Gordon Gerrard is a respected figure in the new generation of Canadian musicians. Trained first as a pianist and subsequently as a specialist in operatic repertoire, Gordon brings a fresh perspective to the podium. His passion and his dedication to producing thrilling musical experiences have endeared him to his fellow musicians and the public alike. Gordon was most recently appointed as the 15th Music Director of the Regina Symphony Orchestra, commencing in July 2016. He also currently holds the position of Associate Conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, a position which was created for him after two highly successful seasons there as Assistant Conductor. For four seasons Gordon held the positions of Resident Conductor and Repetiteur for Calgary Opera. He led many productions while in residence in Calgary, including the Canadian premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little Women recorded for national broadcast on CBC’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera; and a highly successful production of La Bohème chosen specifically to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the company. He was invited back to help launch Calgary Opera’s summer opera festival Opera in the Village with productions of Candide and The Pirates of Penzance. During his tenure at Calgary Opera, Gordon was honoured with the Mayor’s Award for Emerging Artists for his contribution to the musical life of the city of Calgary. Gordon has also conducted productions for Opera Hamilton to critical acclaim and was Assistant Conductor for several productions at Opera Lyra Ottawa. Gordon is also a regular guest conductor for Opera McGill, where he has led productions of Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro.

Delighted to be coming "home" to Edmonton Opera under any circumstances, Brian's pleasure is magnified by this amazing opportunity to at last direct one of his three bucket list operas...two to go. The past year has included productions of La fille du régiment in Honolulu, Candide in Salt Lake City, INTO THE WOODS for Opera Nuova, Mozart's Impressario, Gianni Schicchi and Lucia di Lammermoor for Knoxville Opera in Tennessee, and Oh! Christmas Tree as part of Theatre Network's Roxy Performance Series. Upcoming: Harvey for Edmonton's Players de Novo, Britten's A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Opera Nuova, and a highly-anticipated return to a summer of guiding in Berlin.  

Deanna’s 18-year association with Edmonton Opera as head of the wardrobe department and resident costume designer has included costume design credits for Elektra, Cinderella, Carmen, The Magic Flute, Lakmé, Pirates of Penzance and Fidelio. Her designs for Edmonton Opera’s South Pacific, The Emperor of Atlantis and The Mikado have earned Sterling Awards for best costume design. Most recently she designed costumes for Edmonton Opera’s production of HMS Pinafore.

For Edmonton Opera, Camellia has designed the sets for Carmen and HMS Pinafore and the sets and costumes for The Tales of Hoffmann and Mary Stuart. Other recent designs include collaborations with Minnesota Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Boston Lyric Opera, Against the Grain, Tapestry New Opera and the Canadian Opera Company. Recent designs for theatre and dance include collaborations with Ballet Jörgen, Cahoots Theatre Projects, Tarragon Theatre, The Second City, and the Shaw Festival. She has received six Dora Awards, a Sterling Award, a Chalmers Award Grant, and a Siminovitch Protégé Prize. Upcoming plans include The Orchard, Baroness and the Pig, and Henry V at the Shaw Festival. 

On the international stages of opera, concert, and recital, Canadian John Tessier has garnered attention and praise for the beauty and honesty of his voice, for a refined style and creative versatility, and for his handsome presence in the lyric tenor repertoire. The Juno Award-winning artist has worked with many of the most notable conductors and stage directors of our day. Highlights of recent seasons include productions at English National Opera, Manitoba Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Seattle Opera, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Vancouver Opera, and the Wiener Staatsoper. John Tessier’s discography includes recordings with Bernard Labadie and Les Violons du Roy, Donald Runnicles and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin and the Nashville Symphony, and Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra.

Alberta-born soprano Caitlin Wood was “absolutely vibrant”, and showed “great comic flair” as Susanna in Vancouver Opera Festival’s The Marriage of Figaro. Caitlin portrayed the young law student Ava in City Opera Vancouver’s world premiere of Marie Clements/Brian Current’s powerful Missing, showing “exquisite vulnerability”. Concert engagements include Under the Stars with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Carmina Burana with Okanagan Symphony and Finzi’s Et in TerraPax with Russell Braun and Ottawa Choral Society. Caitlin recently starred as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with Windsor Symphony Orchestra, and this season looks forward to her debut as Adele in Die Fledermaus with Toronto Operetta Theatre, Mozart’s Requiem with Windsor Symphony and Carmina Burana with Ottawa Choral Society.

