Our People

The Artists who create original new productions, together with a Board of Directors, Administrative team and Production personnel, all contribute to the calibre of our art making. We work passionately and professionally to both serve and advance the art form.

Pacific Opera is governed by a committed board of directors who advance the company’s mission through budget approval, oversight, and risk management; work on board committees and task forces; support for fundraising and donor stewardship; and ambassadorship and advocacy efforts to promote the arts, develop community collaborations, and welcome patrons and the wider community into the world of opera.

Robert G. Milne, President
Lydia Wingate, Vice-President
Grania Litwin, Vice-President
Andrew Jackson, Treasurer
Elaine Calder, Secretary
David H. Flaherty, Past President, Chair, Pacific Opera Victoria Foundation
Bernard Beck
Chanah Caplan
Mary Collins
Heather Fisher
Sean Guist
Evan Hazell
Barbara Hubbard
Dawn Johnson
Diane Kettner
Jacques Lemay
Jane Logan
Joan McNeely
Jean McRae
Michael Morres
Carey Newman
Heather Raven
Deborah Wolstenholme

Honorary Directors

Erika Kurth, MA, D.Litt.
Michael Morres

The Pacific Opera Victoria Foundation is a registered charitable society that exists to support Pacific Opera Victoria. The Foundation accepts current and planned gifts through bequests and estate giving or other types of future gifts to provide ongoing support for the programs and activities of POV and to develop endowment funds, reserve funds and other financial assets.

Foundation Trustees

David H. Flaherty, Chair
Dick Cavaye, Vice Chair
Gary Moser, Secretary-Treasurer
Deneen Cunningham
Robert Milne
Michael Morres
Leda Townshend

Marilyn Walker, Director of Finance
Maureen Woodall, Executive Associate
Yvette Guigueno, Director of Development
Nicole Malcolm, Director of Marketing and Communications
Steve Barker, Donor Relations Coordinator
Noelle Hinrichs, Development Coordinator
Amy Culliford, Box Office Manager
Kristen Iversen, Patron Services Associate

Ereca Hassell, Director of Production and Artistic Administration
Rebecca Hass, Director of Community Engagement
Robert Holliston, Curator, Public Engagement
Giuseppe Pietraroia, Chorus Master and Associate Conductor
Teresa Turgeon, Opera Titles
Chris Sibbald, Stage Manager

Mark Leigh, Technical Director
Phil Shaver, Head Carpenter
Keith Allan, Lead Scenic Carpenter
Jennifer Hedge, Head Scenic Artist
Jeremy Herndl, Lead Scenic Artist
Maureen Mackintosh, Head of Properties
Kristen Sands, Lead Property Master
Sandra McLellan, Head Wardrobe
Alice Hawes, Lead Wardrobe
Katri Tahvanainen, Master Cutter
Jessica Pratt, Head Make-up Artist
Cristina Woods, Hair and Wig stylist

The Victoria Symphony are key musical partners for Pacific Opera Victoria productions.

Victoria Symphony
Christian Kluxen, Music Director
Kathryn Laurin, CEO

Musicians of the VS

First Violins

Terence Tam, Concertmaster
Christi Meyers, Assistant Concertmaster
Courtney Cameron
Phillip Manning
Müge Büyükçelen-Badel
Cory Balzer
Michele Kwon *

Second Violins

Victoria Lindsay, Principal
Julian Vitek
Emily Salmon
Christopher Taber

Violas

Kenji Fusé, Principal
Stacey Boal
Kay Cochran
Mieka Michaux

Celli

Brian Yoon, Principal
Joyce Ellwood
Martin Bonham
Perry Foster

Basses

Mary Rannie, Principal
Darren Buhr

Flutes

Richard Volet, Principal
Stephanie Bell

Piccolo

Stephanie Bell

Oboes

Michael Byrne, Principal
Russell Bajer

English Horn

Russell Bajer

Clarinets

Keith MacLeod, Principal
Jennifer Christensen

Bass Clarinet

Jennifer Christensen

Bassoons

Jennifer Gunter, Principal
Anne Marie Power

Horns

Alana Despins, Principal *
Michael Oswald, Acting Principal

Trumpets

Ryan Cole, Principal
David Michaux

Trombone

Brad Howland

Timpani

William Linwood, Principal

Percussion

Corey Rae, Principal *
Julian Jeun, Acting Principal

Harp

Annabelle Stanley, Principal

Orchestra Manager

Peter Burris

Operations Manager

Eric Gallipo

Librarians

Christopher Reiche Boucher
Russell Bajer, Assistant

* on leave

The orchestra under Timothy Vernon was superb – led with great finesse that never overshadowed the voices, and full of lovely touches, like a sopranino recorder solo as a bird, and a blistering harpsichord solo that brought the house down.

Melissa Ratcliff, Schmopera, review of Rinaldo, 2018

Never before had I realized how beautiful so much of the music is: to a degree the consequence of the transparency of the smaller orchestra and, of course, the musicianship of Maestro Vernon and his players…

The strength of the orchestra made itself apparent immediately with the magical opening to the opera, that long E flat pedal presenting primordial beginnings, with rising horn arpeggios joining in—the rise of life from the void—then the sinuous strings representing the river Rhine, the opera’s Eden. It was thrilling to watch at the same time the world take form above the stage from a pinpoint of light to the round globe itself. Despite the lack of full Wagnerian weight, the sequence had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.

Harvey De Roo, Vancouver Classical Music, review of Das Rheingold, 2014

The Pacific Opera Chorus comprises adults of all ages and includes community singers, aspiring professionals, and vocal students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and the University of Victoria.

Over the last decade, with the support of a generous anonymous grant, Pacific Opera has offered a growing range of development opportunities for the Chorus. These include workshops on dance, movement, stage combat, and more, master classes by visiting artists, and other programs designed for members of the Chorus, as well as for other students of voice, and for practising artists working in the fields of music, theatre, stage design and direction.

Auditions for the Pacific Opera Chorus are held each year. Please check our Careers and Auditions page for future audition postings.

Chorus Women

Margo Brody
Tasha Farivar
Kyla Fradette
Ai Horton
Rebekah Janzen
Gina Johnson
Chelsea Kutyn
Cathie Lylock
Amanda McAlpine
Andrea Paddock
Zoe Pelton
Cheryl Pocklington
Carol Pudwell
Abigail Schuliger
Emlyn Sheeley
Cassidy Stahr
Annalysa Tylor
Allison Ward

Chorus Men

Brian Andiel
Alex Chen
Stephen Cropper
Louis Dillon
Taylor Fawcett
Jason Fisher
Grady Forsberg
Kieran Foss
Dale Friesen
Chris Hinz
Gerald Schieven
Steve Wadhams

The Pacific Opera Chorus, too, shone bright. They looked fabulous in their roaring twenties flapper dresses and elegant suits, and sounded just as good.

Robin Miller, Opera Canada, review of La traviata, 2019

With acting skills matched by their formidable vocal performance, the Chorus conveyed the pathos of the prisoners’ lot movingly.