The VANDA TREISER OPERA COMPETITION is a new annual competition for opera singers of all voice types made possible through a generous donation by VANDA TREISER INITIATIVES. It is open to CANADIAN CITIZENS and PERMANENT RESIDENTS who are a minimum of 21 years of age on October 11th, 2026, and will offer multiple prizes totalling $13,500.
The LIVE FINAL ROUND will take place on Sunday, October 11th, 2:30 pm at Trinity-St.Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, hosted by internationally acclaimed TV host and singer, TARA SLONE.
2026 Finalists
Jamal Al Titi *
Baritone
Jamal Al Titi
Belarusian-born Canadian baritone Jamal Al Titi is a young artist on the rise whose warm, resonant timbre and charismatic stage presence have already brought him to leading roles on both Canadian and international stages. This upcoming season, Jamal makes his company debuts with Edmonton Opera as Papageno in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal as Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, under the baton of Rafael Payare. He subsequently returns to Opéra de Montréal for the world premiere of Atys in co-production with Ballet Opéra Pantomime.
A recent graduate of Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique, he has appeared in performances of Pergolesi’s La serva padrona, Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges, and, most recently, Bizet’s Carmen. Concert highlights include Handel’s Messiah with Orchestre Classique de Montréal and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Kitchener- Waterloo Symphony and the Grand Philharmonic Choir.
Recently, Jamal was named a 2026 Mécénat Musica Vocal Discovery Prize and Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Career Prize winner, alongside awards from Toronto City Opera’s Macina Competition, Edmonton Opera’s Rumbold Vocal Prize, the Toronto Mozart Vocal Competition, and the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. He is an alumnus of the International Meistersinger Academy, the University of Toronto, and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Nicholas Burns
Counter-Tenor
Nicholas Burns
Canadian countertenor Nicholas Burns is “a major talent on the rise” (Ludwig Van Toronto). A multi-award winner of Carnegie Hall’s New York Oratorio Society Competition, Les Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, the Mathieu Duguay Early Music Competition, the Vancouver International Music Competition, and Edmonton Opera’s Rumbold Vocal Prize, Burns has performed with leading ensembles on both sides of the Atlantic, including Les Arts Florissants, L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Vancouver Opera, I Musici, Early Music Vancouver, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Recent and upcoming performances include engagements with Opera Sofia, the Seattle Symphony, the Cantata Collective, Ensemble Caprice, the Montréal Bach Festival, and returning appearances with Arion Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, L’Harmonie des saisons, and Tafelmusik. Such sought-after collaborations continue to highlight his versatility across the modern and historically informed spheres.
Hannah Crawford *
Soprano
Hannah Crawford
Canadian soprano Hannah Crawford has recently appeared with Edmonton Opera as Helmwige in Wagner’s Die Walküre. Previous operatic credits include the Stewardess in Jonathan Dove’s Flight (Royal Conservatory of Music), the Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro (Chicago Summer Opera), and Madame Lidoine in Dialogues des Carmélites (Wilfrid Laurier University). Hannah has been recognized in competition being awarded 2nd Place at the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage Competition, 3rd Place in the Wagner Society of NewYork Competition and winner of the inaugural Macina Voice Competition. 2025/2026 season highlights included being a finalist at the National Capital Opera Society Competition, 3rd at the Edmonton Opera’s Rumbold Vocal Prize, and the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition District and Region Encouragement award winner. This season Hannah will appear as the Soprano 1 soloist for Mahler 8 with the Mandle Philharmonic Orchestra and cover the role of Ariadne at the Canadian Opera Company for their production of Ariadne auf Naxos. She is based in Toronto, where she studies with Elizabeth McDonald.
Ellita Gagner
Mezzo-Soprano
Ellita Gagner
Hailed by Classical Voice America as a “discovery”, mezzo-soprano Ellita Gagner has performed roles across Canada including Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Cendrillon (Cendrillon), L’Enfant (L’Enfant et les Sortilèges), Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw), Hänsel (Hansel and Gretel) Dorabella (Così fan tutte) and Tisbe (La Cenerentola). She has appeared with Opéra de Montréal, L’Orchestre de L’Agora, Arion Baroque, Opera Nova Scotia, Maritime Concert Opera, the Brott Festival, Chorus Niagara and the Uxbridge Messiah Singers and Orchestra, among others. She has been a young artist with Manitoba Opera, Toronto Summer Music, Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium program, LAMP, the Castleton Festival and Brott Opera. New Opera workshops have included roles for the Royal Swedish Opera, Against the Grain, Opéra Magnolia, the Opéra de Montréal and Ballet Opéra Pantomime. 2026-27 highlights include performing as Alto Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with L’Orchestre de L’Agora, debuting in concert at Salle Bourgie, singing Countess Ceprano (Rigoletto) and Célénia (Atys) and covering Maddalena (Rigoletto) and Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) at the Opéra de Montréal. She is a member of the Atelier Lyrique de L’Opéra de Montréal, and Co Artistic Director of the NPO Can of Soup.
