October 22 – 31 2015

Artist Biogr aphies
Renaud
Colin Ainsworth, Tenor
For Opera Atelier: Tamino in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Renaud in Lully’s Armide,
Orphée in Gluck’s Orphée et Euridice, Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Actéon in
Charpentier’s Actéon, and Mercure in Lully’s Persée.
Elsewhere: Royal Opera House (London), Greek National Opera, Vancouver Opera,
Chicago Opera Theater, the Edinburgh Festival, Opéra Francais de New York, Pacific Opera Victoria,
Glimmerglass Opera, Calgary Opera, and such orchestras as the Vancouver Symphony, Toronto Symphony,
Philharmonia Baroque (San Francisco), Montreal Symphony, Orchestre Métropolitain, Chicago’s Music of
the Baroque, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Opera Columbus, and the American Symphony Orchestra.
Et cetera: www.colinainsworth.com, @ColinAinsworth.
La Haine / Aronte
Daniel Belcher, Baritone
For Opera Atelier: Orfeo in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo at Houston Grand Opera (1999),
Don Giovanni on Japan Tour (2000), Papageno in The Magic Flute (2001), Figaro in
The Marriage of Figaro (2000), Orestes in Iphigénie en Tauride (2004), Don Giovanni on
Seoul, Korea Tour (2004), Orfeo in L’Orfeo (2006).
Elsewhere: 2010 Grammy Award for Kaija Saariaho’s L’Amour de Loin; Prior Walter in Angels in America
(Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris); Papageno in The Magic Flute (San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera,
New York City Opera); Ned Keene in Peter Grimes (Grand Théâtre de Genève); Robert Kennedy in World
Premiere of Waiting for Miss Monroe (The Netherlands Opera); Mercutio in Romeo et Juliette (ABAO-OLBE
Bilbao, Houston Grand Opera); Jaufre Rudel in L’Amour de Loin (Stockholm, Berlin, Paris, and Trondheim,
Norway); Figaro in The Barber of Seville (Portland Opera, New National Theatre, Tokyo); Dandini in La
Cenerentola (San Francisco Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera Philadelphia); Taddeo in L’Italiana in Algeri
(Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia); John Brooke in Little Women (Houston Grand Opera, New
York City Opera); Brian Castner in World Premiere of The Long Walk (Opera Saratoga).
Upcoming: Ondine recording of Kaija Saariaho’s Sombre; Lord Bellingham in the World Premiere of
The Scarlet Letter (Opera Colorado); Danilo in The Merry Widow (Utah Opera); Ping in Turandot (Opera
Philadelphia); Father Palmer in Silent Night (Michigan Opera Theatre); The Mikado (Chautauqua Opera).
Et cetera: Assistant Professor of Voice at The Florida State University.
Armide
Peggy Kriha Dye, Sopr ano
For Opera Atelier: Many roles including Armide in Armide (Toronto, Versailles,
Glimmerglass Festival), Poppea in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Countess in The Marriage
of Figaro, Ilia in Idomeneo, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.
Elsewhere: Peggy created the role of Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire written and
conducted by André Previn at the San Francisco Opera, repeating the role with the Pittsburgh Symphony
and again with The Washington National Opera. Over the course of her career, she has also performed
with the Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Shanghai Opera, and
many others. She also recently worked with Opera Atelier’s Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse
Zingg on their production of Lucio Silla at the Salzburg Festival.
Et cetera: She has been reviewed as “heart-rending”, “sympathetic”, “sexy”, “hilarious” and “complex”.
Currently, Peggy is the Artistic Director of Opera Columbus.
Chevalier Danois
Aaron Ferguson, Tenor
For Opera Atelier: Euryale and Amphimedon in Persée, Monostatos in The Magic Flute
(Toronto, Penn State, Opera Columbus), Le Chevalier Danois in Armide (Toronto,
Opéra de Versailles, Glimmerglass Festival).
Elsewhere: Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (Rainbow stage); Petit Jaques/Merlan in
L’Affaire Tailleferre (Opera de Limoges); Basilio/Curzio in Il Nozze di Figaro (Opera Lyra Ottawa). Blind in
Die Fledermaus (Edmonton Opera); Goro in Madama Butterfly (Opera de Quebec); Gastone in La Traviata
(Opera Highlands); Constable Locke in The Music Man (Royal Opera of Muscat/Glimmerglass Festival);
Blind in Die Fledermaus, Basilio/Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro, Nika Magadoff in The Consul, Borsa
in Rigoletto, Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Spoletta in Tosca and Le Doyen in Cendrillon (l’Opéra de
Montréal); The Gala (Opéra de Québec); Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Banff Centre);
Apollo in Semele (Pacific Opera Victoria); Messiah (Orchestra London); The Bear (Toronto Symphony
Orchestra); Mass in C Minor (Victoria Symphony); Magnificat (l’Orchestre Métropolitain); Carmina
Burana (Vancouver Chamber Singers).
Upcoming: Prince Casimir in La Princesse de Trebizonde (Opera de Limoges).
Et cetera: An alumnus of the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra Montréal and the Glimmerglass Festival young
artist program, Aaron is also a competitive jiu jitsu grappler.
Hidr aot
Stephen Hegedus, Bass-Baritone
For Opera Atelier: Persée.
Elsewhere: Leporello in Don Giovanni, Colline in La Bohème, Angelotti in Tosca
(Vancouver Opera); Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro (Teatro Municipal de Santiago,
Chile); Talbot in Maria Stuarda (Pacific Opera Victoria); Albert in Werther (L’Opéra de
Montréal); Figaro in Figaro’s Wedding (Against the Grain Theatre). He has been heard with the National
Arts Centre Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, The Oratorio Society of New York (Carnegie Hall), the Grant
Park (Chicago) and Lanaudière festivals and with the symphonies of Houston, Seattle, Toronto, Montreal,
Vancouver, San Antonio, Edmonton, Québec and Winnipeg.
Upcoming: Handel’s Messiah with the Minnesota Orchestra and Against the Grain Theatre, Theseus
(Midsummer Night’s Dream) with Pacific Opera Victoria, St. Matthew Passion with the Vancouver Bach
Choir and the Hungarian-Finnish Connection with the RCM, Toronto.
Et cetera: An alumnus of L’Atelier Lyrique and St. Michael’s Choir School, Stephen holds a Bachelor’s
Degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Operatic Performance from the University of Toronto. He
speaks Hungarian, French and English.
Co-Artistic Directors Marshall Pynkoski & Jeannette
Lajeunesse Zingg are proud to be the sponsors of French
Diction Coach Charles Di Meglio. Not only has Charles been
the diction coach for all of Opera Atelier’s French productions
since 2009, he is also the esteemed Artistic Director of his
own theatre company in Paris, Compagnie Oghma, specializing
in French and English renaissance and baroque repertoire.
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