A Night At The Opera

Dante is a local Canadian singer and performer with a passion for voice development and good music! He is absolutely thrilled to be making his classical debut with the Burlington Symphony Orchestra. Dante began his music education in 2015 and quickly began taking part in local community theatre productions, competitions, and Royal Conservatory of Music examinations. While he primarily uses his voice for musical theatre performance, Dante knows the best technique comes from studying and developing classical repertoire. A bit of a renaissance man (as his neighbour calls him), he pursued his vocal education while obtaining a BA in political science and anthropology at McMaster University (2024). 

Select theatrical credits: Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar (2023), Che in Evita! (2024), soloist in Broadway Heroes (2021), Baby John in West Side Story in Concert (2018), ensemble in The Sound of Music (2022) (Brott Music Festival), John in John & Jen (2019) (Hamilton Theatre Project) Mamma Mia! (2020) (McMaster Musical Theatre). Other vocal credits: Grade 8 with honours (Royal Conservatory of Music), a number of first place finishes over several years at the Hamilton Music Festival, a second place finish at the Ontario Music Festival (OMFA, 2021). 

IG: Dante_pietrangeli.

Sarah Leah is an 18-year-old singer from Toronto who has already performed in Italy and Carnegie Hall. She is currently in her second year at the Glenn Gould School under Stephanie Bogle. She began formal voice lessons at age 12 with David Varjabed and has sung regularly in his winter and spring concerts, alongside professionals.

She first started with the violin at age five, under Sona Kaltagian, and is currently working towards her Associate Diploma (ARCT). She has entered competitions in both voice and violin at the North York Music Festival (NYMF), placing numerous first places, and received the Best Multi-Discipline Award. She also won first prizes at the provincial level with the Ontario Music Festival Association (OMFA).

She was a part of Opera York’s chorus for their production of Elisir D’Amore (October 2024) and has been working with Brahm Goldhamer ever since. She has equally collaborated with Dr. Michael Fennelly, a conductor as well as a vocal coach at the Metropolitan Opera. In Italy, she participated in the Premiere Vocal Arts Institute 2025 summer program where she performed in the chorus of La Bohème and in multiple concerts.

She received coachings and lessons with acclaimed mentors, including Cheryl Studer, Megan Weston, John Fischer, and Arthur Levy. In the summer of 2026, she joined the Arcadia Symphony’s chorus in a performance at Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditiorium), amongst honorary guests, including Hilary Clinton, for America’s 250th anniversary Concert Gala.

Hailed by Opera Canada for his “beautifully resonant and relaxed baritone timbre”, Matthew Black, baritone, is an emerging Canadian artist recognized for his warm tone, expressive musicality, and commanding stage presence.

He has appeared under the direction of Paul Agnew from Les Arts Florissants, performed with Andrea Bocelli and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and sung with The Toronto Consort alongside Dame Emma Kirkby. His recent solo concert work includes Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s B minor Mass with the Caelis Ensemble, solo selections with the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, and a solo appearance in Koerner Hall.

On the opera stage, Matthew has appeared with the Glenn Gould School Opera as Ben (The Telephone), Norton (La Cambiale di Matrimonio), and Marco (Gianni Schicchi), with Toronto City Opera as Grandpa Moss (The Tender Land), with U of T Opera in Cendrillon, Così fan Tutte, and in Dido and Aeneas with the Schola Cantorum. He is equally active in art song, early music, and contemporary repertoire, with performances across Canada, France, and Germany.

Matthew has trained at the Art of Lied program, AIMS in Paris, Tafelmusik’s Baroque Summer Institute, and Musiktage am Rhein. His awards include the Tim and Frances Price Scholarship, Luciano Pavarotti Scholarship, a Les Arts Florissants grant, the Douglas Bodle–St. Andrew’s Award, and the U of T Scholars Award. He returns to the Glenn Gould Opera stage for the 2026/2027 season as David in Barber’s “Hand of Bridge”, and Count Almaviva in “Le Nozze di Figaro”.

Ella performed in Broadway Classics with the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra and the Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra in May of 2024. She has been awarded several scholarships in the Hamilton Music Festival over the past several years, including the Flora Everett Memorial Scholarship for Grade 10 Voice and the ORMTA scholarship for the highest mark in Grade 9 RCM. She has appeared in Brott Music Festival’s productions of Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Sound of Music (Liesl), and Broadway Heroes. She appeared in Theatre Aquarius’ productions of The Sound of Music (Brigitta) and Mary Poppins (Jane Banks), as well as the Zamarts productions of Chicago (Velma) and Mamma Mia (Tanya). She is a graduate of McMaster’s Arts & Science program and she is currently completing her Master’s in Political Theory at the University of Toronto. She teaches singing and dance at The Dance Centre and she studies voice with Tom Oliver.