DON PASQUALE CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
Music Director of the Vancouver Opera and Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Classique de Montreal, Jacques Lacombe has previously been Music and Artistic Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse in France from 2017 to 2021, Principal Conductor of the Bonn Opera in Germany from 2016 to 2018 and Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières from 2006 till 2018. From 2010 to 2016 he was Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and from 2002 to 2006, principal guest conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal after being music director of the Philharmonie de Lorraine in Metz, France. Jacques Lacombe is renowned as a “gifted and ambitious” conductor (The New York Times) whose artistic integrity and rapport with musicians and orchestras have propelled him to international stature.
JACQUES LACOMBE - CONDUCTOR
STEFANIA PANIGHINI - sTAGE DIRECTOR
Stefania Panighini studied at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome and at the Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi in Turin. She also graduated in Musicology at the Turin University. In 2004 she won the Prize Idee per Alfieri (Festival Astiteatro) and then began to work as a stage director. Her most recent productions include Le songe d'une suit d'été by Ambroise Thomas at the Wexford Festival Opera, Maria de Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla at the Opera Giocosa in Savona, at the Pergolesi Spontini Foundation and at the Luglio Musicale Trapanese, Rinaldo by Handel at the Opera de Tenerife (where she also staged Rinaldo and Hansel and Gretel).
JOHN FANNING - dON pasquale
A Member of the Order of Canada, John Fanning has enjoyed a wide-ranging career over the past 40 years. He has performed frequently with all major Canadian orchestras and opera companies, many in the United States, including nine seasons at the Metropolitan Opera, and in Europe, Asia and South America. He was featured as Firmin in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA on the national tour and in Toronto, has been the operatic voice of many commercials, starred in CBC’s WIND AT MY BACK and was featured in Norman Jewison’s film, MOONSTRUCK. John frequently gives masterclasses and has mentored at opera programs across Canada. Retired from his position at the University of Montreal, he enjoys being home and close to family.
LUCIA CESARONI - norina
With her “lush, creamy voice” and “giddy coloratura”, Italian-Canadian soprano Lucia Cesaroni is in demand as some of opera’s most coveted heroines. In 2022/23, Ms. Cesaroni joined the roster of The Metropolitan Opera where she covered Olga in Giordano’s Fedora, sang Violetta in La traviata with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and returned to Pacific Opera Victoria as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte. Other recent seasons have seen her make debuts with Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, North Carolina Opera and the Spoleto Festival. Upcoming engagements in the 23/24 season include reprising Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Calgary Opera and Ava in Rocking Horse Winner with Tapestry Opera. Ms. Cesaroni is an alumna of the University of Toronto Opera School (MMus).
John Tessier - ernesto
Last season John Tessier was seen at Edmonton Opera as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with a new English libretto by Joel Ivany. Concert appearances included the world premiere of the Jonathan Leshnoff oratorio, Sacrifice of Isaac with Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, programs of Bach and Mozart with the Richard Eaton Singers, and the world premiere of Ukrainian War Requiem under the baton of Michael Zaugg. Highlights of past opera seasons include Il barbiere di Siviglia, La fille du Régiment, and I Puritani at the Wiener Staatsoper, a debut at Teatro alla Scala in a new production of Cavalli’s La Calisto, and a role debut as Steve Wozniak in Mason Bates’ The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at Calgary Opera.
Phillip Addis - Dr. Malatesta
As one of Canada’s most versatile baritones, Mr. Addis’ range makes him at once “a superb Billy Budd…(whose) voice was virile, free and open” as well as “an impeccable antagonist” as Mozart’s Conte di Almaviva (most recently at Calgary Opera.) He is perhaps best known as “the ideal Pelléas of his generation” for his “erotically charged” performances as Debussy’s leading lover. He has been heard at l’Opéra National de Paris, LA Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, Semperoper Dresden, Hamburgischen Staatsoper, il Teatro Regio di Parma, il Teatro dell’ Opera di Roma, and the BBC Proms. Additional leading roles include Eugene Onegin, Rossini’s Figaro, Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Malatesta in Don Pasquale.
ryan nauta - notary
Born and raised in Chatham, Ontario, tenor Ryan Nauta is in his first year of the McPhee Artist Development Program at Calgary Opera. This season Ryan will be seen as the Notary in Don Pasquale, and the Minister and Chauffeur in Nino Rota’s The Witty Squirrel. Previous credits include Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, First Armoured Guard in The Magic Flute, Albert Herring in Albert Herring, and Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has completed residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, the Franz-Schubert-Institut, and the Halifax Summer Opera Festival. Ryan was a finalist in Vancouver Opera’s VOX Competition in 2019. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and McGill University.
