Tenor Christopher McRae has been praised for his musicality and dramatic portrayals, and for “a beautiful and sonorous tenor voice!” He made his professional debut with Calgary Opera and has appeared across Canada and the US. Selected highlights of his stage credits include Sir Philip in Owen Wingrave, the Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia, McAlpine in Filumena (Estacio), The Governor & Vanderdendur in Candide, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, The Tenor in Six Characters in Search of an Author (Weisgall), and Sheldon in Later the Same Evening (Musto). He created the roles of Seth as a Man in John Beckwith’s historical opera Taptoo!, and The Doctor in Lorena Orozco’s English adaptation of The Waiting Room, and appeared as the title characters in Lohengrin with Toronto’s Opera By Request, and Werther with Calgary Concert Opera Company.
He is frequently engaged as a concert soloist in works such as Orff’s Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Choral Fantasy, Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C Minor, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and Theodora, MacMillian’s Celtic Mass of the Sea, Britten’s St. Nicola Cantata, Elgar’s The Kingdom, Bach’s Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio, and Rachmaninoff’s Vespers.
He received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from Boston University, and holds additional degrees in music from McGill Universityand the University of Calgary. He was a Lecturer in Voice at the University of Regina, and was a Teaching Assistant Professor, Vocal Area Coordinator and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Arkansas, where he received the ‘Outstanding Mentor Award’ three times. His students have gone on to win numerous auditions and competitions, scholarships and acceptances from music programs, and are pursuing a variety of careers in music. Visit www.ChrisMacRaeVoiceStudio.com for more information.
Ian Robertson, piano
Ian Robertson is an award-winning Calgary-based pianist, music director, and vocal coach. He completed a Masters of Music at the University of Western Ontario and has performed across Canada, the United States, The Netherlands, Belgium, China, and Dubai. He is also the winner of the 2021 Honens Pro-Am Piano Competition. Recent theatre credits include Anything Goes, The Bridges of Madison County (Nightingale Arts Collective); I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; Legally Blonde; Mamma Mia; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Stage West Calgary); Curtains; The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (Storybook); The Gondoliers; Yeoman of the Guard (Morpheus).
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, join tenor Christopher MacRae on February 5 for a heartfelt noon-hour recital celebrating the many faces of love. Through a series of musical love letters, this enchanting program explores the full spectrum of human connection—from the thrilling spark of love at first sight to the deep bond of soulmates, the fiery intensity of passion, and the gentle beauty of enduring devotion. Featuring music by favourite Romantic era composers, alongside modern voices, this concert will stir your heart and set the perfect tone for the season of love. Don’t miss this unforgettable celebration of love in all its forms.