Alex Halliday
Bass-Baritone
Alex Halliday
Named one of CBC’s 2025 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30, bass-baritone Alex Halliday has been praised for his ability in finding a "beautiful balance between strapping and lyric" (Globe and Mail) and "touch of superior vocal class" (Ludwig van Toronto) in his performances. Underlining his exciting career trajectory, the 25/26 season saw Alex make his company debuts with Pacific Opera Victoria (Angelotti/Tosca), Vancouver Opera (Colline/La bohème), and Edmonton Opera (Fafner/Siegfried), alongside a return to the Canadian Opera Company (Duke/Roméo et Juliette).
Upcoming, Halliday debuts with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Virée Classique) for Beethoven’s Ninth under the baton of Rafael Payare, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir for Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C Minor, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah, Orchestre symphonique de Québec for Beethoven’s Mass in C major, and Symphony New Brunswick for Verdi’s Requiem. He also joins the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra as the bass soloist for Beethoven’s Ninth in a one-night-only anniversary celebration of the Four Seasons Centre for the Arts. On the operatic stage, he bookends his season with Dottore Grenvil in Verdi’s La traviata for both the Canadian Opera Company and Orchestre philharmonique et Chœur de Mélomanes.
Other recent career highlights include his house debut with Manitoba Opera as Colline in Puccini’s La bohème; his return to the Canadian Opera Company for cover assignments including Méphistophéles (Faust), Leporello (Don Giovanni), and Frère Laurent (Roméo et Juliette); the title role in the COC Ensemble Studio’s Don Pasquale, alongside The Notary (Don Pasquale), The Poacher (The Cunning Little Vixen), and Captain of the Guard (Medea); and concert engagements with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and Bach Elgar Choir in Handel’s Messiah, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra in Mozart’s Requiem, and performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Toronto’s Koerner Hall and with the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony.
Monika Mazanka *
Soprano
Monika Mazanka
Lyrico-spinto soprano with a rich and velvety tone, Monika seduces the public with her charisma and her interpretation. Originally from Cameroon, the Canadian soprano was initially destined to study microbiology. It was during her baccalaureate that she decided to devote herself fully to music under the guidance of her genetics teacher.
In 2023, she won the « Génération Opéra » 3rd prize at the Africa Lyric’s Opera International Competition in Paris (France) as well as the «Mention Très Bien » at the Les maîtres du chant Honour Competition at the Schola Cantorum - Paris (France). She was one of Canada's “ Les Jeunes ambassadeurs Lyriques” for 2024 and 2025 with a “Poulenc” Grant.
Winner at the Canadian Musical Competition, Monika has received several scholarships and Grants throughout her career, including the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation, Jeunesses Musicales Canada, Highlands Opera Studio, Orford Music Academy.
Holder of the prize of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and a graduate diploma of the University de Montréal under the tutelage of Adrienne Savoie, Monika is a pearl that we are just beginning to discover.
She appeared among others as a guest recital singer at Opéra de Montpellier and Opéra de Rouen in France. She also was soloist with the choir of the Musée d'art de Joliette during the Lanaudière festival.
At the opera, Monika received praises for her performances in the roles of Contessa in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Zweite Dame in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Soeur Opportune in operetta Varney's Les mousquettaires au couvent.
Monika is currently touring in Quebec with the play "Ensemble" of the theatre company DuBunker . She cares about her credo: "Singing well soothes and heals souls".
