Royce Vavrek is a Canada-born, Brooklyn-based librettist and lyricist who has been called “the indie Hofmannsthal” (The New Yorker) a “Metastasio of the downtown opera scene” (The Washington Post), “an exemplary creator of operatic prose” (The New York Times), and “one of the most celebrated and sought after librettists in the world” (CBC Radio). His opera “Angel’s Bone” with composer Du Yun was awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

With composer Missy Mazzoli he wrote “Song from the Uproar,” premiered by Beth Morrison Projects in 2012, and subsequently seen in multiple presentations around the country. Their second opera, an adaptation of Lars von Trier’s “Breaking the Waves,” premiered at Opera Philadelphia, co-commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects, and directed by James Darrah to critical acclaim in September of 2016. The work won the 2017 Music Critics Association of North America award for Best New Opera and was nominated for Best World Premiere at the 2017 International Opera Awards. A new production premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in the summer of 2019, produced by Scottish Opera and Opera Ventures, helmed by Tony Award-winning director Tom Morris and earned star Sydney Mancasola a coveted Herald Angel Award for her performance. Their next opera, an adaptation of Karen Russell’s short story “Proving Up,” was commissioned and presented by Washington National Opera, Opera Omaha and The Miller Theatre in 2018, was a finalist for the MCANA Best New Opera Award of that year. They are currently developing a grand opera for Opera Philadelphia and the Norwegian National Opera based on an original story by two-time Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Jordan Tannahill, as well as an adaptation of George Saunders’ Booker Prize-winning novel “Lincoln in the Bardo” for The Metropolitan Opera.

Teaming up with Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, Royce wrote the story and text for two dance projects, “Crypto,” choreographed by Guillaume Côté for Côté Dance and “Evidence of It All,” choreographed by Drew Jacoby for SFDanceworks, featuring narration by the Academy Award-nominated actress Rosamund Pike. They are currently developing two grand operas: an adaptation of Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia” to premiere at the Royal Swedish Opera in 2023, and “Fanny and Alexander,” working alongside creative partner Ingmar Bergman, Jr. to musicalize his late father’s classic film for La Monnaie de Munt in 2024, in a production to be directed by Ivo van Hove. Both operas are to feature renowned mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, for whom Mikael and Royce wrote the song cycle “So We Will Vanish,” premiered by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra in 2021 to critical acclaim.

His collaboration with composer David T. Little led Heidi Waleson of the Wall Street Journal to proclaim them “one of the most exciting composer-librettist teams working in opera today.” In April of 2016 they premiered their first grand opera, “JFK,” at Fort Worth Opera, a co-commission with American Lyric Theater and Opéra de Montréal that was called “ravishing” (Opera News), earning a ten-star review in Opera Now Magazine. This followed the success of their first opera, “Dog Days,” which received its world premiere in September of 2012 at Peak Performances @ Montclair, in a production co-produced by Beth Morrison Projects and directed by American maverick Robert Woodruff. The work was celebrated as the Classical Music Event of the year by Time Out New York and a standout opera of recent decades by The New York Times. They are currently developing an original work for the Metropolitan Opera through the Met/LCT commissioning program.

Royce has also worked extensively with composer Paola Prestini, first on the song cycle "Yoani," inspired by the blog posts of Yoani Sanchez, and then on "The Hubble Cantata," a virtual reality oratorio produced by VisionIntoArt/National Sawdust in association with Beth Morrison Projects. They recently presented the workshop premiere of “Silent Light,” an opera based on the Cannes Jury Prize-winning film by Carlos Reygadas at the Banff Centre for Creativity, a collaboration with the director Thaddeus Strassberger, and are currently working on a new opera inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” They are also developing "Film Stills," a project for mezzo-soprano Eve Gigliotti that dramatizes four of Cindy Sherman's iconic photographs through musical monologues composed by Paola, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly and Ellen Reid, and directed by R.B. Schlather. Royce and Paola's collaboration can be further heard on the AIDS Quilt Songbook: Sing for Hope recording, where their song "Union," as sung by Isabel Leonard, is featured.

