Meet The Artistic Team.

Wenwen Du (she/her) is one of Canada’s most accomplished young pianists. Acclaimed for her “strong and perceptive pianism,” she is a renowned solo and collaborative pianist. Du has most frequently appeared in concert with tenor Ian Bostridge, earning international acclaim for their recitals together. The New York Times wrote that she was “superb [in their] devastating concert” of music of World War I and the Vancouver Sun wrote, “Du and Bostridge are not just on the same page, they anticipate each other’s every nuance in perfect synchronization.” Their latest appearances were for Ottawa’s Music and Beyond and a return performance for San Francisco Performances. San Francisco Classical Voice wrote, “[Du’s] readings were strikingly sharp, poignant, and vibrant” and Seen and Heard International wrote, “Wenwen Du was in remarkable sync with Bostridge, and the music unfolded with unity and balance. Piano flourishes seemed to inspire improvisation from the singer and vice versa: unexpected nuances from the singer immediately shaded the piano part. This was lieder at a high level.” Additional appearances have included the Park Avenue Armory, Cal Performances, Vancouver Recital Society, Spivey Hall, Schloss Elmau, Daegu Suseong Artpia, and Cheonan Arts Center. Du appeared at the LA Philharmonic for a unique recital of Schubert and Samuel Beckett, directed by Yuval Sharon and featuring soprano Julia Bullock, bass-baritone Ryan McKinney, and actors Miles Anderson, Barry McGovern, Alan Mandell, Bella Merlin, and Priscilla Pointer. Other recital partners have included violinists Caroline Goulding, Nikki Chooi and Timothy Chooi, cellist Cristian Márkos, soprano Judith Howarth, mezzo-soprano Abigail Levis, tenors Mingyu Zhang and Katherine Goforth, baritones Johannes Kammler and Anton Belov, and bass-baritone Richard Zeller. She has given Schubertiades at Portland State University’s Deutsche Sommerschule am Pazifik and the Aquilon Music Festival, and appeared in a Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme alumni recital during the Aldeburgh Festival. Having given recital performances in Europe, Asia, and North America, Du’s recent solo engagements have included a recital for Müzewest (Vancouver BC), where she premiered Dr Jacquline Leggatt’s reflection on COVID, the solo piano work ”this rabble world,” and two performances at the British Embassy in Beijing at the invitation of Dame Caroline Wilson, British Ambassador to China. She has recorded works by Schubert and Rachmaninov for CBC Radio broadcast and played for Coast Recital Society. Upcoming, Du will perform in recital with violinist Milan AlAshhab in Teplice, Czechia, for the European Music Academy in Teplice. In recent years, Du has often served as an assistant conductor and principal coach in operatic productions. She assisted Tang Muhai in the premiere of Tang Kang Nian’s Thunderstorm with Tianjin Opera House, Die Walküre with the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra, Tosca with Harbin Grand Theatre, and China National Opera House and Opera Australia’s joint tour of Madama Butterfly. An adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia, she assisted Norbert Baxa in Rusalka and The Merry Wives of Windsor and Otto Tausk in Le Nozze di Figaro. Du works closely with Nancy Hermiston and the UBC Opera as a coach, collaborative pianist, and occasionally, orchestra member. Du recently co-founded Nebula Performances, a performance center in Vancouver, BC dedicated to featuring performances of renowned artists and nurturing young musical talent. As the artistic director, Du directs, performs and organizes events where emerging and professional performers can share their passion for music, collaborate with other artists, and connect with the community. Born in China, Du was trained by Dan Zhaoyi at the Shenzhen Art School before studying with Lee Kum Sing at Vancouver Academy of Music, where she received her Bachelor’s of Music and an Artist Diploma. She also participated in the Franz Schubert Institute in Baden, Austria, with teachers including Elly Ameling, Helmut Deutsch, Julius Drake, Gabriele Jacoby and the late Deen Larsen, Oxford Lieder Festival in London with teachers Wolfgang Holzmair and Imogen Cooper, and the Britten Song and Wolf Lieder courses at the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in UK.