Maeve Palmer *
Soprano
Maeve Palmer
“Triple-threat ... coloratura” (OperaCanada) Maeve Palmer is known for her sparkling voice and stage presence. An alumna of the Rebanks Family Fellowship and the University of Toronto (UofT) Opera School, Maeve has performed with Opera Atelier, Tapestry Opera, and Stratford Symphony Orchestra, among other companies. Recent roles include the title role in the Czardas Princess with Toronto Operetta Theatre, L’Amour (cover) in Orphée et Euridice with Pacific Opera Victoria (POV), Aunt Lydia (Ruders’ Handmaid’s Tale, BanffCentre), and Norina (Don Pasquale, HighlandsOpera). Upcoming roles include Ava in Missing (Brian Current), and the Dewfairy and Sandman in Hansel and Gretel with POV. Maeve holds a doctorate from UofT where she researched Irish traditional singing, and recently taught English Song.
Emily Rocha *
Soprano
Emily Rocha
Soprano Emily Rocha is a 2nd Prize Winner of the Canadian Opera Company Centre Stage Competition, and a recent member of the COC Ensemble Studio. During the summer of 2026, she joined the Verbier Festival’s Atelier Lyrique, returned to Highlands Opera Studio to sing Norina (Don Pasquale), and joined Brott Opera for their “Quanto Amore” concert. Next spring Emily returns to the COC to sing Adina (L’elisir d’amore). Her 2025-2026 season at the COC included performances as Countess Ceprano (Rigoletto) and covering Gilda, Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice), and Sophie (Werther).
During the summer of 2025, she joined the National Ballet of Canada as soprano soloist in Anna Karenina, sang Laurie Moss (The Tender Land) with Toronto City Opera and the title role in The Merry Widow with Highlands Opera Studio. Last season, Emily made her COC mainstage debut as Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly). Recent concert highlights include Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder (University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra as the Concerto Competition Winner).
She was a 2024 Tanglewood Music Center Vocal Fellow and is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto (Honours BMus, MMus in Opera).
Dante Mullin Santone*
Baritone
Dante Mullin Santone
Dante Mullin Santone is a Canadian baritone based in Montreal, Québec. He is a member of the Atelier lyrique at l’Opéra de Montréal where he covered Leporello in their production of Don Giovanni, and made his debut singing Morales in Carmen. Other recent roles include Malatesta (Don Pasquale - G. Donizetti), Escamillo (Carmen - G. Bizet), and Papageno (Die Zauberflöte - W.A. Mozart). He is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Master’s of Opera program. A passionate performer of art song, in 2025 he was the winner of the Jim and Charlotte Norcop Prize in Song, and recently competed in the Walter Furrer Competition in Switzerland.
George Theodorakopoulos *
Baritone
George Theodorakopoulos
George Theodorakopoulos is a Greek-Canadian baritone from Toronto, Ontario. Described as having a “powerful stage presence and a rich baritone voice”(Opera Canada), his recent performances include Marcello in La Boheme with Brott Opera, and Dr.Malatesta in Don Pasquale with Highlands Opera Studio. In the 2026-27 season, George is looking forward to his second year in the Calgary Opera McPhee program, where he will be singing Sciarrone, Jailer, and Sacristan (c) in Tosca, Prime Minister, Superintendent, and Pandolf (c) in Cendrillon, Montano and A Herald in Otello, as well as Piper in The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Recent operatic highlights include Danilo (The Merry Widow), Moralès & Le Dancaïre (Carmen), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Sacristan (Tosca), Pandolfe (Cendrillon), Marullo (Rigoletto), Officer (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Yakusidé (Madama Butterfly), Dr.Pangloss (Candide). He holds a BMus in Voice Performance and a MMus in Opera from the University of Toronto.
* HOS Alum
Preliminary assessment of the just under 100 video applications was conducted by the Co-Artistic Directors of Highlands Opera Studio, Richard Margison, O.C., and Valerie Kuinka. The 10 Finalists will present 2 arias in the live Final Round on October 11th for the panel of 6 judges. After the performances and a brief break for deliberations the following awards will be presented:
- $5,000 - 1st Prize
- $3,000 - 2nd Prize (John Bailey Award)
- $1,500 - 3rd Prize
- $500 - Audience Choice Award
- $500 - 7 Finalist Prizes (awarded to finalists not awarded one of the top three prizes)
Master of Ceremonies
Tara Slone
Tara Slone
Tara Slone began her professional journey in music, rising to prominence as the lead singer of the Juno-nominated rock band Joydrop and earning international attention as a finalist on the hit CBS reality series Rockstar: INXS. Alongside her musical pursuits, Tara built a robust acting career, appearing in numerous film and television productions—including a recurring role on La Femme Nikita.
