Allyson McHardy
Canadian mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy brings a distinguished international career and a deep commitment to vocal excellence to the Schulich School of Music voice faculty. Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a singer of enormous imagination and versatility”, Ms.McHardy has been celebrated for her rich, expressive voice and compelling artistry. She has performed with many of the world’s leading opera companies, symphony orchestras, and early music ensembles, including recent credits with Sweden’s Drottningholms Slottsteater, Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, and l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.
An Ontario native, Allyson has carefully curated a career that balances opera and concert repertoire that moves easily from Handel to Donizetti; from Mahler to Heggie. Among notable productions, she appeared in the title role of Peter Hall’s Glyndebourne production of Rossini’s Cenerentola, the Prix Opus winning productions of Heggie’s Dead Man Walking (Sister Helen, Opéra de Montréal) and Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer (Mary, Opéra du Québec), and in the celebrated Robert Carsen production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night's Dream in Beijing, Aix-en-Provence, and Philadelphia. Allyson also appeared as Julie Riel in Harry Somers’ Louis Riel, a Canadian Opera Company production, also seen in Ottawa (National Arts Centre) and Québec City (Opéra de Quèbec), as part of Canada's sesquicentennial celebrations. Further opera highlights include principal roles in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito at the Palais Garnier for the Paris Opera, Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Roberto Devereux for the Canadian Opera Company, Amadis De Gaule at the Opéra Comique, Handel’s Alcina with Opera Atelier, Il Barbieri di Siviglia with San Francisco Opera, Handel’s Hercules with Toronto’s Tafelmusik, and the leading role of Rose Valland in the world premiere of Bilodeau’s Le beauté du monde with Opéra de Montréal (OdeM).
On the concert stage, she has appeared across Canada with the Toronto Symphony, l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Vancouver Symphony, Les Violons du Roy, Victoria Symphony, Early Music Vancouver, and the National Art Centre Orchestra; and internationally with the Boston Symphony, Minnesota Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Grant Park Festival of Chicago, Indianapolis Symphony, St Louis Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid and the Kansas City Symphony. Adam Fischer, Seiji Ozawa, Jeremy Rohrer, Kent Nagano, Emmanuelle Haim, Bernard Labadie, Trevor Pinnock, Ludovic Morlot, Kristian Kluxen, Carlos Kalmar, and Corrado Rovaris are among the conductors with whom she has collaborated for performances of works such as Lieberson’s Neruda Songs, Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie (Phèdre), Bach’s Matthäus Passion, Ravel’s L’Heure Espagnole, Ligeti’s Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2.
Allyson is also a dedicated recitalist and a passionate advocate for Canadian art song and contemporary repertoire. Ms. McHardy brings deep interpretive insight and a spirit of collaboration to her recital work, which forms a vital and ongoing part of her artistic identity. Her performances have been featured by major Canadian institutions, including CBC Radio, the Canadian Art Song Project and Société d’art vocal de Montréal. She continues to advocate for the expansion of the Canadian vocal repertoire through both performance and education.
Allyson’s discography includes the JUNO nominated Canadian Art Song Project’s disc, Summer Night, featuring the music of Healey Willan, and the JUNO nominated Orlando by George Frideric Handel with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra and Alexander Weimann (ATMA). Other CDs include the JUNO and ADISQ nominated recording of Caldara’s La Conversione di Clodoveo, Re di Francia (ATMA), Bellini’s Norma with the Warsaw Philharmonic (Philharmonia Narodowa), two works by Harry Somers –Serinette and A Midwinter Night’s Dream (Centrediscs), and Ukrainian music by composer Mykola Lysenko in a six-disc collection on the Musica Leopolis label.
Alongside her performance career, Allyson has maintained a private studio, and served on the voice faculty of the University of Ottawa (2020-2023). Most recently, she returned to her alma mater, Wilfrid Laurier University, for the 24/25 academic year, bringing full circle her journey from student to mentor. Additionally, she has been engaged as a clinician and adjudicator for Nuova Vocal Arts, the Glenn Gould School, the Toronto Arts Council, Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique de Québec and the Collingwood Music Festival. She has also enjoyed participating in many mentorship initiatives and masterclasses across Canada, at institutions like the Vancouver Academy of Music, Pacific Opera Victoria, Calgary Opera, and Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal. Allyson continues to inspire young singers, striving to not only equip them with vocal technique, but the artistry and confidence required to thrive on today’s world stages.