Lee Kum Sing studied with Gerhard Puchelt in Berlin , with Julius Katchen and Magda Tagliaferro in Paris and also with Hans Richter-Haaser and Orazio Frugoni. He started his solo performing career in the 1950’s in Singapore and Malaysia , and played the inaugural concerts at Conference Hall and the National Theatre of Singapore. He made his New York debut in Carnegie Hall in 1963 and his London debut in Wigmore Hall in 1969. For over three decades, he received international acclaim as a soloist and in chamber music in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia . He has appeared with symphony orchestras in Canada and throughout Asia . He has collaborated in concerts with leading artists such as Cho-Liang Lin, Alfredo Campoli, Dong-Suk Kang, Bion Tsang, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Rivka Golani, Kim Borg, Joan Hammond, Betty Allen, and Takao Okamura and has been featured with the BBC, Australian and Canadian Broadcasting Corporations, and in other Asian and European radio and television recordings. Since 1971, Professor Lee has been Head of the Piano Department at the Vancouver Academy of Music and a faculty member at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver , Canada . Since 1985, he has also been Visiting Professor to a number of music conservatories in China. Professor Lee has earned international recognition as a master teacher. Many of his students have been prizewinners in major national and international competitions and are now actively concertizing and recording. For over 30 years, Professor Lee has been conducting master classes and has been on faculty at international summer schools in Holland, Poland, France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, China, the U.S.A. and Canada. Professor Lee is also guest professor at the University of Indiana , the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Oberlin College Conservatory and the University of Texas and has also participated in such international festivals as Ksiaz and Duszniki in Poland , the Chopin Festival in Nohant , France , the Morningside Music Bridge , the Toronto Summer Music and the Orford Music Festival in Canada. Professor Lee sits on the jury of prestigious international piano competitions, including Queen Elisabeth ( Brussels ), the XIII International Chopin ( Warsaw ), Rachmaninoff ( Moscow ), 3 rd International China ( Beijing ), Concours Musical International ( Montreal ), Esther Honens ( Calgary ), Gina Bachauer ( Salt Lake City ), Paderewski ( Poland ), the Dublin International and the Casagrande (Italy) Piano Competitions. In the 2010-2011 season, Professor Lee gave lectures and master classes in celebration of Chopin’s 200th anniversary in Houston, including Rice University, and will be doing two master class tours in Asia covering in Korea, Japan, and China and a master class tour in Poland.

Norbert Baxa began his professional career in 1998 as the principal conductor of the North Bohemian Opera & Ballet in Usti nad Labem. In the 1999/2000 season he was promoted to the head of the opera division. At the age of 24, he was the youngest person ever to be appointed the head of an opera company, in the history of the Czech Republic. From 2015- 2023 he held the position of the chief conductor of the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Pilsen. During his career Norbert Baxa studied various operatic, operetta, ballet and symphonic repertoire. In Czech premieres he also presented such works as Ward's The Crucible and Cherubini's Medea. As the conductor and the head of the opera division he received multiple awards including one for the best performance of the Opera Festival in Prague with Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (2003) and the award of critics for the best performance of the year in Czech theatres with Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer (2007). As a guest conductor he has appeared in many theatres including the National Theatre in Prague, Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania (Italy), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Slovak Republic), Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg-Gera (Germany), and Kuopio Symphony Orchestra (Finland). In the 2022/2023 season he made his international debut at the Wexford Festival Opera with Dvořák's Armida. Norbert has travelled and performed internationally with the Prague Chamber Opera and Czech Opera Prague, presenting many works including Händel's Xerxes, Rossini's Il barbiere di Seviglia, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer. Since 2000 Norbert Baxa has been closely connected with the UBC Opera Ensemble at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. In cooperation with members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra he studied many opera productions including Smetana's The Bartered Bride, Dvořák's Rusalka, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Massenet's Manon, Ward's The Crucible and Menotti's The Consul. Norbert Baxa is currently a professor at the Music Academy of Art in Prague. As visiting professor, he works for various international universities, including the University of Fine Arts in Zürich and the Norwegian Academy of Music. In 2007 Norbert Baxa established the European Music Academy in Teplice, which organises international workshops for young conductors and opera singers.

