s Verviers International Competition.

Ms. Pappas has also been the recipient of several prestigious grants from various organizations including the Canada Council of the Arts, The Metropolitan Opera, Vancouver Opera Guild, and the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation for young Canadian opera singers.

Ms. Pappas has made several recordings and has appeared on many CBC television and radio programs as well as a Bravo television documentary. Recordings include the Bird Girl in Harry Somer’s Opera Serinette, the Angel in Chor Leoni’s recording of Lauda per la Natività, and as a soloist in the World’s Greatest Opera for Kids.

Recently, Ms. Pappas performed the title role in Janacek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen and in the future will sing Gilda in Rigoletto with Pacific Opera Victoria, and Despina in Così Fan Tutte with L’Opéra de Nice.

Originally from British Columbia, Ms. Pappas obtained her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and a Master of Music in Opera from the University of British Columbia.

Lambroula's Web Site

 

  • PHILIPPE CASTAGNER
  • Philippe Castagner was born just outside Montréal in 1979.  His family moved to Toronto shortly thereafter and lived there for 8 years , finally settling near Philadelphia, where he received his high school education and developed his love for music.  He made his way to Vancouver to attend UBC as a voice performance major in 1997, where he is now finishing his undergraduate degree as an opera performance major under voice teacher David Meek.  His first appearance on stage was in the spring of 2000 with the UBC Opera Ensemble, as Slender in The Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai.  In 2001 Mr. Castagner sang the parts of Danforth in Robert Ward’s  The Crucible as well as the eponymous character in Gounod’s Faust.  On October 1st, 2001, he  made his professional concert debut as tenor soloist in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.  In November 2001, he sang the role of Gerontius in Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with UBC Music under Maestro Bruce Pullan.  He attended the Merola Opera Program in summer 2002 at the San Francisco Opera, where he revisited The Merry Wives of Windsor, this time in the role of Fenton. March 4, 2002 at Meany Theatre on the University of Washington Campus, Philippe Castagner took first place in the Metropolitan Opera National Council's Northwest Regional Finals Audition competition and then proceeded to go all the way to the top back in New York by winning the Grand Finals Concert on the stage of the Met April 21st. Almost immediately the Met offered him a contract, and he quickly became an artist in residence as part of the MET's Lindemann Young Artist Program. In fact, Philippe has already sung a role for the company --- December, 2002, as one of the prisoners in Beethoven's FIDELIO.
  • Philippe's Web Site

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