Praised by The Washington Post for her “consistently beautiful sound,” American mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko is rapidly gaining attention for her “rich mezzo soprano” voice and musicality. In the 2018-19 season, Ms. Mesko returns to the Metropolitan Opera following her successful performance of Arsace in Semiramide to sing the role of Mercédès in Carmen conducted by Omer Meir Wellber. She will also make her Canadian debut as Isolier in Le comte Ory with Edmonton Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis debut as Ottavia in The Coronation of Poppea. In concert she will perform Handel’s Messiah at the United States Naval Academy and premiere The Flowers of Evil with Mercury Houston.

Hailed by the Ottawa Citizen as a singer possessing “…an instrument of rare beauty, majestic and commanding from the bottom of his range to the top…”, bass-baritone Stephen Hegedus is frequently heard with leading orchestras and opera companies in Canada and abroad. His operatic roles include the title role of Le nozze di Figaro, Leporello (Don Giovanni), Colline (La Bohème), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Albert (Werther), Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress), Collatinus (The Rape of Lucretia), Talbot (Maria Stuarda), Sprecher (Die Zauberflöte), Masetto (Don Giovanni) and Angelotti (Tosca). He has been engaged by the Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera, L’Opéra de Montréal, Opera Atelier, Pacific Opera Victoria, Edmonton Opera, Opera Columbus, Opera Hamilton and Against the Grain Theatre.

Edmonton soprano Whitney Leigh Sloan was seen most recently as Zerlina in Edmonton Opera’s production of Don Giovanni. Previous seasons with Edmonton Opera have included the role of Second Maid in Strauss’ Elektra and of Liù (cover) in their 2017/18 production of Turandot. Whitney has been fortunate to perform at home in feature performances with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the WindRose Trio, Edmonton Youth Orchestra, Orchestra Borealis and Cité Francophone. Future Engagements for 2018/19 will include the role of Alice in Edmonton Opera’s production of Le comte Ory as well as multiple engagements with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the highlight of these being the performance of four songs by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, orchestrated by Edmonton composer John Estacio.

Canadian tenor Adam Fisher is rapidly gaining attention for his charismatic stage presence in a wide range of repertoire. He has charmed audiences in Broadway concerts with Victoria Symphony, Chorus Niagara and Brantford Symphony and is a frequent performer with Toronto Operetta Theatre, returning in 2018 as Paris in Offenbach’s La Belle Helene. Adam has sung in several contemporary operas, including Edward, a troubled young soldier in Opera on the Avalon’s premiere of Ours, and Father Alexander in Tapestry Opera’s powerful 2017 production about sex trafficking, Oksana G. This season highlights include a reprisal of Adam’s portrayal of Edward with Opera on the Avalon’s Ours, then spends the holidays as Eisenstein with Toronto Operetta Theatre’s Die Fledermaus, a part of the troupe of nuns in Edmonton Opera’s Count Ory and will emcee the CASA fundraising gala in Edmonton this coming May.

British-Canadian baritone Alexander Dobson has been praised for his musical and dramatic artistry on both opera and concert stages. He was lauded for his “gripping embodiment of Wozzeck” (Journal Voir) in a production with Théâtre du Nouveau Monde and Orchestre Métropolitain, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. This season’s operatic highlights include the role of Betteron in Carlise Floyd’s Prince of Players and the Canadian premiere of Rudolf Komorous’ The Mute and the Canary with Turning Point Ensemble. In concert, Dobson performs Haydn’s Seasons with Cleveland Orchestra, Messiah with Symphony Nova Scotia and St. Thomas Church in New York, Durufle’s Requiem with the Bach Society of St. Louis, and Bizet’s Carmen in concert with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

Narda is a Calgary based Set, Costume and Lighting designer. Recent favorite designs include: Brontë: The World Without (Stratford Festival); Blow Wind, High Water (Theatre Calgary); Vigilante (Catalyst Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher, Venus in Fur, A Few Good Men (Citadel Theatre); To the Light, Gracie, Cockroach, The Circle, Red, Mary’s Wedding (Alberta Theatre Projects); The Mikado (Calgary Opera); Sweeney Todd, Turn of the Screw (Vertigo Theatre). Narda designed the costumes for The Freewill Shakespeare Festival for 16 seasons. She also designed the costumes for the feature film Cut Bank. Visit narda.ca to see images of her work.