Since winning the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 2002, baritone Anton Belov has expanded his career to reach major opera houses and concert halls across the United States. His voice has been called rich and mellifluous by the New York Times, while the Florida Weekly compared his performance to casting a mystical spell over the audience. ​ A graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center, he has appeared with numerous companies and orchestras throughout the United States and has earned critical acclaim for his portrayals of characters as diverse as Count di Luna (Il Trovatore), Don Giovanni, Escamillo (Carmen), Germont (La Traviata), Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Doctor Malatesta (Don Pasquale), and Eugene Onegin. Dr. Belov performed throughout the United States appearing with Boston Lyric Opera, Portland Opera, Opera Boston, Opera Delaware, Connecticut Grand Opera, Tacoma Opera, Opera New Jersey, Anchorage and Eugene Operas among others. ​ Equally at home with oratorio and concert repertoire, Mr. Belov presented over 100 recitals throughout the United States appearing at such venues as Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The highlights of his concert career include Rachmaninoff’s "Bells" at Symphony Hall in Boston, Handel’s “Messiah” at Avery Fischer Hall in New York City, Brahms’ “Requiem” at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Verdi’s “Requiem” with the Anchorage Concert Chorus; and Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins with the Detroit Symphony at Carnegie Hall. His concert resume also includes multiple performances of Beethoven’s iconic Ninth Symphony with the orchestras of Hartford, Connecticut; Bozeman, Montana; Charlottesville, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; and Kalamazoo, Michigan; among others. In addition, he has appeared with the Colorado Symphony, Eugene Concert Choir, Boston Baroque, the Wyoming Symphony, the California Symphony, Opera Orchestra of New York, the Oregon Symphony, the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Rhode Island Philharmonic and the Portland Chamber Orchestra. His pre-pandemic schedule included the title role in “Eugene Onegin” with the Northern Lights Festival in Minnesota, the title role in “Nosferatu” by Alva Henderson at the Rimrock Opera, Germont in “La Traviata with Vashon Opera; the role of the Pilot in the “Little Prince” with Opera Theater Oregon; Rachmaninoff’s “The Bell’s” with Nashville Symphony Orchestra; Mozart’s Grand Mass in C minor with the Eugene Concert Choir, Brahms’ “Requiem” at Benaroya Hall in Seattle; as well as two recital tours that included performances in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Minneapolis and Vienna. ​ Mr. Belov is the first-place winner of numerous vocal competitions including the George London Competition, Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation International Competition, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Eastern Regional Winner) and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. A native of Moscow, Mr. Belov holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from The New England Conservatory, an Artist’s Diploma and a Master of Music Degree from The Juilliard School and the Doctorate of Music from Boston University. A specialist in Russian lyric diction, he is the author of Russian Opera Libretti in Word-to-Word Translation and IPA Transcription and the Anthology of Russian Arias (Leyerle Publications 2004-06) and the Anthology of Russian Art Song (Classical Vocal Reprints, 2015). Since the beginning of the Ukraine War, Mr. Belov has been outspoken in his criticism of the Russian invasion. He has been instrumental in producing numerous benefit concerts that to date raised over $40,000 for Ukrainian medical relief organizations.

A native of Vancouver, Jason Ho is a graduate of the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with David Updegraff. Jason began his musical studies at the age of four with Don Lum and also with Professor Andrew Dawes at the University of British Columbia. Jason Ho was a grand prize winner at the Canadian Music Competition, BC Festival of the Arts, UBC Concerto Competition, and Burnaby Clef Concerto Competition. Mr. Ho made his orchestral debut at the age of fourteen, and has served as concertmaster of the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra. Jason is currently a member of the First Violin section of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Catherine, a native of Flagstaff, Arizona, discovered her love for music at an early age, first through the viola and later through choir. It wasn't until she encountered her first voice teacher at 17 that she fell in love with classical singing. After earning her bachelor's degree from Northern Arizona University, she temporarily paused her musical pursuits before returning in 2019 to pursue her master's at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. Since her return to the world of classical music, Catherine has been chosen as a semi-finalist in the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition twice. She currently dedicates herself to sharing her passion for classical music and opera with the community, collaborating with small opera companies and fellow musicians in Vancouver. She most recently performed the role of Mimì in Burnaby Lyric Opera’s production of La Bohème. Catherine with be returning to the Glimmerglass Opera Festival as a young artist this summer where she will be performing the role of The Queen in Jen Ibsen’s Rumpelstiltskin and the Unlovable Children and covering the role of Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. When Catherine is not performing, she finds fulfillment in teaching breathing and singing techniques to seniors and she enjoys spending her free time with her two dogs and tending to her plants. She is currently based out of Vancouver, BC and is a student of Nancy Hermiston.

