Richard Margison

Previously with Opera Hamilton
Soloist | Popera (1988)
Soloist | Popera (2007)

Hailed for his ringing top notes and spine-tingling power, Canadian tenor Richard Margison is one of the most critically acclaimed singers on the international stage today.  He performs regularly in many of the world's leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Canadian Opera Company, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the San Francisco Opera, the Théâtre Royale de la Monnaie in Brussels, the Sydney Opera and the Grand Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona.

Richard's 2011-2012 season features a mix of opera and concerts – he opens the season as Canio in the Edmonton Opera production of Pagliacci, performs a benefit concert in Ottawa, takes on Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Victoria Symphony.  He closes out his season with Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the Toronto Symphony.

In 2010-2011, Richard celebrated his Canadian roots with performances across the country featuring his signature roles –Calaf in Puccini's Turandot with Opera Lyra Ottawa, Manrico in Il Trovatore with l'Opéra de Québec, Cavaradossi in Manitoba Opera's Tosca, and Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos with the Canadian Opera Company.  The spring saw Richard return to his home province of British Columbia for a recital tour with acclaimed pianist Kinza Tyrrell.  In addition he reprised his celebrated role as O'Brien in Lorin Maazel's 1984 in Valencia, Spain.

Highlights from recent seasons featured performances as Bacchus in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo, Spain, as Radamès in Verdi's Aida at the Metropolitan Opera, as Pollione in Bellini's Norma with the Vancouver Opera, and in a series of concerts for Arizona Opera.  A highlight of his 2009-2010 season was his trip to China for the opening of the new Guangzhou Opera House where Richard appeared in the inaugural performances of Puccini's Turandot with Lorin Maazel in one of his most celebrated roles, Calaf: "Richard Margison's Calaf revealed both vocally and dramatically the calculated determination of a man who knows how to get what he wants." (Financial Times, 11 May 2010)

Previous seasons include Richard's debut as Aegisthus in Strauss's Elektra with the Seattle Opera and the New York Philharmonic, his debut at Milan's famed La Scala as O'Brien in Lorin Maazel's 1984, a role he originated at the ROH Covent Garden in 2005, recently released on DVD.  Renowned for his interpretations of Verdi, Puccini, Strauss and Beethoven, recent seasons have featured performances of Un Ballo in Maschera (l'Opéra de Montréal, Hamburg, the ROH Covent Garden), Turandot (New York, Barcelona, Toronto), Aida (New York, Cincinnati, l'Opéra de Montréal, Chicago, Orviedo), Ariadne auf Naxos (Madrid, London, Hamburg, New York), Fidelio (Seattle, Vancouver), Il Trovatore (New York, Toronto, Berlin, San Francisco), La Gioconda (Barcelona) and Don Carlo (New York).

A much sought after concert artist, Mr. Margison took Toronto by storm in a concert at Roy Thomson Hall garnering such praise as "...it is an important experience to hear Margison live, simply to come into contact with the physical presence of the voice.  It has both brass and beauty, and its power is so forceful and concentrated that you have to remind yourself that its source is a human throat..." (Globe and Mail).  As well, he has appeared with the Royal Philharmonic in London, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa and at the Ravinia Festival.  He has also performed with Bryn Terfel at his opera gala at the Faenol Festival in Wales.

Mr. Margison's most recent releases include an all-Verdi recording on CBC Records and the highly acclaimed recording of Beethoven's Fidelio with Christine Brewer on Chandos.  He has also recorded Lanza (Warner Music), a recording made for the film on the life of Mario Lanza, in which he sings the title role.  Other recordings include Verdi's Don Carlo with the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Bernard Haitink (Philips) and Tchaikovsky's Mazeppa with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Nestronge Järvi (Deutsche Grammophon).  He has made three recordings with the late Richard Bradshaw and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra: a solo album of French and Italian Arias (CBC Records), Rarities by Rossini and Verdi, with Gary Relyea (CBC Records) and Aria, une sélection de Radio-Canada with Anita Krause, Wendy Nielson and Gary Relyea (CBC Records). Richard Margison is also a featured artist on the Millennium Opera Gala recording released by CBC Records.

His DVDs include the upcoming release of his highly acclaimed appearances as Bacchus in the Metropolitan Opera production of Ariadne au Naxos with Deborah Voigt and Natalie Dessay (Virgin Classics), his roles as Cavaradossi in Tosca and as O'Brien in Lorin Maazel's 1984 (both on Decca), and as Enzo in Ponchielli's La Gioconda (TDK).

