Canadian soprano and teaching artist Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor holds an M.Mus in Opera (University of Toronto) and a B.Mus in Voice Performance (Western University) and is a second year Holland Community Opera Fellow at Opera Omaha. This past season, Gwenna was a recipient of an Encouragement Award at the Nebraska District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Recent performance highlights Opera Outdoors and Opera to Go (Opera Omaha), originating the role of Nature in Cries of the Earth (Artsong Collaborative Project), Berta in The Barber of Seville (Indian River Festival, Stratford Summer Music), Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte (Toronto Lyric Opera Centre / Toronto Mozart Players), and Soprano Soloist in Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (London Symphonia, Durham Youth Orchestra).

Gwenna believes in the power of the arts as a catalyst for community building and social change and strives to make sure everyone has access to creative experiences, regardless of location or circumstance. She wrote the curriculum and continues to consult for “Learn English Through Song,” a program run by The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall that facilitates language learning and community building for newcomer women through singing. Through her work at Opera Omaha, she has created and facilitated programming for over 15 community partners. She is a four-time recipient of Government of Nunavut Culture & Heritage Grants in support of music and drama programming for kids in four communities in Nunavut. She has also worked as a teaching artist and consulted on curriculum development for education programming at the Canadian Opera Company.