Mezzo-soprano Katie Fraser is a recent graduate of the University of British Columbia, BMus (2020) and MMus (2022) in Opera Performance, having studied under the direction of Krisztina Szabó, Heidi Melton and Rhoslyn Jones. Katie is currently completing her diploma in Opera Performance under the tutelage of Nancy Hermiston. Katie was recently seen as the mezzo soloist for the Mozart Coronation Mass and the Haydn Lord Nelson Mass under the baton of Les Dala with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and Vancouver Bach Choir this past October and as a participant at the Canadian Opera Company Summer Intensive in August. This 2023/2024 season, Katie will be performing the roles of Prince Charming in Massenet’s Cendrillon and Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte with the UBC Opera Ensemble, and she is pleased to be returning to the Vancouver Opera chorus for their production of Carmen this Spring. Past credits include Frau Reich in Nicolai’s Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Jezibaba in Dvorak’s Rusalka, Tree Spirit in Shadow Catch, Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Tessa in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, Julia Bertram in Dove’s Mansfield Park with the UBC Opera Ensemble. ​​ ​ https://www.katiefrasermezzo.com/

Alyssa Nicole Samson (she/her) is an accomplished Vancouver-based Filipino-Canadian mezzo-soprano passionate about advocacy through contemporary/new music. Notably, she is driven by her belief that classical music can make an impact that transcends beyond traditional performance settings. This is evidenced by her breadth of experience leveraging music to advocate for marginalized voices, share contemporary stories about pivotal societal issues, and build community between musicians and non-musicians alike. This passion for unity has brought her opportunities to perform internationally in Portugal, Italy, Spain, Austria, and the United States, in addition to working with musical communities across Canada. On the operatic stage, Alyssa is committed to a fiery stage presence to every role she brings to life. In the 2023-2024 season, she reprised the role of Mrs. XE in Angel’s Bone with (Loose Tea Music Theatre and Sound the Alarm Music Theatre) in Toronto and role debuted Shi Ping in Emily Pan’s Thunderstorm (Canadian Dramatist Society) in Vancouver. An artist keen on creating and collaborating on new works, Alyssa worked with Re:Naissance Opera to workshop Eurydice Fragments as Cerberus 1 and will workshop a new Canadian opera as Medusa/Melpomene in Monster’s Made with Good Mess Theatre in Winnipeg this coming June 2024. In addition to her time on the operatic stage, Alyssa’s current focus is on exploring themes of identity in her own life using Filipino Kundiman as a platform to develop the meaning of being a second-generation Filipino-Canadian artist. Alyssa is also the assistant artistic director of Wings Vocal Collective (WVC), a semi-professional ensemble of singers in a wide variety of careers who come together to celebrate music. With WVC, they have performed and collaborated with a variety of organizations in the Lower Mainland including the VGH UBC Hospital Foundation, and have competed in the International Competition of A Cappella Open. Alyssa holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabo with whom she currently studies.

Wanshuai Yu, a Chinese lyric tenor and a Diploma student in UBC School of Music Opera Performance program. He was enrolled to the Department of Vocal Performance at Capital Normal University in 2012, under the Professor Mengwen Zhu then he received Bachelor of Music in 2016. After that, he has been studying with Professor Helen Chen Lee at UBC from 2017 to 2022, now he is studying with Professor Peter Barcza. He graduated with a master's degree from UBC in 2023. In 2015, he won Outstanding Singer of The International Music Competition in Memory of D.Shostakovich. He had his recital concert in 2016 when he was pursuing his undergraduate degree. What’s more, he attended "Xiong Zhuang Yu Fei Yang" Symphonic Choral Concert at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in China. He won the first prize of “Music Vocal festival Vienna 2018.” He won the Final Prize in the vocal category of the 27th World Music Competition 2019.