Richard's rise to the top of the opera world did not follow the traditional path – his career began in the coffee houses and clubs of Victoria, BC, where he performed with his own rock band for ten years.  Since making his debut in 1980 with Pacific Opera Victoria, he has gone on to take the opera world by storm while not neglecting his roots, enthusiastically performing songs by Gordon Lightfoot or Stan Rogers whenever possible.  In January 2010, Bravo! presented a documentary (Harbinger Films) on Richard called the 'Folk-Singing Opera Star'. Now available on DVD, the documentary features him in a musical collaboration with Bruce Cockburn, in major performances and in discussion about his life and career. www.thefolksingingoperastar.com

In the summer of 2007, Richard Margison and Opera Director Valerie Kuinka founded the Highlands Opera Studio, which provides advanced operatic training to a select group of talented young professionals with the main objective to provide these singers with the necessary skills to embark on a career in opera.  Looking forward to its 6th season in the summer of 2012, the program includes vocal master classes, individual voice lessons, movement classes, stagecraft coaching and staging rehearsals for a fully staged production. The faculty includes renowned singer-pedagogues Timothy Noble, John Fanning, Christianne Riel, and Mark Pedrotti. www.highlandsoperastudio.com

Although Richard is in great demand on the great opera stages of the world, he gives generously of his time to support a number of causes.  He has offered his talent at benefits in Chicago, for the Metropolitan Opera, Leukaemia Research (Ontario), LOFT Community housing (Toronto), the Children's Opera Chorus (Toronto), the Royal Conservatory of Music, and many others.  He has been particularly active in his home province of British Columbia, where he has raised more than two million dollars through benefit concerts including Victoria Symphony, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Victoria Conservatory of Music, Vancouver Symphony, Vancouver Opera and the Rotary Club.

Richard Margison was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001 not only in honour of his contribution to musical life in Canada but in recognition of his presence on the international stage.  In October 2009 he received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the The Giulio Gari Foundation and The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation.  He also holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of Victoria (DMus), University of British Columbia (D.Litt) and McMaster University (D.Litt).

He shares his home in Toronto, Canada with his wife, opera director Valerie Kuinka and his daughter Lauren, a budding singer.

Joni Henson

Previously with Opera Hamilton
Santuzza | Cavalleria Rusticana | Mascagni

Soprano Joni Henson is one of Canada's most thrilling young performers. Recent successes include Elisabetta in Don Carlos, Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, the Foreign Princess in Rusalka and Gutrune in Wagner's Götterdämmerung all for the Canadian Opera Company.  She recently performed Senta in Wagner's Der Fliegender Hollander at Pacific Opera Victoria.

Other highlights include Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Orchestre Metropolitain du Grand Montreal under Yannick Nezet-Seguin in Ottawa and Montreal; Britten's War Requiem as well as Beethoven Symphony Number 9 under Bramwell Tovey with the Vancouver Symphony; Mendelssohn's Elijah under Noel Edison with the Toronto's Mendelssohn Choir; concerts of with the Hamilton Philharmonic under James Sommerville of Berlioz and Mendelssohn, and of Strauss and Mozart.

Ms. Henson's recent performances have included Desdemona in Otello with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with the Windsor Symphony, Marie in Die Tote Stadt for Opera in Concert and concerts with the Aldeburgh Connection of Toronto and the Elora Festival of Ontario.  Further roles include Handel's Alcina; Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci; Mrs. Ford in Nicolai's Merry Wives of Windsor; Female Chorus in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia; She has also covered Leonora (Trovatore) and Desdemona (Otello) for the Canadian Opera Company.

In 2003, Ms. Henson was awarded the Opera Grand Prize at the XVth Concours International de Chant de Verviers Competition in Belgium. She also received the First Place Opera and French Melodie Awards at the Concours International de Chant de Marmande Competition in France. In 2006 Ms. Henson was a semi-finalist in the Metropolitan National Council Auditions.

James Westman

Previously with Opera Hamilton
Belcore | L'elisir d'amore (2001)
Popera (2005)

Originally from Stratford, Ontario, James Westman has fast established himself as one of today's leading young Verdi baritones, making Germont in La Traviata his signature-role throughout North America and Europe. A noted concert artist, Mr. Westman also likes to spend as much time as possible performing in concert as recital.

