By Gianmarco Segato, Adult Programs Manager

This holiday season, many COC artists are getting into the spirit, using their vocal talents to share some truly great seasonal music.

Starting off the list are three singers with a long COC association! Ensemble Studio Alumnae Joni Henson and Virginia Hatfield together with their friend Megan Latham have just released a refreshingly different CD of holiday music, “Christmas at Casa Diva,” which can be purchased here.

While not exactly holiday music, tenor Richard Margison (Salome, 2013) sings the great songs of Italy with the Ontario Philharmonic at Koerner Hall on December 10.

Next, you can catch popular Canadian tenor Ben Heppner (Tristan und Isolde & Peter Grimes, 2013) as he joins the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir for their “Festival of Carols” on December 11.

Here's one for the west-coasters! You can catch Ensemble Studio baritone Cameron McPhail (La Bohème, 2013 and our upcoming February 7 Ensemble performance of Così fan tutte) and his wife, soprano Catherine Affleck for an evening of operatic bons bons with the Vancouver Women’s Musical Society on December 11.

This weekend, Ensemble Studio graduates, soprano Jacqueline Woodley, mezzo soprano Krisztina Szabó (Love from Afar, 2012) and Glencore Ensemble Studio School Tour artist, bass Geoffrey Sirett, are part of Against the Grain Theatre’s unusual staged version of Handel’s ubiquitous Messiah on December 14 and 15 – but hurry, the two-show run is already almost sold out!

Catch a 2014/2015 artist this month, as Canadian bass superstar John Relyea (The Tales of Hoffmann, 2012) sings with counter-tenor Lawrence Zazzo (Orfeo ed Euridice, 2011) in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's annual Messiah on December 17, 18, 20, 21 and 22. 

If at this point you need a break from all the holiday music, baritone Phillip Addis (La Bohème, 2013) will be giving a recital of German, English and French art song for Music Toronto on December 19.

To cap off the year, our sensational spring 2013 Salome, Erika Sunnegårdh appears in the New Year’s Eve gala concert, “Bravissimo” at Roy Thomson Hall along with Ensemble Studio graduate mezzo soprano Wallis Giunta (Così fan tutte, 2014) and baritone James Westman (Die Fledermaus, 2012).

And finally, Ensemble Studio alumnae Betty Waynne Alison and Neil Craighead ring in the start of the New Year with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra on January 1.

Not an exhaustive list to be sure – but lots of opportunities to hear COC artists this holiday season before we launch our winter operas in January!

Photos: (top) A scene from the Canadian Opera Company's production of Eugene Onegin, 2008; (middle-composite) Jacqueline Woodley. Krisztina Szabó, photo by Bo Huang; (bottom-composite) Erika Sunnegårdh. Wallis Giunta, photo by Barbara Stoneham.