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Advanced Operatic Training - Richard Margison & Valerie Kuinka

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Home / Professional Program / 2026 Consultants

2026 Consultants

Professional Training

Richard Margison

Richard Margison
Master Voice Teacher, ‘Merry Widow’ Stage Coordinator

Head shot of Valerie Kuinka

Valerie Kuinka
Drama & Musicianship Coach, ‘Love & Betrayal’ (La voix humaine) Stage Director, ‘Let’s Make Opera!’ (LMO) Project Director

John Fisher

John Fisher
Master Vocal Coach

Headshot of Nathalie Doucet

Nathalie Doucet
Master Vocal Coach

Craig Rutenberg

Craig Rutenberg
Master Vocal Coach (ONLINE)

Headshot of Christine Goerke

Christine Goerke
Master Voice Teacher & Career Consultant (ONLINE)

Headshot of Kamna Gupta

Kamna Gupta
Music Director, ‘Merry Widow’

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Suzy Smith
Head of Collaborative Piano Staff, ‘Merry Widow’ rehearsal/performance piano (August 21st & 24th)

Christine Bae

Christine Bae
Collaborative Piano, ‘Merry Widow’ rehearsal/performance piano (August 23rd & 25th)

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Tristan Savella
Collaborative Piano, ‘Love & Betrayal’ (La voix humaine) rehearsal/performance piano

Melissa Stephens

Melissa Stephens
‘Let’s Make Opera!’ (LMO) Project Mentor

Headshot of Lauren Margison

Lauren Margison
‘Let’s Make Opera!’ (LMO) Project Mentor

Head shot of Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy
‘Let’s Make Opera!’ (LMO) Project Mentor

Head shot of Hemdi Kfir

Hemdi Kfir
Language & Diction Coach (ONLINE)

Headshot of Matthew Horner

Matthew Horner
Artist Agent (Auditions), ‘In Conversation’ guest speaker

Matthew Horner

Headshot of Matthew Horner
Matthew Horner is Executive Vice President and Global Director of Vocal at IMG Artists where he has worked for 25 years.  In this time, he has worked with many of the leading artists of the era and with near every major opera house and orchestra worldwide.  Among his clients are Lawrence Brownlee, Ying Fang, Susan Graham, Eric Owens, Kyle Ketelsen, Angela Meade, J’Nai Bridges, Frederica von Stade, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Brandon Jovanovich, Brian Mulligan, James Robinson and Denyce Graves.  For many years, he has taken a particular interest in the development of younger singers. 

He is a founding faculty member of the International Meistersinger Akademie (Neumarkt, GY) as well as serving on faculty at the Highlands Opera Festival (Haliburton, ON).  He also offers regular classes and career discussions at the Music Academy of the West, the Juilliard School of Music, Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and many others.  He has judged regularly for the Laffont Competition at both the District and Regional levels.

He is a native of Johnstown, PA and attend Oberlin College and the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU with degrees in art history from both.  He is also a member of the choir at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York where he has sung for 35 seasons.

 

Matthew's Bio

Head shot of Dorian Cox
Dorian Cox

Director of COC Ensemble, (Auditions), ‘In Conversation’ guest speaker w/Matthew Horner

Dorian Cox

Head shot of Dorian Cox

Dorian Cox is a cultural leader specializing in artist mentorship, relationship-building, and equity-driven practices. As Director of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, he oversees the career development, artistic training, and recruitment of Canada’s most promising emerging opera artists. In demand for his expertise within the opera sector, he has served as guest faculty for at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, a preliminary juror for the Concours musical international de Montréal, a professional consultant for the Highlands Opera Studio, a guest juror at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and a guest speaker at the University of Toronto.

Dorian has participated in the Business/Arts Emerging Leadership Program and Toronto Arts Council Leaders Lab and was recently selected for the 2026 Opera America Leadership Intensive. He holds degrees from the University of Toronto (BMus) and Boston Conservatory (MMus).

 

Dorian's Bio

Morgan Reid

Morgan Reida
Artist Agent (Auditions), ‘In Conversation’ guest speaker (w/Rebecca Townsend)

Morgan Reid

Morgan Reid
Morgan Reid has quickly established herself as a dynamic, emerging leader in Canada's classical music landscape.

Morgan is the managing director of Dean Artists Management - Canada’s leading artist management company for classical singers, conductors, & directors. In 2021, she initially joined DAM as an administrative associate, and then artist manager and Director of Opera.

Named as one of the Association for Opera in Canada’s 2022 Women of Impact in Opera, Morgan regularly appears as an invited panelist and guest adjudicator across North America. For the 2025/2026 season, she looks forward to working with the young artists of Opera on the Avalon, joining NATS Ontario on classical adjudication best practices, and sitting on the panel for the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage competition.