In 2014 Royce premiered “27,” his first collaboration with composer Ricky Ian Gordon, at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Created for renowned mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, the work brought to life Gertrude Stein’s famous salon at 27 rue de Fleurus in Paris. Mark Ray Rinaldi of the Denver Post wrote that the opera “tells a great American story, about Gertrude Stein, as well as opera in the 21st century.” The opera was subsequently presented by Pittsburgh Opera, MasterVoices at New York City Center, Michigan Opera Theater, Opéra de Montréal and Opera Las Vegas. In 2017 their adaptation of Gail Rock’s Christmas classic “The House Without a Christmas Tree” for Houston Grand Opera was premiered to critical acclaim.

Other recent and upcoming projects include “Strip Mall” with Matt Marks for the Los Angeles Philharmonic; “Epistle Mass” with Julian Wachner for Trinity Wall Street, “Midwestern Gothic” with Josh Schmidt for Signature Theatre, Virginia; “Naamah’s Ark” with Marisa Michelson for MasterVoices; “O Columbia” with Gregory Spears for HGOco; “Knoxville: Summer of 2015” with Ellen Reid for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and National Sawdust; “The Wild Beast of the Bungalow” with Rachel Peters for Oberlin Conservatory; “Jacqueline” with Luna Pearl Woolf for Tapestry New Opera; “Adoration” (based on the film by Atom Egoyan) with Mary Kouyoumdjian for Beth Morrison Projects; “The Cremation of Sam McGee” with Matthew Ricketts, supported by a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts; and “Agnes” with Daníel Bjarnason for the Icelandic Opera.

Royce is co-Artistic Director of The Coterie, an opera-theater company founded with Tony-nominee Lauren Worsham. He holds a BFA in Filmmaking and Creative Writing from Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal and an MFA from the Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program at New York University. He is an alum of American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program.

Photo Ricardo Beas.

Motivated and hungry for new experiences, Measha Brueggergosman-Lee’s career effortlessly embraces the broadest array of performance platforms and musical styles and genres. She began her career predominantly committed to the art of the song recital and has presented innovative programs at Carnegie Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, both the Konzerthaus and Musikverein in Vienna, Madrid’s Teatro Real, as well as at the Schwarzenberg, Edinburgh, Verbier and Bergen Festivals with celebrated collaborative pianists Justus Zeyen, Roger Vignoles, Julius Drake, and Simon Lepper.
On the opera stage, recent highlights include the roles of Giulietta and Antonia in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Elettra in Idomeneo, Jenny in Weill’s Mahagonny, Emilia Marty in Janáček’s Věc Makropulos, Hannah in Miroslav Srnka’s Make No Noise, and Sister Rose in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. Last season, she returned to Carnegie Hall with the New World Symphony, performed Elettra in Idomeneo at Opera Atelier, and gave a solo recital at the Barbican Center, London. She has also recently worked with the Orchestre de Paris, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and New World Symphony Orchestras and conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Michael Tilson Thomas, Franz Welser-Möst, Sir Andrew Davis, Gustavo Dudamel and Daniel Harding. Her latest CD, Night and Dreams, which features songs by Mozart, Brahms, Strauss, Schubert, Debussy, Duparc and Fauré won several awards and her recording of the Wesendonck Lieder with Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra earned her a Grammy nomination.
Off the stage, Measha is just as active: she recently released her memoir “Something Is Always On Fire” (Harper Collins), appears regularly on primetime TV (most recently advocating on behalf of contemporary Canadian literature), and leads Canadian children across the country in song, in celebration of the nationwide campaign for music education.

Photo Mathieu Savidant.

