Pagliacci Opens Next Week!
- nebulaperformances
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Meet the Team Behind Pagliacci
With Pagliacci opening next week, we’re excited to start introducing you to some of the incredible artists and collaborators bringing this production to life.
In this newsletter, we’re featuring Holly, Alexander, and Hannah, with more introductions to come! We’ll be continuing to spotlight members of our cast and creative team in our upcoming newsletters, so stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes introductions.
Our Cast
We’re thrilled to have such a wonderful group of artists joining us for this production. From the performers onstage to the artists working behind the scenes, every member of the team has helped shape this production.
Hannah Ernst as Nedda:
Praised by Opera Canada for singing the Queen of the Night “skillfully” in North Shore Light Opera Society’s The Magic Flute, soprano Hannah Ernst is an emerging artist originally from the UNESCO World Heritage town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, now based in Vancouver. A graduate of the UBC Opera Ensemble, Hannah holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Opera Performance.
Her recent highlights include her U.S. debut as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare with Chicago Summer Opera, as well as performances of the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute with North Shore Light Opera Society and the International Lyric Academy in Italy.
💜 “I am so excited to return to Nebula to sing my role debut as Nedda! Nebula has become home to me, and it is an absolute pleasure to work with David Walsh and Wenwen Du, along with the rest of the amazing Nebula team and all my fellow local artists, to bring this spectacular production to life!”
— Hannah Ernst
Holly Chaplin as Nedda:
Toronto-based lyric coloratura soprano Holly Chaplin joins Nebula’s I Pagliacci as Nedda, bringing extensive experience from stages across Canada and internationally.
A graduate of York University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Classical Voice Performance, Holly has appeared with leading Canadian companies and ensembles including Opera in Concert, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Opera York, and Southern Ontario Lyric Opera. Her repertoire includes Gilda in Rigoletto, Violetta in La Traviata, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, and the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte.
Her international engagements have taken her to Germany and the Netherlands, with performances including Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Gilda in Rigoletto, and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. Holly is also a recipient of the Stuart Hamilton Memorial Foundation Award for Emerging Artists and has received recognition in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.
✨We’re so excited to welcome Holly to Vancouver audiences as she makes her debut as Nedda in I Pagliacci.
Wanshuai Yu as Canio:
“Don José, played with great feeling and nuance by Wanshuai Yu, with equal aplomb.”
— Opera Canada
Chinese tenor Wanshuai Yu is a Resident Artist at Nebula Performances. A graduate of Capital Normal University and UBC, he has received numerous international awards and performed extensively in China, North America and Europe.
👏 His recent operatic highlights include Zhou Ping in Thunderstorm, the Prince in Dvořák’s Rusalka in the Czech Republic, and roles in The Gondoliers, Le nozze di Figaro, and The Cunning Little Vixen.
“I am excited to be returning onto the Nebula stage to sing the role of Canio in I Pagliacci. The character’s inner world is fraught with extreme emotions and he is both a comedic performer on stage who entertains the audience, and deeply involved in the pain, suspicion, and fury of reality. This demands that the performer effortlessly switches between multiple emotions, capturing the complex and rich spiritual layers of the character. For me, portraying Canio is both a test of vocal performance and theatrical acting, and a significant milestone on my artistic journey. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to once again collaborate with the talented artists of Nebula Performances in bringing this powerful and classic opera to a diverse audience.”
Alexander Dobson as Silvio:
Grammy Award-nominated and Juno Award-winning British-Canadian baritone Alexander Dobson is known for his ringing, present sound, rich baritone, and strong musicality and dramatic presence.
His extensive opera and concert career has taken him to stages including Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Calgary Opera, and L’Opéra de Montréal, as well as performances with major orchestras across North America.
His repertoire includes roles such as Don Giovanni, Wozzeck, Guglielmo, Ned Keene, Silvio, Marcello, Escamillo, and The Count in Le Nozze di Figaro. Alongside performing, Alex is also passionate about teaching and has taught voice at Mount Allison University.
💜 We’re so excited to have Alex joining us at Nebula for our production of I Pagliacci, where he takes on the role of Silvio. In his own words:
“I am thrilled to be a part of Nubula Performances Society‘s production of Pagliacci. This is an exciting new venue in Vancouver and I feel very fortunate to be included in just their second opera production. It will be a dream to work with the internationally acclaimed pianist Wenwen Du as Musical Director and to reconnect with the fabulous Stage Director David Walsh.” - Alex Dobson
And More to Come...
This is just the beginning! In our next newsletter, we’ll continue introducing the artists who make Pagliacci possible. We can’t wait for you to meet the people behind Pagliacci—and, of course, to experience the production for yourself!
Comments