Riki Turofsky Masterclass in Voice: Yves Abel, conductor

University of Toronto Faculty of Music presents:

2025 Riki Turofsky Masterclass in Voice: Yves Abel, conductor

Featuring singers from the Masters and Diploma in Opera programs.

September 24th, 2025, 12:10 pm | Geiger-Torel Room, 80 Queens Park

PROGRAM

O che piange (Nabucco)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Onur Hilaloğlu, bass

Una furtiva lagrima (L'elisir d'amore)
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Christian Matta, tenor

How beautiful it is (The Turn of the Screw)
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Katie Kirkpatrick, soprano

~ Short Break ~

Faites-lui mes aveux (Faust)
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Taline Yeremian, mezzo-soprano

Ah non credea/Ah non giunge (La Sonnambula)
Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1833)
Camille Labonté, soprano

Mab, la reine des mensonges (Roméo et Juliette)
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Joshua Gibson, baritone

Alternate:
Ah, lève-toi soleil (Roméo et Juliette)
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Enquan (Frank) Yu, tenor

BIOGRAPHY: YVES ABEL, CONDUCTOR

Yves Abel is one of the world’s most versatile conductors, equally comfortable in opera and concert with a repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary music. A regular guest with the world’s greatest orchestras and opera companies, Yves Abel has been the Principal Conductor of San Diego Opera since the 2020/21 season. In April 2025, General Director David Bennett announced the extension of Abel’s contract through 2032, news described as “as important as the operas for the upcoming season.” Yves Abel was Chief Conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche (NWD) Philharmonie Herford from 2015 to 2021, and from 2005 to 2013 he was Principal Guest Conductor at Deutsche Oper Berlin.

In autumn 2017, he won the Rubies Award of Opera Canada for outstanding contributions to opera in Canada. He has already conducted in such theaters as Metropolitan Opera New York, ROH Covent Garden London, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Opéra National de Paris, Gran Teatre del Liceu de Barcelona, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Rossini Opera Festival di Pesaro, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, New National Theatre Tokyo. In concerts he has performed with such important orchestras as Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre National de Lyon, Toronto and Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Nacional do Porto, Seoul Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, Sinfonica de Navarra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini Parma. As a Franco-Canadian, he has a particular affinity with the French repertoire. He has won significant critical acclaim for his achievements as founder (in 1988) and Music Director of L’Opéra Français de New York, with whom he has rediscovered rare French operas and also performed the world premiere of Dusapin’s To be Sung. Also for this activity, in 2009, he was awarded the title “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” by the French Government.

RIKI TUROFSKY

Blog curator and content writer, Riki Turofsky is a Toronto born opera singer, broadcaster, and author. Riki has sung leading roles with opera companies in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and has performed on the concert stage with major orchestras throughout North America. She’s has hosted TV shows ranging from the Royal Gala at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, to her own daily program in Vancouver called Artsweek. She’s been a successful interviewer and producer for both radio and television. Riki has five recordings to her credit; the most notable ‘Riki Turofsky SINGS KURT Weill’ was featured in both Billboard and People magazines and on a music video. Since her retirement from the opera stage, Riki has served on National boards, and is a philanthropist in the arts and public service. She has received The Queen’s Jubilee Medal for her contribution to Canadian life. Riki’s book, Aria: Song of a Life is a memoir that inspires hope and has led her to give motivational speeches about overcoming challenges and adversity and finding happiness.