Canadian Operatic Arts Academy
Canadian Operatic Arts Academy
Margie Bernal
Voice Instructor
Colombian soprano Margie Bernal completed her Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A) at Western University. She holds a Master of Music from this same institution and a bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. A versatile performer, Margie enjoys singing in both operatic and recital stages. Her interest in contemporary music has led her to collaborate with various composers,
premiering different works.
Margie has been a soloist for the National Symphonic Orchestra, National University Orchestra, and Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra in Colombia; Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra London Canada, Western University Orchestra and Windsor Symphony Orchestra in Canada; and The Boise Philharmonic in the USA. She has collaborated with the Caldas University Opera Workshop (Colombia), the Canadian Operatic arts Academy, Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, Queen of Pudding’s Music
Theatre, Toronto Operetta Theatre (Canada) and the Accademia Europea Dell’ Opera
(Italy).
Some of Margie’s operatic credits include Ännchen (Weber’s Der Freischütz),
Salud (Falla’s La Vida Breve), Mimì and Musetta (Puccini’s La Bohéme), Micaëla (Bizet’s Carmen), Donna Anna (Mozart’s Don Giovanni), Magda Sorel (Menotti’s The
Consul) and the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica. Orchestra and Oratorio works
include Wagner’s Wesendonk Lieder, Ravel’s Scheherazade, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Bach’s Johannes-Passion, Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, Regina Coeli, Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, and Handels’s Messiah.
Margie recently made her Canadian Opera Company debut singing as a featured artist for their newly launched Showcase Series in which she performed a full recital of Latin American Art Song, in collaboration with Maestro Simone Luti. Her passion for Spanish music and commitment to her Hispanic heritage has led her to delve into the world of Spanish art song, and Spanish opera, being the latter the inspiration for her doctoral research “Introduction to a Spanish Opera Aria Anthology for Soprano”.
Alongside her career as a performer, Margie’s love for teaching has inspired her to work with different group ages from children to adults. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Voice at the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University where she has taught Voice and Vocal Repertoire with Piano. She resides in London, ON, with her husband Emer, and two daughters Anna María and Gabriella.
Melanie Cancade
Coach and Collaborative Pianist
British Columbian pianist, Melanie Cancade, is currently one of Southwestern Ontario's
most sought after collaborative pianists, appearing in concert extensively throughout the region with both aspiring and established singers. Since 2010, she has been coaching
vocalists at Western University in London, Ontario, as well as maintaining a busy
performing schedule. Most recently, she has appeared with London Symphonia and The
London Music Machine. Prior to her time in London, however, Melanie’s experiences
and education comes from across Canada and Europe.
After completing her Bachelor’s of Music at the University of Victoria, Melanie received
her Master’s in Piano Accompaniment from McGill University. While in Montreal, she
worked as a vocal accompanist at McGill and musical director at Player’s Theatre,
performed with Liederwölfe Opera Collective, and participated in other community-based musical productions. Beyond Montreal, she has been invited to further her studies at programs such as the Music Academy of the West in California, The Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, Vancouver International Song Institute, and the
Franz Schubert Institut in Austria.
Playing to Canadian, American, Italian, and Austrian audiences with features on CBC
Radio and Bravo Television, Melanie has also performed with Pacific Opera Victoria’s
touring productions of “La Cenerentola” and “Carmen”, as well as acting as rehearsal
pianist for their Young Artist Program. Other performance credits include Mozart's “Don
Giovanni”, Berlioz’s “Orphée et Eurydice”, Jason Robert Brown’s “The Last Five Years”,
Andrew Lloyd Webber's “Song and Dance”, and Vaughn Williams’ “Riders to the Sea”.
Theodore Chow
Collaborative Pianist and Music Director
Theodore Chow is a pianist from Edmonton, Alberta. A DMA candidate at Western University, where he studies with professors Stéphan Sylvestre and Angela Park, Theodore is a highly active collaborator in London, Ontario. As part of his work with vocalists, Theodore can often be found working on Western's Opera productions as répétiteur and assistant conductor. His opera training includes productions with NUOVA Vocal Arts, as well the Opera Excel Audition Bootcamp with the Hamilton Conservatory of the Arts. His voice-piano duo, Echo North, also produced the first complete recording of Xavier Leroux's song cycle La solitaire with support from the Ontario Arts Council.
