Joseph Ernst (Bartolo, Antonio)

Making his role debut as Bartolo/Antonio, Joseph Ernst is a Toronto-born Baritone who has been emerging into the opera scene since 2023. Touted for his “…fine acting, strong singing and clear diction…” (Opera Canada) and “…a healthy lyric baritone.” (MyScena.org), you can often find him onstage in productions by Toronto Operetta Theatre and VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. He has also performed with Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, Opera York, and the Ottawa Bach Choir. Joseph is looking forward to his first performance of Le Nozze di Figaro, which is also his first time performing with No Strings Theatre. (Fun fact: the first aria Joseph learned was Figaro’s Non più andrai, which he had the opportunity to perform in concert with the York University Orchestra.)

Kendra Fredette (Susanna)

Kendra Fredette is a soprano with over 15 years experience singing in various choirs and as a soloist. She currently sings with the Mississauga Chamber Singers and recently sang in a solo quartet for a regular weekday service at St George's on the Hill. Kendra studies voice with Mervin Fick and has her Grade 8 certificate in Voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She has competed in both the Peel Music Festival and the Toronto Kiwanis Festival, where she was invited to advance to the Provincial Finals. At the 2025 Provincial Finals of the Ontario Music Festivals Association, she placed first in her class for Adult Classical Voice. Kendra’s experience as a soloist includes the Mississauga Chamber Singers “Love Canada” outreach concerts as well as a fundraiser recital for the Church of St. Peter and St. Simon the Apostle with fellow soprano Michelle Veronesi. Kendra took on her first operatic role as the Dew Fairy in the No Strings Theatre production of Hansel and Gretel. She is excited to sing with No Strings Theatre again in the role of Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. Kendra is grateful for the support of her family and her loving husband.

Adrienne Gord (Barbarina)

Adrienne is thrilled to be making her opera debut with No Strings Theatre in “The Marriage of Figaro” as Barbarina. 

 

A lifelong lover of theatre and music, Adrienne has studied singing, acting and dancing, and is currently training with Denise Williams. Adrienne has also taken the musical theatre stage numerous times over the years as various life forms.

 

As a lover of food, Adrienne enjoys baking and feeding her family and friends. Thank you to the cast and crew of The Marriage of Figaro for making this an unforgettable experience!

Gabrielle de Grandmont (Cherubino)

Gabrielle de Grandmont is a French-Canadian mezzo-soprano from Ottawa, Canada. She
holds a Bachelor of Music, Artist Diploma, and Masters of Music from Western University under
the guidance of renowned baritones Ted Baerg and Todd Wieczorek. Her operatic roles include
‘Nerone’ in L’incoronazione di Poppea (Theater im Delphi, Berlin) ‘Florence Pike’ in Albert
Herring, ‘Oberto’ in Alcina, and ‘La Ciesca’ in Gianni Schicchi (Opera at Western, London),
‘Mrs. Nolan’ in The Medium, ‘Varvara’ in Katya Kabanova (Alumnae Theatre, Toronto), and ‘La
Badessa ’ in Suor Angelica (Alte Münze, Berlin). Gabrielle is thrilled to revisit the role of
‘Cherubino’ in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro in her debut with No Strings Theatre.

John Holland (Figaro)

 

Bass-Baritone John Holland has embarked on a diverse career of opera, oratorio, and art song. In 2020, John won a JUNO award for a recording of Handel’s Dixit Dominus. His Operatic credits include 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, Belcore in L’Elisir d’amore, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Escamillo in Carmen, Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte, and Alberich in The Ring Cycle. On the oratorio side, John has been bass soloist for Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St. John Passion, Haydn’s Creation, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and several Bach cantatas. He is a frequent performer with The Mississauga Symphony, York Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Symphony, and Opera York. John has also performed at Bachfest in Leipzig (2014, 2022), San Marco in Venice, and has shared the stage with the likes of Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Rene Pape, and Lorin Maazel. Recent recordings include, Bass Soloist for a CD recording of Bach’s Motets, and Handel’s Dixit Dominus, both on the ATMA Classique label. John has been a clinician and vocal coach with No Strings Summer Opera Intensive since 2022, serving as an artist-mentor and instructor. Known for his comedic timing, and stage presence, John has also been praised for his performance of Gilbert and Sullivan roles such as, Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore, and the Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance, both with Opera York.