Scott Reid - SET & projection DESIGNER
Scott Reid is a Calgary-based designer who is happy to be back designing for Calgary Opera. Some of his previous Calgary Opera credits include Macbeth, Eugene Onegin, Die Tote Stadt, The Flying Dutchman, Otello, as well as several productions for the McPhee Artist Development program. He recently designed The Pearl Fishers, directed by Rachel Peake, for Vancouver Opera. In addition to opera, Scott designs for theatre and dance at such places as Theatre Calgary, Alberta Ballet, Vertigo Theatre, The Citadel Theatre (Edmonton), ATP, and The Shakespeare Company, to name a few. scottreiddesign.com
heather moore - costume DESIGNER
Heather Moore’s design credits include the Canadian premiere of a new production of Die tote Stadt, as well as Macbeth (Betty Mitchell award winner for Outstanding Costume Design), Hansel and Gretel, Brothers Grimm and South Pacific for Calgary Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Macbeth, The Last Wife, and The Virgin Trial for ATP, and The Allan Parkinson’s Project, Mesa, The Carrot Warrior Seminar and Confessions of a Paperboy for Ghost River Theatre. As a film professional her credits include The Assassination of Jessie James, Inception, Hellboy, Hell On Wheels, Interstellar and Togo. Her most recent productions are The Last of Us and The Thicket.
mark morash - cHORUS DIRECTOR & ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
Mark Morash is a conductor and pianist originally from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and is Calgary Opera’s Chorus Director. For Calgary Opera, he most recently conducted Carmen. He was Director of Musical Studies for the Opera Center of San Francisco Opera where he conducted for the Merola Opera Program, the Adler Fellow Showcase, and Western Opera Theater. Other conducting appearances include Hawaii Opera Theatre, Opera Colorado and Opera Santa Barbara. San Francisco Opera Center performances include A Streetcar Named Desire, Gianni Schicchi, Argento’s Postcard from Morocco, The Barber of Seville, The Rape of Lucretia, Albert Herring, Così fan tutte, Die Fledermaus, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Pasatieri’s The Seagull.
Emily Hamper - HEAD COACH
Originally from Vancouver, Emily is one of Canada’s most highly regarded vocal coaches and has worked for opera companies across Canada and abroad. As a collaborator for voice recitals, she has partnered many of Canada’s finest singers at numerous venues, including Zoomer TV, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, L’Opéra National de Paris, the Canadian Opera Company, Queensland Music Festival. She is an alumna of UBC, the University of Toronto and Merola opera programs, and winner of the Best Collaborative Pianist Prize at the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition. Emily recently coached at the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and will join Nuova Vocal Arts in 2025 for the world premiere of the new Canadian opera Silence.
Evan Mounce - Répétiteur
Calgary-based pianist and vocal coach Evan Mounce is in demand as a leader and collaborator. Evan is Assistant Chorus Director of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, newly appointed Répétiteur with Calgary Opera, and Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. As a vocal coach Evan has worked with kd lang, preparing her for her 25th anniversary tour of Ingenue. Recent collaborations include work with Luminous Voices, Spiritus Chamber Choir, and Edmonton Opera. With his wife Laura Brandt, Evan has presented numerous recitals including for the Mountain View International Festival of Song and Chamber Music, the ProArts Recital Series, and together they have performed on two river cruises from Budapest to Amsterdam as ambassadors of Calgary Opera.
Shelby-Jai Flick - sTAGE MANAGER
For Calgary Opera: Das Rheingold, The Elixir of Love, Le nozze di Figaro, Macbeth, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Carmen, La traviata, The Merry Widow, Opera Labs, Norma, La bohème. Favourite credits include: As You Like It, (Theatre Calgary), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, La Fille mal gardée, The Sleeping Beauty, The Seagull (National Ballet of Canada); The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Julius Caesar, The Importance of Being Earnest, West Side Story (Stratford Festival); Mimi, Courageous, If We Were Birds (Tarragon Theatre). Other: The Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Film work includes Prey (Disney), Heartland (CBC), My Life With The Walter Boys, and the upcoming series The Abandons (Netflix).
Kate Pallesen - ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Kate is thrilled to be joining Calgary Opera for all productions in their 2024/2025 season. Since graduating from the University of Lethbridge with a BFA in 2017, she has stage managed for operas, plays, and live events throughout Alberta, as well as toured across Canada as the Stage Manager for bliss: the birthday party play (Verb Theatre) to Victoria’s Uno Fest and to Ottawa’s National Arts Centre. Select credits include: Das Rheingold, L’elisir d’amore, Béatrice et Bénédict, Macbeth, La traviata, La bohème, Amahl and the Night Visitors (Calgary Opera), Ghost Opera (Old Trout Puppet Workshop/Calgary Opera), The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon, The Jungle Book (Alberta Theatre Projects), STRUCK (Ghost River Theatre), The Thin Man, The Drowning Girls (Vertigo Theatre).
Kennedy Greene - ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
For Calgary Opera: Das Rheingold, Carmen, La traviata, Everest, Rigoletto, South Pacific, Turandot, Filumena. Kennedy is thrilled to rejoin Calgary Opera this season. She is a Calgary based Stage Manager, a self-proclaimed stationery nerd and theatre brat. Other select credits include: A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, 80's Solid Gold, Spamalot, Chicago, Gameshow (StageWest); Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - #2B, The Thin Man, The Hollow (Vertigo); As You Like It, The Mousetrap, Jimmy Buffett's Escape to Margaritaville, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill (Theatre Calgary); Naughty But Nice TenMas!, Naughty But Nice 9, LIVE! (Forte Musical Theatre Guild); STRUCK (Ghost River Theatre); Heaven, Flight Risk (Lunchbox); Kim's Convenience (ATP/ Arts Club); Assassinating Thompson (Lunchbox/Inside Out Theatre).