Programme Notes Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts Our Brilliant presents Upcoming HCA Concert Tickets Young Artists 2019/2020 on sale Season soon! Opera Weekend Call 905-528-4020 for information Master Class October 20, 2019: Penderecki Quartet

October 25, 2019: Florian Hoefner John Fanning, Ariana Chris, Nicole Bellamy, David Speers Baritone Mezzo-Soprano Coach/Repetiteur Conductor

Feb 16, 2020: Valerie Tryon Public Recital Sunday, May 26, 2:00 p.m. March 15, 2020: featuring the guest artists Andre Laplante and workshop fi nalists HCA Recital Hall

April 26, 2020: AYR Trio Mentors/Guest Artists Programme

Repertoire Subject to Change River Guard Katherine Barr Mozart: Non più di fiori (La clemenza di Tito) Hamilton tenor River Guard began his young career as a rock and musical theatre performer. Jordan De Sousa Bellini: Ah, per sempre (I Puritani) He began serious classical voice studies with Ruth Acheampong Mozart: Deh vieni non tardar (Le nozze di Figaro) Cydney London in Hamilton, and then with Kimberly Barber at Laurier University, where he Concetta Roche Puccini: Quando m’en vo’ (La boheme) earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance. He is currently enrolled at the Jerry Wu Vaughn Williams: Youth and Love Opera School, studying Natalie Peluchon Caldara: Sebben crudele (La costanza in amor with Wendy Nielson. Mr. Guard as appeared as vince l'inganno) with Ben Kersey, accompanist the Dance Master in Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, Spalanzani, Nathanaël and Frantz in Les contes d’Hoffmann, River Guard Gounod: Salut demeure chaste et pure (Faust) Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Lenski in Eugene Onegin, and Martin in Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land. This past season at the U Ariana Chris Porter: The Physician of T Opera School he appeared as Lippo Fiorentino in Kurt Weil’s Street John Fanning Wagner: Abendlich strahlt der sonne auge Scene and as Il Podesta in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera. River partici- (Das Rheingold) pated in the Voice/Opera program at The Banff Centre in 2018, and this summer will attend the prestigious Aspen Music Festival, where he will INTERMISSION perform the lead role of Miles Zegner in Missy Mazzoli’s 2018 opera Proving Up. Michele Bawden Handel: Lascia ch’io pianga () Colin Borges R. Strauss: Allerseelen PROGRAMME CREDITS Abigail Veenstra Bizet: Je dis que rien ne m’epouvante (Carmen) HCA Artistic Director: Vitek Wincza HCA Registrar and Administrative Manager: Cristina Fede Vasilisa Atanackovic Puccini: Senza Mamma (Suor Angelica) Education Manager: Hanna Wolf Jamal Al Titi Mozart: Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo (Così fan tutte) Communications and School Coordinator: Allison Warwick Sarah Forestieri Adams: This is Prophetic (Nixon in China) School Administration: Beverly Long-Huckle, Rachel More River Guard Tosti: L’alba separa Designer: Caroline Brown Custodian: Zeljko Marjanovic Ariana Chris Bizet: Habanera (Carmen) John Fanning Leigh: I am I, Don Quixote (The Man of Mancha) We gratefully acknowledge the INCITE Foundation, Dr. Waldemar Pieczonka, Mr. Peter Hunt, Mrs. Nadine McLean for their sponsorship. River Guard & Ariana Chris Massenet: Ciel! ai-je compris? (Werther) John Fanning & Ariana Chris Mozart: La ci darem (Don Giovanni) Mentors/Guest Artists Mentors/Guest Artists

John Fanning Nicole Bellamy

Dundas baritone John Fanning is a veteran of ten Canadian répétiteur and pianist Nicole Bellamy seasons at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. is a much-in-demand coach for vocalists, He has appeared internationally with companies instrumentalists and ensembles in Toronto and including the English National Opera, Angers throughout Southern Ontario. Over her career Nantes Opéra (France), San Francisco Opera, she has been associated with Opera Atelier, New York City Opera, Arizona Opera, Houston Grand The Canadian Children’s Opera Company, Opera, the Orquestra Sinfónica Brasileira in Rio de Soulpepper Theatre, Canadian Stage, Janeiro and virtually every major opera company , Opera Hamilton, and symphony orchestra in Canada. He made his Opera-in-Concert, Toronto Opera Theatre. Carnegie Hall debut in a concert performance of She is a frequent solo recitalist and recital partner Richard Strauss’ Daphne under the direction of Sir Andrew Davis. with some of this country’s finest singers. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Mr. Fanning has devoted a great deal of his time to the mentorship of young singers, being a frequent faculty David Speers member at The Banff Centre, Opera NUOVA in Edmonton, Opera on the Avalon in St. John’s, Highlands Opera Studio in Haliburton. Most recently, Canadian opera conductor David Speers was he has been Professor of Voice at l'Université de Montréal. General and Artistic Director of Opera Ontario/ Hamilton from 2004 to 2014, a position he also Ariana Chris held at Calgary Opera (1988 -98) and Arizona Opera (1998 – 2004). Mr. Speers has conducted Greek-Canadian mezzo soprano Ariana Chris has over 70 opera productions and has appeared with performed in leading opera houses throughout symphony orchestras throughout Canada and North America, Europe and Asia including the Royal the U.S. He holds Bachelor and Master of Music Opera House, Covent Garden in London, New York degrees from the University of Alberta City Opera, Opéra Français de New York, Santa Fe (Edmonton), and continued studies and Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Opera Baltycka (Poland), The Juilliard School, Aspen Music Festival, The Tanglewood Festival and Opera Hong Kong, Angers Nantes Opéra (France), The Banff Centre. He has been influential in the career development Canadian Opera Company, Opera Hamilton, L’Opéra of many Canada’s most successful operatic artists. Over nearly four de Montréal, L’Opéra de Québec. Ms. Chris has sung decades, he has worked with most of this country’s leading singers, at Carnegie Hall and appeared in the prestigious as well as an impressive list of international stars including BBC Singer of the World Competition in Cardiff, Wales in 2005. She will Cecilia Bartoli, Beverley Sills, Leontyne Price, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, be well-remembered for her performance of the Greek National Anthem , Jose Carreras and Samuel Ramey. David Speers at the Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, is respected as an enthusiastic advocate for the arts, and a leading and a performance at the Acropolis during the 2004 Athens Summer proponent of arts education. He has served on the Boards of Opera Olympic Games. Combining her classical training and Greek heritage, America, Opera.ca and Opera Canada Magazine, as is a frequent her recording of Greek Tangos was released in 2014. panelist for international competitions and grant deliberations for The Metropolitan Opera Auditions, the George London and Sullivan Foundations, The Canada Council and The National Endowment for the Arts (USA). About...

Young Artists Opera Weekend Master Class: The Master Class gives young classical singers a free opportunity to work with some of the fi nest musicians from the professional opera world in two performance-based teaching sessions and a fi nal public recital. Students focus on developing their creative and interpretive skills under the guidance of a panel of distinguished guest artists.