James Westman's current projects include a return to the Minnesota Opera as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, concerts of Bramwell Tovey's The Inventor (in which Mr. Westman sings the title-role) with the Vancouver Symphony, a Christmas program with the Guelph Symphony and a recital with the Aldeburgh Connection in Toronto. Future plans include returns to the Canadian Opera Company and to the Calgary Opera.

This past season, Mr. Westman returned to the Montreal Opera for Nottingham in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, to the Calgary Opera for the title-role in the world premiere of Bramwell Tovey's The Inventor, Germont in La Traviata for his debut with the Vancouver Opera and the bass soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Indianapolis Symphony.

In recent seasons, James Westman appeared with the Canadian Opera Company, the Santa Fe Opera and Dallas Opera in performances of Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, as well as as Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Manitoba Opera. In addition, Mr. Westman made his role debut as the Count in Capriccio with Pacific Opera Victoria.

Emilia Boteva

Previously with Opera Hamilton
Amneris | Aida (1999)
Popera (2001)

Bulgarian born Canadian mezzo-soprano, Emilia Boteva studied at the Bulgarian Academy of Music in Sofia.  An award winner at the Svetoslav Obretenov National Competition in Bulgaria and a finalist in the Toulouse International Vocal Competition, she made her professional debut at the State Opera House in Sofia and has appeared there in such roles as Ulrica, Azucena, Maddalena, Fenena, Eboli and Amneris.

Ms. Boteva was introduced to Canadian audiences by Opera Hamilton singing Amneris in Aida under the baton of Daniel Lipton.  She has since appeared with Opera Hamilton in Popera, Opera in Concert as Lyubov in Mazeppa, Opera de Quebec as Emilia in Otello and Montreal Opera's Gala Night at Place des Arts.

Recent and upcoming engagements include Alexander Nevsky and Mahler's Symphony No. 3 with the Regina Symphony, Verdi's Requiem with the Vancouver Symphony, as Azucena in Il Trovatore for Manitoba Opera, as Mistress Quickly in Falstaff in Jerez, Spain, Mama Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana for Opera Lyra in Ottawa and Mary in Der Fliegender Hollander.

In Europe she has appeared with the opera companies of Bulgaria, Switzerland, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Lithuania and Macedonia. Fluent in Italian, English, Russian, French, and Bulgarian, she has collaborated with important conductors including Maurizio Barbacini, Gunter Neuhold, and Rizzi Brignoli in repertoire such as Alexander Nevsky and Rachmaninov Vespers. As a concert artist, she has toured Spain as soloist in Respighi's Il Tramonto and de Falla's El Amor Brujo.

Mia Lennox-Williams

Opera Hamilton Debut

In 2012, Ms. Lennox-Williams appears as alto soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (Thunder Bay Symphony), as Lola in Cavelleria Rusticana (Edmonton Opera), and will be a guest artist in recital with the Amanda Johnston Recital Series in Toronto in December. She also appears as Orlovsky in l'Opéra de Montréal's Die Fledermaus. She recently sang Baba the Turk (Rake's Progress) with Pacific Opera, and Idamante (Idomeneo) under the baton of Mario Bernardi. She also created the role of Gwendolen in the world premiere of Davies and Benson's Earnest: The Importance of Being with the Toronto Operetta theatre.

On the concert stage, Ms. Lennox-Williams most recently appeared with the Toronto Philharmonia in de Falla's Three Cornered Hat. She has also been a soloist with the Kingston Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, Peterborough Festival and Brott Festival as alto soloist in Handel's Messiah and as alto I soloist in Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the Brott Summer Music Festival. Ms. Lennox-Williams was also as a featured guest artist with the Boris Brott Summer Music Festival Opera Gala.

Other work includes Bianca (Rape of Lucretia) with Pacific Opera Victoria, Molly Brant in Tyendinaga, a new opera based on the life of Mohawk warrior Chief Joseph Brant, commissioned by Opera Ontario; alto soloist for Bach Cantata #70 under the baton of Helmut Rilling; Tisbe inLa Cenerentola in Edmonton; alto soloist in Bach's Magnificat (Tanglewood Festival under Seiji Ozawa) and Mary in Resphighi's Lauda per la nativita del signore both in London, Ontario;  Dame Quickly in Verdi's Falstaff under the baton of Raffi Armenian.

As a member of the Atelier Lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, she sang the role of Dryad and covered the role of der Komponist for l'Opéra de Montréal's production of Ariadne auf Naxos.