As a chamber musician, Theodore was the faculty collaborative pianist in 2026 for the inaugural Magisterra International Festival and Academy in Brașov, Romania, a chamber music program for strings. Theodore has performed across Canada as a member of many chamber music groups, including a piano trio tour across Newfoundland as part of the Tuckamore Travels series. His clarinet-viola-piano trio also won the 2025-26 Young-Ja Park Chamber Music Competition at Western University. His past performance highlights include performing as a soloist with the University of Alberta Symphony Orchestra, and touring Spain and Canada as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Outside of music, Theodore enjoys competitive Rubik's cube speedsolving.
Bethany Hörst
Voice Instructor
Equally comfortable in concert and opera, Bethany Hörst has sung with orchestras and major choirs across Canada. She has won several international competitions including the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Competition at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She was twice honoured as a District Winner and Regional Finalist at the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions. She has received the Encouragement Award at the Met Regional Finals and also the Palm Beach International Opera Competition. Hörst is a recipient of Brian Law Opera Scholarship and the Jacqueline Desmarais Opera Grant.
Hörst holds a Master of Music in Literature and Performance from Western University, where
she currently teaches voice. She is in high demand for masterclasses and adjudicating
throughout Canada. Hörst Studio students frequently appear with Mirvish Productions, Drayton Entertainment, and the Shaw and Stratford Festivals.
Paul Digout
Coach and Collaborative Pianist
Vocal coach and collaborative pianist Paul Digout holds a Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University. He also holds an Associate Diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Paul has participated in several prestigious international young artist programs, including La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy; Opera NUOVA in Edmonton, Alberta; and the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy in London, Ontario.
In demand as a collaborative pianist and repetiteur, Paul has worked with opera and musical theatre organizations across Canada and internationally. His engagements have included the Yorkshire Opera Workshop (Yorkshire, U.K); Halifax Summer Opera Festival (Halifax, ON); Cowtown Opera Summer Academy(Calgary AB); The Victoria Playhouse (Petrolia, On); Music Theatre on the Thames (London, On); Opera NUOVA (Edmonton, AB); and Grande Prairie Opera in (Grande Prairie, AB)
Paul currently maintains a busy freelance career as a collaborative pianist and vocal coach at Western University in London, Ontario. He is also the co-founder of Forest City Opera Pub, an organization dedicated to bringing opera and classical vocal music into a relaxed and accessible setting for audiences in the London community.
Hannah Pinhorn
Voice Instructor
COAA's Program Manager
Soprano, Hannah Pinhorn, is an experienced performer of opera, concert works, and art song. In July 2026, she was a Voice Fellow with Opernfest Prague where she made her European debut in concert with the Czech Virtuosi Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Jaroslav Kyzlink. Her previous operatic roles include Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte) and Lady Billows (Albert Herring). A lover of art song, she is a frequent recitalist and an active member of the London Art Song Collective.
Hannah is a passionate voice teacher with over fourteen years of private teaching experience. She currently operates her own studio both online and in-person in London, Ontario where she works primarily with post-undergraduate level students looking to continue building their technique outside of academia. Hannah’s teaching is anchored in the belief that students should feel empowered to use their voices no matter where they are in their development. Not only does she support the vocal growth of her students, but she also aims to guide them in becoming well-rounded artists. Hannah’s teaching is further exemplified by the successes of her students: her students have participated in renowned opera training programs such as the Breno Italy International Music Academy (BIIMA) or have worked professionally with companies such as Toronto Operetta Theatre, Brott Opera, and more.
Hannah recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in Performace at Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music where her research looked into the information seeking behaviours of post-secondary level voice students. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Memorial University and both a Master of Music and a Master of Library and Information Sciences from Western University. She is a proud member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the Canadian Association of Music Libraries (CAML).
