Vera Causa Opera is proud to announce two cast members for our November production of Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti:
Whitney Mather as Norina
Award winning soprano Whitney Mather is recognised for her considerable poise and expressivity and continues to shine in both opera and art song repertoires. Ms. Mather also enjoys the challenge of working in new music. Most recently, Ms. Mather sang the role of Cupidon with Opera Atelier in their Spring 2017 production of Charpentier’s Medée. Additionally, last season Ms. Mather was thrilled to sing the role of Marie in Donizetti's La fille du régiment with Vera Causa Opera. Last summer, Ms. Mather spent the month of June in Los Angeles, CA at Songfest in masterclasses with Lucy Shelton, Roger Vignoles, Margo Garrett, Alan Smith, John Musto, Martin Katz and Libby Larsen. In July, she had the honour of being one of the vocal Fellows for the Toronto Summer Music Festival, and was announced in March as the 2016 winner of the Toronto Mozart Vocal Competition. This season, Ms. Mather is thrilled to rejoin Vera Causa Opera as Norina for their production of Don Pasquale. Additionally, she can be seen in concert this December with the Toronto Classical Singers. She is a finalist for the 2017-18 Jim and Charlotte Norcop Prize in Song at the University of Toronto where she is completing her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of soprano Monica Whicher.
Austin Larusson as Dr. Malatesta
Praised for his “...fine baritone voice” (Nino Pantano, The Brooklyn Eagle), “Austin Larusson as Sergeant of Police sang beautifully” (Leslie Barcza, https://barczablog.com), Austin is pleased to be returning to Vera Causa Opera after appearing as Leporello in DON GIOVANNI under the baton of Maestro Langan last season. Austin Larusson was most recently seen as Benoit and Alcindoro in LA BOHÈME with Southern Ontario Lyric Opera conducted by Maestro Sabatino Vacca, as well as Masakroff, THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER conducted by Peter Tiefenbach, and The Sergeant of Police, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE conducted by Derek Bate, Toronto Operetta Theatre; Garibaldo, RODELINDA, Masetto, DON GIOVANNI, Guglielmo, COSÍ FAN TUTTE and Frank Maurrant, STREET SCENE, and Aeneas, DIDO AND AENEAS, Opera by Request; Lorenzo, I CAPULETI E I MONTECCHI, and George Jones, STREET SCENE, Opera in Concert conducted by Robert Cooper; Morales, CARMEN, and Malyuta Skuratov, THE TSAR’s BRIDE, Three, Seven, Ace Opera.
Stay tuned for the announcement of two more cast members next week!