Ruth Acheampong
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
This might sound weird. Sometimes, when I sing or listen to music, I get butterflies in my stomach. This usually means that I really love the music, or that I am afraid of it. Or both. If the music doesn't give me that feeling, I don't sing it.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
I think one would be surprised by the eclectic nature of my playlist. It goes from Lauryn Hill to The Wailin' Jennys to Stephen Schwartz.
How does music connect you to the community?
Music allows me to be honest and vulnerable. I believe that honesty and vulnerability are necessary to connect with and support the people around me.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
Winning the Wirth Vocal Prize would be a great honour. To be recognized by the Schulich community would be truly heartwarming! The Wirth Vocal Prize would help support my training and eventually help me pursue my career goals to share myself and my voice with the world.
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
I might want to meet Debussy and ask him his opinions on jazz. I feel like his style of composition might lend itself well to jazz.
What’s next for you?
I have a cool film project coming up. I will also be competing as a semifinalist in another competition in March. Other than that, I expect to graduate from McGill in the spring, continue making beautiful music and share my passion with others.
Wesley Harrison
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I'm from Windsor ON, Canada
What is an essential part of making music for you?
For me, an essential part of making music is being vulnerable in how you express and sing.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
I've started listening to a bit of punk music lately.
How does music connect you to the community?
I find music gives me the opportunity to share with others and to explore a moment of expression together. I also see it as an opportunity to hear the voices and stories of other queer artists of colour as well as other minorities we may not hear from as frequently.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
Being named winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize would create the most perfect springboard for me to begin a career with no student debt and many more resources available to take the next steps I need.
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
I would like to meet Gregory Spears and ask him about his experiences in introducing more queer stories to opera.
What’s next for you?
After graduating this year I plan to continue studying privately as well as to travel and begin my audition process.
Evan Lindberg
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I grew up In Calgary, Alberta.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Imagination! I love how music making allows audiences and performers alike to tap into our imaginations in a way we rarely get to in our day-to-day lives.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
Jeff Buckley's heartbreaking cover of Dido's Lament (it's unrivaled!)
How does music connect you to the community?
One of the things I love about the performing arts is the way they gather people together in community to explore our shared humanity. It's one of the things I think we've all missed the most during the pandemic.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
A passion of mine is the creation of innovative and dynamic recital programs. In the next few years, I am interested in developing collaborative, accessible, intimate, and site-specific recitals and projects that highlight the work of local artists. The Wirth Vocal Prize, in addition to being a tremendous resource for my development as an emerging artist, would allow me to invest in producing projects that I am passionate about, and that feature work by contemporary composers and writers.
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
I would say Benjamin Britten. His intuitive knack for writing operas that work so well as pieces of theatre is unparalleled. I would be curious to hear his advice for creating work in the 21st Century that continues to nourish and enhance the ways we approach storytelling through music.
What’s next for you?
I will be venturing to a few summer opportunities before taking the next year to do some auditions in Canada and abroad, as well as continuing to create and perform locally as much as possible.
Colin Mackey
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Essential parts of music making for me are collaboration and vulnerability. We are best when are vulnerable, fully available to the art and open to input and collaboration from our mentors and colleagues.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
ABBA. Those who know me, know that I love ABBA but those who don't may be surprised to hear that I have been in the top 0.5% of ABBA streamers on Spotify for two years now. ABBA was the music of my childhood, from having family over to road trips. It has provided a happy respite amidst the challenges and isolation of the last couple of years.
How does music connect you to the community?
I am lucky to have a very supportive network of friends and family that watch and listen to my performances even from afar. This helps me to stay connected to my community. I am also fortunate to come from a background of community music making, from community choirs to church choirs. This background has provided me with some of my most valuable relationships that I constantly rely on, no matter what genre of music I am currently studying and performing.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
Winning the Wirth Vocal Prize would be an incredible honour and would allow me to pursue the next stage of my education and career. I am currently deciding on where to continue my education in the form of a Performance Diploma. The Wirth Vocal Prize would allow me to pursue this next step with much more ease.
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
If I could meet any composer on my program, it would be either Schubert or Mahler. Coming from a childhood influenced by folk song, I have always found parallels between folk song and lieder, especially ballads. I would specifically like to know more about what inspired both composers to write what could arguably be each of their most significant works, for Schubert, his Erlkönig and for Mahler, his Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen.
What’s next for you?
Next for me is Opera McGill’s performance of Handel’s Orlando at the end of March, followed by final classes and the recitals for our Song Interpretation classes. After that I am still planning. I am currently applying to summer programs and sorting out where I will continue my studies. Next year my hope is to pursue a Performance Diploma at either the Schulich School of Music of McGill University or at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Alexis Reed
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I am from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
An essential part of music-making for me is storytelling. When I sing, I want the audience to feel like they are on a journey with me. It's exciting and rewarding for both the singer and the audience to feel that energy and emotional connection.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
My dad raised me on high-energy alternative indie and rock music. I don't think many would expect me to be listening to that if they passed me on the street!
How does music connect you to the community?
Music has always been my greatest connection to the community. As a child, my parents made up songs to sing to me and I did the same for them. I grew up always telling them to turn up the volume so we could scream along to the radio. I joined choirs early on in life, and by high school, music was my main source of connection to others. All of my closest friends were involved in choir, band, or musical theater, but even my friends who weren't involved in those things understood the power of music. I quickly learned that music is an art that everyone, from any background, can appreciate. It transcends. If you start a conversation by asking someone what music they like to listen to, you're likely to spark a passionate conversation and learn something new about them.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
Being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize would allow me to pay off student debt and invest in future lessons, coachings, auditions, competitions, and travel fees. These costs can quickly add up as a young artist who is fresh out of school and trying to establish a career. It would be life-changing to have the award money to put myself out there and audition for as many opportunities as I can within the next few years in order to jump-start my professional career.
