THE MCPHEE ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
SUPPORTED BY
Each season, Calgary Opera provides up to eight young singers with the opportunity to study and perform under a professional staff of teachers and performers. The program serves as a bridge between academic programs and the professional world of opera, offering the experience and practical skills necessary to succeed as a self-employed artist in a highly competitive international environment.
Calgary Opera commits to empowering all voices, regardless of background or identity and is dedicated to creating a safe space for everyone to feel a keen sense of belonging. We encourage applications from diverse backgrounds who share in our commitment to building an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment.
McPhee Artist Connor Hoppenbrouwers as Donner in Das Rheingold, Calgary Opera 2024. HarderLee Photography.
TO APPLY
Applications for the 2026-27 McPhee Artist Development Program will open in mid-July.
For more information about the program, please contact:
Mel Kirby
Manager, McPhee Artist Development Program
Phone: 403-802-3405
E-mail
PROGRAMME MCPHEE DE CHEMINEMENT POUR ARTISTES
McPhee Artists Nicole Leung as Adina and Christina Thanisch-Smith as Giannetta in The Elixir of Love, Calgary Opera 2024. HarderLee Photography.
Chaque année, l’opéra de Calgary offre à huit jeunes chanteur·euse·s l’opportunité d’étudier et de se produire sous la direction d’une équipe de professeur·e·s et d’artistes professionnel·le·s. Le programme sert de transition entre les milieux académiques et professionnels du monde de l’opéra, et donne l’expérience et les aptitudes nécessaires à la réussite d’une carrière dans un environnement international très compétitif.
L’opéra de Calgary s’engage à donner une voix à tous, indépendemment de leur origine ou de leur identé de genre, et se consacre à créer un environnement sain où chacun·e peut trouver sa place. Nous encourageons les candidatures de personnes venant d’horizons divers, qui partagent notre engagement à construire un monde équitable, diversifié et inclusif.
INSCRIPTION
Les candidatures pour le Programme de Développement des Artistes McPhee 2026-27 ouvriront à la mi-août.
Pour en savoir plus sur le programme, veuillez contacter:
Mel Kirby
Manager, McPhee Artist Development Program
Phone: 403-802-3405
E-mail
Calgary Opera
2025/26
McPhee Artists
Ryan Nauta
tenor
Born and raised in Chatham, Ontario, tenor Ryan Nauta is entering his second year in Calgary Opera’s McPhee Artist Development Program. Last season, he debuted as the Notary in Don Pasquale and sang the Minister and Chauffeur in Nino Rota’s The Witty Squirrel. Previous roles include Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), First Armoured Guard (The Magic Flute), Albert Herring (Albert Herring), and Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). He has completed residencies at the Banff Centre, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Franz-Schubert-Institut, and Halifax Summer Opera Festival. A finalist in Vancouver Opera’s 2019 VOX Competition, Ryan holds degrees from the University of Western Ontario and McGill University.
Luke Noftall
bass baritone
Canadian Bass-Baritone Luke Noftall is in his second year of the McPhee Artist Development Program at Calgary Opera. This season, Luke will be performing the roles of Fiorello in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, The Registrar in Madama Butterfly, and finally dual roles of the Wolf and Woodsman in Calgary Opera’s school tour show: Little Red Riding Hood. Last year, Luke made his Calgary Opera main stage debut as Guccio in Gianni Schicchi, and also performed the roles of the King and Chamberlain in their production of Nino Rota’s The Witty Squirrel. This past summer, Luke was part of Brott Opera’s production of Carmen, where he sang the role of Zuniga, and prior to that, spent two summers at the prestigious Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity in both the Chamber Music and Opera: Interplay, and Opera in the 21st Centuries programs. Hailing from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Luke holds both a Masters of Music in Opera Performance, as well as a Bachelor of Voice Performance with Honors from the University of Toronto.