From there, Tara made the leap into broadcasting, landing her first gig at a small TV station in Toronto, where it immediately became clear that moving from interviewee to interviewer gave Slone a unique perspective with her subjects. Tara’s next stop was as the host of Breakfast Television Calgary, where she spent five years. It was there Tara began carving out her place in the world of sports media, acting as a regular contributor to Sportsnet, covering the WHL and CIS hockey, curling, soccer, and bobsleigh.
Slone went on to spend 8 years co-hosting the ground-breaking NHL broadcast Rogers Hometown Hockey alongside Ron MacLean. She also helped create and hosted the weekly Sportsnet series Top of [HER] Game, focussing on stories of empowered women in the world of sports.
Currently, Tara commutes to the Bay Area, where she works as a host, reporter and contributor for The San Jose Sharks and NBC Sports Bay Area. She also hosts two weekly shows on SiriusXM: No Filter (Canada Talks), a women-focused program, and No Offense, But… (Poplandia), a lively pop culture panel.
A dynamic and in-demand live host and interviewer, Tara recently had the honour of interviewing The Tragically Hip at Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall. She is an AMPIA Award winner and a 2020 Canadian Screen Award nominee for her work on the CityTV music series Budweiser Stage at Home.
Competition Pianist:
Vladimir Soloviev
Vladimir Soloviev
Vlad Soloviev is a multi-faceted Toronto-based collaborative artist who is equally at home in opera and oratorio. As a repetiteur and vocal coach, Vlad has spent the last two seasons as a Canadian Opera Company’s (COC) Ensemble Studio member where has been a repetiteur for mainstage shows, including Tosca, Gianni Schicchi, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Salome, and The Magic Flute. He also served as co-music director on Metis composer Ian Cusson’s new work Fantasma in 2021.
In addition to his work with the COC, Vlad has coached at Highlands Opera Studio (Eugene Onegin), the University of Toronto Opera School (Der Schauspieldirektor, Le Portrait de Manon), and the Classical Lyric Arts Opera Studio in Perugia, Italy (scenes program).
As a performer, his extensive repertoire ranges from complete operas and oratorios to the major art song works of Schumann, Schubert, Vaughan-Williams, Rachmaninoff, and Mahler. He is regularly heard in recital as part of the COC Free Concert Series at the Richard Bradshaw Auditorium and has performed onstage with the Toronto Summer Music Festival, at the Weill Recital Hall, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Bohemian National Hall in New York City.
Vlad is the long-time music director and organist at Trinity United Church in Newmarket, ON, where he has conducted many of the standard oratorio works of Bach (Cantatas no. 140, no. 147, no. 152), Durefle (Requiem), Faure (Requiem) Handel (Messiah), Mendelssohn (Elijah), Mozart (Te Deum, Vesperae de Dominica, Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, Requiem in D minor), Pergolesi (Stabat Mater), and Vivaldi (Gloria).
A native Russian speaker, Vlad has a passion for languages and has become a sought-after Russian and Czech coach in the Toronto area. Vlad is dedicated to working with the next generation of singers and creatives and has served as a teaching artist with the COC’s Opera Makers Community Program and regularly coaches young singers from the University of Toronto and the Glenn Gould School of Music.
Vlad studied at the Eastman School of Music, Mannes College, the University of Toronto, and Western University and holds a Master of Music in solo and collaborative piano. He is a winner of the Pattison Piano Competition, the Concerto Competition at Western University, and the London Scholarship Foundation Competition, and has also been a first prize winner of the Canadian Music Competition.
Judging Panel:
Richard Margison, O.C.
(Co-Artistic Director, Highlands Opera Studio)
Richard Margison
Hailed for his ringing top notes and spine-tingling power, Canadian tenor, Richard Margison, is one of the most critically acclaimed opera singers Canada has ever produced. An Officer of the Order of Canada, the recipient of three honorary doctorates (McMaster University, University of Victoria, and University of British Columbia), two life-time achievement awards (Giulio Gari Foundation, Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation), and the Royal Conservatory of Music's highest honour, the Honorary Fellowship, Richard has performed regularly as a principal artist over the past 2 1/2 decades in all of the worlds leading opera houses at home and abroad, including fifteen consecutive years at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Vienna Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera, Opera Australia (Sydney Opera House), the Liceu (Barcelona), La Monnaie (Brussels), Opera de Montreal, Opera de Quebec, Vancouver Opera, Calgary Opera, Manitoba Opera, Edmonton Opera, and the Canadian Opera Company, where he most recently performed the role of Herod in Salome.
