Britta Johnson's Musical World

Voice Studies at the University of Toronto presents: 

Britta Johnson’s Musical World 

Britta Johnson’s Musical World is made possible in part by a generous gift from Marjorie Linden, in memory of Roy Linden. 

Britta Johnson and Jonah Nung, pianists 

Mabel Wonnacott, stage director 

Following the triumphant production of her award-winning musical, Life After, composer, lyricist, writer and Faculty of Music graduate, Britta Johnson, returns to curate an evening of performances drawn from her celebrated theatrical productions.

Registration required for this event.

PROGRAM

All I Need (Never Doubt I Love) 

Music and Lyrics by Britta Johnson  

(inspired by William Shakespeare) 

Emma Puscalau, soprano (Third-Year Undergraduate in Performance) 

Kelly V. Kelly 

Music and Lyrics by Britta Johnson 
Book by Sara Farb 

Love and Money    

Eve Channell, soprano (Second-Year Undergraduate in Performance)

For a Moment  

Muriel Falkenstein, soprano (Third-Year Undergraduate in Performance);  
Wen-Shan Wang, soprano (Second-Year Masters in Performance);  
Naomi Sney, soprano (First-Year Masters in Performance);  
Cynthia Yin, soprano (First-Year Undergraduate in Exploratory Year) 

For Love (Life After) 

Book, Music and Lyrics by Britta Johnson  

Isla Parekh, soprano (Third-Year Undergraduate in Performance) 

Make Me a Widow (Trap Door) 

Music and Lyrics by Anika and Britta Johnson 

Book by Morris Panych 

Megan O’Donnell, soprano (Fourth-Year Undergraduate in Performance) 

Dr. Silver: A Celebration of Life 

Music and Lyrics by Anika and Britta Johnson 

Happier Here  

Mac Reid, soprano (Second-Year Undergraduate in Music Education)  

The Most Beautiful Song 

Rasa Ghaedi, soprano (Second-Year Undergraduate in Interdisciplinary Studies);  
Monday Earle, soprano (First-Year Undergraduate in Exploratory Year)  

The Arrival 

Joshua Gibson, baritone (First-Year Masters in Opera);  
Wen-Shan Wang, Naomi Sney, Cynthia Yin, sopranos 

Run with Me, Vera  

Esther Cabral, soprano (Second-Year Undergraduate in Music Education);  
Jessica Dawdy, soprano (Second-Year Undergraduate in Interdisciplinary Studies)  

Nights Like This (The Last Timbit) 

 Music and Lyrics by Anika and Britta Johnson 

Book by Nick Green 

Jay-Daniel Baghbanan, tenor (Second-Year Undergraduate in Performance) 

Life After 

Book, Music and Lyrics by Britta Johnson 

Did I Grow? 

Camille Labonté, soprano (Second-Year Masters in Opera) 

Poetry 

Aimee Harness, mezzo-soprano (Fourth-Year Undergraduate in Performance) 

He is Coming 

Music and Lyrics by Britta Johnson 

Book by Sara Farb 

The Light  

Ana Sofia Castro Barrios, soprano (Fourth-Year Undergraduate in Performance) 

The Tree 

Music and Lyrics by Britta Johnson  

Marina Kadri, mezzo-soprano (Third-Year Undergraduate in Performance); 
Jessica Dawdy, soprano;  
Full Ensemble 

BIOGRAPHIES

Britta Johnson is a composer, lyricist and writer based in Toronto who is thrilled to be back working with U of T’s voice students for a third year! Her original musical LIFE AFTER (for which she wrote book, music and lyrics) had an extended, multiple Dora Award-winning production at Toronto’s Berkeley St. Theatre before playing at the Old Globe in San Diego and the Goodman in Chicago. Most recently, it opened at Toronto’s Ed Mirvish Theatre in 2025. Her other writing credits include: With Sara Farb, KELLY V. KELLY (Musical Stage Co./CanStage, winner of the Playwright’s Guild of Canada Best New Musical award). With her sister Anika Johnson: DR. SILVER (MSC/Outside the March); BRANTWOOD (Theatre Sheridan); JACOB TWO-TWO (YTP); TRAP DOOR (Theatre Sheridan). With Katherine Cullen: STUPIDHEAD! (TPM). She was a co-creator of Tim Hortons’ 60^th Anniversary musical, THE LAST TIMBIT which opened at the Elgin Theatre in the Summer of 2024 before streaming nationwide on CraveTV. Upcoming projects include works in development with the Stratford Festival, Soulpepper, the Musical Stage Company and Opera Avalon. 

Jonah Nung is a Toronto-based music director and pianist. Select credits include Funny Girl (Shaw), & Juliet (Mirvish), UnCovered: Madonna & Cher (Musical Stage Co.), Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Mirvish/Musical Stage/Crow’s), A Strange Loop (Musical Stage/Soulpepper/Crow’s/TO Live), and Into the Woods (Koerner Hall). In addition to performing, Jonah works as an accompanist for Sheridan College’s Music Theatre Performance program. He is grateful to return to his alma mater to work with Mabel and the Voice Studies students on Britta’s beautiful music. 

Mabel Wonnacott is a Tkaronto based director, arts educator and puppeteer whose work has been described as “powerful” and “ingenious”(Opera Canada, LudwigVan Toronto). Directing highlights include Ramla and the Dessert with Tarragon Theatre’s Greenhouse festival (2026), Tapestry Opera’s Briefs (2025), The Tender Land with Toronto City Opera (2025), Le nozze di Figaro with Laurier Opera (2025) as well as L’enfant et les Sortileges and L’enfant Prodigues with The Glenn Gould School (2024). In 2024, Mabel directed the world premier of Lysistrata Reimagined, a new opera by Michael Albano and the U of T New Composer’s Collective. She was the associate director for the Banff Centre’s production of Don Giovanni and was the assistant director for Joel Ivany’s 2023 production of Don Giovanni with the NAC Orchestra. Mabel regularly designs, builds and choreographs puppets, and has created puppets for the Canadian Children’s Chorus, Tapestry Opera and Tarragon Theatre. Mabel holds a diploma in Operatic Stage Directing from the University of Toronto as well as a Masters in Voice from Western University. An avid believer in opera and theatre as a vehicle for human connection and social change, Mabel holds the position of Ontario Provincial coordinator for Opera InReach.