In recent seasons, she has served as a guest judge for the Canadian Opera Company and Ontario Arts Council’s Christina and Louis Quilico Awards; as a panelist for the emerging artist programs of Opéra de Montréal, Vancouver Opera, Opera Kelowna, Calgary Opera, Opera on the Avalon, Utah Opera, and Highlands Opera Studio; adjudicated the 2025 Hamilton Music Festival Classical Voice Division; and worked with students of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music Voice Area and Opera Division, and the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music. Additionally, with Women in Music Canada, she mentored emerging artistic administrators and producers through the 24/25 season.

Morgan participated in the 2024 cohort of Opera America’s Leadership Launch program, receiving mentorship from industry leaders from across North America. She served on the 2023 planning committee for the Association for Opera in Canada’s inaugural Ontario Roundtable and, in 2020-2021, was an RBC Future Launch/LINK Emerging Artist Fellow with the AOC.

A varied background, she has held administrative positions with the University of Toronto Voice Studies Area, COSA Canada, and the Highland Arts Theatre (Nova Scotia), as well as stage and production management roles in both opera and music theatre over the past decade. A lover of a good spreadsheet, she has used these experiences to absorb as much knowledge as she can from the inside, building skills in grant writing, marketing & communications, scheduling, and general administrative acumen.

Morgan continues to work as a freelance social media manager and consultant for arts organizations and creatives across Canada. Morgan has cultivated this toolkit since 2020 when she expanded this portfolio of work. She adores working with clients to find their ideal branding language, while facilitating curation of content and visibility on social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and more. Learn more here.

Morgan is a graduate of Mount Allison University (B.Mus. Voice) and the University of Toronto (M.Mus. Voice Performance). She has served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Voice and Composition faculties at the University of Toronto, and in Music History at Mount Allison University. Morgan is grateful for the wide range of educational opportunities that have been available to her, including studying musicology, composition, and art history in her undergrad; to intensive vocal pedagogy and anatomy, performance psychology, and interpretative performance analysis in her graduate studies. She feels fortunate to draw from these studies in her day-to-day work.

She has been honoured with the Richard March Graduate Fellowship and Arthur Plettner Graduate Fellowships (U of T, 2020-2023), the J.E.A. Crake Graduating Student Award in Performance (MtA, 2018), Ruth Goldbloom Award in Performing Arts (2017), the Mary McKean Scholarship for Outstanding Student Leadership as chosen by Faculty (MtA, 2017), Robert and Margaret Fleming Award for Promise in Music Composition Studies (MtA, 2017), the May T. Walshman Award for Promise in a Career in Voice Performance (MtA, 2017), and many scholarships for both academic and musical excellence at both institutions. She thanks the Nova Scotia Talent Trust and the Art Song Foundation of Canada for their support during her early development.

Morgan's Bio

Headshot of Rebecca Townsend

Rebecca Townsend
Artist Agent (Auditions), ‘In Conversation’ guest speaker

Rebecca Townsend

Headshot of Rebecca Townsend
Rebecca Townsend is an arts administrator with extensive experience in the realm of classical music and opera. She has performed and collaborated with arts organizations and leaders across Canada and the United States.

An avid supporter of artistic development, Ms. Townsend is passionate about her collaborations with artists in providing them both performance and professional development opportunities. Recently, she acted as a judge for the finals of the NATS Boston Competition.

In addition to her position as Artist Manager with Stratagem Artists, Ms. Townsend has joined the team at Lenny’s Studio where she is involved with content development for artists and companies’ creative ventures while helping to enhance their connections with audiences worldwide. Ms. Townsend also continues to enjoy providing voice lessons to the next generation of musicians.

As a soprano, Ms. Townsend performance highlights include the roles of Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Rose Maurrant in Kurt Weill's Street Scene, Diana in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld and both the Sandmännchen and Taumännchen in Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel. Ms. Townsend performed at numerous esteemed institutions including the Canadian Music Centre, Toronto Arts and Letters Club and the Alliance Française de Toronto during her studies.

Ms. Townsend earned her BM and MM in Vocal Performance from the University of Toronto and a Graduate Certificate in Arts Management from Toronto’s Centennial College.

 

Rebecca's Bio

Robert Gilder

Robert Gilder
Artist Agent (Auditions)

Robert Gilder

Robert Gilder
Robert Gilder (Managing Director) has been at the forefront of international artist management for over 20 years. After studies at Durham University in the UK, Robert Gilder worked for English National Opera and the Festival of Music in Great Irish Houses before entering the world of artist management in 1982.

Robert Gilder & Co now has offices in London, New York and Skopje (Macedonia) and manages a roster of singers, conductors, directors and instrumentalists who are in worldwide demand. The list of distinguished artists with whom he has collaborated includes Yehudi Menuhin, Arnaldo Cohen, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Ruth Falcon, Joyce Castle, Galina Gorchakova, and Deborah Voigt to name a select few.

