After a months-long, nationwide search for opera’s next great voices, our seven finalists performed a thrilling vocal showcase at the Ensemble Studio Competition on October 30, with cash prizes, performance opportunities, and coveted invitations to join the COC’s Ensemble Studio at stake.

But this exciting event was just one step in a long journey for these young artists — it takes years of careful training and preparation to develop the technical and artistic skills necessary to flourish in this highly competitive field.

That’s why all proceeds from the event will go towards the COC’s Ensemble Studio, Canada’s premier training program for rising opera stars.

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Our 2019 Competition Winners

FIRST PRIZE & AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD

Midori Marsh, Soprano - Cleveland, Ohio
First Prize: $5,000 provided by the Temerty Foundation and a performance opportunity with the Elora Festival, Audience Choice Award: $2,000 generously provided by Classical 96.3 FM with additional support from Jack Whiteside.

SECOND PRIZE

Alex Halliday, Bass-baritone - St. John's, NL
$3,500 generously provided by ARIAS: Canadian Opera Student Development Fund with additional support from Jack Whiteside.


THIRD PRIZE

Charlotte Siegel, Soprano - Toronto, ON
$2,000 generously provided by Tom C. Logan with additional support from Jack Whiteside.


CBC MUSIC YOUNG ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PRIZE

Marcel d'Entremont - Merigomish, NS
Professional studio recording session with CBC Music to be broadcast to listeners across Canada on CBC Music’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera.


Learn more about all of our 2019 finalists.

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What's next for the Ensemble Studio?

Every season, Ensemble Studio members perform across the GTA at pop-up concerts, free recitals, and accessible, community-oriented programming initiatives. You can see their full schedule at coc.ca/Ensemble.

And coming up on our mainstage, catch Ensemble Studio members past and present in our winter of family favourites: Humperdinck’s fairytale Hansel & Gretel features Simone Osborne, a graduate of the program, as well as current Ensemble Studio artist Anna-Sophie Neher, while Rossini’s laugh-out-loud The Barber of Seville includes past competition winners Emily D’Angelo and Simona Genga as well as current Ensemble Studio members Joel Allison and Vartan Gabrielian.

If you’d like to help these rising stars in their opera journeys, please consider making a donation to ensure the COC can continue to provide emerging artists with the training, mentorship, and performance opportunities they deserve.

Curious about our past competitions?
Hear from some of our previous winners about their journeys to the COC stage:

Simona Genga, 2017 Ensemble Studio Competition Winner

Simone McIntosh, 2016 Ensemble Studio Competition Winner

Charles Sy, 2014 Ensemble Studio Competition Winner

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All photos by Michael Cooper