 

On the podium, John is currently the Artistic Director of both the Toronto Classical Singers and Chorus York, and has been the longtime music director at Blessed Trinity Parish. He has also conducted the choirs at York University, the Ontario Youth Choir, the West Elgin Choral Society, and other choirs around Ontario.

 

Dr. Holland completed his PhD in Musicology in 2018. His scholarship is focused on the study of Czech Opera, Art Song, and Choral Works. His book, The Lost Tradition of Dvořák's Operas: Myth, Music, and Nationalism was published in 2023 through Lexington Books. In 2024, John co-produced the Year of Czech Music Opera Fest. He is the founder of the Canadian Institute for Czech Music, and a contract faculty member at York University. At Avenue Road Music and Performance Academy, John is the Director of Fundraising and Community Programming, spearheading such initiatives as the Music for Life adult music courses.

Henry Irwin (Count Almaviva, Bartolo, Antonio)

Henry Irwin has had the privilege of performing roles and singing repertoire
with many groups and orchestras in North America, including the Canadian Youth
Orchestra, the Banff Centre, the Santa Barbara Symphony (California) the
Edmonton Opera Company, the Canadian Opera Company (chorus), The Hart
House Orchestra, the Hamilton Symphony, the Southern Ontario Lyric Opera,
Tryptych Productions, Opera by Request, Coro Verdi, Opera Belcanto, and Opera
York. This is his sixth appearance with No Strings Theatre, the others being the
2022 production of The Marriage of Figaro, then Carmen, Amahl and the Night
Visitors, Cosi Fan Tutte, and Hansel and Gretel. He attended the University of
Alberta, University of Toronto, Trinity College and subsequently the Opera School
there.

Lucas Kuiper (Basilio, Don Curzio)

Tenor Lucas Kuipers was born and raised in
Toronto. He completed his Bachelor of
Music at Wilfrid Laurier University and is currently
studying voice privately with Mervin
Fick.
Both during and after his time at Laurier he
performed a number of operatic roles.
Some highlights include; Tremaine in a premiere
of the chamber opera Farewell to Nova
Scotia by Tristan Zaba with Opera From Scratch,
Mayor Upfold from Albert Herring with
Halifax Summer Opera Festival, The Magician
from The Consul with Long Reach Opera
Workshop, Flute from A Midsummer Night’s
Dream with Halifax Summer Opera Festival, and
Ferrando in Cosi fan Tutte with No Strings
Theatre. He recently reprised the role of The
Magician in a production of The Consul set in the
present day US with Opera By Request. This
summer marks his third year with No Strings

Theatre.

Heather McGrath (Marcellina)

Heather McGrath is a mezzo soprano from Toronto. After years with a community choir, Heather made the leap to the opera stage five years ago as a chorus member for Nabucco with Toronto City Opera, and soon after to the concert hall, with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Heather is thrilled to return to No Strings Theatre in 2026, singing Marcellina in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro! Past roles include the Mother and the Gingerbread Witch in Hansel and Gretel and Third Lady in The Magic Flute, both with No Strings, and Cousin Hebe in HMS Pinafore and Annina in La Traviata (“the beautifully voiced Annina of Heather McGrath” – Opera Canada), both with Opera York. Highlights with the TMC/members of the TMC include performances at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and at Carnegie Hall. Chorus work: Pagliacci, The Tender Land, L’elisir d’amore, Carmen, Susannah, Don Giovanni (TCO), Der Freischütz (OBR), Amahl and the Night Visitors (NST), Tosca (Mississauga Symphony Orchestra), Lucia di Lammermoor, Die Fledermaus (OY), Jakobin (Canadian Institute for Czech Music/OBR), Il Trovatore (Opera Sustenida) and more. In June 2026 Heather competed in the OMFA provincial musical festival in Kitchener, on recommendation from the regional North York Music Festival.  She hasn’t quit her day job yet, but when not singing, Heather has been known to dabble in costume-making. Heather studies with Stephanie DeCiantis (Lakeshore Conservatory). 

