Highlands Opera Studio: Elevating Canadian Opera Artists for 20 Years

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In 2007, internationally-acclaimed operatic tenor Richard Margison and celebrated violist and stage director Valerie Kuinka started Highlands Opera Theatre. At the time, according to Kuinka, they noticed a significant drop-off point for aspiring professional Canadian opera singers because they were unable to connect to the next level. Their first season consisted of a two-week training program with seven singers, presenting Ravel’s L’heure espagnole and von Suppé’s Die schöne Galathée.

Jonelle Sills (Tatyana) & Micah Schroeder in the title role of Eugene Onegin, 2022. Photo: Brenden Friesen

Over the years, thanks to funding from the Vanda Treiser Initiative, the Azrieli Foundation, the Government of Canada, and the Ontario Charitable Gaming Association, the program has grown greatly, encompassing both the summer studio and a year-round Highlands Opera Community School. From 2007 to 2025, among singers, collaborative pianists, and creative composers-in-residence, the number of program alumni has reached 212, all of whom attend free of charge.

Alumni have found success both in Canada and internationally, and include names such as Ambur Braid, Teiya Kasahara, Miriam Khalil, Andrea Núñez, Rose Naggar-Tremblay, Alex Hetherington, and Clarence Frazer. Key moments of growth have included the introduction of paid positions for HOS Community Engagement Ambassadors to bring musical opportunities to Haliburton County, the commission/creation of Andrew Balfour’s Mishaabooz’s Realm/Le Royaume de Michabous in 2017 in collaboration with l’Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, and the 2020 establishment of the Highlands Opera Racial Equity Advisory Council. HOS also offers opportunities to those interested in behind-the-scenes production work.

Mishaabooz’s Realm, 2017.
Photo: Brenden Friesen

For its 20th season, Highlands Opera Studio presents two operas: Don Pasquale (double cast) and Suor Angelica (featuring soprano Lauren Margison as a guest artist). Kuinka points to the choice of Don Pasquale as “one of Donizetti’s most hilarious sitcoms of an opera,” which offers “a great, almost equal showcase for the four principals.” Suor Angelica, a remount of their 2019 production, will offer opportunities to the high number of talented women that Kuinka auditioned this season. The company looks to balance exposure for the local community with high-level opera.

There will also be a celebratory gala concert welcoming back studio alumni, and Let’s Make Opera! ENCORE, which will feature four 20-minute operas created in 2025, all based on histories connected with Haliburton County.

HOS’s newest initiative is in keeping with its efforts to continue to offer Canadian artists support, both by raising their profile and with financial help. “Things are different right now; people need money!” says Kuinka. So, this season, HOS will launch the Vanda Treiser Vocal Competition. The philanthropist has long supported HOS, and has been on the HOS board of directors for more than a decade. This October, in Toronto, a new vocal competition will take place, with a top prize of $5,000 as well as other additional prizes.