Now, Hannah is the acting Program Manager for the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy (COAA).
Anthony Rodrigues
Voice Instructor, Director, Acting Coach
COAA's Artistic Director
Baritone, Anthony Rodrigues holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and has earned degrees from McGill University and Western University. He has enjoyed a performing career across North America and Europe with a particular interest in opera outreach.
Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Anthony is recognized in Toronto’s Opera Scene for his “Warm baritone and his magnetic stage presence” (Opera Canada). With over 30 opera credits performed, Anthony’s signature roles include Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Dandini (La Cenerentola) and Ford (Falstaff). In concert setting, Anthony has also performed as bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Fauré’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat in D, Schubert’s Mass in G and Mozart’s Requiem, Coronation Mass and Vespers.
As a stage director, he most recently directed Western University’s production of Così fan tutte as well as their opera and musical theatre scenes program since 2022.
Engaged by festivals and companies including Opera in Concert, Opera York, Opera Atelier, Abridged Opera Company, Shoestring Opera, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Toronto City Opera, Stratford Summer Music, Vera Causa Opera, Golden Classical Music Society, Cantabile Chorale, Fountainhead Theatre and many more, Anthony’s passion to perform has brought him to the stage in the styles of Opera, Musical Theatre, Classical Ballet, Oratorio and Art Song.
Upcoming engagements include Saint-Saëns’ Oratoire de Noël with London Symphonia, premiering the role of Jacquot in Boyd McDonald’s new opera Snowblind, and directing Opera Laurier’s Fall Excerpts Program, Western University’s Gianni Schicchi/Suor Angelica double bill and Toronto City Opera’s The Pirates of Penzance.
Connor O'kane
Collaborative Pianist, and Music Director
Prizewinner in the 2022 CMC Stepping Stone, Connor O’Kane is a highly sought-after
pianist, conductor, chamber musician, and vocal coach. Following his concerto debut
with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 2014 under the baton of Daniel Bartholomew-
Poyser, he has appeared as a recitalist in the United States, France, and across Canada. He is regularly invited to perform in such concert series as the Canadian Opera Company Noon Concert Series, Sundays at Chateau Windrush, Noon at St. Andrews Toronto, Ottawa Chamberfest, and The Banff Centre Summer Arts Festival. He has also made recent appearances as a guest artist in noon hour concerts at Brock University, Western University, and the University of Waterloo.
A passionate collaborative musician with a special affinity for opera, Connor has
enjoyed success as a music director, conductor, vocal coach, and répétiteur. In 2024-25 he joined the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music as music director
of Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges and Debussy’s Progidal Son, and assistant
conductor of Die Zauberflöte. Other recent conducting credits include Carmen (Toronto
City Opera), Albert Herring (Western University), and St. Matthew Passion (The Banff
Centre). Connor has had the privilege of working closely with many of the leading
figures in Canadian opera, including Adrianne Pieczonka, Joel Ivany, Alexander Shelley,
Jennifer Tung, Alain Trudel, and Alexander Weimann.
A champion of Canadian and contemporary music, Connor is proud a member of the
art-song duo Evergreen alongside renowned soprano Natalie Image. Evergreen is dedicated to uncovering and presenting works from the vast and burgeoning realm of Canadian art song. Their comprehensive recording project has already seen the completion of residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and the Canadian Music Centre in Vancouver, generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. From 2024-2026, Connor also performed in a series of four-hands piano recitals with Ryan Baxter, highlighting the four-hands piano sonatas of Australian composers Carl Vine and Stuart Greenbaum. The first of these recitals represented the Canadian premiere of both works.
Connor is currently on faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University as a coach-accompanist,
working with both violin studios as well as Laurier’s concert and chamber choirs. He has
also held appointments as an assistant professor of piano at Western University and as an opera conductor and music director at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal
Conservatory of Music. Connor completed a Doctor of Musical Arts at Western University in 2023, studying with Stéphan Sylvestre. His previous teachers include David Jalbert, Heather Taves, and Joan Walker, with additional training at the Conservatoire de Lyon in the studio of Manuel Schweizer. He has been awarded the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, Canada Graduate Scholarship, and Ontario Graduate Scholarship.
