English
FrançaisOpera Lyra Ottawa is pleased to announce this season's members of its opera training program, the OLO Opera Studio. With a stellar curriculum and a formalized faculty, this training program aims to help prepare up-and-coming Canadian singers, stage directors, conductors/ repetiteurs and stage managers for professional operatic careers. The program enables these artists to move on to either more advanced training programs or to the mainstage itself. Now in its 12th season, the program is growing in both its reputation and in what it has to offer to its members.
For the 2011-12 season the OLO Opera Studio welcomes the following artists into the program:
Arminè Kassabian - mezzo-soprano
Opera Lyra Opera Studio member, Armenian mezzo-soprano Arminè Kassabian was born in Ottawa-Ontario. She has received a master’s degree in vocal interpretation and an Artist Diploma degree in vocal performance with outstanding achievement and a minor in Italian studies from McGill University. She also holds a grade 8 piano certificate from the Ottawa Royal Conservatory. Under the instruction of Thérèse Sévadjian at McGill University, she had the honor of working with Olivier Godin, Patrick Hansen and Francois Racine in conjunction with Opera McGill. With Opera McGill, Kassabian performed the role of Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel; Carmen in La Tragedie de Carmen; Mère- Marie in Poulenc's les Dialogues des Carmélites; Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina, 1st Witch in Purcell’s Dido and Aneas.
Most recently, Ms. Kassabian was seen as Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte in Vermont’s GreenMountain Opera Festival summer Emerging Artists program. She was also fortunate to cover the role of Mercedes in the GreenMountain mainstage production of Carmen by Bizet. Kassabian also had the pleasure of singing Rosina in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Opera Brasov; Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Summer program in Romania.
Other recent engagements include Bach’s St Mathew Passion, Bach’s Magnificat and Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Cantabile Chorale directed by Peter Willsher. In June 2011 Ms Kassabian performed at Opera Lyra Ottawa’s Italian Garden Party at the Embassy of Italy. She also participated in the Ottawa Music Festival and Spanish Community in Montreal performing a recital. Known for her unique and incredible coloratura and constant fire and passion, Ms. Kassabian was a first prize winner of the 2008 Canadian National Music festival. She also participated in Orford’s Centre d’art summer program working with Edith Bers and Michael McMahon. As an active singer in the Armenian community, Ms. Kassabian has performed at various locations such as the AGBU community center the Sourp Hagop Center and the Bolsahay community center, among others in Montreal and New-Jersey.
David Lafleur - tenor
David Lafleur completed a Bachelor and Master degree at The Schulich School of Music of McGill University. David’s operatic experience consists of Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Kasper in Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Mr. Upfold in Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring and Ruggero in Puccini’s La Rondine. Upcoming operatic engagements include Le Portrait de Manon with ICAV. He has also appeared in scenes from La Traviata, Martha, Puccini’s La Rondine and Werther. David has also sung on the concert stage where he sang Mozart’s C Minor Mass, Handel’s Messiah with Cantabile Choir and Orchestra and Judas Maccabaeus with Pembroke Choir and Orchestra. He has also sung Ernest Chausson’s Poème d’amour et de la mer and Schumaan’s Dichterliebe and recently sang Benjamin Britten’s Seranade for Tenor and Horn and Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été at McGill University.
Emanuel Lebel - baritone
Baritone Emanuel Lebel, was born in Peru and grew up in Quebec City. After beginning his miusic studies in trumpet at the Conservatoire de musique de Québec, M. Lebel turns classical singing with the late Hélène Fortin and after with Lyne Fortin. The young baritone has participated for six years at the full stage opera workshop at the Conservatoire. It has been particularly heard in 2005 in the role of Littore in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, in 2007 in the role of Der Vater in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, in 2009 in the role of Il Conte Robinson in Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto. Emanuel Lebel completed his Master’s Degree in vocal performance at the Université Laval with the bass-baritone Michel Ducharme. Recently, M. Lebel had take part of the opera workshop production of the Université Laval in the role of Simone in Puccini’s opera Gianni Schicchi in March 2011.
Emanuel perfected regularly in several summer programs including the Domaine Forget with many coach like Gail Desmarais, Yolande Parent, Nicole Lorange, Oriol Thomas, Esther Gonthier and Jean-Marie Zeitouni. In the 2011 summer, M. Lebel will participate as the roles of Sam and Karl in John Estacio’s Lillian Alling at the Banff Center for the arts.
Emanuel Lebel is also part of many professional ensembles and choirs like Les Violons du Roy, Opéra de Québec, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Ensemble Vespéral de Québec.
In concert, the young baritone appeared as soloist in various works for large ensemble like Mozart’s Requiem, Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, Beethoven’s Missa in C major Op.86, Gilles Vignault’s Grand-messe, Théodore Dubois’s Sept dernières paroles du Christ, Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera May Nigth.
Emanuel Lebel has received several awards from the Conservatoire de musique de Québec, Université Laval, Caisse Populaire Desjardins, Concours de musique du Canada and Concours Mozart de la Sinfonia de Lanaudière. In 2010-2011, M. Lebel was grant recipient of the Hnatyshyn Foundation in classical voice.
Brian Wehrle - Bass
Bass Brian Wehrle began singing professionally at a young age, performing as treble soloist with numerous ensembles in his hometown of Winnipeg, including the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. Brian studied at McGill University under the tutelage of Sanford Sylvan, where he performed the roles of Superintendent Budd in Britten’s Albert Herring and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. Other roles include Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte at Brevard Music Center, Masetto in Don Giovanni at Saskatoon Opera, and Uberto in Pergolesi’s La serva padrona with the McGill Chamber Orchestra. In 2009 he sang Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore at the Green Mountain Opera Festival in Vermont, Trulove in The Rake’s Progress and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv. Brian was a member of both Opera Lyra Ottawa’s Opera Studio and Virginia Opera’s Spectrum Resident Artist Program for the 2009-2010 season. Also in 2010 he was an Apprentice Artist at Chautauqua Opera, where he covered the role of Oroveso in Norma. More recently Brian covered the role of Don Alfonso at Virgina Opera. This summer he will sing Zuniga in Carmen, and cover Simone in Gianni Schicchi as a Resident Artist at Central City Opera in Colorado. Brian is a laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Programme.