Robert Dean studied piano, horn, composition, and conducting as a Junior Exhibitioner at London's Royal College of Music, and went on to gain his music degree at Durham University, where he was the first student to act as Assistant Chorus Master to the University Chorus. He continued his studies at The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, and the National Opera Studio, London as both repetiteur and baritone, and there followed a highly successful nine-year career as a baritone, singing major roles with all the principal opera houses in the UK.  Since 1993 Robert Dean has enjoyed a busy freelance conducting schedule, particularly in the opera world, and also with choirs such as the world-renowned Philharmonia Chorus. In 1998he was appointed Artistic Director to the Philharmonia Chorus.  He has since conducted them in concerts including Rossini's Stabat Mater andPuccini's Messa di Gloria with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Messiah with the London Mozart Players, Handel's Dixit Dominus with London Musici, Rachmaninov's Vespers, and, most recently The Dream of Gerontius.  With Calgary Opera he conducted Cinderella (2006), The Magic Flute (2006) and most recently Tosca (2008).

Glynis Leyshon, Artistic Director of the Playhouse Theatre Company (Vancouver) since 1997, has directed for theatre companies across the country. Ms. Leyshon also has extensive experience directing musicals and opera, having worked with the Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Pacific Opera companies. This season she will be directing Morris Panych in Vigil for the Playhouse and Theatre Calgary, and will also direct a new production of Don Giovanni for Pacific Opera Victoria. Last season she directed A Little Night Music and Vincent in Brixton at the Playhouse, Eugene Onegin for Pacific Opera Victoria and Falstaff for Opera Lyra. Ms. Leyshon last directed Cinderella (2006) and Rigoletto (2007) for Calgary Opera.  Calgary Opera is excited to have Ms. Leyshon back to create Don Giovanni along with Bretta Gerecke, who last collaborated on Rigoletto (2007).

With a “first-class voice” (The Boston Globe), Nathan Berg has emerged as one of the most in-demand bass-baritones of his generation. Berg enjoys a versatile career that incorporates a balance of concert, recital and operatic performances. With repertoire ranging from Bach and Handel to Mozart and Mahler , he has travelled extensively to perform with such conductors as Abbado, Boulez, Christie, Davis, Dohnanyi, Dutoit, Eschenbach, Haenchen, Harding, Herreweghe, Hogwood, King, Leppard, Lockhart, Masur, Maazel, Norrington, Rilling, Salonen, Slatkin and Tilson-Thomas.  Mr. Berg’s operatic credits include the roles of Figaro, Leporello, Ferrando (Il Trovatore), Mercurio (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), Schaunard and Coline (La Bohème), Gugliemo (Cosi fan tutte) and many more at companies including the Canadian Opera Company, English National Opera, Glyndebourne, New York City Opera, Opera de Paris, Bayerische Staatsoper, Vancouver Opera and Netherlands Opera.

Lyne Fortin is one of Canada's leading sopranos, with appearances with L'Opera de Montreal in the title roles of Agrippina, Thais, La Traviata and Romeo et Juliette, Elvira in Don Giovanni, Mimi in La Boheme, Antonia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Leila in Les Pecheurs des Perles, Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Olga in Fedora, Gilda in Rigoletto, and Micaela in Carmen, Vancouver Opera as Mimi, Leila and Micaela, Opera Saskatchewan, Calgary Opera and Edmonton Opera as Violetta in La Traviata, Opera de Quebec as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Gilda in Rigoletto, Mimi, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. Last season, she will return to Montreal and to Opera Ontario as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.  This past season, she made her role debut in the title role of Carmen for the Edmonton Opera, and return to L’Opera de Montreal and Opera de Quebec as “Stella Starlight” in the spectacle Starmania.

Brett Polegato has earned the highest praise from audiences and critics alike. At the Inaugural Gala Concert for the Canadian Opera Company’s new home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, he “nearly stole the show with a strong and characterful performance of Figaro’s cocky “Largo al factotum.” He has appeared on stages in 19 countries, including Lincoln Center, La Scala, the Concertgebouw, Opéra National de Paris, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Teatro Real, Roy Thomson Hall, Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. For Calgary Opera, Mr. Polegato most recently appeared in Cinderella (2006).                                                        

Valerian Ruminski is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Zuniga in Carmen and has also appeared in the HD broadcast of I Puritani. He has performed with many companies including – l’Opera de Montréal, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Vancouver Opera, New York City Opera, Dallas Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera de Monte Carlo and Opera Ireland. His upcoming roles include Nikitisch in Boris Godunov for the Metropolitan Opera, Sparafucile in Rigoletto for Nickel City Opera (Buffalo) and Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor for Hawaii Opera. He last performed Timur in Calgary Opera’s Turandot (2005).

Benjamin Butterfield’s opera credits include Arizona (Don Giovanni), Toulouse (Mignon), Toronto (Cunning Little Vixen), Vancouver (Rake’s Progress) and Victoria (Semele) as well as touring with the New York City Opera (Die Zauberflöte), Welsh National Opera (Barber of Seville), the San Carlo in Naples (Persephone), Canterbury Opera, New Zealand (Eugene Onegin) and with Opera Atelier (Dido and Aeneas). Recent performances include Messiaen’s St. Francois d’Assise with Kent Nagano in Montreal and The Magic Flute with Bernard Labadie in Toronto. He has recorded for CBC, Koch, Dorion, Marquis, Timpani and Musicaleopolis and he is head of voice at the University of Victoria. For Calgary Opera he last performed in The Magic Flute (2006).

Lyric Soprano Laura Whalen is often noted for her command, precision, and elegance in operatic, orchestral and recital appearances throughout North America. Recent engagements: title role in Lucia di Lammermoor with Arizona Opera and Pacific Opera, Violetta in La Traviata with Edmonton Opera and Opera Lyra Ottawa, Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro and Norina in Don Pasquale with Opera Ontario, and Juliette in Roméo et Juliette with Opera Lyra Ottawa and Opera Ontario. Recently, with Calgary Opera she performed Marguerite in Faust, and two world premieres by composer John Estacio and librettist John Murrell: the title role in Filumena (2003) and Anna in Frobisher (2007).

Canadian Soprano Kathleen Brett is cherished by audiences in America and Europe, not only for the beauty of her tone and stylistic instinct but also for her natural stage presence and dramatic skills. She has performed around the world, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, New York (City Opera), London (Covent Garden) and Antwerp (Vlaamse Opera). Recent engagements include Birdie Hubbard in Pacific Opera Victoria’s acclaimed production of Bltzstein’s Regina; Messiah with the National Arts Centre, Ottawa; and Mozart Requiem with Vancouver Symphony. Featured soloist on tour with Boston Pops, this season she appears with Cincinnati Pops and Toronto Symphony. With Calgary Opera she last performed in Romeo and Juliet (2003).

British-Canadian Alexander Dobson has been praised for his musicality and dramatic awareness on both opera and concert stages. Recent highlights include his riveting portrayal of Wozzek conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Hamilton, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette for l’Opéra de Montréal, Silvio in Opera Quebec’s Pagliacci, Marcello in both Saskatoon Opera’s production and BRAVO’s TV rendition of La Bohème, De Retz in Bard Summerscape’s production of Les Huguenots and made his Royal Opera Covent Garden debut with The Midnight Court. Upcoming engagements include the title role in Don Giovanni with Orchestre Metropolitain and Marcello in Pacific Opera Victoria’ s La Bohème. With Calgary Opera he last performed in Ariadne auf Naxos (2009).