Handel Messiah

Myriam Leblanc

Soprano

Québecoise soprano Myriam Leblanc has garnered rave reviews: music critic Christophe Huss opined that “in the last ten years, she is one of the most beautiful voices, perhaps the most beautiful, to have emerged from the Quebec talent pool” (Samedi et rien d’autre, Radio-Canada). With a Master’s degree in choral conducting from the Université de Sherbrooke and a diploma from McGill University, the young soprano is equally at home in the classical, bel canto, and baroque repertoires. Boasting numerous awards, she has been a guest soloist of various symphony orchestras, including the OSM, Orchestre Métropolitain, and those of Trois-Rivières, Quebec City, and Saskatoon. On the operatic stage, she has distinguished herself in productions by Opéra de Montréal (Rigoletto, Svadba, Aida), Opéra de Québec (Carmen), Orchestre Métropolitain (Parsifal), and Jeunesses Musicales du Canada (Roméo et Juliette). She has also performed in concert most notably with I Musici, Ensemble Caprice, Les Violons du Roy, and Tafelmusik, and has recorded for the Analekta label. Her recent projects include the role of Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème with Francis Choinière in Trois-Rivières, and of Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Ensemble Caprice.

Krisztina Szabó

Mezzo-soprano

Hungarian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó is highly sought after as an artist of supreme musicianship and stagecraft. She is known for her interpretation of baroque music as well as her promotion and performance of contemporary Canadian works. She has appeared on all the major opera and concert stages across Canada, and performs regularly with the Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera, Tapestry Opera, Early Music Vancouver, and Tafelmusik.

International appearances include San Francisco Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Stadttheater Klagenfurt, and Wexford Festival Opera. In 2018, Krisztina made her Royal Opera and Netherlands Opera débuts in George Benjamin’s new opera, Lessons in Love and Violence, the recording of which received a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording. Her discography includes New Jewish Music, Vol. 3 (Analekta), Ana Sokolovic – Sirens (Naxos), and Talisker Players Where Words and Music Meet (Centrediscs). 

Krisztina Szabó is Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera at the University of British Columbia School of Music.

Jacob Perry

Tenor

Tenor Jacob Perry is lauded for his stylish interpretations of early music. As a soloist, he has lent his graceful sense of phrasing and luminous tone to engagements with Apollo’s Fire, Bach Collegium San Diego, Jacksonville Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philharmonia Baroque, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Tempesta di Mare, Washington Bach Consort, and the Washington National Cathedral. Jacob enjoys active membership in Les Canards Chantants, a soloist-ensemble based in Philadelphia, as well as engagements with chamber ensembles such as the Art of Early Keyboard (ARTEK), Res Facta, and TENET Vocal Artists.  Career highlights include his recent solo debut with the New York Philharmonic singing Handel’s Israel in Egypt, headlining the inaugural festival of Western Early Music at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music with Les Canards Chantants, and English Orpheus—a tour-de-force exploration of love songs and poems from the Elizabethan, Restoration, and early 18th-century periods he performed with Tempesta di Mare.

Tyler Duncan

Baritone
December 21 Performance

Canadian baritone Tyler Duncan has performed worldwide to great acclaim in both opera and concert repertoire. He has performed numerous roles at The Metropolitan Opera, and has appeared at the Spoleto Festival USA, and with Pacific Opera Victoria and City Opera Vancouver, among others. He has performed with leading symphony orchestras across North America, including the Toronto Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony. Tyler works regularly with period ensembles, including several appearances with Tafelmusik. Frequently paired with pianist Erika Switzer, he has given acclaimed song recitals throughout Canada, and in the US, France, German, Sweden, and South Africa. Notable recordings include the JUNO Award-winning Vaughan-Williams Serenade to Music with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Earthquakes and Islands: an album of songs by Andrew Staniland with texts by Robin Richardson, the title role in John Blow’s Venus and Adonis with Boston Early Music Festival, and J.S. Bach’s St John Passion with the Portland Baroque Orchestra. Tyler Duncan is featured with the Montreal Symphony in a video recording of Handel’s Messiah.

Originally from British Columbia, Tyler now makes his home in the Hudson Valley and teaches voce at Bard College.

Philippe Sly

Bass-Baritone
December 20 Performance

French-Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly has gained international recognition for his “beautiful, blooming tone and magnetic stage presence” (San Francisco Chronicle). In the 24/25 season Philippe makes returns to the Wiener Staatsoper for Kurtág’s Fin de partie (Hamm) conducted by Simone Young and Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Figaro); Canadian Opera Company for Bilodeau’s La Reine-garçon (Comte Karl Gustav); and Bayerische Staatsoper for Le nozze di Figaro (Figaro). He will debut at Opéra de Lausanne for Bizet’s Carmen (Escamillo). On the concert stage he will return to The Orchestra of St. Luke’s for Bach’s St John Passion (Jesus) with performances at Carnegie Hall. Concert debuts include Victoria Symphony for Messiah and Ottawa Chamberfest for Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 and an art song recital.