Amelia Watkins has performed with leading orchestras and opera companies in the United States, Canada, Asia and Europe. Since her European debut at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, she has appeared with the Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, the Estates Theatre/National Theatre Prague, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, Lincoln Centre, the Tanglewood Music Festival, the Verbier Festival, The National Arts Centre, and in concert in Hong Kong. Her operatic roles include Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Valencienne (Merry Widow), Despina (Così fan Tutte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni) and Musetta (La Bohème), as well as extensive scenes of Handel heroines Armida and Cleopatra performed with baroque orchestra. Concert highlights include Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, and the Requiems of Mozart, Fauré and Rutter at Carnegie Hall; Manfred Trojahn performed at the Gewandhaus; and Mozart’s Exultate, Jubilate and Coronation Mass, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 at the National Arts Centre. Amelia drew critical praise for her portrayal of Brainy Woman in Michael Gordon and Deborah Artman’s Acquanetta for the Prototype Festival and the Bard Festival. After a performance of arias from operas by longtime collaborators Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek at the American Library in Paris in 2024, Amelia returned to her native Alberta for a tour of concerts of reinterpreted Mahler works with chamber orchestra.
Amelia has been featured on several recordings, including the Grammy-nominated album Vocabularies with Bobby McFerrin, and Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s highly acclaimed opera Song From The Uproar. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Amelia been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival, a Young Artist at Berkshire Opera, a featured academy artist at the Verbier Festival, participant in the Cleveland Art Song Festival and the Carnegie Hall Professional Training Workshop with Thomas Quasthoff, and a resident performer with the Metropolitan Opera Guild outreach program.

Photo Arielle Doneson.

Lauren Worsham is a Drama Desk Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actor and singer. She originated the role of Phoebe on Broadway in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, for which she received a Drama Desk Award, a Theatre World Award, and a Tony Award nomination. Other favorite roles include Magnolia in Show Boat with the New York Philharmonic (also on PBS), Lisa in Dog Days at Montclair Peak Performances, Fort Worth Opera and LA Opera (dir. Robert Woodruff), Flora in Turn of the Screw at New York City Opera (dir. Sam Buntrock), Amy in Where’s Charley at New York City Center (dir. John Doyle), Cunegonde in New York City Opera’s Candide, and Olive in the first National tour of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Lauren co-wrote and starred in The Wildness at Ars Nova, which was nominated for a Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical. Additional credits include La Perichole at New York City Opera, Into the Woods (Cinderella) at Kansas City Rep, The Light in the Piazza (Clara) at Weston Playhouse and The Fantasticks (Luisa) at Emelin Theatre.
In addition to her work in theater and opera, Lauren is the lead singer for the rock band Sky-Pony (called "indie pop aces" by The New York Times), and is the co-founder and executive director of the downtown opera company The Coterie. She has appeared in the CW television show Valor, as well as the indie film Saint Janet; she can be heard on the soundtrack of the movie Spirited, and as the voice of the cousin-loving Urara in the English-language dub of the anime classic The Sakura Diaries.
A graduate (cum laude) from Yale University with a B.A. in Spanish Literature, Lauren was second-place award winner of the Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya competition.

Praised for her “blinding brilliance,” soprano Andrea Núñez is establishing herself as a versatile young artist. Upcoming engagements include Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Opéra de Montréal; her debut with Edmonton Opera as Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni; and a return to Voicebox: Opera in Concert for Elvira in Verdi’s Ernani. Past highlights include Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen with Pacific Opera Victoria, and Adele in Die Fledermaus with Toronto Operetta Theatre, where she was praised for her “sexy, funny” characterization (OperaRamblings) and “brilliant coloratura” (BarczaBlog). She debuted Juliette in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette with Opéra du Royaume and Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata with Brott Opera, and recently completed a residency at National Sawdust, working with Royce Vavrek and Vivian Fung on Girl From the 905, a song cycle based on her identity and experiences as a multi-racial Canadian.
Andrea is an alumna of l’Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, where she performed the roles of the Page in Rigoletto, Woglinde in Das Rheingold, and Alice B. Toklas in Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27. A participant in many national and international competitions, Ms. Núñez represented Canada at the Queen Sonja International Music Competition in Norway; was a semi-finalist at the Voix Nouvelles competition in Massy, France; and was a District Finalist at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She received the Roberta Peters Award from the George London Foundation, won the Toronto Mozart Project Vocal Competition, is a Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyrique Laureate, and was a finalist in the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage Competition.
Ms. Núñez completed her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance at the University of Western Ontario under the tutelage of Jackalyn Short, then went on to complete her Master of Music in Opera Performance at the University of Toronto under the instruction of Nathalie Paulin.

