We are thrilled to announce the cast for our November production of Ravel's The Child and The Spells. Stay tuned to our blog next week to meet the rest of our amazing performers!
Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber- The Mother/The Chinese Teacup/The Dragonfly/The Shepherd
With a voice described as “rich and dusky, but so beautifully clear and expressive,” Saskatchewan native Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber is active in opera, oratorio and concert circuits. Her most recent operatic engagements include La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica with New York Lyric Opera, the title roles in Mignon and Thérèse with Amici Opera and Marthe in Faust with Center Stage Opera.
As a concert artist, she has performed in prestigious venues across the world, including New York’s Carnegie Hall (alto soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with New York Chamber Symphony), and Lincoln Center (mezzo soloist in Duruflé Requiem with New York Chamber Symphony), Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall in Istanbul, Turkey (Saygun’s Yunus Emre with Presidential Orchestra of Turkey), and Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Andrew T. Miller’s The Birth of Christ). Recent engagements include the mezzo soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with The Defiant Requiem Foundation, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Regina Symphony Orchestra, and Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été with Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Cutsforth-Huber is also in frequent demand as a recitalist and concert performer of new works. She has several world premieres to her credit, including song cycles and concert works by Robert S. Cohen, Timothy Melbinger, and Canadian composer Martha Hill Duncan.
Nansee Hughes- The Fire/The Princess/The Nightingale/Th Owl
Lyric coloratura Nansee Hughes has performed the roles of Lillian in McCune & Cavanagh's Y2K Black Death Oratorio with Pop Goes the Opera (2018), Giulietta in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Opera NUOVA (2016), Atalanta in Handel's Serse (2010) and the Dew Fairy in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel (2009) with the University of Alberta Opera Workshop, and the young lover in Mercury Opera’s production of Il Tabarro (2009).
As a concert soloist, Ms Hughes was soprano soloist in performance of Mozart's Laudate Dominum (St. Anthony's Parish), Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater (Schola Cantorum Women's Chorus), and performances of Messiah (Grande Prairie Regional College & McDougal United Church). Nansee has also performed for the Edmonton Polish Culture Society's Gala welcoming the Polish Ambassador to Canada, Andrzej Kurnicki. In March 2019, Nansee made her orchestral debut with the Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Carlos Foggin.
In summer 2019, Nansee will be one of 15 singers participating in the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Baden-bei-Wien, Austria. Nansee was a participant in the Advanced Singers Program through the Centre for Operatic Studies in Sulmona, Italy. In 2014, Nansee was selected as a participant in the Music Conference Alberta’s Ben Heppner Masterclass.
Nansee has been the recipient of a Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies scholarship, a Winspear Fund scholarship, scholarship to attend Opera NUOVA, scholarship to attend the Centre for Operatic Studies in Italy (COSI), the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Scholarship for voice, the Diane Thorssen Award, and received the Beryl Barnes Memorial Graduate Award.
Bree Horton- The Child
Canadian Mezzo Soprano Bree Horton is a graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA where she studied with Jane Eaglen. She has performed in operas across Canada and the US. Last season, she had the pleasure of singing Renfield in the world premiere of Dracula with Vera Causa Opera, and is thrilled to be singing with this exciting company again. Other favourite roles include Polina (Queen of Spades) with Opera by Request, Naomi (Ruth) with Arcady, The Witch (Hansel and Gretel) with Opera Nanaimo, Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte) at the Halifax Summer Opera Festival, Miss Todd (The Old Maid and the Thief) with Fear No Opera, and Mrs. Herring (Albert Herring) at the New England Conservatory.
Camilo Rodríguez-Cuadrado- The Armchair/A Tree
Colombian baritone Camilo Rodríguez-Cuadrado obtained a Master's degree in voice performance from The University of Western Ontario in 2018. Camilo will join again Vera Causa Opera for the 2019 – 2020 season in the operas The Child and The Spells by Maurice Ravel, The Dino Opera / Rapunzel by Canadian composer Dylan Langan, as well as the Canadian Opera Fest. In 2019, he made his first appearance in musical theatre by performing the role of Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar (Andrew Lloyd Webber) with Pacheco Theater. Camilo was also part of the Halifax Summer Opera Festival 2019, performing the role of Melisso in Händel’s Alcina. Camilo has also performed with The University of Western Ontario Opera Workshop, Accademia Europea dell’Opera, Fundación Jaime Manzur, Canadian Operatic Arts Academy, Caldas Symphony Orchestra, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Symphony Orchestra, and Universidad Nacional de Colombia Opera Workshop, among others.
Elizabeth Zuwala- The Widower Bat/The Shepherdess
Elizabeth Zuwala is a soprano from Brantford, Ontario, currently living in London. She received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Windsor with Distinction, participating in the Outstanding Scholars scholarship program, and winning the Concerto competition in her second year. Elizabeth also sang in The Tenors’ PBS special “Under One Sky” during her time in Windsor. She went on to complete an Artist Diploma and a Masters Degree in Music Literature and Performance from Western University. During her time at Western, Elizabeth performed the roles of Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), The Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier), Butterfly (Madama Butterfly), Antonia (Les contes d’Hoffmann), and Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus) in galas in London. She sang Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni in Lucca, Italy in 2017 with the Accademia Europa dell’Opera, and in the same year won the London Opera Guild’s Emerging Artist scholarship. Most recently, she was featured in the chorus of Peck Production’s Susannah in 2019. Elizabeth loves learning new opera, as a member of Western’s contemporary Music Studio from 2017 to 2018, she performed selections from Ana Sokolovic’s Svadba, and Kate Soper’s Here Be Sirens. In the summer of 2019, Elizabeth was awarded a Professional Development Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, which she has used to study more dramatic repertoire , as she prepares to apply for doctoral programs in the coming year.