In recent years Richard has been devoting more time to his passion for teaching, helping the next generation of artists within his industry, and giving back to the community at large. He is sought after across Canada and internationally as a master class and private professor of voice, and, although still performing professionally, continues to offer his services for a variety of charitable organizations.
PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
Since 2013, Richard has been enjoying performing regularly across Canada with his daughter, Lauren Margison, also a singer, in their duo act, "Back to Back". Richard and Lauren turn their combined talents to classical arias, art song, Neapolitan love songs, jazz, pop, and a little Gordon Lightfoot.
Recent seasons included performances of Electra (Aegisthus), with Michigan Opera Theatre, as well as being featured as the title role of 'Abraham' in the world premiere of an important new, multi-cultural and multi-denominational oratorio written and conducted by Canadian composer and music theatre legend, David Warrack, and performed at Metropolitan United Church in Toronto. Other performances included Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Tania Miller.
In recent years Richard has been celebrating his Canadian roots with performances across the country including Herod in Salome (Canadian Opera Company), Turiddu and Canio in Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci (Edmonton Opera), and his signature roles of Calaf, in Puccini's Turandot (Opera Lyra Ottawa), Manrico in Verdi's Il Trovatore (L'Opera de Quebec), Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca (Manitoba Opera), and Bacchus in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos (Canadian Opera Company). Concert appearances included Mahler's, 'Das Lied von der Erde', with the Victoria Symphony, Mahler's Symphony No. 8, with the Toronto Symphony, and a 15-concert solo recital tour of British Columbia with acclaimed pianist, Kinza Tyrell. Richard was proud to have had his debut performance in the new Four Seasons' Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto with the National Ballet of Canada, performing Mahler's, 'Das Lied von der Erde' with the company.
Highlights from previous seasons include performances as Bacchus in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo, Spain, the reprise of his celebrated role as O'Brien in Lorin Maazel's 1984 in Valencia, Spain, Radamès in Verdi's Aida at the Metropolitan Opera, as Pollione in Bellini's Norma with the Vancouver Opera, and in a series of concerts for Arizona Opera. A highlight of his 2009-2010 season was his trip to China for the opening of the new Guangzhou Opera House where Richard appeared in one of his most celebrated roles, Calaf, in Puccini's Turandot, conducted by Lorin Maazel: "As a rare, true lyrico spinto, a lyric tenor with the capacity to [sing] the heavier dramatic roles, Margison is the heir to Placido Domingo...Margison colors his voice with an ease and spontaneity that almost seems conversational, and he rides over the big Turandot orchestra, with its extra complement of exotic-sounding percussion, with ease and beauty." (Financial Times, May 2010)
Other highlights include Richard's debut as Aegisthus in Strauss's Elektra with the Seattle Opera and the New York Philharmonic, his debut at Milan's famed La Scala as O'Brien in Lorin Maazel's 1984, a role he originated at the ROH Covent Garden in 2005, recently released on DVD. Renowned for his interpretations of Verdi, Puccini, Strauss and Beethoven, recent seasons have featured performances of Un Ballo in Maschera (l'Opéra de Montréal, Hamburg, the ROH Covent Garden), Turandot (New York, Barcelona, Toronto), Aida (New York, Cincinnati, l'Opéra de Montréal, Chicago, Orviedo), Ariadne auf Naxos (Madrid, London, Hamburg, New York), Fidelio (Seattle, Vancouver), Il Trovatore (New York, Toronto, Berlin, San Francisco), La Gioconda (Barcelona) and Don Carlo (New York).
A much sought after concert artist, Richard has garnered such praise as "…it is an important experience to hear Margison live, simply to come into contact with the physical presence of the voice. It has both brass and beauty, and its power is so forceful and concentrated that you have to remind yourself that its source is a human throat…" (Globe and Mail). He has appeared with the Royal Philharmonic in London, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa and at the Ravinia Festival. He has also performed with Bryn Terfel at his opera gala at the Faenol Festival in Wales.
RECORDINGS
Richard's discography includes an all-Verdi recording on CBC Records and the highly acclaimed recording of Beethoven's Fidelio with Christine Brewer on Chandos. He has also recorded Lanza (Warner Music), made for the film on the life of Mario Lanza, in which he sings the title role. Other recordings include Verdi's Don Carlo with the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Bernard Haitink (Philips) and Tchaikovsky's Mazeppa with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Neeme Järvi (Deutsche Grammophon). He made three recordings with the late Richard Bradshaw and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra: a solo album of French and Italian Arias (CBC Records), Rarities by Rossini and Verdi, with Gary Relyea (CBC Records) and Aria, une sélection de Radio-Canada with Anita Krause, Wendy Nielson and Gary Relyea (CBC Records). Richard is also a featured artist on the Millennium Opera Gala recording released by CBC Records.
