Meet the Cast

Director of Opera Theatre at the University of Minnesota School of Music, and a native of Toronto, Canada, David Walsh graduated with Honors in Political Science and Economics before studying Theatre Science at the University of Toronto. Professionally, he has worked for Scottish Opera, English National Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Netherlands Opera, Opera National de Lyon, Israeli Opera, Frankfurt Opera and Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf, among others. From 1984 to 1987, Mr. Walsh served as Assistant Artistic Director to Brian McMaster with Vancouver Opera. Mr. Walsh held the post of Head of Production for Scottish Opera from 1987-1991. As a Stage Director, David Walsh has worked extensively in Germany, Great Britain, America and Canada. He has produced Fidelio for Paris Opera with Jon Vickers and Hildegard Behrens in the title roles and conducted by Seiji Ozawa. In January 2001 Mr. Walsh directed a highly successful revival of Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s production of Palestrina for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. In the spring of 2002 Mr. Walsh assisted Dr. Lehnhoff on a production of Puccini’s Turandot at the Nederlandse Opera conducted by Riccardo Chailly. This performance was filmed and included a new final scene composed by Luciano Berio. In 2003 Mr. Walsh again acted as Assistant Director to Dr. Lehnhoff on a production of Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Salzburg Festival conducted by the Artistic Director Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra In the autumn of 2003 Mr. Walsh remounted this production for L’Opera de Lyon and in 2004 for the Tokyo Festival in Japan. In the summer of 2004 he directed a revival of Verdi’s La Traviata for the Deutsche Oper-am-Rhein in Duesseldorf. In April 2005 made his debut for the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv with Fidelio. In the summer of 2006 Mr. Walsh returned to the Deutsche Oper-am Rhein to direct a revival production of Bizet’s Carmen followed by a new production of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in fall 2006.

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.” Du and Bostridge most recent collaboration was in 2025 in Guangzhou, China at the Xinghai Concert Hall where they presented Winterreise by Schubert. Additional appearances include 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 Iduring 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 Al- Ashhab 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. Du recently co-founded Nebula Performances, a performance center in Vancouver, BC dedicated to featuring concerts 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. She recently musically directed Nebula’s Chinese Art Song Recital which featured an assorted program of Chinese songs performed by singers from diverse ethnic backgrounds to help share Chinese music traditions with other Canadian communities. Since their launch in May 2024, Du has curated and performed in numerous concerts and masterclasses, as well as launched a number of different workshops and concert series including the Rising Star Series, the Chee Series, the Resident Series, and the Vancouver International Vocal Workshop. Notable collaborations include esteemed Canadian artists such as stage director David Walsh, violinist Jason Ho, and mezzo-soprano Judith Forst. She will be the music director of Nebula Performance’s upcoming production of La tragédie de Carmen. 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.

A versatile singer and creator, Taryn Plater’s portfolio focuses on Ukrainian art song, new works, and the intersection of jazz and classical music. Driven by an interest in non-traditional opera creation, she is developing an original multi-media performance piece, Pamyatayesh, and continues to pursue collaborative commissions through her company, Opera Unbound.

Wanshuai Yu, a Chinese lyric tenor, is a resident artist at Nebula Performances. He earned his Bachelor of Music from Capital Normal University and his master’s from UBC. He has won multiple international awards, including the Outstanding Singer prize at The International Music Competition, First Place at the Music Vocal Festival Vienna, and the Final Prize in the 27th World Music Competition. In 2024, he performed Zhou Ping in Thunderstorm and was invited by conductor Norbert Baxa to sing the Prince in Rusalka in the Czech Republic. In 2025, he joined a national tour of Thunderstorm across nine Chinese cities, reprising the role of Zhou Ping.