Aside from this, he has also been responsible for the training and mentoring of a new generation of artist managers. In recent years Robert Gilder has been selected as a jurist of several of the world’s leading vocal competitions including Verviers, the ‘Maria Callas Vocal Competition’ in São Paulo, Brazil and the “Competizione dell’Opera” in Dresden.

He is frequently asked to give guest masterclasses and workshops to Young Artist Programs on artist development and career management. Robert Gilder is the recipient of the 2009 Patrick Hayes Award at the New York ISPA Congress.

Robert's Bio
Head shot of Simi Luttrell
Simone Luti
Italian Diction (ONLINE)

Simone Luti

Head shot of Simi Luttrell
A native of Lucca, Tuscany, orchestral conductor and pianist Simone Luti has gained recognition and acclaim for his musical instincts and sensitivity both on the podium and at the keyboard.

As part of his musical training, M° Luti studied piano with Gloria Belli, Konstantin Bogino and Fabrizio Papi while his formal studies in composition were overseen by Pietro Rigacci. During his compositional studies, his passion for opera blossomed and he went on to earn academic scholarships to study opera, firstly at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa, and afterwards in Milan at the Academy for performing Arts associated with the Teatro della Scala. He studied conducting with Vittorio Parisi at the Academy of Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, and at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena with Gianluigi Gelmetti.

In 2002, M° Luti began working as coach at the Teatro della Scala and main Italian Theatres, collaborating with the most significant directors, singers, and film directors in the operatic world. In parallel, he also collaborated with Mirella Freni, Luis Alva, and Luciana Serra in opera training academies, Luis Alva, and Luciana Serra, devoting himself to the musical training of young opera singers.

M° Luti has conducted on the podiums for such organizations as The Musical Festival in Ticino Locarno, Switzerland, the Gratchen Festival in Amsterdam, the Opera Studio Nederland, Opera National de Montpellier, in Albania at the Opera Theatre in Tirana, the Symphony Orchestra of Bacau, Romania, and the International Opera Theatre of Philadelphia (in Teatro degli Avvaloranti, Città della Pieve; Teatro Mancinelli, Orvieto; and The University of Performing Arts, Philadelphia), Orchestra London & London Symphonia, and many more. Other international engagements took him to Cremona as coach for As.li.co’s productions of Pagliacci, La Voix Humaine, The turn of the screw, Medea e Zauberflote, as chef de chant for Théâtre du Chatelet’s production of Norma, as a coach at the Opera de Montréal, as coach of Accademia Filarmonica Romana’s production of the opera For You, as musical director for American Opera Theater’s production of La Tragédie de Carmen, Dido and Eneas, Butterfly, Riders to the sea, Rigoletto, both in Italy and Baltimore, as well as numerous collaborations for recitals and concerts in Italy and abroad.

At the keyboard, M° Luti has performed as a solo and collaborative pianist in recitals, opera galas, and chamber groups for theatres and musical institutes throughout Italy, Canada, United States of America, France, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium. These collaborations led to recitals with international opera stars such as Irina Lungu with whom he collaborated at the Lucerne Festival.

ßM° Luti also now shares his work with the next generation and as such become musical director of the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy, hosted at the University of Western Ontario and its Faculty of Music, and its sister program Accademia Europea Dell’Opera, in Milan, Amsterdam and Lucca where he conducted Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, The turn of the screw, Le nozze di Figaro, Butterfly, La Cenerentola and Die Zauberflote, and La Finta Giardiniera amongst many others. He has been also musical director of the Summer Opera Workshop of Indiana University. He also currently serves as Music Director and Conductor of both Western University’s Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra as well as holding the positions of Musical Director & Head Coach of the Opera Program, and Lecturer for the Art of Vocal Coaching.

Most recently, M° Luti had the immense pleasure to join the Canadian Opera Company as Assistant Conductor for their production of La Bohème (2019), Head Coach and Assistant Conductor of Il Barbiere di Siviglia (2020), Aida (2020 and cancelled due to COVID), Gianni Schicchi (2021), Traviata (2022), and will be returning as Head Coach and Assistant Conductor for the upcoming COC production of Le Nozze di Figaro (2023) as well as Macbeth (2023) and Tosca (2023). Also at the COC, he has worked with the ensemble for the past 4 years, honoured to be part of such a prestigious operatic training program.

 

Simone's Bio
Head shot of Ian Cusson
Ian Cusson
Composer

Ian Cusson

Head shot of Ian Cusson
Ian Cusson is a composer of art song, opera and orchestral work of Métis (Georgian Bay Métis Community) and French Canadian descent. He studied composition with Jake Heggie (San Francisco) and Samuel Dolin, and piano with James Anagnoson at the Glenn Gould School. He is the recipient of the Chalmers Professional Development Grant, and grants through the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council. 