Richard's DVD recordings include his highly acclaimed appearance as Bacchus in the Metropolitan Opera production of Ariadne auf Naxos with Deborah Voigt and Natalie Dessay (Virgin Classics), his roles as Cavaradossi in Tosca and as O'Brien in Lorin Maazel's 1984 (both on Decca), and as Enzo in Ponchielli's La Gioconda (TDK).
FOLK-SINGING OPERA STAR
Richard's rise to the top of the opera world did not follow the traditional path – his career began in the coffee houses and clubs of Victoria, BC, where he performed with his own rock band for ten years. Since making his debut in 1980 with Pacific Opera Victoria, he has gone on to take the opera world by storm while not neglecting his roots, enthusiastically performing songs by Gordon Lightfoot or Stan Rogers whenever possible. In January 2010, Bravo! presented a documentary (Harbinger Films) on Richard called the 'Folk-Singing Opera Star'. Now available on DVD, the documentary features him in a musical collaboration with Bruce Cockburn, in major performances and in discussion about his life and career. www.thefolksingingoperastar.com
HIGHLANDS OPERA STUDIO
In the summer of 2007, Richard Margison and Opera Director, Valerie Kuinka, founded the Highlands Opera Studio, a very advanced professional training program for emerging operatic professionals, which provides training of the highest level for 20 to 25 talented singers and 1 collaborative pianist, between the ages of 19 and 35, chosen through competitive audition from across Canada with the main objective to provide these singers with the necessary skills to embark on a career in opera. Richard and Valerie feel that these extremely talented young people should no longer be expected to pay for a summer program, and, therefore, offer the 5 – 6 week program at no charge for those accepted. Looking forward to its 13th season in August 2019, the program includes vocal master classes, individual voice lessons, movement classes, professional development and networking opportunities, stagecraft coaching and staging rehearsals for 2-3 fully staged productions. The faculty includes renowned opera professionals from Canada and around the world.
HONOURS AND BENEFIT WORK
Although Richard is in great demand on the great opera stages of the world, he gives generously of his time to support a number of causes. He has generously given of his talent at benefits in Chicago, for the Metropolitan Opera, Leukaemia Research (Ontario), LOFT Community housing (Toronto), the Children's Opera Chorus (Toronto), the Royal Conservatory of Music, and many others.
He has been particularly active in his former home province of British Columbia, where he has raised more than two million dollars through benefit concerts including Victoria Symphony, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Victoria Conservatory of Music, Vancouver Symphony, Vancouver Opera and the Rotary Club.
Richard Margison was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001 not only in honour of his contribution to musical life in Canada but in recognition of his accomplishments on the international stage. In 2002 Richard received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. Richard received and Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Conservatory of Music as well as being inducted into the Canadian Opera Hall of Fame. In October of 2007, Richard was awarded an Opera Canada Ruby Award. In October 2009 he received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the The Giulio Gari Foundation and The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation. In 2012 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his service to Canada. Richard also holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of Victoria (DMus), University of British Columbia (D.Litt) and McMaster University (D.Litt).
An Ontario resident for twenty-six years, Richard splits his time between his homes in Stouffville and Minden with his wife, opera director, Valerie Kuinka, and his daughter, Lauren Margison.
Adrianne Pieczonka, O.C.
(former Chair in Voice, Glenn Gould School)
Adrianne Pieczonka
Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka has sung on the world’s finest opera and concert stages for nearly 40 years.
She has appeared regularly at La Scala Milan, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Opéra de la Bastille Paris, Teatro Liceu Barcelona, Teatro Real Madrid, Berlin Staatsoper, Bavarian State Opera, Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York among many others. She has sung opera and concerts at the world’s leading summer festivals including Glyndebourne, Salzburg, Bayreuth, Aix en Provence, Edinburgh and the Proms Festival in London. She has sung over 10 productions at the COC (Canadian Opera Company) and returns to sing Mrs Grose in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw in January 2027.
