It’s not every prima donna who can boast a degree in biomedical engineering, but then, Isabel Bayrakdarian isn’t your average prima donna. As an eagerly anticipated visitor to opera houses and concert halls the world over, she’s become as celebrated for her beauty, presence, and style as for a strikingly multihued voice that is wholly in sync with the rest of her.

A winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions—the same year she graduated from the University of Toronto cum laude with a Biomedical Engineering Degree—Dr. Bayrakdarian thereafter found her career taking rapid wing. She scored a notable success in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s world premiere production of William Bolcom’s A View from the Bridge; the following year, she walked away from Plácido Domingo’s prestigious Operalia competition with first prize. More debuts followed, including her San Francisco Opera debut and her Metropolitan Opera debut in the New York premiere of Bolcom’s opera; a season later, she won plaudits as Teresa in the Met premiere of Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini. Mozart became a specialty: Zerlina in Don Giovanni (New York, Houston, Salzburg), Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro (Los Angeles, London, Toronto), and Pamina in The Magic Flute (New York, Toronto, Los Angeles). Her roles at Toronto’s Canadian Opera Company range from Gluck’s Euridice to Debussy’s Mélisande to Poulenc’s Blanche in Dialogues des Carmélites; and away from Canada, she has shone as Monteverdi’s Poppea in Barcelona, Handel’s Romilda (Serse) in Dresden, and Janáček’s Vixen in New York, Florence, and the Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto, Japan.

But opera is only one page of the Bayrakdarian résumé. An ever-active concertizer, she has appeared with the premier orchestras of the world under the baton of such eminent conductors as Seiji Ozawa, James Conlon, David Zinman, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Alan Gilbert. Her versatility is also reflected in being the featured vocalist on the Grammy® Award-winning soundtrack of the blockbuster film The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers and on the soundtrack of Atom Egoyan’s Ararat. A trance music collaboration with the electronica band Delerium garnered yet another Grammy nomination. She sings on the BBC-produced short film HOLOCAUST – A Music Memorial Film from Auschwitz, as well as her Gemini-nominated film Long Journey Home, documenting her first visit to her ancestral homeland, Armenia. Bayrakdarian is the winner of four consecutive Juno Awards for Best Classical Album, and in 2018 her recording of Armenian sacred music, Mother of Light, was nominated for a Juno Award. Her recordings with orchestra include Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No.3 with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra released on the Sony Classical label, Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.2, with Michael Tilson-Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony, and Respighi’s Il Tramonto with Orchestre Symphonique de Laval. In 2020, her recording “The Other Cleopatra: Queen of Armenia” was released to great critical acclaim, accompanied by the Kaunas Symphony Orchestra under conductor Constantine Orbelian. That same year, she also collaborated with the Rock band “Glass Tiger” as a featured artist on their Christmas Album Songs for a Winter’s Night. Her recording, Armenian Songs for Children, was released in 2021 to great critical acclaim. In 2022 she released two recordings, La Zingarella: Through Romany Songland (on AVIE Records) and Spectrum (on Delos Label) alongside pianist Carol Rosenberger.

Isabel is the recipient of many awards, including the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition Award, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee and the Diamond Jubilee Medals, the Arbor Award from the University of Toronto, the George London Foundation Award, Canada Council’s Virginia Parker Prize, and the Republic of Armenia “Komitas Medal”. Most recently, she was awarded the “Movses Khorenatsi” medal, the Republic of Armenia’s highest cultural award. She holds an Honorary Doctorate from Canada’s Wilfrid Laurier University, and an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Dr. Bayrakdarian is a Professor of Voice, Director of Opera Theatre and Opera Outreach, as well as Head of the Voice Area in the Music Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Joel Ivany is the Founder and Artistic Director of AtG, is the artistic director of Opera at Banff Centre and was recently appointed Artistic Director at Edmonton Opera. His directing credits include productions of Verdi’s Macbeth (Minnesota Opera), Carmen (Vancouver Opera), Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Edmonton Opera), Gavin Bryars’ Marilyn Forever (Adelaide Festival) and Le nozze di Figaro (revival at Norwegian National Opera). He is the author of seven (and counting) original librettos for companies such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company. He is a multiple Dora Mavor Moore Award nominee for Outstanding Direction as well as for Outstanding New Opera/Musical, winning one for Figaro’s Wedding. Recent mainstage directing credits include Dead Man Walking at Minnesota Opera and the multiple award-winning production of Gluck’s Orphée⁺ with Opera Columbus, AtG and Banff Centre. He has directed productions for the Canadian Opera Company (Hänsel und Gretel, Carmen), Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Mozart’s Requiem, Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins), the Canadian Children’s Opera Company (Brundibár), Vancouver Opera (Carmen, Dead Man Walking), and Claude Vivier’s Kopernikus (AtG and Banff Centre). Recent highlights include Messiah/Complex (AtG) and directing the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. He is a proud graduate of the Opera School at U of T and is a member of the Alumni Wall of Fame at his alma mater, Western University.

