Doriclea Project Biographies

Narrator

Tara Kathleen Murphy is a Ph.D. student at the University of Western Ontario, where she studies Renaissance and 19th-Century British Literature. She recently created, directed, produced, and performed in Nine Nights' Love, a dramatic work compiled from 17th-century love poetry (2010); she also collaborated with Timothy Corlis on Francesca's Folly, a morality play in verse and music, which was performed by The Chestnut Hall Camerata (2009). She has been and continues to be involved with UWO’s Summer Shakespeare productions, and she is delighted to be working with the TCC on this project.

Doriclea Cast

Montreal-born baritone Neil Aronoff is a graduate of McGill University with a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance. He has appeared on stage with the Canadian Opera Company, Opera in Concert, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, Toronto Summer Music Festival, and Opera York. He has performed with groups such as Aradia Ensemble, Arcady, Toronto Continuo Collective, Musicians in Ordinary, Capella Intima, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the newly-formed Choir 21 specializing in contemporary choral music. Last April, Neil was a soloist in Rutter’s Mass of the Children with the Masterworks of Oakville Chorus and Orchestra, and joined them again in November as baritone soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. He was recently featured as a bass soloist in the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s critically-acclaimed presentation of Handel’s Israel in Egypt at the newly-opened Koerner Hall.

A native of Edmonton, Alberta, soprano Dawn Bailey received her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Toronto, studying with Professor Lorna MacDonald. She is well-known in Toronto’s early music and new music communities, both as a soloist and as an ensemble member. Exciting recent performances include premiering the role of Elizabeth in Andrew Ager’s new opera Frankenstein, produced by TrypTych; performing 21st century choral music with the newly formed Soundstreams “Choir 21” directed by David Fallis; and joining with the Toronto Consort for a program of German sacred music from Praetorius to Bach. On Good Friday, she appeared as a guest soloist with the Toronto Chamber Choir in Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri. Dawn has performed internationally with ensembles in England, Wales, South Africa, Namibia, Germany, and the United States. She looks forward to performances this spring with the Classical Music Consort, Capella Intima, and the Toronto Continuo Collective. In July she will travel to New Brunswick to participate in the final round of the Mathieu-Duguay Early Music Competition, performing with the orchestra of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival. When Dawn is not singing, she teaches yoga and meditation.

Nicole Bower is thrilled to sing with Toronto Continuo Collective for the second time. Her operatic repertoire includes Musetta, Despina, Blondchen, Norina, Pamina, Susanna and Sophie in Werther. Participating in school tours, she sang lead roles in the Canadian opera The Brothers Grimm, and Hansel and Gretel. Recordings include Handel’s Rinaldo and Purcell’s Theatre Music, (Naxos label), with Kevin Mallon. Recently, she completed a Master’s in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Toronto, studying with Mary Morrison. www.nicolebower.net

Catharin Carew’s most recent engagements of 2009-2010 include Mrs. Grose in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw with the Aldeburgh Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, the title role in Giulio Cesare with Canzona/OBR, Mahkwa in Native Earth and Indie(n) Rights Reserve’s production of Giiwedin, Mistress Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff with S.O.L.T. and a staged version of Hose Evangelista’s Exercices de Style at the Four Seasons Centre. Described as “a real personality with a dark edge to her mezzo as well as clear top notes" (WhatsOnStage, UK), other recent/on-going projects include workshops and children’s opera tours with Tapestry New Opera Works, Sesto in the RCM Summer Opera’s production of La clemenza di Tito and an upcoming series of concerts with Ensemble Selene at the Music Gallery.

Amy Dodington’s voice possesses exceptional sincerity, warmth and clarity. She has been a guest soloist with The Cellar Singers and the Serenata Choir performing J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and Handel’s Messiah. Her eclectic solo concerts and recitals in and around Toronto have been enthusiastically received. A lover of Early Music, Amy collaborates frequently with the Toronto Continuo Collective and twice attended the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. Performances of Tehillim and Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich at the University of Toronto and several awards from the Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects have shown Amy to be adept at New Music as well as old! Her considerable ensemble experience includes the Ontario Youth Choir, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and three tours of Germany with Helmuth Rilling’s Stuttgart Festival Ensembles. She was a National Finalist in the 2007 Canadian Music Competition held in Sherbrooke, Québec. Currently, Amy serves as soloist and section-lead with the Toronto Chamber Choir and at Kingsway-Lambton Church under Ruth Watson Henderson. She studies with Monica Whicher.

Coloratura soprano Emily Klassen hails from Calgary, Alberta where she graduated with honours from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Vocal Performance. She went on to complete her Bachelor of Music, in Vocal Performance from the University of Manitoba where she studied with world-renowned coloratura Tracy Dahl. Emily has performed the roles of Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute (Mozart), Casilda in The Gondoliers (Gilbert and Sullivan), Adriana in The Boys from Syracuse (Rogers and Hart) as well as in excerpts as Calisto in La Calisto (Cavalli), Nanetta in Falstaff (Verdi), Eurydice in Orphée aux enfers (Offenbach), Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten),Venus in Venus and Adonis (Blow), Fresquita in Carmen (Bizet) and Elizetta in Il Matrimonio Segreto (Cimarosa). Emily has participated in several prestigious opera programs, including The Canadian Operatic Arts Academy, the Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium in Italy, Opera Nuova, and Tryp Tych Productions. As a soloist, Emily has performed in Scott Good’s contemporary opera We Shaw Overcome, An Evening of the Arts by the Sophia Fund, A Savoyard Madness with the Toronto Operatta Theatre, and Mardis Gras Opera Spectacular with the St. James Cathedral.

String Band

Valerie Sylvester, violinist, received a Master’s Degree in violin performance from the Mannes School, New York, after completing undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto. She is concertmaster of the Niagara Symphony, Opera York, and Talisker Players (‘The Choral Orchestra’) and is a founding member of Nota Bene Period Orchestra. She is a frequent guest soloist with the Toronto Continuo Collective and also pursues a busy freelance schedule with many ensembles throughout southern Ontario on both modern and baroque violin. In addition, she plays bass viola da gamba as a member of the Cardinal Consort of Viols.

A recipient of the Margarita Heron Pine String Prize and the Beryl Barns Graduate Scholarship, cellist Kerri McGonigle graduated with a Masters of Music degree in cello performance from the University of Alberta. While studying in Paris, she won Premier Prix with unanimous distinction in violoncello and chamber music from the Gennevilliers Conservatory. Having completed an Advanced Certificate in Baroque Performance with Tafelmusik through the University of Toronto, Kerri is based in Toronto and performs regularly as a recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral cellist on both Baroque and modern cello, recently playing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Alberta Baroque Ensemble, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Talisker Ensemble, Aradia Orchestra, Nota Bene Orchestra and the Bach Consort.