Charlotte Knight – Biography
“A promising talent” (Opera Canada), soprano Charlotte Knight is quickly establishing herself as an emerging artist on operatic and concert stages across Canada.
The 2010-2011 season marked professional solo debuts with Opera in Concert and the Classical Music Consort as Diana in Haydn’s La Fedeltá Premiata, and Toronto Masque Theatre as Aréthuze in Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers. Other opera credits include Morgana in Handel’s Alcina (Halifax Summer Opera Workshop), Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Vancouver Summer Opera Studio, Lyric Opera Studio of Weimar), Serpetta in La Finta Giardiniera (RCM Summer Opera) and Lucy in Menotti’s The Telephone (In The Soil Arts Festival). She has also appeared onstage in Opera Atelier’s The Marriage of Figaro in Toronto Operetta Theatre’s Die Fledermaus.
Upcoming performances in 2012 include role of La Ciesca in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with The Opera Project in Vancouver, and CHUMS’ summer 2012 concert series in St. Catharines.
Charlene Nagel, violinist
Charlene began her musical studies at the tender age of two with her violinist father, Deryck Aird, at the Bradley Institute in Niagara Falls Ontario, where she continued through their teachers’ training program. She joined the Niagara Symphony in 1975, as a section 1st violin, and has held the position of Principal Second Violin since 1989.
Charlene has played with the Baroque Ensemble Quatre en Concert, is a founding member of the Niagara String Quartet and the Niagara-On-The-Lake Sinfonia, and performs in numerous chamber and symphonic concerts throughout the region.
Additionally, Charlene enjoys the opportunity to play music of many genres, while backing performers at Niagara Fallsview Casino, Brock Centre for the Arts, and World Rock Symphony Orchestra.
Baritone Jonathon Dick has appeared with many organizations in Canada, performing both concert and operatic repertoire.
His solo engagements have included Handel’s Messiah with both Choralis Camerata and Chorus Niagara, Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor with the Georgetown Choral Society and Achill Choral Society, and Fauré’s Requiem with the Avanti Chamber Singers. This season, Jonathon has been a featured soloist with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra (Papageno) as well as the St Catharines Chamber Society. In 2012, Jonathon will perform with Primavera Concerts as Uberto in Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona and as Schlendrian in Bach’s Coffee Cantata.
On stage, Jon has appeared in Carlisle Floyd’s Susanna (Reverend Olin Blitch), Amahl and the Night Visitors (Melchior), Sweeney Todd (Judge Turpin), Dido and Aeneas (Aeneas), Falstaff (Pistol), Countess Maritza (Tchekko) and I Puritani (Lord Valton) with Toronto’s Opera in Concert. This spring, Jonathon will be performing with Opera in Concert once again as the Chamberlain in Dvořák’s The Devil and Kate.
Paul Williamson – tenor
Jamaican-born Canadian lyric tenor Paul Williamson has “a startlingly rich voice” (Edmonton Journal) and is now taking his place on the operatic and concert stages of Canada.
With a Bachelor of Music degree from the Houghton College School of Music in New York, a Masters degree in Opera Performance from State Glinka Conservatoire of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Paul continued his vocal studies under Robert MacLaren at the University of Manitoba. In 2007, while a student in the Opera Diploma program at the University of Toronto, he starred as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, where he was reviewed by Opera Canada as “a very pleasing tenor with Italianate colour, lovely phrasing and even the requisite sob” who can “play with his voice for nuance and has lots of power when needed.”
Fluent in Russian, Paul appeared as the Czar with Toronto’s Opera in Concert in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden in April 2008. The Globe and Mail declared “High tenor Paul Williamson, as the czar, had some ecstatic moments; his springtime aria was a high point” while Opera Canada’s review of this performance stated, “lyric tenor Paul Williamson impressed as the czar.” As an opera apprentice with the University of Manitoba, Paul performed the role of Wilhelm in school tours of Dean Burry’s popularThe Brothers Grimm. He recently starred as Umberto in Rossini’s La Donna del Lago with Opera in Concert.
Oratorio performances include Bruckner’s Te Deum (University of Toronto Combined Choirs and Orchestra), Britten’s St Nicolas Cantata (Tryptych, Toronto), and the Beethoven Mass in C with MasterWorks of Oakville. Mr. Williamson placed second in the Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition in New York 2007/8.
Mr. Williamson sang the role of Finn in Glinka’s Ruslan and Ljudmila in October 2010 with Opera In Concert and debuted with the Thunder Bay Symphony in Handel’s Messiah in November of that same year. In 2011, he debuted with the both Toronto Philharmonia in their Bel Canto series and at Heliconian Hall in the Birthday Series: Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
Xiaoling Li
After studying violin in her homeland of China with professor Zongde Wang at Xian Conservatory of Music, Xiaoling Li became a member of the Shannxi Symphony Orchestra. She frequently performed as a soloist with the orchestra from 1982 to 1997 including appearances on television and radio. In late 1997, she moved to Canada and became Associate Concertmaster with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra. In the 2009-2010 season she performed Mozart‘s Concerto #4 as a soloist for the Niagara Symphony’s opening concert and played Tango from Scent of a Woman in the Niagara Symphony All-Stars Pops concert for the 2010-2011 season. She has also performed as Concertmaster with Choralis Camerata in a performance of the Messiah conducted by Laura Thomas in 2009. She also performs with many other professional orchestras in Southern Ontario.
