Mezzo-soprano Hillary Tufford, soprano Maeve Palmer, and tenor Christian Matta are looking forward to participating in the upcoming Interplay workshop at The Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity. There’s just one fly in the ointment: the workshop is not fully funded for the artists.
The Interplay workshop, according to The Banff Centre, allows early-career opera, music, and theatre professionals to participate in either a fully produced version of The Handmaid’s Tale, or to workshop other new chamber works that are in development.
Palmer, Tufford, and Matta will be working on The Handmaid’s Tale, as well as works by Canadian composer Karim Al-Zand, and a reimagining of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.
The three artists, together with pianist Helen Becqué, have decided to present a concert fundraiser of opera favourites on June 19 to help them offset the costs.
The Artists
Maeve Palmer, Soprano
Coloratura soprano Maeve Palmer is an alumna of the Rebanks Family Fellowship and the University of Toronto (UofT) Opera School. She earned a doctorate from the UofT, where the topic of her research was Irish traditional singing. Maeve has performed with Opera Atelier, Tapestry Opera, and Chorus Niagara, among other companies. Recent roles include Aunt Lydia (Ruders’ Handmaid’s Tale, Banff Centre), Adina (L’Elisir d’Amore, Highlands Opera), Genio (Haydn’s Orfeo ed Euridice), Adele in die Fledermaus with Stratford Symphony Orchestra, and [Helena] cover and Ensemble in Tapestry Opera’s RUR: A Torrent of Light (Nicole Lizée).
Hillary Tufford, Mezzo-Soprano
Canadian mezzo soprano Hillary Tufford is a recent graduate of Western University with a Masters in Literature and Performance, and she was invited to join the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program at Vancouver Opera. Hillary starred as Carmen with Toronto City Opera and made her Soundstreams debut in Garden of Vanished Pleasures. Recent concert performances include Messiah with the Bach Elgar Choir, and with the Elmer Iseler Singers. She’s looking forward to performing in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at Banff Centre for the Arts this summer.
Christian Matta, Tenor
Italian-Canadian tenor Christian Matta is pursuing his Master of Music in Operatic Performance at the University of Toronto, while building a versatile portfolio of stage credits. Recent operatic performances include Gastone in La Traviata, Ferrando (cover) in Così fan tutte, and Raymond Massey in An Actor Prepares, as well as concert performances of Handel’s Esther, Mozart’s Requiem, and Vivaldi’s Gloria. In 2024, Christian performed in concert at the National Gallery of Siena as part of the SienAgosto Festival. At the Banff Centre this summer, he will perform as the tenor soloist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.
Helen Becqué, Piano
Belgian pianist Helen Becqué gave her European début at the age of nine, and went on to study at the
Koninklijk Conservatorium of Brussels. She followed up with graduate study at the München Hochschule für Musik und Theater, and a series of competitions as finalist and winner, including the International Hugo Wolf Competition in Stuttgart, the ‘Das Lied’ competition in Berlin, and the University of Toronto DMA Recital Competition. She is a JUNO-nominated artist (2020) and has served as Music Director for OIC (Opera in Concert) and SOLT (Summer Opera Lyric Theatre). She serves as a lecturer at the University of Toronto, where she completed her DMA.
The Music
They’ll be performing a repertoire of arias, duos and trios drawn from opera’s most beloved works.
Arias
Christian
Una furtiva lagrima, L’elisir d’amore
Maeve
Laughing song, Die Fledermaus
Douce enfant, Cendrillon
Hillary
Amour viens aider, Samson et Dalila
Habenera, Carmen
Duos
Hillary & Maeve
Belle nuit, Les contes d’Hoffmann
Pur ti miro, L’incoronazione di Poppea
Christian & Maeve
We’ll go away together, Street scene
Un di Felice etera,
Trios
How can I keep from singing?
Soave sia il vento
The Concert
The concert takes place a noon on June 19, 2025. Here are the details:
- When: Thursday, June 19, 2025 (noon)
- Where: St. Andrew’s United Church, 117 Bloor St. E., Toronto
- Price: $40 or pay what you can at the door, donations gratefully accepted.
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