Kelsey Ronn
soprano
Soprano Kelsey Ronn returns for her second year with the McPhee Development Opera Program at Calgary Opera, where she will make her role debuts as the Aunt in Madama Butterfly and Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Additionally, Kelsey will be taking on the title role in Little Red Riding Hood this November. Last season, she charmed audiences as The Squirrel in The Witty Squirrel. Most recently, Kelsey was a young artist in Opera Kelowna’s VOSI Program and L’Institut Canadien d'Art Vocal in Montreal, Quebec. In 2022, Kelsey made her debut with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as a featured artist in their Manitoba Hydro Holiday Tour. Kelsey attains a Master of Music Degree from McGill University and a Bachelor of Music Degree from University of Manitoba.
Alessia Vitali
mezzo soprano
Alessia Vitali is an Italian-Canadian mezzo-soprano from Montréal, Québec, returning to Calgary Opera for her second year of the McPhee Artist Development Program. In the 2025–26 season, she will appear as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, take on the dual roles of Mother/Grandmother in the family-friendly production of Little Red Riding Hood, and serve as the understudy for Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia.
In the 2024–25 season, Alessia made her Calgary Opera mainstage debut as La Ciesca in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and performed the title role in the children’s opera The Witty Squirrel. This summer, she joins the North York Concert Orchestra as the alto soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and will be an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre, performing in the world premiere of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Alessia holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of Toronto, where she studied under the guidance of Elizabeth McDonald.
Katelyn Bird
soprano
Ms. Bird is a Canadian soprano in her first year of Calgary Opera’s McPhee Artist Development Program and was nominated as a 2025 laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques of Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20. She also participated in the North American premiere of Quid sit Musicus by Philippe Leroux and was a 2025 Laffont Competition Encouragement Award winner. In 2024, she made her professional debut as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro with Pacific Opera Victoria. A graduate of the Glenn Gould School, she holds both a Bachelor of Music and an Artist Diploma, and is Artistic Director of Crashcat Studios, a company dedicated to mentoring young artists. Other roles include Madame Herz in Der Schauspieldirektor, Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore, Adele in Die Fledermaus, and Milica in Svadba by Ana Sokolović.
George Theodorakopoulos
baritone
George Theodorakopoulos is a Greek-Canadian baritone from Toronto, Ontario. He received a BMus in Voice Performance and a MMus in Opera from the University of Toronto. During the 2025-‘26 season, George will be joining Calgary Opera for his 1st year in the McPhee Artist Development Program, as well as Edmonton Opera as part of their Emerging Artist Program. Upcoming performances include Moralès & Le Dancaïre in Carmen as part of the Brott Music Festival, Danilo in The Merry Widow as part of the Highlands Opera Studio, Sacristan in Tosca with Edmonton Opera (in collaboration with the National Arts Center Orchestra, the Yukon Arts Centre, and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra), as well as Officer in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Yakusidé in Madama Butterfly, both with Calgary Opera. Recent operatic highlights include Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Pandolfe (Cendrillon), Marullo (Rigoletto), Emilio (Il cappello di paglia di Firenze), Dr.Pangloss (Candide).
Maria Milenic
mezzo soprano
Serbian-Croatian-Canadian mezzo-soprano, Maria Milenic, is delighted to be entering her first year of the McPhee Artist Development Program with Calgary Opera. A University of Toronto alum, Maria also completed an Advanced Artist Diploma at the Glenn Gould School, and has studied with faculty from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory. Her voice thrives in contemporary opera, and one of her favourite roles to date is Minskwoman in Dove’s Flight, which she performed on the Koerner Hall stage. She has taken part in the 21C Festival, where she premiered Chaya Czernowin’s piece The Habekhi (The Crying), written for mezzo-soprano, ensemble, and electronics. In 2024, she was the first-place prize winner in the OMFA provincials in the open voice category for singers aged under 28 in Ontario. Maria is also part of a voice-guitar duo entitled MileBib, with classical guitarist Christ Habib. She is looking forward to singing the role of Sandman in Hansel and Gretel with Calgary Opera this upcoming season, as well as Cio-Cio San’s Mother in Madama Butterfly, and the roles of Mother and Grandmother in Little Red Riding Hood.
McPhee headshots and group photo by HarderLee Photography. Calgary Opera. 2024