Photo Stephanie Sedlebauer.

Bryce Kulak is a Canadian musician, composer, and performer celebrated for his eclectic artistry and imaginative storytelling. With a career spanning over three decades, he has established himself as a versatile figure in the performing arts. Kulak’s musical style is often described as melodic, nostalgic, whimsical and fantastical. His work blends classical, pop and theatrical elements, creating a unique soundscape that resonates with diverse audiences. Notably, his album Tin Can Telephone serves as a testament to his ability to craft music that evokes vivid imagery and emotion.
Beyond his solo projects, Kulak has contributed to various collaborative endeavours. He served as the composer and leader for the Toronto Complaints Choir, a community project that transformed public grievances into choral performances, highlighting his commitment to community engagement through art.
In addition to his musical pursuits, Kulak is an educator and actor, further showcasing his multifaceted talents. His dedication to the arts extends to mentoring emerging artists and participating in theatrical productions, reflecting his passion for fostering creativity in others.

Photo Max Telzer.

An innovative artist, queer classical pianist Darren Creech “shows his belief in a new potential for the classical concert stage” (CBC Music), and his playing has been heralded as “remarkably fresh and enticing” (Ludwig van Toronto). His unique solo performances take diverse audiences on an emotional journey, and have been described as “tours de force, propelled by a powerful narrative” (Ludwig van Toronto).
Darren’s work extends beyond the stage, connecting communities and organizations. Live performance highlights include the Toronto International Film Festival with Call Me By Your Name author André Aciman, the closing show for Luminato Festival alongside Cris Derksen and eight choirs at sunset, a theatrical narrative concert with tenor Isaiah Bell in partnership with Pride Toronto and Tapestry Opera, and the closing show of Montreal’s Suoni Per Il Popolo with Queer Songbook Orchestra. As a collaborator, Darren recorded piano and co-wrote on Witch Prophet’s Polaris Prize-nominated album Gateway Experience, and worked with theatre artist Dasha Plett on her show Études for Keyboard at Winnipeg’s Cluster Festival.
As a studio musician, Darren has recorded for NPR Tiny Desk, the 2023 Pulitzer Prize and Peabody Award-winning podcast Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s, and CBC Radio’s Q. He has contributed his playing to the film scores for NEON’s documentary Spaceship Earth (2020) and Leilani’s Fortune (2023). A discerning voice, he has served on the Artistic Advisory Council for The Music Gallery and as a jury member for the JUNO Awards. Recently, Darren performed at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa alongside soprano Midori Marsh, recorded for Agatha Kaspar’s album seavoda for solo piano and string ensemble, and collaborated with Fashion Art Toronto for a performance at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Darren holds a Master of Music in piano performance from Université de Montréal, and an Honours Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Photo Daniel Lastres Rodriguez.

Korean-Canadian violinist Diane Dahyeon Kim has performed in such venues as Koerner Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and the Seoul Arts Center in South Korea. Diane was a student at the Royal Conservatory of Music where she studied with Marie Berard. She was also a member of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra for four years where she served as Assistant Concertmaster and Co-Concertmaster. Diane performed at the Seoul Arts Centre with the Millennium Symphony; participated in the online academy at Encore Chamber Music and the masterclass program at the Orford Musique academy, studying under William Van Der Sloot; and was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival where she served as Associate Concertmaster in Germany. Diane made her debut with Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra performing the first movement of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto first movement under the baton of Norman Reintamm. She was also invited to perform a recital for the Guelph Connections Concert Series with pianist, Stephen Xie. She has received numerous awards and scholarships from Kiwanis Music Festival, Ontario Music Festival, North York Music Festival, as well as the TSYO honour award and Don Banks Music Award. She was also one of the recipients of the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra scholarship in 2018-19.