Valerie Kuinka

Previously with Opera Hamilton
Tosca (2007)

Having worked within the realm of alternative multi-disciplinary theatre to grand opera, Canadian director Valerie Kuinka brings a wealth of experience and unique creativity to her work. The list of highly accomplished artists with whom she has collaborated is extensive: Placido Domingo, Anna Netrebko, Roberto Alagna, Richard Margison, Jose Cura, Nathan Gunn, Matthew Polenzani, Veronica Tennant, Rex Harrington, Quartetto Gelato, Alannah Myles, Frank Moore, Shauna Rolston, to name but a few.

A stage director at the Metropolitan Opera in New York for four seasons (2004 – 08), Valerie was on the stage directing team of the recent new production of Romeo et Juliette (2005 – 06) and its revival (2007 – 08) as well as the revivals of Samson et Dalilah (2004 – 05, 2005 – 06), Idomeneo (2006 – 07) and Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci (2006 – 07).

In 1997, Valerie established her own Toronto-based multi-disciplinary theatre company, COLLABORATIONS, and during its eight-year existence wrote, produced, directed, and often performed in 14 productions. "Kuinka has established no small reputation for creating exciting seamless theatrical collage" – Geoff Chapman (Toronto Star, 2003)

Valerie has also directed productions for Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera Hamilton, Quartetto Gelato, International Vocal Arts Festival (Tel-Aviv), The Banff Centre, The Glenn Gould School (Toronto), Opera Mississauga, The Canadian Childrens' Opera Chorus (Toronto), Opera York, ProVoce Studios and has assisted at the New York City Opera and the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp. She has also been on the faculty of the Vermont International Opera Festival and the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy (Sulmona).

August, 2010, will mark the fourth season of The Highlands Opera Studio for Advanced Opera Studies in which she shares the duties of Artistic Director with her husband, operatic tenor Richard Margison.

Beginning her career as a classical violist, Valerie has been active as a chamber, orchestral, studio, and performance artist for over twenty years and was a member of the orchestras of the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada playing every position from section to principal before her retirement from the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra in June 2005.

Upcoming engagements for the current season include directing productions for the Opera de Quebec, Manitoba Opera, and Highlands Opera Studio.

David Speers

David Speers has been the General Director of Opera Hamilton since 2004. His previous positions include ten years as the General and Artistic Director of the Calgary Opera and five years in the same role with the Arizona Opera.

Mr. Speers is widely recognized for his ability to identify and willingness to promote young talent, and for his skill in assembling strong ensemble casts.

A native of Edmonton, Mr. Speers received his Bachelor and Master degrees in Music from the University of Alberta where he was the recipient of the Flore Shaw Graduate Award in Music. He pursued post-graduate studies in opera conducting at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City and received additional training at the Tanglewood Festival and the Aspen Music Festival.

David Speers was the Chairman of The Professional Opera Companies of Canada (now Opera.ca) in 1988 and from 1993-1998, and was a member of the Board of Directors of Opera America from 1995-2001. He has received awards from The Canada Council, Alberta Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts (U.S.). In 2000, Mr. Speers was named 'Arizona Arts Person of the Year' by the Tucson Citizen. He has served on numerous juries including the Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions, The Sullivan/George London Vocal Competition, NATS, and panels for The National Endowment for the Arts, The Canada Council, and The Ontario Arts Council. He is a frequent speaker at Universities and Colleges across Canada and the U.S. and has taught courses in Opera History at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, and Mount Royal College in Calgary.

At the podium, David Speers has conducted more than 50 opera productions and made numerous appearances with symphony orchestras throughout Canada and the U.S. In addition to his responsibilities as General Director of Opera Hamilton, Mr. Speers  continues his freelance conducting activity. He opened the “new” Opera Hamilton   2008-09 season conducting The Magic Flute. Following an engagement with the Toronto Operetta Theatre conducting The Mikado in April of 2008, he returned to that company in February of 2009 to conduct the Canadian premiere of Kurt Weill's Knickerbocker's Holiday.  Through his conducting work in opera and concert, he has worked with many of North America's most distinguished established and emerging artists. In April of 2011, he will be one of three jurists for the prestigious Louis and Christina Quilico Vocal Competition.

For Opera Hamilton's 2011-12 Inaugural Season at The Dofasco Centre for the Arts, Mr. Speers will conduct a new production of Verdi's Il trovatore and participate in the company's signature Popera Plus! Concert

David Speers resides in Ancaster, Ontario with his wife and their two children.