Lorna MacDonald

Biography

“Who I am as an artist is who I am as a teacher. Simply put, I cannot be assuaged from the belief that in its purest state, music in the human voice has power that will transform. That puts singing and teaching at the heart of my life’s work.”

Lorna MacDonald is Professor of Voice, and Lois Marshall Chair in Voice Studies at the University of Toronto. Head of Voice from 1994-2007, she leads Vocal Pedagogy in a progressive, three-level program combining music, science and teaching. A recipient of Ontario’s OCUFA Award for “teaching excellence and outstanding contributions to university teaching” and a 2015 Teaching Award recipient, MacDonald is known for her clarity, diagnostic skill and deep passion. The Toronto Star noted her as a “master of transformation”.  In 2019 MacDonald was named the Sir Ernest MacMillan Honorary Member in Music by the historic Toronto Arts and Letters Club, and in May 2020 she will serve as a Master Teacher for the National Association Teachers of Singing Intern Program in Dayton, Ohio.

“One of my non-negotiables is to honour the native creativity and imagination of a student at all times. I lead students to actions and processes that require them to feel and think for themselves, and I look to strengthen their habits of excellence while exploring functional frailties that may have outlived their usefulness in the long-term building of a career.”

Her performances have garnered praise including “MacDonald’s freshness of tone, her clarity of style and diction, and her beautifully expressive musicianship are served by a perfection of technical mastery which allows her to sing both softly and full on any note in her entire range, as meaning and emotional imagery require.” (Halifax Herald) Performances and master classes have taken her across North America, to Wales, Bermuda, Taiwan, China, France, Ireland, UK, Germany, and Austria.

“My professional performance career has always been balanced with academic life, and includes numerous operatic and oratorios roles, recitals with wonderful collaborators, and premières of new music, chamber music and broadcasts. I was very fortunate as a light soprano in the 80’s to be a national finalist in competitions that allowed me to experience both the back stage life and proscenium of some major companies - Metropolitan Opera, Chicago, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Washington, Fort Worth and Dallas Opera companies. Those experiences gave me a clear understanding of the rigors and standards expected - from coaching, scheduling, to sheer size of space, and one’s responsibility to both a production and to oneself. It was both overwhelming and deeply influential in my teaching path.”

MacDonald is the creator and librettist of The Bells of Baddeck – the Alexander Graham and Mabel Bell Story, music by Dean Burry, which was described by Opera Canada as “a tour de force production”. Other original programs include her multi-media work “Lois Marshall in Russia”, and “Marrying Mozart”, adapted from the book by Stephanie Cowell.