Adrianne received a Dora Award for her portrayal of Sieglinde in Wagner’s Die Walküre at the COC in 2004. Her CD of Puccini Arias won a Juno Award in 2010. In 2007 Adrianne received the title of “Kammersängerin” from the Austrian government, recognizing outstanding achievement by performing artists in Austria.
In 2008 she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 2013 she was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2014 she was the recipient of the Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Music and holds other Honorary Doctorate degrees.
From 2019-2026, Adrianne was Chair in Voice at the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Toronto. She gives regular masterclasses at many universities and Young Artist Programs around the world. Adrianne has acted as Jury President for the CMIM Voice (Concours Musicale International de Monrtéal) since 2022.
Craig Rutenberg
(former Head of Music, Metropolitan Opera)
Craig Rutenberg
Accompanist and vocal coach Craig Rutenberg was born in New Haven, CT.
He primary teachers were John Wustman, Geoffrey Parsons, Martin Isepp, Pierre Bernac and Miriam Solovieff.
Head of Music at the Metropolitan Opera (1989-92/2006-2015), Mr. Rutenberg has also been on the music staffs of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Festival of Aix-en-Provence, the Chicago Lyric Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Houston Grand Opera and the Opéra-Comique.
He continues to coach globally and is currently vocal advisor to the Mariinsky Opera.
Mr. Rutenberg has appeared in recital and recorded with Christine Brewer, Harolyn Blackwell, Régine Crespin, Maria Guleghina, Frederica von Stade, Susanne Mentzer, Ben Heppner, Placido Domingo, Thomas Hampson, Willard White and Rene Pape.
Morgan Reid
(Managing Director, Dean Artists Management)
Morgan Reid
Morgan Reid has quickly established herself as a dynamic, emerging leader in Canada's classical music landscape. She is the Managing Director of Dean Artists Management - Canada’s largest, oldest, and most recognized artist management company for classical singers, conductors, & directors. Ms. Reid is a frequent guest panelist and adjudicator across Canada, including most recently for the Canadian Opera Company’s 25/26 Centre Stage Competition, the 2026 JUNO Awards, the 2026 Toronto City Opera Macina Competition, and the Canadian Opera Company and Ontario Arts Council’s 2025 Christina and Louis Quilico Awards. Originally trained as a soprano, Morgan is deeply committed to supporting the next generation of artists on and off stage. She has been engaged as a clincian for the emerging artist programs of Opéra de Montréal, Vancouver Opera, Opera Kelowna, Opera 5, Calgary Opera, and Opera on the Avalon, as well as the Universities of Toronto and Manitoba; and faculty member for Highlands Opera Studio, Montréal's L'Institut canadien d'art vocal (ICAV), and Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts’ inaugural Opera Excel Audition Bootcamp. Named as one of the Association for Opera in Canada’s 2022 Women of Impact in Opera, she has mentored emerging artistic administrators, producers, and artists via Women in Music Canada and the AOC's Opera Artist Resilience (OAR) Program.
Rebecca Townsend
(TACT Artists Management, Artist Manager)
Rebecca Townsend
Rebecca Townsend is an Artist Manager at TACT Artists Management. Originally trained as a soprano, Rebecca Townsend earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Toronto before completing further studies in Arts Management and Entertainment Law. She has since represented a diverse roster of singers, conductors, directors, choreographers, and composers across opera, theatre, and orchestral repertoire.
Rebecca has been an invited speaker and panelist at the Opera America Conference, Association for Opera in Canada, William Jewell College, and her alma mater, the University of Toronto. Passionate about supporting the next generation of artists, she has worked with the young artist programs of Vancouver Opera, Opéra de Montréal, Utah Opera, Calgary Opera, and Highlands Opera Studio, among others.
Outside of work, Rebecca is an avid reader and animal lover who enjoys good food and discovering new cities. She joined TACT in 2026 after five years of artist management in North America.
Valerie Kuinka
(Vanda Treiser General & Co-Artistic Director, Highlands Opera Studio)
Valerie Kuinka
Having worked for over 30 years within the realm of alternative multi-disciplinary theatre to grand opera, Canadian stage director/violist, Valerie Kuinka, brings a wealth of experience and unique creativity to her work. As a member of the stage directing staff at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, ('04–'08), Kuinka was on the stage directing team of the first Met HD Broadcast, Romeo et Juliette ('05–'06) and its revival ('07–'08) as well as the revivals of Samson et Dalilah ('04–'05, '05–'06), Idomeneo ('06–'07) and Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci ('06–'07).
