Canadians Abroad: Canadian artists busy beyond our borders in 24-25

Advertisement / Publicité

Gerald Finley, bass-baritone

One of Canada’s busiest international opera stars, Montreal-born/Ottawa-raised Gerald Finley’s 24-25 season finds the bass-baritone singing at the world’s most prestigious houses. He opens the Berlin Staatsoper season in September as Scarpia opposite Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen in Tosca and then, in October, moves to the Vienna State Opera in the title role of Verdi’s Macbeth. The same role marks December performances at Munich’s Bavarian State Opera. In February, Finley stars in the world première of composer Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Festen at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. www.geraldfinley.com

Etienne Dupuis, baritone

Photo: Dario Acosta

The Quebec baritone’s star continues to rise with a season centred on Verdi. September sees Dupuis returning to one of his signature roles, Rodrigo, in Don Carlo at the Vienna State Opera followed by his role debut in November as Macbeth at Washington National Opera. In January he returns to Deutsche Oper Berlin as Rigoletto and he ends the season in July at the Royal Opera House as Conte di Luna in Il trovatore. www.etiennedupuis.com

James Ehnes, violin

Photo: Ben Ealovega

The Manitoba-born violinist is one of Canada’s most sought-after soloists. Ehnes’s 24-25 season is centred in the United States, including appearances with orchestras in Fort Worth, Baltimore and Houston. In October, Ehnes heads to London for a recital at Wigmore Hall, and a concert with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. A November Asian tour to Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong wraps up 2024 for the busy soloist. www.jamesehnes.com

Jan Lisiecki, piano

Canada’s superstar pianist from Alberta is, unsurprisingly, constantly on the move this coming season. This September, Lisiecki tours Italy and Switzerland with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Gianandrea Noseda. In November, he gives a series of recitals with violinist Julia Fischer throughout Germany. January and February sees the pianist of Polish ancestry giving concerts with the Kraków Philharmonic. www.janlisiecki.com

Kerson Leong, violin

The young Ottawa-born violinist is quickly developing an international career. August took him to France for the Musiques en Bugey festival and in September, he joins Camerata Nordica for a series of concerts in Sweden. Leong plays the Korngold Concerto with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in November and the Tchaikovsky Concerto brings him to various Italian cities in January. www.kersonleong.com

Jane Archibald, soprano

Photo: Bo Huang

The soprano from Nova Scotia’s 24-25 season includes several role debuts at significant houses. In October, she sings Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio with Deutsche Oper Berlin and then in January, the Kaiserin in Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten at the same house. In June, she joins the Hamburg Symphony to sing “Casta diva” from Bellini’s Norma. www.janearchibald.com

Ambur Braid, soprano

Photo: Rebecca Wood

In recent seasons, the busy soprano from British Columbia has built up an enviable European career. In October, Braid returns to Opéra national de Lyon as Marie in Berg’s Wozzeck (a role she also sings at the Canadian Opera Company in April and May) and in January, is in Valencia as Madame Lidoine in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony takes her to Lisbon with the Gulbenkian Orchestra next May. www.amburbraid.com

Joyce El-Khoury, soprano

The Lebanese-Canadian soprano has a very Europe-centred 24-25 season. In September, she takes on the title role in Verdi’s Aida at Opéra de Rouen and in February and March, Cherubini’s Médée at Paris’s Opéra Comique and in Montpellier. In October, El-Khoury travels to Shanghai for Tosca and a Puccini gala concert while April finds her singing the Verdi Requiem with Sweden’s Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra. www.joyceelkhoury.com

Johannes Moser, cello

The German-Canadian cellist’s 24-25 season finds him performing Elgar’s great Cello Concerto in E minor in Hagen, Germany (December) and various sites in Belgium, including Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp (February). In November, Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No. 1 takes Moser to both Sydney and Detroit. And in May he plays the world première of Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Cello Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony. www.johannes-moser.com

Wallis Giunta, mezzo-soprano

Photo: Tim Dunk

The mezzo-soprano from Ottawa has been based across the pond for several seasons, most notably as a current ensemble member at Vienna’s Volksoper. There in January, she’ll appear in an intriguing new production, KaiserRequiem, that incorporates Viktor Ullmann’s chamber opera The Emperor of Atlantis and Mozart’s Requiem. She will also reprise her Carmen at the Volksoper in May. In October, Giunta makes her Royal Opera House debut as Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti in a new staging by the company’s Director of Opera, Oliver Mears. www.wallisgiunta.com