Roberto Mauro is one of Canada’s most admired and dedicated Arts Administrators. Currently Mr. Mauro serves as the Director of Artistic Planning for the Canadian Opera Company, where he has worked since 2009. Prior to his appointment with the Canadian Opera Company, Mr. Mauro worked for Michigan Opera Theatre, Arizona Opera, Florida Grand Opera and L’Opéra de Montréal. Mr. Mauro has also written surtitle translations which has been seen in productions at Florentine Opera Milwaukee, Atlanta Opera, and Opera Ontario amongst others. Mr. Mauro is an experienced adjudicator and has served on the jury of various competitions including the Dallas Opera Vocal Competition, Ottavio Ziino Competition, Richard Tucker Foundation and the Metropolitan Opera National Competition.

Frances Armstrong, of Vancouver, completed her master’s degree in collaborative piano in 2019 at the University of Toronto where she studied with esteemed pianist, Steven Philcox. She also holds a bachelor’s degree with distinction in piano performance from the University of Victoria, where she was the recipient of multiple scholarships for her high level of performance both on stage and academically. Throughout her university years, Frances studied a broad range of repertoire from art song to opera at summer intensive programs such as the Franz Schubert Institute, Opera NUOVA, and Toronto Summer Music. Her professional opera experience includes one year as an apprentice coach with the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, and two years with the Canadian Opera Company’s ensemble studio from 2020-2022. One significant highlight from her time at the COC ensemble studio was music directing and playing orchestral piano for the premiere of Ian Cusson’s opera, Fantasma in March 2022. After graduating from the COC ensemble studio in May 2022, Frances was one of five pianists selected internationally to participate in the prestigious Music Academy of the West summer festival in Santa Barbara, California. In August, 2022, Frances moved to Edmonton, Alberta, where she is currently the head coach and repetiteur for all productions at Edmonton Opera. Frances has a busy summer lined up as she is coaching at Highlands Opera Studio in Haliburton, Ontario, and she will be joining the faculty at the Banff Centre for the Arts’ Opera in the 21st century progam, where she will be lead pianist on the workshop of Mary Kouyoumdijan and Royce Vavrek’s opera Adoration.

Pianist and Vocal Coach Shannon Hiebert studied at the University of Manitoba with Sydney Young McInnis. She went on to pursue advanced studies at the University of Michigan with Martin Katz and at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity with Martin Isepp. Shannon Hiebert has been heard in recitals and broadcasts across North America, Europe, Taiwan and Japan. In addition to her work as a collaborative pianist, Shannon Hiebert has performed with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Edmonton Opera, Groundswell, Winnipeg Singers, Citadel Theatre, Edmonton Opera and numerous musical theatre productions. Tours with Broadway Across Canada include productions of Mamma Mia, Spamalot, Wicked and Book of Mormon. In 2009, Shannon HIebert joined the Toronto Company of Jersey Boys. Music Direction credits include Grant MacEwan University’s Theatre Arts productions of Spring Awakening and A Little NIght Music, the Plain Jane Theatre Company’s Sterling Award nominated productions of Fiorello, Little Fish, Mack and Mabel and A New Brain, Opera Nuova's production of Light in the Piazza, Suor Angelica with the Centre of Opera Studies in Italy and the University of Alberta Opera Theatre productions of L'étoile, Die Zauberflöte, L'elisir d'amore, and the Canadian Premiere of The Enchanted Pig. In 2013 Shannon Hiebert received a Sterling Award nomination for outstanding musical direction. A passionate teacher and coach, Shannon Hiebert has worked as coach/pianist at universities across Canada, Opera NUOVA, Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program and the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy (COSI) and Cantilon Choirs. In 2017 she received a teaching award for her work at the University of Alberta, Department of Music. After acting as chorus master for Edmonton Opera's 2022 production of La Bohème, Shannon will join Edmonton Opera as chorus master for the 2022/2023 season. Her discography includes "Starry Night" a benefit for Winnipeg Harvest, "Prairie Voices" with the Winnipeg Singers and "Rhymes and Reveries" with Tracy Dahl.

