About the Children's & Youth Choir Conductors
Soloists for Advent in Leipzig (Nov 21) - Chamber Choir
Agnes Zsigovics, soprano
A graduate of the University of Toronto, Agnes Zsigovics has toured internationally, singing in Europe and South America. She recently made her debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed Bach's St. John Passion with the Toronto Bach Consort under the direction of Yannick Nezet-Seguin and Handel's Dixit Dominus and Salve Regina with the Toronto Chamber Choir under the direction of Mark Vourinen.
Agnes Zsigovics, soprano
A graduate of the University of Toronto, Agnes Zsigovics has toured internationally, singing in Europe and South America. She recently made her debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed Bach's St. John Passion with the Toronto Bach Consort under the direction of Yannick Nezet-Seguin and Handel's Dixit Dominus and Salve Regina with the Toronto Chamber Choir under the direction of Mark Vourinen.
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Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Daniel Taylor, a world-renowned recording artist for Sony Classical Masterworks, has appeared on more than 80 choral recordings in his distinguished career. In 2009 alone, Daniel has debuted with Israel Philharmonic, the Madrid National Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony and the Nashville Symphony. Critics widely regard him as one of the best countertenors in the world.
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James McLennan, tenor
James McLennan has been the recipient of much praise for his distinguished career as a tenor. Opera News has praised him for his "emotional intensity," while Opera Canada has singled him out "a sweet lyric voice of great promise." McLennan "radiates considerable charm and sings with a strong yet pure tenor," observes the Toronto Star. A native of Winnipeg, McLennan has performed with opera companies and symphony orchestras across Canada.
James McLennan, tenor
James McLennan has been the recipient of much praise for his distinguished career as a tenor. Opera News has praised him for his "emotional intensity," while Opera Canada has singled him out "a sweet lyric voice of great promise." McLennan "radiates considerable charm and sings with a strong yet pure tenor," observes the Toronto Star. A native of Winnipeg, McLennan has performed with opera companies and symphony orchestras across Canada.
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Justin Welsh, baritone British Columbia native Justin Welsh, former member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, has already established himself as one of the most acclaimed baritones in Canada. He received First Place in the Kurt Weill Competition, as well as a number of other prestigious awards and distinctions. He received his Master’s of Music from the University of British Columbia and performed with young artists' programmes in the Czech Republic, Germany and Italy.
Soloists for Handel's Messiah (Dec 5) - Grand Choir
Katherine Whyte, sopranoKatherine Whyte made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in the 2006-2007 season. She performed as a soloist in the 2008-2009 season with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. She specializes in the music of Handel and has performed with the prestigious Academy Program of Carnegie Hall.
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Lauren Segal, mezzo
Lauren Segal performed earlier this year in the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony’s production of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. She is an alumna of the Canadian Opera Company’s prestigious Ensemble Studio and was chosen to sing in the inaugural Salzburg Festival Young Artist Project. This is her debut with the Grand Philharmonic Choir.
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Joseph Schnurr, tenor A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, Joseph Schnurr joined the Pacific Opera Victoria's Resident Artist Program and performed in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. He studied in Berlin under the celebrated tenor Scot Weir. He has won a number of international competitions and will be making his Grand Philharmonic Choir debut singing Messiah.
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James Westman, baritone
Stratford resident James Westman is one of Canada’s greatest baritones. He has performed with major opera companies around the world. He has been singing ever since he was a child, and he toured with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra as the the first boy ever to perform the fourth movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 4, (Childs View of Heaven).
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Soloists for Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius (Jan 16) - Grand Choir
Ben Heppner, tenor
World-acclaimed dramatic tenor Ben Heppner is a beloved and multi-award winning global star. He regularly sings with major opera companies in Europe and North America. His powerful voice has been heard on countless choral CDs, and Heppner is currently an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist.
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Susan Platts, mezzo Susan Platts made her professional debut in 1996 with the Grand Philharmonic Choir and has performed with the GPC many times since then. In recent years, she has sung at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, as well as with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony. She has won acclaim for her past performances of Elgar’s music.
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Daniel Lichti, bass-baritone
Originally from New Hamburg, Ontario, Daniel Lichti has developed a reputation as one of the finest bass-baritones in Canada. He is a regular participant in the acclaimed Bach Festival in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and has enjoyed an award-winning career as a soloist around the world since 1974. He is also a celebrated artist and professor at Wilfrid Laurier University.
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Soloists for Bach's Mass in B Minor (April 2: Good Friday) - Grand Choir
Suzie LeBlanc, soprano
One of the finest Baroque sopranos in the world, Suzie LeBlanc regularly performs in Europe, North America and Asia. She is the founder and artistic director of Académie Baroque de Montréal and teaches baroque singing at the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal. She has performed Bach and Handel for the Grand Philharmonic Choir on numerous occasions.
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Laura Pudwell, mezzo
Laura Pudwell is an early music specialist who has performed for the Grand Philharmonic Choir many times. Recent performances have taken her to Paris, Salzburg, London, Houston, Boston and Vienna. She performs often with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir in Toronto and teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University.
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Michael Schade, tenor Among the greatest Bach/Mozart tenors today, Michael Schade performs with the Canadian Opera Company, Vienna Staatsoper, Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Washington Opera, Opéra National de Paris, San Francisco Opera, Hamburg State Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Los Angeles Opera. He is a Juno Award-winning recording artist. He was recently made Kammersaenger, a high Austrian honour given to distinguished singers.
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Russell Braun, baritone
“Braun's elegant, soft-grained timbre and meticulous handling of verbal and musical detail were a joy to hear,” observed Opera News of one of Russell Braun’s performances. Braun sings at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera and other top opera companies around the world. For years, his incredible voice has been featured in a number of award-winning recordings.
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Soloists for Verdi's Requiem (May 8) - Grand Choir
Sondra Radvanovsky, soprano One of the world’s greatest Verdi sopranos, Sondra Radvanovsky enjoys a distinguished international career. Her performances include Cyrano de Bergerac with Plácido Domingo in New York and London, Hélène at the Vienna Staatsoper (I Vespri Siciliani) Lucrezia Borgia in the Canary Islands, Lina in Stiffelio at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Susannah at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Leonora in Il Trovatore with the Deutsche Oper Berlin and too many others to list here. She has won a number of important awards and competitions. This is her first performance with the Grand Philharmonic Choir.
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Marie Nicole Lemieux, mezzo
Marie Nicole Lemieux, was the first Canadian to win first prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Belgium. Critics have praised her for her dramatic voice and powerful stage presence. She sings with symphonies, choirs and opera companies around the world. She lives in Quebec City and this is her debut with the GPC.
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Richard Margison, tenor
An international star, Richard Margison has performed in most of the world’s leading opera houses. He is one of the most sought-after singers in Canada and has earned tremendous global acclaim. He is also a member of the Order of Canada and has Honorary Doctorates from the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria and McMaster University.
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Nathan Berg, bass-baritone Award-winning bass-baritone Nathan Berg is a versatile singer who made his debut with the Grand Philharmonic Choir in last season’s St. Matthew Passion. He has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Montreal Symphony, the National Symphony in Washington and the Toronto Symphony, to name a few. Born in Saskatchewan, Berg has an impressive discography and has performed masterpieces by Bach, Mahler, Handel and Verdi.
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