Ariana Maubach Wins at 11th Annual Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition

Mezzo-soprano Ariana Maubach of Toronto took home First Prize and the Audience Choice Prize at the Canadian Opera Company’s 11th annual Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition on October 30, 2024 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The evening, hosted by television’s Emma Hunter (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Royal Canadian Air Farce, Letterkenny), marked the grand finale of a national search for Canada’s top young opera singers, all of whom were vying for cash prizes and the chance to be invited for a coveted spot in the company’s prestigious Ensemble Studio training program.

The annual event was livestreamed for the third year in a row, providing a platform like no other for the young artists to share their craft with audiences from coast to coast to coast. Audiences watching from home were also able to register in advance to join in the live vote for the night’s Audience Choice Prize.

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Maubach won First Prize, a $7,500 award and the Audience Choice Prize of $1,000.

Aria performed: “Cruda sorte” from L’Italiana in Algeri by Rossini

Ariana Maubach is a second year Resident Artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, PA. This season, she will portray Marthe in Faust and Dorabella in Così fan tutte. Previous roles include Smeton in Anna Bolena, Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia, Berta in The Barber of Seville (AVA), Linette in The Love for Three Oranges (Des Moines Metro Opera), and Mere Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites (College Conservatory of Music). Maubach is an alumna of the Music Academy of the West, College Conservatory of Music at University of Cincinnati, The Glenn Gould School, and Eastman School of Music.

Soprano Emma Pennell of South River/Corner Brook Indian Band won the Second Prize of $5,000.

Aria performed: "Donde lieta uscì" from La Bohème by Puccini

Emma Pennell is a 2-Spirit opera singer with Mi’kmaw roots from South River, rural Northern Ontario. Educated in Voice Performance and Indigenous Studies at Western University, Cambrian College, and The Glenn Gould School, Pennell is an Indigenous activist dedicated to carving spaces in opera. They recently debuted at Koerner Hall with Tanya Tagaq for The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. Pennell’s notable roles include Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff and Kitty in Ian Cusson’s Indians on Vacation at The Banff Centre.

Soprano Olivia LaPointe won Third Prize of $2,500.

Aria performed: “Obéissons, quand leur voix appelle” from Manon by Massenet

Olivia LaPointe has extensive experience spanning opera, jazz, pop, classical, and musical theatre. Recent highlights include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (VIMA Italy), a semi-finalist in the 2023 Lotte Lenya Competition, and making her European debut with Opernfest Prague. She is the Worship Arts Assistant and Soprano Section Lead at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, teaches voice, and performs with her family's group, The LaPointes. LaPointe holds a Master of Music in Opera and Voice from McGill University and a Bachelor of Music in Performance – Voice (Honours) from the University of Toronto.

“It’s always an inspiring experience to get a glimpse at some of Canada's most promising up and coming opera voices,” says COC General Director David Ferguson. “Last night, for the third year in a row, audiences both in the opera house and at home via livestream were treated to moving performances by some of the top emerging talent, discovered during auditions conducted across the country.”

"The Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition has proved to be an incredible launchpad for young Canadian opera artists," adds Ferguson. "We are enormously proud of all of tonight's winners and finalists and are looking forward to hearing a lot more from them soon."

The competition’s seven finalists were selected from 120 online applicants and 78 live auditions held in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. On October 30, each finalist performed two arias, accompanied by the COC Orchestra led by conductor Johannes Debus–one in a closed round for the judges alone, and a final performance for both judging panel and a live public audience.

This year’s competition jury was made up of:

• COC Director, Ensemble Studio Dorian Cox;
• COC Director, Artistic Operations & Planning Roberto Mauro;
• COC Head of Music, Ensemble Studio Liz Upchurch;
• famed Hollywood and Broadway vocal coach Elaine Overholt;
• and celebrated Canadian soprano Edith Wiens

The Ensemble Studio Competition serves as a final opportunity for COC artistic leadership to hear singers in the multi-stage audition process for the COC’s Ensemble Studio, with final members for the 2025/2026 season to be announced at a later date. Those invited to the Ensemble Studio will join an innovative program that, since its start in 1980, has launched the careers of nearly 240 Canadian singers, opera coaches, stage directors, and conductors, including Gordon Bintner, Ambur Braid, Emily D’Angelo, Simone McIntosh, Matthew Cairns, Claire de Sévigné, Wallis Giunta, David Pomeroy, and Krisztina Szabó.

Following the competition, 200 guests of the sold-out Artist Lounge Experience went on to enjoy an elegant, three-course dinner, in the Henry N.R. Jackman Lounge, which had been transformed into glamourous Studio 145 as part of the night’s Hollywood-themed festivities, dining with the night’s finalists and current Ensemble Studio artists. The meal was created by Michelin-recommended restaurant Lucie with a selection of wines curated by Cloudsley Cellars.

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