Ryan Wesley Keir Moilliet (Count Almaviva)

Ryan Wesley Keir Moilliet is a Toronto-based lyric baritone whose passion for music began at the age of six as a chorister with the Toronto Children’s Chorus under the direction of Jean Ashworth Bartle. He later spent three seasons as a Sidgwick Scholar with the Orpheus Choir of Toronto under Dr. Robert Cooper, further developing his artistry through Canada’s distinguished choral tradition.

Ryan has appeared as a featured soloist with Chorus Niagara in Paul Mealor’s The Farthest Shore and Nils Lindberg’s A Christmas Cantata, and made his operatic debut with the Glenn Gould School in Offenbach’s La belle Hélène. His stage experience has since included performances with VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert and Toronto Operetta Theatre, most recently portraying the Podestà in Verdi’s La Battaglia di Legnano with VOICEBOX. This is his first debut with No Strings Theatre and as Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro.  A graduate of York University with an Honours B.A. in Theatre Studies, Ryan has studied voice with Dr. Robert Loewen and continues to refine his craft through both operatic and concert performance. 

 

Christina Nasr (Susanna)

Christina Nasr is a Toronto-based soprano who is performing the role of Susanna in
Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro with No Strings Theatre this summer. She most recently
performed the role of Celia in Handel's Silla with Chicago Summer Opera, and previously
took part in the Domaine Forget International Music Festival, in Charlevoix, Québec,
focusing on French lyric repertoire. Earlier credits include work with Can of Soup Opera
Collective, a recital series sponsored by the London Arts Council, and Rose in Kurt Weill's
Street Scene with UWOpera. Christina studied both Voice Performance and Media Studies at
Western University and continues her training in Toronto with Elizabeth McDonald.

Michelle Veronesi (Countess Rosina Almaviva)

Michelle Veronesi is a Canadian soprano whose love of music began with the Canadian Children's Opera Company. Since emerging as a soloist in 2023, she has performed with the Peel Choral Society, Gallery of Song, Toronto-area churches, and community organizations. An award-winning vocalist, Michelle earned First Place in Adult Classical Voice and Adult Classical Vocal Duet at the Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival and was named Provincial Champion alongside Kendra Fredette. Recent operatic roles include Gretel in Hansel and Gretel and the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro. Michelle is grateful for the guidance of her teacher, Mervin Fick, and the unwavering support of her wife, Alison.

Denise Williams (Marcellina)

Denise’s thirty-plus-years international career has put her at home on the concert, opera, and theatre stages. Highlights of her performance career include the Nathaniel Dett Chorale (Founding Member), Mirvish Productions (North American premiere of The Sound of Music), Canadian debuts of the title role of Portia White First You Dream.  Her most well-loved self-produced music project is her cross-cultural, Walk Together Children concert program, presenting African, Jewish, and Muslim diasporic cultures through music. This project became the basis of her Masters capstone and was awarded an OAC music performance grant. In addition to her achievements as a performer, Denise is also dedicated to arts education and community engagement including directing, workshops, classes, and international community music symposia. She is currently on the music theatre voice faculty of Sheridan College, operates her Voices of Colour Music (VCM) music studio. (see Denise's complete bio details in the Creative Team bios

Denise Williams (Artistic Producer and Voice Coach)

Denise Williams is a passionate advocate for the performing arts, leveraging her extensive professional experience and educational background to promote artistic expression and education.  With a belief in the transformative power of music and the arts to bridge societal divides, Denise has dedicated her career to nurturing talent, fostering inclusivity, and promoting cultural understanding.

