Mezzo-soprano Heather Byford has been a member of the Pacific Opera chorus since 2022. She sometimes feels like she has far too much education, having completed a BMus and MMus in voice performance and the performance portion of her ARCT exam in piano. Throughout her musical journey opera has earned the place closest to her heart with its timeless stories, and the contagious energy of the countless artists whose work goes into every production. Heather’s voice is most at home singing coloratura, particularly baroque, and bel canto repertoire. However, she has recently become passionately interested in contemporary music. She has also been known to occasionally sing pieces from the centuries in between. In addition to performing, her life is filled with music by her students, to whom she teaches private lessons in voice, piano, and theory. She is always on the lookout for more performance opportunities and is described as having “enormous energy and presence” (Opera Canada 2023). When she’s not practicing or teaching you can usually find her at the beach.