Connor is a passionate teacher and maintains a small private studio in Kitchener-Waterloo. He is frequently invited to serve as an adjudicator at provincial and local music festivals, such as the Ontario Music Festivals Association, Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival, Hamilton Kiwanis Music Festival, Kitchener-Waterloo Kiwanis Music Festival, Pickering Rotary Music Festival, and the Guelph Kiwanis Music Festival. He is an active member of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association (ORMTA) and the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators Association (CMFAA).
Simone Luti
Coach, Music Director, and Conductor
A native of Lucca, Tuscany, orchestral conductor and pianist Simone Luti has gained recognition and acclaim for his musical instincts and sensitivity both on the podium and at the keyboard.
As part of his musical training, M° Luti studied piano with Gloria Belli, Konstantin Bogino and Fabrizio Papi while his formal studies in composition were overseen by Pietro Rigacci. During his compositional studies, his passion for opera blossomed and he went on to earn academic scholarships to study opera, firstly at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa, and afterwards in Milan at the Academy for performing Arts associated with the Teatro della Scala. He studied conducting with Vittorio Parisi at the Academy of Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, and at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena with Gianluigi Gelmetti.
In 2002, M° Luti began working as coach at the Teatro della Scala and main Italian Theatres, collaborating with the most significant directors, singers, and film directors in the operatic world. In parallel, he also collaborated with Mirella Freni, Luis Alva, and Luciana Serra in opera training academies, Luis Alva, and Luciana Serra, devoting himself to the musical training of young opera singers.
M° Luti has conducted on the podiums for such organizations as The Musical Festival in Ticino Locarno, Switzerland, the Gratchen Festival in Amsterdam, the Opera Studio Nederland, Opera National de Montpellier, in Albania at the Opera Theatre in Tirana, the Symphony Orchestra of Bacau, Romania, and the International Opera Theatre of Philadelphia (in Teatro degli Avvaloranti, Città della Pieve; Teatro Mancinelli, Orvieto; and The University of Performing Arts, Philadelphia), Orchestra London & London Symphonia, and many more. Other international engagements took him to Cremona as coach for As.li.co’s productions of Pagliacci, La Voix Humaine, The turn of the screw, Medea e Zauberflote, as chef de chant for Théâtre du Chatelet’s production of Norma, as a coach at the Opera de Montréal, as coach of Accademia Filarmonica Romana’s production of the opera For You, as musical director for American Opera Theater’s production of La Tragédie de Carmen, Dido and Eneas, Butterfly, Riders to the sea, Rigoletto, both in Italy and Baltimore, as well as numerous collaborations for recitals and concerts in Italy and abroad.
At the keyboard, M° Luti has performed as a solo and collaborative pianist in recitals, opera galas, and chamber groups for theatres and musical institutes throughout Italy, Canada, United States of America, France, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium. These collaborations led to recitals with international opera stars such as Irina Lungu with whom he collaborated at the Lucerne Festival.
M° Luti currently serves as Music Director and Conductor of both Western University’s Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra as well as holding the positions of Musical Director & Head Coach of the Opera Program, and Lecturer for the Art of Vocal Coaching.
Most recently, M° Luti had the immense pleasure to join the Canadian Opera Company as Assistant Conductor for their production of La Bohème (2019), Head Coach and Assistant Conductor of Il Barbiere di Siviglia (2020), Aida (2020 and cancelled due to COVID), Gianni Schicchi (2021), Traviata (2022) and will be returning as Head Coach and Assistant Conductor for the upcoming COC production of Le Nozze di Figaro (2023) as well as Macbeth (2023) and Tosca (2023). Also at the COC, he has worked with the ensemble for the past 4 years, honoured to be part of such a prestigious operatic training program.
Trevor Chartrand
Collaborative Pianist and Music Director
Dr. Trevor Chartrand is an active collaborative pianist and répétiteur based in Toronto, Ontario. Recognized as one of Canada’s most sought-after pianists for recital performance and opera coaching, he has served as a head coach and répétiteur with opera companies and institutions across Canada and the United States, including the Canadian Opera Company (COC), the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Opera5, Western University, and the University of Michigan.
Chartrand has performed extensively in recital and has contributed to numerous recording projects across the country, collaborating with both vocal and instrumental partners. His performance and recording work has taken place at venues including the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four
Seasons Centre, Koerner Hall, the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Roy Thomson Hall, the Meridian Arts Centre, CBC Studios, and numerous universities throughout Canada and the United States.
His international work includes serving as Music Director at the Franco-American Vocal Academy in France. He has also adjudicated ORMTA (Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association) zone competitions and contemporary showcase competitions for both voice and piano throughout Ontario. In addition, he has presented public masterclasses as an alumnus of Western University and at the University of Manitoba.
Trevor holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in collaborative piano from the University of Michigan. He also holds an undergraduate degree in solo piano performance and a master’s degree in collaborative piano, both from Western University, as well as an ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Chad Louwerse
Voice Instructor
Bio coming soon!
Jackie Short
Voice Instructor
Canadian soprano Jackie Short has sung leading lyric coloratura roles with every major opera company and orchestra in Canada. Internationally, she has performed in many United States cities, and also in Korea, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, England and Israel. She has been a regular performer on CBC’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, and Two New Hours, has been the recipient of several Canada Council grants and scholarships, and is a member of Canada’s Who’s Who.
Jackie has been teaching voice to undergrads and post-graduate students at Western University since 2001. Her duties include teaching vocal technique and coaching repertoire, teaching Italian, French, English and German lyric diction, and instructing her students in the use of the IPA system. Several of her students have won prizes at Kiwanis, have advanced in the Met Competition and been accepted into opera ensemble programs. She is a member of NATS and is an active member of the music faculty, collaborating and performing with fellow professors at the school. Jackie has received the top teaching honour at Western every year since 2001.
Ms. Short has been a faculty member of the NUOVA summer opera program in Edmonton, and also Opera on the Avalon in St John’s, Nfld.
Stay tuned for more faculty announcements for COAA 2027!
Krisztina Szabo
Voice Instructor, Masterclass Clinician
Hungarian-Canadian, mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó is highly sought after in both North America and Europe as an artist of supreme musicianship and stagecraft. She is known for her promotion and performance of contemporary Canadian works.
Krisztina’s career has seen her on all the major opera and concert stages across Canada. She regularly performs with the Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera, Tapestry Opera, Early Music Vancouver, and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Outside of Canada, she has performed with the San Francisco Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Stadttheater Klagenfurt, and Wexford Festival Opera. In 2018, Krisztina made her Royal Opera and Netherlands Opera débuts in George Benjamin’s new opera, Lessons in Love and Violence, the recording of which received a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording.
Her discography includes Dean Burry: The Highwayman (Centrediscs), Found Frozen: Songs of Jeffrey Ryan (Centrediscs), New Jewish Music, Vol. 3(Analekta), Ana Sokolovic – Sirens (Naxos), and Talisker Players Where Words and Music Meet (Centrediscs). Digital projects include Canadian Opera Company’s Bluebeard’s Castle, Canadian Art Song Project’s Four Short Songs (2014), Tafelmusik’s The Voice of Vivaldi, Festival of the Sound’s Arias and Antics, Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder (Vancouver Opera), An Italian Baroque Festive Celebration (Early Music Vancouver); performing in recital for the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and Behind the Keys for Vancouver Bach Choir, and Tapestry Opera’s S.O.S. Sketch Opera Singers.
Ms. Szabó finished her postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England, after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Western Ontario, studying with Darryl Edwards. She has been the recipient of the Emerging Artist grant from the Canada Council and has been honoured by her hometown of Mississauga, Ontario, with a star on the Music Walk of Fame in its inaugural year. Ms. Szabó is Chair of Voice at The Glenn Gould School, The Royal Conservatory of Music.