The dream of eight young aspiring opera singers selected from a pool of 120 aspiring performers just got a little brighter. The Canadian Opera Company has announced the annual Ensemble Studio Competition on to take place on November 3, 2015, at Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

The selected participants are:

• mezzo-soprano Lauren Eberwein (London, Ontario)
• mezzo-soprano Pascale Spinney (Laval, Quebec)
• baritone Bruno Roy (Montreal)
• mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo (Toronto)
• soprano Samantha Pickett (Kitchener, Ontario)
• baritone Zachary Read (Halifax)
• soprano Eliza Johnson (Stratford, Ontario)mezzo
• soprano Marjorie Maltais (Clermont, Quebec)

The competition was launched in 2011 and has become an important incubator of new talent for the COC. Prizes range between $1,500 to $5,000, and finalists are invited to join the COC’s 2016/2017 Ensemble Studio.

Past Ensemble Studio alumni include Ben Heppner, Isabel Bayrakdarian, John Fanning, Wendy Nielsen, David Pomeroy, Joseph Kaiser, Allyson McHardy, Lauren Segal and Krisztina Szabó.

“We hear many promising voices through the Ensemble Studio audition process but it’s how a singer’s talent, hunger for an opera career and that unquantifiable ‘X’ factor come together that truly sets them apart, COC General Director Alexander Neef said in a press release. “Looking at this year’s Centre Stage finalists, the stage is set for an exciting preview of the operatic talent to watch in Canada.”

Each finalist will demonstrate their vocal technique and interpretive range before an audience and panel of judges headed by Alexander Neef at Centre Stage on November 3^rd.

The competition will be hosted by Ensemble Studio Competition alumni Karine Boucher and Charles Sy, and include the COC Orchestra conducted by COC Music Director Johannes Debus and a surprise guest.

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Michael Vincent

Michael Vincent is the Editor-in-chief Ludwig Van and CEO of Museland Media. He publishes regularly and writes occasionally. A specialist in digital media for over 15 years, he has worked as a senior editor and is a former freelance classical music critic for the Toronto Star. Michael holds a Doctorate in Music from the University of Toronto.

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