A trailblazing operatic soprano and poet with Mi’kmaw of Ktaqmkuk (Indigenous peoples of Newfoundland) roots, Emma Pennell hails from the village of South River in rural Northern Ontario. Emma has a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours in Voice Performance and a minor in Indigenous Studies from Western University, and recently took home second prize in the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio Centre Stage Competition. Emma trained under esteemed mentors Pamela Teed at the Cambrian College School of Music, Torin Chiles at Western University, Adrianne Pieczonka, then later Stephanie Bogle at The Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Emma previously took to the stage in roles such as Miss Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff, starring alongside Canadian Baritone Ted Baerg; The Skater in Ka Nin Chan’s Ice Time at The Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory of Music; Mére Marie in Poulenc’s Dialogue des Carmelites on the main stage of Koerner Hall; and Lia in Debussy’s L’Enfant Prodigue in at The Royal Conservatory. Emma recently completed an artist residency at The Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, where they workshopped the roles of Kitty and Bernie in Ian Cusson and Royce Vavrek’s new Opera Indians on Vacation. Emma recently made their debut at Koerner Hall alongside renowned throat singer Tanya Tagaq to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Emma is an unwavering Indigenous activist whose work in the arts carves spaces for Indigenous voices in music. They have made a significant impact through foundational advocacy, including co-authoring the Indigenous Policy Paper for the Ontario Universities Student Alliance and founding the Faculty of Music Indigenous Leadership Initiative at the Don Wright Faculty of Music. Emma is in their second year of the Artist Diploma Program in the voice department at the Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music.

Born of Greek and Italian descent, tenor Elias Theocharidis is known for his powerful stage presence, alluring tone and emotional singing. In the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition, he earned an Encouragement Award in the Buffalo/Toronto District (2025) and the Western Canada District (2024), where he also won the Audience Choice Prize. In the 2024/25 season, Elias joined The Rebanks Family Fellowship Residency Program at The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School. He performed the roles of Azaël in Debussy’s L’Enfant Prodigue featuring a new English libretto by Ashley Pearson, and Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. A recent graduate of Calgary Opera’s McPhee Development Program, he was seen as Froh in Wagner’s Das Rheingold, Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Bénédict in Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict, and Malcolm in Verdi’s Macbeth. Other roles include Don José in Bizet’s Carmen, Ruggero in Puccini’s La Rondine, and Mr. Rushworth in the Canadian Premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park. In 2019, he was the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Toronto Sinfonietta under Maestro Matthew Jaskiewicz.
A lover of new work, Elias was elated to workshop The Cremation of Sam McGee, a new opera by Matthew Ricketts and Royce Vavrek with the Yukon Arts Centre in 2022. During the summer of 2019, he also workshopped the roles of Alex Bello in Nicole Lizée and Joel lvany’s No One’s Safe and Cornelio in Paola Prestini and Royce Vavrek’s Silent Light at the Banff Centre’s Opera in the 21st Century program, in collaboration with Against the Grain and National Sawdust. Elias is a graduate of the Classical Voice Performance program at the University of Toronto and the UofT Opera Program under the tutelage of soprano Wendy Nielsen.

Photo Stuart Lowe.

Noted for her “warm tone, grace, and fierce attack” (California Music Center), violinist Julia Mirzoev has been featured on the CBC’s “Top 30 Classical Musicians Under 30”, CBC Radio 94.1, and Classical 96.3 FM. Her awards include top prizes for the commissioned work at both Michael Hill and the Irving M. Klein international competition, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal competition, grand prize at the Canadian Music Competition, and first prizes at the Crescendo International Competition and Cremona Music Festival competitions.
Julia has performed as soloists with the Montreal Chamber Music Festival’s Jeunes Virtuoses orchestra, Sinfonia Toronto, the University of Toronto Symphony, Orchestra Toronto, the Colorado College Summer Music Festival Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony, among many others.
A passionate chamber musician, notable collaborations include performances with Roger Tapping, Anthony Marwood, Barry Shiffman, and Julie Albers, as well as members of the Doric, Danish, Escher and New Orford String Quartets. Julia is a founding member of the Myriade String Quartet, coached by André Roy, who have been selected to compete in the live rounds of the Wigmore Hall and Trondheim String Quartet competitions.
Having grown up in a family of musical pedagogues, Julia is active as a teacher, including at the Arcadia Music School and the JVL Music in Summer Festival, and has led violin sectionals for the Mount Royal Youth Orchestra of Montréal, and the McGill University School of Music. A graduate of the University of Toronto, McGill University, and the Yale University schools of music, and a Rebanks Fellow for the 2023-2024 season, Julia is grateful for the support of the Canada Arts Council instrument bank for the loan of the 1747 “Palmason” Janarius Gagliano.