Over the past three decades, Kuinka has directed productions for Edmonton Opera, Manitoba Opera, Opera de Quebec, Pacific Opera Victoria, l'Atelier lyrique de l'Opera de Montreal, Opera Hamilton, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Quartetto Gelato, International Vocal Arts Insitute (Tel-Aviv), The Banff Centre, Universite de Montreal, The Glenn Gould School (Toronto), Opera Mississauga, The Canadian Childrens’ Opera Company (Toronto), and since 2007, twenty productions at Highlands Opera Studio. She started her directing career as an assistant at the New York City Opera, the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp, and the Canadian Opera Company.
In 1996, Valerie established her own Toronto-based multi-disciplinary theatre company, COLLABORATIONS, and during its nine-year existence wrote, produced, directed, and often performed in 14 productions. “Kuinka has established no small reputation for creating exciting seamless theatrical collage” – Geoff Chapman (Toronto Star, 2003); “It was Kuinka’s instinct for elision that held everything together.” – William Littler (Toronto Star, 2004)
July/August 2026 marks the 20th season of Highlands Opera Studio where Kuinka holds the position of General and Co-Artistic Director. In 2017 she initiated a collaborative relationship with l'Atelier lyrique de l'Opera de Montreal through the first opera commissioned by Highlands Opera Theatre (producers of Highlands Opera Studio), presented in partnership with L'Atelier Lyrique de l'Opera de Montreal. The work, entitled 'Mishaabooz's Realm/Le Royaume de Michabous', was created, written and composed by Cree First Nation composer, Andrew Balfour, and stage directed by Kuinka. This ground breaking, innovative work, combining Indigenous artists and traditional western opera, was funded by Canadian Heritage: Canada 150 Fund, and Canada Council for the Arts New Chapter. The world premiere performances took place in December, 2017, in Montreal and Haliburton, and was revived in the 2024 summer season of Highlands Opera Studio.
Beginning her professional career as a classical violist, Kuinka has been active as a chamber, orchestral, studio, and performance artist for over forty years. She was a member of the orchestras of the Canadian Opera Company (joined 1986) and the National Ballet of Canada (joined 1984), playing every position from section to principal before her retirement from the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra in 2005. She is currently a member of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra.
In recent years, in addition to stage directing and performing, Kuinka has been devoting her time to working with emerging professional operatic artists as a career consultant and dramatic/musicianship coach and to building and running Highlands Opera Studio.
"We are absolutely thrilled to honour Vanda Treiser, cherished friend and longstanding member of the Highlands Opera Theatre Board of Directors, in this meaningful way on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary Year of Highlands Opera Studio,” says Valerie Kuinka, Vanda Treiser General & Co-Artistic Director of Highlands Opera Theatre/Studio. “This new annual competition will add another opportunity to showcase the incredible talent of Canadian operatic artists and offer some financial support to a few of the many accomplished Canadian classically trained singers striving to make a career at home and abroad.”
Vanda Treiser
Vanda Treiser
Based in Montréal, Vanda Treiser has been on the Board of Directors of the Highlands Opera Theatre/Studio for over a decade, is the co-president of the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute and has spent years working with the Opéra de Montreal as a board member and major supporter of l’Atelier lyrique de L’Opéra de Montréal, the Montreal Opera’s year round professional training programme for emerging professional operatic artists. In addition, Mme. Treiser is the co-founder, along with her late husband, Benjamin Treiser, of the Treiser Maison Shalom in Montréal, a family home for adults with developmental disabilities.
"We are absolutely thrilled to honour Vanda Treiser, cherished friend and longstanding member of the Highlands Opera Theatre Board of Directors, in this meaningful way on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary Year of Highlands Opera Studio," says Valerie Kuinka, Vanda Treiser General & Co-Artistic Director of Highlands Opera Studio/Theatre. “This new annual competition will add another opportunity to showcase the incredible talent of Canadian operatic artists and offer some financial support to a few of the many accomplished Canadian classically trained singers striving to make a career at home and abroad.
"The impact of Vanda Treiser's commitment to young Canadian opera singers and the many years of support she has provided for Highlands Opera Studio and other organizations in her home province of Québec cannot be overstated,” Kuinka goes on to say. “The investment by Mme.Treiser in this new opportunity is in addition to her many years of sustaining support for the concentrated 4-5 weeks of professional training and career development opportunities offered annually by Highlands Opera Studio in July/August. We are deeply grateful for this remarkable and visionary woman."