Chamber music is a part of her musical life as well. She is a member of the newly formed St Catharines Chamber Music Society and has also appeared at the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival (now Music Niagara) and Brock University ‘s Encore! Series.
Gordon Cleland – cello
Principal cellist of the Niagara Symphony, Gordon has performed across North America. He has appeared as soloist with the Niagara Symphony (Schumann Concerto in A minor and Vivaldi Double Concerto in G minor with Gisela Depkat) and for the Debut Series in Montreal, and with Mercredi musique (Boccherini Bb Major). He has extensive experience as a chamber musician, notably with pianist Karin di Bella at Brock University. Gordon is a founder of the St Catharines Chamber Music Society (first season 2009-2010). Gordon has broadcast frequently for CBC FM Radio and has performed on TV5, the international French television network. His strong interest in contemporary and Canadian music is reflected in the repertoire he performs.
In addition to his activities as a performer Gordon has made a strong commitment to music education. He teaches cello at Brock University and is an instructor with Suzuki Niagara and the Niagara Youth Orchestra. He has been a featured performer for the Concertino Program of Jeunesses musicales, whose artists are carefully chosen for their pedagogical skills and their ability to communicate with young people. Gordon has adjudicated music festivals across Canada, teaches for Suzuki Niagara and runs a private studio in the Niagara region.
Gordon started his musical training in London, Ontario and completed his studies with a Master of Music degree from Boston University. His principal teachers were George Neikrug, Walter Joachim and Gisela Depkat.
Erika Reiman - pianist (BMus: Mt. Allison; MMus: McGill; MA, PhD: Toronto)
Dr. Reiman studied piano at Mount Allison
and McGill Universities and earned a
PhD in musicology from the University of
Toronto. She is the author of Schumann’s Piano Cycles and the Novels of Jean Paul, published by the University of Rochester Press in 2004. In addition to her piano teaching duties at Brock University, she is active as soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician throughout Southern Ontario. Most recently she was the soloist in the premiere performance of David Fawcett’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra.
Mary Jo Mullins Artistic Director Niagara Dance Company
Born in Calgary, Alberta she began her early dance training shortly after moving to St. Catharines ON. Ms. Mullins holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Education from Brock University. She has trained at The School of the Toronto Dance Theatre, Dancetheatre David Earle and extensively in a mentorship capacity with Canadian modern dance pioneer Patricia Beatty. Ms. Mullins has performed the works of such internationally renowned and accomplished artists as Patricia Beatty, Elizabeth Chitty, Bill Coleman, David Earle, Danny Grossman, Graham McKelvie, and Terrill Maguire among others and has originated many of those roles. She has made over 20 of her own creations and is highly engaged in teaching the art form, having inspiring thousands of students throughout Ontario. Her choreography has been performed in Toronto and Niagara.
Hannah Robinson is a Mentorship Program student at the Niagara Dance Company. Trained through the Royal Academy of Dance, Hannah has been teaching ballet since 1995, and is currently the director of New Song Centre for the Arts. She is a former member of MAC dancers at McMaster University.
George Cleland (Violin and Viola) – George is the Music Coordinator forSuzuki Niagara and the viola coach for the Niagara Youth Orchestra. He has been an instructor for Brock University since 2004. A performer, teacher and conductor, George is a founding member of the Thorold Quartet, and he performs regularly with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra. George was appointed the Music Director of the Peninsula Orchestra in 2007.
From 1998 to 2003, George was a violin instructor at the Medicine Hat College Conservatory of Music and Dance, where he was the conductor of the Medicine Hat Junior Strings Orchestra, the founder and director of the Medicine Hat Community Orchestra and the Concertmaster of the Academy Strings Orchestra. He was a member of the Minore Trio with cellist Robert Bardston and pianist Stephanie Chow. George has studied violin at the University of Ottawa under Victor Pomer and Calvin Sieb and he completed his Masters degree at the University of Akron under Alan Bodman. He studied conducting at the Alberta College of Music under Jean Louis Barbier and at the International Workshop for Conductors in the Czech Republic. George often performs salon concerts with Marcia O’Neill when he visits Carbonear.
Michele Jacot received her Bachelor of Music degree in Performance at the University of Toronto and her Master of Music degree at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. She has performed in a variety of solo and chamber music recitals, and has played with several Canadian orchestras.
In addition to her active orchestral and chamber music involvement, a portion of her freelance career includes work on film soundtracks, television and in musical theatre. Ms. Jacot has also been a faculty member at several music festivals across Canada. As well as teaching in her private studio, she is active as a workshop and masterclass instructor. She is a founding member of the DMSQ saxophone quartet.