Ian was an inaugural Carrefour Composer-in-Residence with the National Arts Centre Orchestra for 2017-2019 and was Composer-in-Residence for the Canadian Opera Company for 2019-2021. He was a Co-artistic Director of Opera in the 21st Century at the Banff Centre and the recipient of the 2021 Jan V. Matejcek Classical Music Award from SOCAN and the 2021 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize. Ian is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers. 

He lives in Collingwood, Canada with his wife and four children.

His compositions are published exclusively by G. Schirmer, Inc.

 

Ian's Bio
Head shot of Nadege Foofat
Nadège Foofat
Conductor

Nadège Foofat

Head shot of Nadege Foofat
Nadège Foofat is a conductor, arts leader, and educator whose career is grounded in rigorous

conducting training and extensive professional orchestral experience. She holds a Doctor of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Montreal and completed advanced conducting studies at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana under Arturo Tamayo. A participant in the League of American Orchestras; Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview and a two-time GRAMMY® Award–nominated conductor, she has built a career defined by artistic leadership and musical excellence.

Foofat is the Founder and former Music Director of the Esopus Chamber Orchestra, where she

established the organization’s artistic vision and led its development as an independent 

nonprofit serving New York Hudson Valley. She is also the Founder of Classical at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, a chamber music series presenting internationally acclaimed artists in curated performances.

As a guest conductor, Foofat has collaborated with professional orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Canada and has been selected repeatedly as a finalist in Music Director searches across North America. Her upcoming season includes return guest appearances with the Vancouver Island Symphony and Long Bay Symphony. She previously served as Assistant Conductor to Kent Nagano at the Hamburg State Opera and Philharmonic State Orchestra.

Her recordings include Jonathan Newman’s Bespoke Songs (New Focus Recordings), which she conducted and which was nominated for the 2025 GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album, and Darius Milhaud’s L’Orestie d’Eschyle for Naxos, for which she served as Associate Conductor on the 2015 GRAMMY® Award–nominated recording.

Nadège's Bio

PAST PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS

  • Rachel Andrist
  • Ashley Au
  • Andrew Balfour
  • Zoe Band
  • David Briskin
  • Nicole Brooks
  • Christene Browne
  • John Cabanela
  • Maureen Callaghan
  • Samuel Chan
  • Giselle Clarke-Trenaman
  • Jennifer Derventzis
  • Leanne Dixon
  • Joan Dornemann
  • Nathalie Doucet-Lalkens
  • Greg Dougherty
  • Jenna Douglas
  • John Fanning
  • John Fisher
  • Laurence Follows
  • Denise Fujiwara
  • Janelle Fung
  • Juliane Gallant
  • Robert Gilder
  • Brahm Goldhamer
  • Christine Goerke
  • Aaron Grant
  • Andrea Grant
  • Julie Jordan Gunn
  • Nathan Gunn
  • Joel Harder
  • Rebecca Hass
  • Nancy Hermiston
  • Matthew Horner
  • Selena James
  • AJ Laflamme
  • Chantal Lambert
  • Rosemarie Landry
  • Perryn Leech
  • Grégoire Legendre
  • Daniel Lipton
  • Dietlinde Turban Maazel
  • Anthony V. Manoli
  • Natalya Matyusheva
  • Roberto Mauro
  • Emily Maxwell
  • Stéphane Mayer
  • Christopher Mokrzewski
  • Patricia Morehead
  • Philip Morehead
  • Alexander Neef
  • Timothy Noble
  • Mark Pedrotti
  • Jérémie Pelletier
  • Fred Perruzza
  • Steven Philcox
  • Stephen Pickover
  • Alison Pybus
  • François Racine
  • Sondra Radvanovsky
  • Miloš Repický
  • Christiane Riel
  • Steve Ross
  • Mark Rucker
  • Craig Rutenberg
  • Ian Rye
  • Michael Shannon
  • Olivia Shortt
  • Joshua Anand Slater
  • William Smith
  • David Speers
  • Wayne Strongman
  • David Sweeney
  • Jennifer Szeto
  • Bradley Trenaman
  • Rosemary Thomson
  • Rebecca Townsend
  • Timothy Vernon
  • Alaina Viau
  • Robin Wheeler
  • Bruce Zemsky

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS

As a registered charity, your tax-deductible donations are greatly appreciated.
Please consider making a gift through Canada Helps as a way of supporting our operatic training program.
TO DISCUSS A PERSONALIZED GIFT, PARTICULAR AREA OF INTEREST FOR SUPPORT, BEQUEST, OR IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS REGARDING MAKING A DONATION TO HIGHLANDS OPERA STUDIO, PLEASE CONTACT GENERAL & CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, VALERIE KUINKA.

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