biographies Nathan Keoughan*
Donna Sharpe
Bass-Baritone
Stage Manager
1st Priest & Armed Man 2 Bass-baritone Nathan Keoughan got his start in the performing world in the Prince Edward Island favourite Anne & Gilbert. While spending his summers at the theatre he studied voice at the UPEI and then the New England Conservatory under the direction of Maestro Stephen Lord. Nathan currently studies with renowned Canadian tenor Richard Margison. Performance credits include: Speaker & Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, The Mayor in Doctor Miracle, Colline in La Bohème, Angelotti in Tosca, Azarias in The Burning Fiery Furnace, Dr. Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore. Mr. Keoughan will be joining L’Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal for their 16/17 season. *Nathan has been generously adopted by Monica Sloan & John Evison
Andrea Núñez* soprano
Papagena Praised for her “bell-like, bright-timbered voice,” Canadian Soprano, Andrea Núñez is quickly making her mark as an emerging artist. From Markham, Ontario, she has recently performed the roles of Ellen in Lakmé (Calgary Opera) and Norina in Don Pasquale (Jeunesses Musicales). She made her TSO debut in Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3 under the baton of Thomas Dausgaard. In June 2015, she joined the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singer Program where she performed the roles of the Page in Rigoletto and Laura in the world premiere of Cold Mountain composed by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon. In July 2016, she will be performing the role of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Brott Opera. Ms. Núñez is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Opera School.
This is Donna Sharpe’s 13th season with Calgary Opera. Select Calgary Opera credits include three seasons of Opera in the Village, the Canadian premieres of Silent Night, Die tote Stadt and Moby-Dick, Aida, The Flying Dutchman, The Marriage of Figaro, Madame Butterfly, The Italian Girl in Algiers, La Traviata, Falstaff, Otello, Pagliacci, Gianni Schicchi, Carmen. Selected assistant stage managing credits include Dead Man Walking (Canadian Premiere), Frobisher (World Premiere), The Inventor (World Premiere), Don Giovanni, Barber of Seville, Faust, Tosca, Sweeney Todd, Little Women, Lucia, Manon, Rigoletto. Ms. Sharpe enjoys working with Calgary Opera’s young artists (The Rape of Lucretia, Così fan tutte and Christmas at the Opera).
Nicole Bergen Assistant Stage Manager Nicole Bergen works as a stage manager and assistant stage manager in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Past shows include The Magic Flute, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Pasquale, and Madama Butterfly (SM, Saskatoon Opera), Silent Night, Candide, The Flying Dutchman, The Pirates of Penzance, La Traviata, Otello, La bohème, Moby Dick, Aida, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Manon (ASM, Calgary Opera), Ariodante and What Brought Us Here (SM, Calgary Opera, second stage), and Little Women, Turn of the Screw and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (ASM, The Banff Centre). This season’s shows include The Mikado, Lakmé, Die tote Stadt, and The Magic Flute (ASM, Calgary Opera) and The Barber of Seville (SM, Saskatoon Opera).
*Andrea has been generously adopted by Andrea Terence & Judith Dalgleish
Catherine Rouleau Christopher Mokrzewski Repetiteur Conductor, pianist and vocal coach Christopher “Topher” Mokrzewski is a steadily rising figure in the worlds of Canadian opera and chamber music. He is in his second season as Calgary Opera’s Resident Conductor, and is a founding member and Music Director of Toronto’s Against the Grain Theatre and music director of the Open Space Opera Program at The Banff Centre. A graduate of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, the Eastman School of Music and the Music Academy of the West, Mokrzewski has been described by music critic John Terauds as “one of those bright, eager, whip-smart young artists who could give even the most hardened cynic a jolt of optimism about the future of classical music and opera.” He was also named one of CBC Music’s “Hot 30 Classical Musicians under 30” in 2013. Mokrzewski last conducted The Mikado for Calgary Opera (2015).
Assistant Stage Manager Originally from Montréal, Catherine Rouleau is always happy to return to Calgary Opera. Favourite credits include: as ASM: Carmen, Lakmé, Die tote Stadt (Calgary Opera); La Bohème, Dead Man Walking, Die Fledermaus, Faust, The Flying Dutchman, Il Trovatore, Lakmé, Manon, Porgy and Bess, Rigoletto, Roberto Devereux, Rusalka, Salome, Simon Boccanegra, Werther (Opéra de Montréal); Carmen (Vancouver Opera); Das Reingold (OSM). As Stage Manager: Kruger Brothers (The Banff Centre); Je m’appelle Marilyn (GlobeBulle Rouge); Magic Flute, La Veuve Joyeuse (CEGEP of St-Laurent). As an Apprentice: Don Carlo (Vancouver Opera); Lillian Alling (The Banff Centre); The Italian Girl in Algiers (Calgary Opera).
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