U of T Opera takes Centre Stage
University of Toronto Opera was in fine form on Thursday, November 1 at the Centre Stage: A Night of Voices gala. The Canadian Opera Company's annual Ensemble Studio Competition is a showcase for up and coming vocal powerhouses on the Canadian opera landscape. Of the eight musicians competing, Faculty of Music students and alumni occupied four of the finalist slots with current master’s student Matthew Cairns (tenor) taking home the top prize of $5,000 and an opportunity to perform at Ontario’s Elora Festival. Cairns won with a sterling performance of “Ô souverain, ô juge, ô père” from Massenet’s Le Cid. Master’s student Jamie Groote (mezzo-soprano) won Third Prize for her rendition of aria “Que fais-tu, blanche tourterelle” from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette which came with a purse of $1,500.
In addition to the top prizes on offer, University of Toronto alumna Andrea Lett (soprano) earned massive audience recognition for her stunning performance of Verdi’s aria “Caro nome” from Rigoletto. So much so that she received the Audience Choice Award ($1,500).
The inaugural CBC Music Young Artist Development Prize was also determined during the gala and with so much talent on display they elected to offer the award to two singers. Both Matthew Cairns and Andrea Lett were selected to win a professional studio recording session for future broadcast.
The special guest for this year’s gala was 2015 Centre Stage winner and alumna Emily D’Angelo. Since winning in 2015, D’Angelo has had a storybook career with numerous awards under her belt, this year's highlights including a sweep of the international Operalia competition and a debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. D’Angelo will return to the COC this season for her role debut as Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte.
We at the Faculty of Music would like to offer warm congratulations to all the winners and participants at the gala event. Particularly to all our students and alumni: Matthew Cairns, Jamie Groote, Andrea Lett and Rocco Rupolo. Bravo! – we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.
For a deeper dive into the evening's festivities check out Ludwig Van Toronto’s write up.
Article by Sam Little, Master's student in Jazz Performance
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