THE McPHEE ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Calgary Opera’s McPhee Artist Development Program is one of only four training programs for young professional opera singers in Canada.  Its name honours the late W.R. (Bob) McPhee, past General Director and CEO of Calgary Opera.  It is a cornerstone of the company’s continuing commitment to fostering Canadian talent and its community engagement.  Eight singers are selected annually from over a hundred applicants in an extensive and competitive audition process. 

During the two-year-long program, singers receive vocal coaching, develop acting and language skills, perform in numerous productions and augment the entrepreneurial skills they need to succeed in the highly competitive international opera industry.  

Their performances in a yearly Opera in Schools tour, such as this season’s upcoming CINDERELLA, have reached tens of thousands of Calgary and Alberta students in recent seasons.   Past productions showcasing the McPhee Artists in the intimate setting of the Mamdani Centre Rehearsal Hall during the December holiday and Spring seasons have enabled Calgary Opera audiences to experience lesser known one-act, contemporary, and Baroque repertoire.

Andrew Love, Anne-Marie MacIntosh, and Dominic Veilleux are just some of the 100 Artists to graduate as McPhee Artists and launch into distinguished careers.

SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY

Calgary Opera’s McPhee Artist Development Program performs arias and ensembles from operas drawn from the tragedies and comedies by the Bard of Stratford upon Avon. Eight young professional singers from across Canada take the stage for their only appearance at ProArts this season. The program will include selections from Verdi’s operas FALSTAFF and MACBETH, and Berlioz’s BÉATRICE & BÉNÉDICT based upon Shakespeare’s effervescent comedy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

This concert is the second in a series of seven Choral Concerts during 2023 generously sponsored by: