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Mari Hahn is one of the founding members of Opera Breve. She holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of British Columbia and is also currently an Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her recent performances include Luigi Zaninelli’s Five American Gospel Songs with the UAA Wind Ensemble in the Alaska Performing Arts Centre and Samuel Barker’s Knoxville, Scenes of 1915 and R. Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder with the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra. Performances of the art song repertoire in Vancouver have included concerts for CBC’s West Coast Performance and the Song Circle, directed by Rena Sharon. Performances of oratorio have included the Sing-along Messiah with the Vancouver Bach Choir, and the Duruflé Requiem with the Christ Church Cathedral Choir.Past operatic roles include “Susanna” in The Marriage of Figaro, “Abigail” in The Crucible, “Sandrina” in La Finta Giardiniera (Usti, Czech Republic); “Pamina” in The Magic Flute and “Despina” in Cosi fan tutte (Opava, Czech Republic). With Opera Breve, she has performed the roles of “Elle” in La Voix Humaine; “Susanna” in The Secret of Susanna and the five characters in R. Murray Schafer’s Beauty and the Beast. In 2001, she was invited to perform a recital, conduct masterclasses, and present a lecture for the “Artists as Entrepreneurs” series at the University of Hawaii and, last year, she performed a concert of French Art Song during a symposium with guest instructor Stuart Hamilton, and a recital of Russian and Polish songs with pianist Eugene Skovorodnikov for the Chopin Society.
General Director: Donna Wong-Juliani
Donna Wong-Juliani has had a life-long passion for and commitment to the arts and to activities that focus on the betterment of society. Throughout her life she has been a participant in and producer of artistic work and projects that enhance the community. Her firsthand knowledge of dance, theatre, television and film disciplines and her ongoing commitment to the encouragement and development of artists working in all these fields has led her to play roles in ventures that are varied and wide-ranging, from feature film producer, to senior manager of a film crown corporation, from representatives of writers, directors and composers, to administrator of non-profit organizations. As well, she is Sine Qua Non of Savage God and a partner of JWJ Entertainment, two companies which she and her husband/ collaborator, John Juliani, formed to develop and produce theatre and film/ television projects. She was a founding board member of Opera Breve.
The Opera Breve Ensemble of Performers is made of many of Vancouver' s most talented young singers and musicians, on the threshold of their professional careers. They are graduates of opera training programs and university music schools from across the country, in the United States and Europe. They are emerging artists, who are Canada' s rising classical music “stars”.
Members of the Ensemble:
Suzanne Abbott (mezzo)
Shae Apland (baritone)
John Arsenault (tenor)
Alexis Barthelmy (mezzo)
Krzysztof Biernacki (baritone)
Julia Bonnett (soprano)
Amanda Chan (pianist)
Grace Chan (mezzo)
Tami Commuzi (soprano)
Kristy Diekson (soprano)
Olivia Edwards (soprano)
Donna Falconer (pianist)
Gordon Freeman (tenor)
Lee Froelich (mezzo)
Philip Grant (tenor)
Andrew Greenwood (baritone)
Jennifer Greenwood (mezzo)
Dean Giustini (baritone)
Mari Hahn (soprano)
Katherine Hume (pianist)
Alessandro Juliani (baritone)
Brett Kingsbery (pianist)
Scott Knight (pianist)
Leanne Koch (mezzo)
Adam Kozak (tenor)
Irene Kurka (soprano)
Andrea Lahmer (pianist)
Megan Lathan (mezzo)
Jonathan Liebich (baritone)
Chad Louwerse (bass-baritone)
Zsuzsanna Lukacs (pianist)
Harout Markarian (tenor)
Beverley McArthur (mezzo)
James McLennan (tenor)
Andreas Metz (pianist)
Karen Lee Morlang (pianist)
Wade Nott (tenor)
Paul Ouellette (tenor)
Melissa Peabody (soprano)
Kevin Sean Pook (baritone)
Mireille Rijavec (mezzo)
Russel Robson (baritone)
David Rogers (pianist)
Steven Sparling (baritone)
Tony Serka (baritone)
Alexandra Tait (soprano)
Barbara Tarry (mezzo)
Evelyn Thatcher (soprano)
Raphael Wagner (soprano)
Michael Walker (tenor)
Karyn Way (soprano)
Carlene Wiebe (soprano)
Neil Wright (tenor)
OPERA BREVE VANCOUVER
Post Office Box 2050, MPO,
Vancouver BC, Canada, V6B 3R6.
(604) 682 3848 ext 53 / Fax (604) 682 8377
Donna Wong - Juliani • General Director