An all-Canadian cast will bring the story of Mozart’s Don Giovanni to life on stage in Richmond Hill on September 12. The concert performance is presented by the Canadian Czech Music Institute.
Seduction and comedy come together in Mozart’s classic Don Giovanni, but as in any good opera, bad behaviour has its price. The opera has been a hit since its premiere in 1787, which took place in Prague. Don Giovanni has a special place in the Czech Republic’s operatic repertoire.
The concert production offers audiences some interesting details, including the inclusion of the seldom performed duet “Per Queste Tue Manine”, a song that adds to the characterization of Zerlina (Grace Quinsey) as a foil to Don Giovanni (Dylan Wright).
Many among the cast have direct ties to the Richmond Hill community, including baritone Dr. John Holland, artistic director of Chorus York, who is also, along with a few of the other cast members, a regular in Opera York productions. Holland also serves as the Artistic Director of the Toronto Classical Singers.
The Cast
Presented in concert with piano at Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church, with English supertitles. The cast for the performance names Toronto audiences will recognize, along with emerging artists;
- Don Giovanni: Dylan Wright
- Leporello: John Holland
- Donna Anna: Sara Papini
- Donna Elvira: Stephanie DeCiantis
- Zerlina: Grace Quinsey
- Don Ottavio: Christian Matta
- Masetto: Austin Larusson
- Commendatore: Mikhail Shemet
Pianist Narmina Afandiyeva performs Mozart’s score. Dylan Wright sings the role of Don Giovanni after many performances as Leporello; John Holland performs in his 13th production as Leporello.
Performers
Bass-baritone Dylan Wright is an opera, oratorio, art song, and drag performer who has sung with New Opera Lyra in Ottawa, and Toronto City Opera. He was a guest octavist with the Tallis Choir of Toronto for their performance of Rachmaninoff’s ‘All-Night Vigil’. Other upcoming performances include Colline in La Bohème at the Redwood Theatre.
Czech-Canadian bass-baritone John Holland has a career that spans opera, oratorio, and art song. He has performed as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Leporello in Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre in Prague, Kecal in The Bartered Bride, Purkrabi in Dvořák’s Jakobín, and recently as Belcore in L’Elisir d’amore. He is also a frequent performer with The Mississauga Symphony, and with Opera York.
Italian-Canadian dramatic soprano Stephanie DeCiantis previously sang the role of Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Brott Opera. She has performed as a soloist with the Kindred Spirits Orchestra, Burlington Symphony and York Symphony Orchestras. Her operatic repertoire includes Norma, Amelia (Un ballo in maschera), Aida, Leonora (Il trovatore), Senta (Der Fliegende Holländer), and the Overseer (Elektra).
Soprano Grace Quinsey is a native of Windsor, Ontario. She recently performed Josephine in HMS Pinafore with Opera York, in the role of Mařenka in Smetana’s Prodaná nevěsta, and as Terinka in Dvořák’s Jakobín, the latter two as part of the Year of Czech Music Opera Festival. She has performed with the Toronto Concert Orchestra, and in the Canadian Opera Company’s noon concert series.
Italian-Canadian tenor Christian Matta is pursuing his Master of Music in Operatic Performance at
the University of Toronto, and building a varied repertoire of opera, concert, and contemporary pieces. In 2024, Christian performed in concert at the National Gallery of Siena as part of the SienAgosto Festival. In the summer of 2025, he joined the Interplay: Opera Singers & Répétiteurs program at the Banff Centre in Alberta. There, he sang the role of the Evangelist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and performed in the world premiere of A Stranger’s Case, a new song cycle by Karim Al-Zand.
Baritone Austin Larusson has performed in a wide variety of roles, including the High Priest in Alceste, and Priest in Robert le Diable with Opera in Concert, Don Alhambra del Bolero in The Gondoliers, Penižek in Countess Maritza and Carretero/Corregidor in El Huesped del Sevillano with Toronto Operetta Theatre. He has also performed with White Mills Theatre, Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, Southern Ontario Lyric Opera, and Opera York. His work is often praised both for its dramatic as well as its musical ability, particularly in comedic roles.
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