Mr. Bo Peng holds a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music, as well as a Performer’s Diploma from the Indiana University where he studied with distinguished cellist Janos Starker. His teachers also included renowned cellists Steven Doane, Carter Enyeart, Marc Johnson and Eric Wilson. Mr. Peng was a two-time winner of the Music Teacher National Association Competitions (Strings Division); he also won 3 rd prize in the International Chamber Music Competition held by the Czech Radio “Spring of Prague”. As a soloist and chamber musician, he attended several summer festivals and master classes including International Summer Academy at University Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria) on the Johann Strauss Foundation (2002 and 2003), the Banff Summer Festival, the Spoleto Summer Festival, the Taos Chamber Music Festival and the National Arts Center Young Artists Programme where he worked with world-class musicians such as Lynn Harrell, Gary Hoffmann, Aldo Parisot, Pinchas Zurkermann and the Tokyo String Quartet. In 2003, Mr. Bo Peng toured as member of Vancouver Piano Trio to Japan performing concerts and teaching Master Classes. In May 2005, he performed in the Shanghai premiere of Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time" with clarinetist Gene Ramsbottom. In December, both of them worked together again for a Chamber Music Concert with local musicians in Taiwan. Being a founding member for Vancouver Trio with Clarinetist Gene Ramsbottom and Pianist Keiko Alexander, Mr. Peng has been performing regularly in Universities and Chamber music Series in B.C since 2006. In February 2008, as soloist Mr. Peng played Dvorak Cello Concerto with Richmond Orchestra and Chorus. In November 2009, he performed Beethoven Triple Concerto in Vancouver with pianist Eugen Skovorodnikov and violinist Victor Kuleshov. In December 2009, Mr. Peng performed with Stradivari Ensemble of the Vancouver Academy of Music’s debut as soloist with director and violinist Robert Rozek. In February 2010, Mr. Peng is feature soloist with Vancouver Philharmoic for performing Dvorak Cello Concerto. In the summer of 2010, Mr. Bo Peng was invited by Quanta Culture and Education Foundations touring with Robert Rozek and Eric Wilson for the summer concerts and workshops in Taiwan. In January 2012, Mr. Bo Peng joined Borealis String Quartet as Cellist. The Quartet toured USA, Canada, Germany and Italy, in 2013 the Borealis will tour China, USA, Canada and Italy. In 2012, Mr. Bo Peng was invited as Principal Cellist by Taiwan Connection Music Festival under directing of Violinist NaiYuan Hu toured the whole Island of Taiwan. Since 2012 summer, Mr. Bo Peng joined the cello faculty of Casalmaggiore International Music Festival, Italy. The Borealis Quartet will be the Quartet in Residence of Casalmaggiore International Music Festival since then. Mr. Peng’s teaching experience included being a sectional coach for the Dallas Youth Orchestra, and teaching cello in the Dallas Private School District. Currently, he is teaching in Richmond Music School, Delta Community School of Music, and Guildford School of Music. Mr. Peng served as the Cello teaching assistant for Mr. Eric Wilson (Cello Professor) at UBC from where he was working towards his Doctoral Degree in Cello Performance. He taught Master Classes in Shanghai, China, Taichung, Taiwan as well as at the University of B.C. for the Young Artists Experience weeks. He recently joined the Faculty of Cello and Chamber music at Kwantlen Polytechnical University in Langley and appointed the Junior Orchestra Director at the VSO School of Music.

