Canadian-Armenian bass-baritone Vartan Gabrielian begins the 2026-27 season with an appearance at Edmonton Opera as Basilio in The Barber of Seville. He returns to the Opéra national de Paris to perform Masetto, Don Giovanni; The Officer, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk; and Le Duc de Vérone, Roméo et Juliette.

Recent career highlights include Figaro, Le Nozze di Figaro (Opéra national de Paris), Sparafucile, Rigoletto (Opéra de Lausanne), Nick Shadow, The Rake’s Progress (Verbier Festival), Lo Zio Bonzo, Madama Butterfly (Opéra national de Paris), Lord Gualtiero Valton, I Puritani (Opéra national de Paris), Basilio, The Barber of Seville (Des Moines Metro Opera), and his Wagnerian role debut as Fasolt, Das Rheingold (Edmonton Opera).

As a resident artist at Opera San José, he performed Basilio, The Barber of Seville, Frère Laurent, Romeo and Juliet, and Capitán, Florencia en el Amazonas. As a recipient of numerous awards, Gabrielian was a finalist of the 2022 Belvedere Competition and a National Semi-Finalist of the 2023 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the Curtis Institute of Music and is an alumnus of the Canadian Opera Company’s ensemble and the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice program.

Frances Armstrong, originally from Surrey, British Columbia, holds a Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance with Distinction from the University of Victoria. She has trained as an apprentice coach with l’Opéra de Montréal and the Canadian Opera Company, and has studied at programs including the Franz Schubert Institute, Toronto Summer Music, and the Music Academy of the West.

A sought-after collaborator and coach across Canada, Frances served as Head Coach at Edmonton Opera for two seasons and is delighted to work with them regularly. She has also collaborated with City Opera Vancouver, Pacific Opera Victoria, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, and Highlands Opera Studio. Known for her intuitive and sensitive playing, she enjoys a dynamic career as a chamber musician, coach, and répétiteur. When not busy travelling for her professional engagements, she enjoys her peaceful home on Gabriola