Canadian Opera Company Unveils 2025-26 Studio Ensemble

By David Salazar

Canadian Opera Company has announced the five singers who will join its 2025-26 studio ensemble.

The artists include Soprano Emma Pennell, mezzo-soprano Ariana Maubach, tenor Angelo Moretti, baritone Ben Wallace, and bass-baritone Nicholas Murphy. They will receive intensive coaching and practical experience while also performing and understudying mainstage roles.

“We are thrilled to welcome these five incredibly talented singers into our longstanding professional development program for emerging opera artists,” said Dorian Cox, Director of the Ensemble Studio, per an official press release. “This new cohort will bring a fresh energy to the program with each singer bringing their unique voice and passion for opera. I look forward to seeing how they grow over the course of this new journey and contribute to the future of this art form!”

Maubach is a Resident Artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts and a first-prize winner of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio Competition. Murphy is a resident of Calgary Opera’s McPhee Artist Development Program and a finalist in the Wirth Vocal Prize, Atelier Lyrique’s Talent Gala, and the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio Competition.

Moretti debuted in 2022 at the Opéra de Montréal and has performed several roles since with the company. He is also set to perform this season with the Orchestre Classique de Montréal. Pennell is a Two-Spirit singer and an Indigenous activist. They won second place in the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio Competition. Finally, Wallace won the Laurier Concerto Competition and has performed with such organizations as Highlands Opera Studio, UofT Opera, Opera Laurier, and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

Read Related Stories

Categories

News