Praised for his "clarion tone" (Ludwig van Toronto) and "impressive vocal colour" (Opera Canada), Canadian-American baritone Geoffrey Schellenberg has recently been featured in a number of North American opera productions, including those with Opéra de Montréal (La traviata and Madama Butterfly), Vancouver Opera (La bohème), Portland Opera (La traviata and La finta giardiniera), and Pacific Opera Victoria (Carmen and Gianni Schicchi). He has been recognized for his performances of many principle roles such as Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Eugene Onegin (Eugene Onegin) and Germont (La traviata). This past season, he was seen as Marquis in La traviata (Opéra de Montréal), Escamillo in Carmen (Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières), and Eisenstein in La Chauve-Souris (Instituit Canadien d’art vocal). Geoffrey has sung as opera soloist with a number of orchestras, most recently appearing as Moralès and Dancaïre in Carmen with Orchestre Philharmonique et Chœur des Mélomanes. He has also performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in the roles of Captain in Candide and of Danilo in selections from The Merry Widow. He has also sung as a soloist in several oratorios, including A Sea Symphony and Faure’s Requiem with the Vancouver Bach Choir, Duruflé’s Requiem with the Saint Philips Choir, and Handel’s Messiah with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. He has performed a number of recitals, both with full orchestra for performances of Des Knaben Wunderhorn with both l’Orchestre de l’Agora in Montréal, Québec and the Mississippi Valley Orchestra in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and with piano as a featured singer for the PORA Recital Series in Portland Oregon and the Découvertes du Café d’art vocal series in Montréal. Geoffrey has completed a number of artist residencies including l’Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, the Portland Opera Resident Artist Program, and the Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Program. He has also completed a number of esteemed fellowship programs, including the Music Academy of the West, Highlands Opera Studio, and the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance. He has also earned a number of accolades in vocal competitions, including the of the Concours OSM (Stingray Rising Stars Award), the MONC Auditions (District and Audience Choice Winner), and the Canadian Opera Company Centre Stage Competition (Third Prize).

Heralded for her “clear vibrant tone” (Opera Canada) and her “good comedic acting...with [a] powerful, agile voice” (Burnaby Now), Tamar Simon is an Armenian-Canadian soprano based in Vancouver, Canada. She has been featured in many leading operatic roles including Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Musetta (La bohème), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni). She was recently seen as Clorinda in La cenerentola with both Brott Opera and Lunenburg Academy of Music, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus with Toronto City Opera, as well as Tour Guide in The Museum of the Lost and Found, a new work composed by Olivia Shortt in collaboration between Highlands Opera Studio and Loose Tea Music Theatre. A frequent performer around British Columbia, Tamar was featured in the inaugural Vancouver Opera Festival as the soprano soloist for their New Works Project and has performed with Vancouver Opera in their outreach concert series. She also has been engaged with Burnaby Lyric Opera in their mainstage production of Il barbiere di Siviglia as Rosina and their concert production of L’elisir d’amore as Adina. Tamar has performed as a soloist with many Canadian ensembles including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, and White Rock Concerts. She was recently featured in her solo recital Mélodies arméniennes et airs d’opéras with Société d’Art Vocal de Montréal which featured a number of Armenian art songs and arias from the Armenian opera Anoush. Tamar has also been seen on international stages, including appearances as Zerlina (Don Giovanni) in Kona, Hawaii and as Calisto (La Calisto) in Sulmona, Italy and has traveled to Pilzen, Czech Republic and Nürnberg, Germany performing excerpts from La traviata, La bohème, and Die Fledermaus. Last season, she was a featured as a soloist with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra in Saint Paul, Minnesota performing the Gustav Mahler song cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Tamar is a District Winner and an Encouragement Award Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She has participated in a number of esteemed young artist programs and artistic fellowships including Brott Opera, the Lunenburg Academy of Music Program, and Highlands Opera Studio. Tamar expanded upon her vocal and art song studies in Austria after receiving the Johann Strauss Foundation Scholarship, which sponsored study at the Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum under soprano Helen Donath and baritone Wolfgang Holzmair. She is a graduate of University of British Columbia’s Master of Music program in opera performance where she performed many leading roles, most notably the role of Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro where she was described as “believable and engaging Susanna, passing from innocence to subtlety to assertion, always in control and always the unrecognized protagonist” (Opera Canada). She was also seen as Tytania in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ciboletta in Eine Nacht in Venedig, and The Foreign Woman in The Consul.