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
What a challenging decision! I have reasons for wanting to meet all of them. I would like to meet and learn from Britten because I have worked on two of his operas and would love to learn from and work with him directly. Massenet and Strauss have an incredible output of some of the most exquisite opera and song, and I would love to talk with them about their musical world-building. I also want to meet Undine Smith Moore, a Black American composer and professor who produced music and writings that fascinate and inspire; a woman who has been overlooked by history and deserves to be heard. However, if I could only choose one, it would have to be Mozart. He is the most well-known name in classical music today and his works hold up as some of the best of all time. What would he think of this? How would he feel about how classical music has developed since the 18th century? What would he say if he saw a modern production of his works? We learn so much about Mozart in school, but the more answers I get, the more questions I have!
What’s next for you?
I look forward to spending this summer at the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory, where I will perform in a production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, take lessons and coachings from the world-renowned faculty, and perform in masterclasses and recitals. I plan to spend the fall working and auditioning for young artist and resident artist programs across North America. For the first time in my life, I will not be a student. It's stressful to not have every little aspect of my life planned out ahead of time, but I am excited to see what the future holds!
Kelsey Ronn
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I was born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Go Riders! However, I have many places that I call my home. For instance, Waskesiu Lake, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Montreal are some to name a few.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Collaboration and storytelling by far! They are both equally essential for me. A story is always stronger when it is told by more than one person and by sharing stories, it inspires others to tell their own.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
I don’t believe there is anything on my playlist that someone would find completely shocking. However, they may discover that it is super diverse. Nevertheless, an artist I've really been enjoying lately is H.E.R. Go listen to, "Best Part" and tell me what you think.
How does music connect you to the community?
Since music is such a universal language, I believe it allows me to connect with my community on a mental, physical and spiritual level. A melody they hear might remind them of a person, place, thing, or idea. Isn't music so flippin' cool?
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
My goodness! Winning the Wirth Vocal Prize would be such an honour. Not only would it enable me to cultivate my career outside of Canada, but it would significantly help with paying off pesky student loans.
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
I would love to meet Tom Cipullo! I would simply want to talk to him about his process and tell him how beautiful his music is.
What’s next for you?
I'm thrilled about my goals for the future. I'm ready to increase my profitability as an artist by getting my life coaching certification from the ICF (International Coach Federation), and I'm ready to show the opera world what I'm made of.
Élisabeth Saint-Gelais
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
Home for me is Saguenay, where my sisters and my mother live. Montreal is my second home that I have happily adopted.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Healing by singing and communicating emotions to people to allow them to be open to Art.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
Jazz jazz jazz!
How does music connect you to the community?
Music is all about connection! It’s a deep experience with yourself, teachers, musicians, and audience. For me, with music, it all comes together.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
I would feel safer to travel next year and could do more Young Artist Program (YAPs) auditions without worrying about money. It would actually help me to travel more for auditions!
What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?(Composer, piece, approach, perspective, minutia, fun fact — anything!)
I discovered a couple years ago that there were indigenous composers across Canada who compose Opera, often based on indigenous stories or legends. As a First Nations myself, I find it completely wonderful that I can interpret the work of those composers in their nation’s languages which are different than my own, the Innu-aimun.
What’s next for you?
I'll be in Hamilton in March 2022 recording The Potawatomi by Barbara Assiginaak, an amazing Anishnaabe composer. I'll do the role of Marianne. Also, I am going to Berlin this summer perform the role of Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus at Berlin Opera Academy.
Christina Thanisch-Smith
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
Born/early life in Fredericton, New Brunswick, raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba!
What is an essential part of making music for you?
The synthesis of speech and song in vocal music is so special to me. Using the human voice to express emotions and tell stories is what keeps me coming back day after day. I have the unique opportunity of serving audiences with music that hopefully challenges them, comforts them, brings them laughter, joy, and even some tears. We cannot deemphasize the power music has!
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga released an album of jazz standards together, and though I was skeptical at first, I always have a ton of fun listening to the two of them sing together.
How does music connect you to the community?
Raised in Winnipeg, I grew up in a vibrant and diverse music scene. From liturgical music, to the countless choral ensembles, the city’s annual Folklorama festivals, the Winnipeg Folk Fest, and the classical music communities, music was always at the core of the city. Because of this, I always loved when I could study a new composer or genre of music as it helped me get to know the people in my city and my country. My family is spread out across North America and Europe, yet sharing my music with them makes the distance seem less apparent. As musicians, we have the opportunity to put our talents and hard work together to create art for our communities. As cliché as the saying is, there is truth to the saying “when words fail, music speaks.”
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
Winning the 2021-2022 Wirth Vocal Prize would be life changing for me. My time at McGill has been amazing, and to receive this award would mean so much. The time period between school and beginning a professional career is so important, yet can be financially tiresome. It is filled with traveling for international audition tours, paying for private lessons and coachings, reserving time for ample practicing and role study, getting contracts (both small and more substantial) and continuing one’s overall artistic and technical development, to name a few. The list is endless. If selected as the winner, I would put the earnings from the Wirth Vocal Prize towards such activities beginning in September 2022!
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
Definitely Amy Beach. Similarly to other female composers and musicians of her time, her musical achievements were often diminished, disguised, or altogether ignored. I only wish that she, and other women with similar histories, could see how women in music are being honoured today.
What’s next for you?
I’m delighted to be the soloist for the McGill Symphony Orchestra’s concert on April 7, 2022. We will be performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, which includes a beautiful soprano solo as the last movement.