Canadian tenor Owen McCausland is increasingly in demand for engagements with opera companies and orchestras across North America. Highlights of recent seasons include Verdi’s Otello and La fanciulla del west with the Cleveland Orchestra, Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Pacific Opera Victoria, and the premiere of Ian Cusson’s Fantasma with the Canadian Opera Company. Owen’s upcoming season includes appearances with Vancouver Opera (Tamino in The Magic Flute), the Adelaide Festival (Fisherman in Robert Lepage’s production of The Nightingale and Other Fables) and the Cleveland Orchestra, also for The Magic Flute.
An alumnus of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, he has performed as Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and the Fisherman in The Nightingale and Other Fables. Recent credits also include Weill’s Sieben Todsünden for the Toronto Symphony; Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde for the Ottawa Symphony; Handel’s Messiah for Symphony Nova Scotia, the London Symphonia and the Regina Symphony; Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Lurcanio in Ariodante for the Canadian Opera Company; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for Kitchener-Waterloo’s Grand Philharmonic Choir and Regina Symphony; and Rodolfo in La Bohème for Against the Grain. He has also appeared in COC mainstage productions, including as Don Juan in Don Quixote, Lord Cecil in Roberto Devereux, Ferrando in Così fan tutte (Ensemble Studio performance), and Reverend Horace Adams in Peter Grimes, and stepped in for a colleague in the title role of La clemenza di Tito for four performances.
Mr. McCausland was a finalist and winner of the Canadian Encouragement Award in the George London Singing Competition and also a semi-finalist in the Montreal International Music Competition. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Dalhousie University and a Masters of Music from the University of Toronto. He is currently a DMA student in the area of Historical Performance at the University of Toronto.

Photo Emily Ding.

Armed with a variety of creative interests ranging from literature to fashion, cellist Peter Eom has been hailed for his “flowing, lyrical quality of sound” and “agility, purity of intonation, and sureness of taste” (Harald Eggebrecht, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 2022). Eom was the sole recipient of the 2023 Rockefeller Brothers Fund and YoungArts NYC Residency to produce SEAMLESS, an interdisciplinary performance-piece fusing contemporary classical cello, avant-garde fashion, and modern choreography. SEAMLESS will premiere in NYC Fashion Week FW 2027. As soloist, Eom has performed with orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Denver Philharmonic, and MusicaNova Orchestra. In addition to concerti, he has given solo cello recitals of works ranging from pre-Baroque to the present day across three different continents. Eom is the cellist of the Rolston String Quartet, with which he was first prize winner of the 12th Banff International String Quartet Competition, and is also the cellist of the genre-defying experimental music collective The Happenstancers.

Woosol Cho is an active orchestra and chamber musician throughout Canada. As an educator, Woosol has taught at the Preparatory Program at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and has been a recurring adjudicator at the prestigious Hong Kong Schools Music Festival in Hong Kong. Woosol formerly held the position of Principal Viola with the Thunder Bay Symphony where she appeared as a featured soloist performing Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher concerto for Viola and Orchestra. She has performed with orchestras such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Ballet of Canada, and as guest principal with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. She has appeared in a variety of festivals such as the Ottawa Chamberfest, the Luminato Festival, the Stratford Festival and the Lanaudiere Festival. Woosol received her Masters Degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and has studied with James Dunham, Teng Li and Rennie Regehr.