​

Denise’s thirty-plus-years international career has put her at home on the concert, opera, and theatre stages. Highlights of her performance career include the Nathaniel Dett Chorale (Founding Member), Mirvish Productions (North American premiere of The Sound of Music), Canadian debuts of the title role of Portia White First You Dream.  Her most well-loved self-produced music project is her cross-cultural, Walk Together Children concert program, presenting African, Jewish, and Muslim diasporic cultures through music. This project became the basis of her Masters capstone and was awarded an OAC music performance grant.

In addition to her achievements as a performer, Denise is also dedicated to arts education and community engagement including directing, workshops, classes, and international community music symposia.

​

Denise is Founding Artistic Director and Producer of No Strings Theatre (NST) which supports the next generation of artists and encourages the development of new Canadian theatrical works.  She is currently on the music theatre voice faculty of Sheridan College, operates her Voices of Colour Music (VCM) music studio, is a certified advanced voice teacher affiliate and examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music, and a national vocal adjudicator.

​

Denise has launched scholarships for Black students and artists. She continues to advocate for cross-cultural sharing of music traditions, equity, diversity and inclusion on performance stages.

​

Memberships

Vice President, NATS-Ontario; Board of Directors, Elora Festival and Elora Singers; Past President, ORMTA Central Toronto Branch; ACTRA, CAEA

​

Education

Master of Arts, Community Music, Wilfrid Laurier University; Arts and Entertainment Administration, TMU; ARCT Singing Diploma, Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM)

 

Awards

ORMTA Contribution to Teaching, 2024; 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women 2024

JUSTYN NISHIMURA (they/he) (Stage Manager)

WITH NST: 25th Annual… Spelling Bee. ELSEWHERE: Wounds of Love (AIR), How to Feel (Sawdust Co.), Seussical (TYT Theatre), Natasha… Great Comet of 1812 (Theatre Sheridan), Something Rotten!, Mary Poppins, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Darkest Dark (YPT), Pippin (StoryBook Theatre), Legally Blonde, The SpongeBob Musical, Theory of Relativity. Justyn is a queer stage manager based in Tkaronto. They are a recent graduate of Sheridan College’s tech production program. When not in the theatre, they can be found curled up with a good book. Much love to his partner Cas and their cat Mr. Noodles <3 IG: just.yn.sm

Madeline Cooper (Co-Director)

Maddy Cooper is a director, producer, poet and performing artist living in the quiet, east-end of Toronto. Since moving to the city in 2021 she has left no painted-stone unturned; peeking into the jazz, burlesque, choral and poetry scenes, among others. These days, she spends most of her energy with the opera community in various capacities or outside, gardening. Maddy’s greatest joy is to explore.

John Holland (Artist Mentor, Voice and Language Coach)

Kyeong-Ok Kim is a collaborative pianist and dedicated music educator whose career bridges the vibrant musical landscapes of South Korea and Canada. Her approach to music is deeply informed by her lifelong devotion to the piano, which began at the age of five under her mother’s tutelage. After pursuing non-musical studies early in her undergraduate years, she returned to her true passion at 24, eventually earning both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance from Dankook University. With over 15 years of experience in higher education preparation, Kyeong-Ok has become a sought-after mentor for students aiming for conservatory and university entrance. Her pedagogical focus is grounded in the science of performance: she specializes in teaching healthy body mechanics, helping singers, string players, and pianists alike achieve physical freedom and a natural, resonant tone. Kyeong-Ok’s pursuit of excellence led her to the University of Toronto, where she completed her Master of Music in Collaborative Piano in 2023. As a versatile collaborator, she brings a wealth of experience in choral conducting, vocal accompaniment, and musical theater. Kyeong-Ok is committed to fostering artistic growth in her students while remaining active as a collaborative pianist, continually refining her craft to serve both performance and education in the North American and international music scenes.