Lester Lynch has become recognized for his charismatic portrayals and commanding voice as he takes on some of Verdi’s most important characters with rave reviews, from Macbeth to Rigoletto to Simon Boccanegra. Extending his repertoire far beyond the great Verdi roles, he is becoming known as an expert in contemporary opera with his performances of Dallapiccola’s Il Prigioniero, Busoni’s Doktor Faust and Nico Muhly’s The Glitch garnering many accolades.

Lynch made his debut at the renowned Teatro alla Scala singing the role of Crown in Porgy and Bess and at the Royal Opera House as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Other appearances on the world’s major stages include Lyric Opera of Chicago, Semperoper Dresden, Seattle Opera, the Volksoper in Vienna, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera and San Francisco Opera.

Most recently, Mr. Lynch performed the Forester in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen with English National Opera and on an innovative Verdi vs. Wagner program with the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa. He made his film debut in November 2021 as Merrivale in Gordon Getty’s new opera, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, based on the popular 1934 novella by James Hilton. Upcoming 2022 highlights include his debut as Wotan in Wagner’s Das Rheingold with Nashville Opera and several performances of Verdi’s Macbeth.

Mr. Lynch’s recording work is featured on Pentatone, including performances as Iago in Verdi’s Otello, Michele in Puccini’s Il Tabarro, Germont in La Traviata and his 2017 debut solo album, “On My Journey Now.”

Simon Rivard is one of the most sought-after conductors on the Canadian music scene. 
Since 2018, he has been the conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. In 2022-23, he will make his debut with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre classique de Montréal. In addition, he will conduct the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke, and the Edmonton Opera in Puccini’s Tosca. 
Between 2018 and 2022, he held the title of RBC Resident Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. At the TSO, he was mentored by Music Director Gustavo Gimeno. In addition to leading concerts throughout the season, he has been assisting world-class conductors such as Sir Andrew Davis, Peter Oundjian, Donald Runnicles, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, John Storgårds, Barbara Hannigan, Xian Zhang, and Eun-sun Kim. Since 2019, he has been an Equilibrium Young Artist, as part of Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan's internationally acclaimed mentorship program for early-career professional musicians. 
Simon Rivard is also an excellent choral conductor. Since 2020, he has been involved with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Canada’s largest choral organization. He served as Associate Conductor (2020-2022), and as Artistic Collaborator (2022-present).
As a guest conductor, he has conducted orchestras in North America and Europe. He recently made his début with Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Orchestre symphonique Sherbrooke, and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. In February 2022, he made his début at the Edmonton Opera in Puccini's La Bohème. He also recently collaborated with celebrated Toronto-based opera company Against The Grain, in Holst’s Sāvitri.
In 2018, he was invited to participate in the first Conducting Mentorship Program at the Verbier Festival Academy (Switzerland), at the conclusion of which he was awarded a Special Prize. In 2022, he was invited by the Verbier Festival to be a coach of the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra.
In 2017-18, he served as Resident Conductor of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (Ontario, Canada). In 2017, he stepped in for Jean-Philippe Tremblay as Interim Music Director of the Orchestre de la Francophonie.