Heralded for her “clear, vibrant tone” (Opera Canada) and praised for her “good comedic acting…with [a] powerful, agile voice” (Burnaby Now), Armenian-Canadian soprano Tamar Simon is based in Vancouver, Canada. She has performed leading operatic roles with Brott Opera and the Lunenburg Academy of Music, and has appeared as a soloist with prominent Canadian ensembles including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, and White Rock Concerts.

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, Vancouver Opera, Portland Opera, and Pacific Opera Victoria.

Elissa Matthew recently graduated from UBC with a Bachelor’s degree in Opera Performance. Throughout her degree she had the opportunity to perform in numerous operatic productions. This summer Elissa attended Chicago Summer Opera to cover Lepido in Handel’s opera, Silla. Last summer she performed excerpts of Le Nozze di Figaro as Susanna at both the Taos Opera Institute and Opera Viva Verona.

Victoria Kazantseva is a singer and dancer with 17 years of training. She has starred in an award-winning short film, performed in musical theatre, and made her operatic debut in Eugene Onegin (2018) with Vancouver Opera. Now in her fourth year at UBC Opera, studying under Krisztina Szabó, Victoria has appeared in HMS Pinafore, Manon, and Street Scene (Mae Jones/choreographer). She is excited to take on the same dual role as Mercédès and choreographer in La Tragédie de Carmen.

Riya Bist is a Vancouver-based performer originally from India. A graduate from Capilano University, she has always been drawn to expressive, emotionally charged storytelling. She has worked across short films, music videos, and commercials, and is drawn to projects that allow her to explore layered characters and dramatic moments. Whether on stage or on screen, Riya is passionate about making performances feel alive, magnetic, and unforgettable.

Matthew is a baritone currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Opera Performance at UBC, studying under Dale Throness. Recent roles include Carl Olsen and Frank Murrant (cover) in Street Scene, Dick Deadeye in H.M.S. Pinafore, and Guglielmo in Così fan Tutte, performed in both Vancouver and the Czech Republic. This summer, he appeared with musica intima, performed in a contemporary opera with Opera Unbound, and was a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with Westend Chamber Choir.

Having recently graduated from his MMUS in Opera Performance at UBC, Ming-Xuan has performed with various Opera and Theater companies across the lower mainland. Some highlights include Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore with Fraser Valley Muscal Theater, Monty Navarro in A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love & Murder with NUOVA and Sam in Street Scene with UBC Opera.

Zoe has recently moved to Vancouver, and is delighted to have found such a warm welcome at Nebula. With a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Victoria, she can be found on stage and screen, as well as giving historical walking tours in Gastown. Selected credits include The Incredible Glowing Woman (hapax theatre), When Was the Last Time You Said Hello? (SATCo), and The Children's Hour (Phoenix Theatre).

Maggie Dang is a passionate musician and performer based in Vancouver, BC. Currently a Grade 12 student at Kitsilano Secondary School, she has been studying music since Grade 2, specializing in voice and the Guzheng. She is also member of the BC Chinese Music Orchestra and the BC Youth Chinese Orchestra. She was part of the Children’s Chorus in Vancouver Opera’s Production of Carmen. Some of her accomplishments include achieving the Grade 10 certificate in Voice (National Music Grading Test, China), the Grade 10 certificate in Guzheng (CCOM Examination, Canada), and first place in the Intermediate Classical Canadian category at the Kiwanis Festival of Song.

Karen Hamada is a soprano singer based in Japan. Since childhood, she has performed on stage through dance, and later studied vocal music at university. She is now active in a wide range of performances, including musicals and concerts. In 2022, she participated in the UBC Summer Vocal Workshop, which became a turning point, and she now visits Vancouver regularly to continue her musical studies through Nebula.

After years of navigating internal doubts and external pressures, Kar-Hei (pronounced “carhey”) is stepping into the path of acting with burning passion. Since choosing to give space and love to the part of herself that refused to be ignored, Kar-Hei has found growth, honesty, and healing in her commitment to the craft. The fear hasn’t disappeared—her passion is just louder.