Vlad Soloviev (Music Director, Repetiteur, Vocal Coach )

Vlad Soloviev is a Toronto-based pianist, conductor and operatic vocal coach. As an operatic repetiteur, Vlad has worked at the Canadian Opera Company, Wolftrap Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera Arizona, Opera Sarasota, Highlands Opera Studio and University of Toronto Opera School and more. As a conductor, Vlad has worked at Wolftrap Opera, Opera Sarasota, Berlin Opera Academy, Mississauga Symphony Orchestra and more. As a concert pianist, Vlad has played at institutions like Carnegie Hall (New York), Salle Cortot (Paris), Bohemian National Hall (New York), Koerner Hall (Toronto). As a collaborative pianist, Vlad has performed at institutions like Koerner Hall (Toronto), National Arts Center (Ottawa), Richard Bradshaw Amphitheater, the Kaufman Center (NYC), Toronto Summer Music Festival and more. Vlad has worked at institutions like the Eastman School of Music, Mannes College of Music, University of Toronto and the Glenn Gould School, performing over 200 recitals over the past ten years. As a vocal coach, Vlad helped singers prepare for successful auditions at institutions like the Paris Opera, Deutsche Oper, Metropolitan Opera, Merola, Santa Fe, Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera, Opera de Montreal, and more.

Kyeong-Ok Kim (Assistant Music Director, Collaborative Pianist)

Kyeong-ok Kim is a versatile collaborative pianist, arranger, and composer whose career seamlessly bridges classical performance, choral accompaniment, and contemporary media. Initially beginning her academic path in Business Administration, she made a defining transition to music, earning both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts in Piano Performance from Dankook University in South Korea, and subsequently completing her Master's in Collaborative Piano at the University of Toronto.

​Her artistic profile is built upon a rich and diverse array of professional achievements in Korea. As a solo and professional pianist, she has performed in notable concert series, including the Steinway Series and the Music Journal Debut Concert. In the realm of opera and choral accompaniment, she served as the pianist for the showcase of the original musical The House Guest and Mother produced by the Korea National Opera, and contributed as a trusted choir accompanist at Sookmyung Women’s University and many other prominent choirs.

​Furthermore, her creative talents shine through extensive composition and arrangement work across musical theater, television, and recording projects. She composed the original musical Secreta, arranged and performed with the Philvine Orchestra and Choir, provided custom arrangements for an Mnet survival music television show, and contributed to multiple Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) albums.

​Building firmly upon this robust foundation established in Korea, she is now expanding her artistic footprint to Canada.

Marcia Whitehead (Voice Masterclass Clinician)

Marcia Whitehead sang professionally as a mezzo soprano with Opera companies and Symphonies across Canada for over 15 years. She apprenticed with Montréal Opera's L'Atelier Lyrique, and is an alumnus of numerous operatic young artist programs. Today, Marcia focusses on preparing the next generation of singers via her private teaching studio, high-energy masterclasses, and as a music festival adjudicator. As well, she gives motivational talks centred around her book, Botox Me - A memoir, which recounts the highs and lows of her her roller-coaster ride with muscle tension dysphonia. Marcia is thrilled to be back with No Strings Theatre's 2025 summer program as a mentor and masterclass clinician. To learn more about Marcia, please visit marciawhitehead.com

Brett Polegato (Voice Masterclass Clinician)

Brett Polegato’s artistic sensibility has earned him the highest praise from audiences and critics: “his is a serious and seductive voice” says The Globe and Mail, and The New York Times has praised him for his “burnished, well-focused voice” which he uses with “considerable intelligence and nuance.” The Italian-Canadian baritone appears regularly on the world’s most distinguished stages, including those of Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Concertgebouw, the Opéra National de Paris, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, the Teatro Real, Roy Thomson Hall, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall, and has collaborated with such conductors as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Daniele Gatti, Andris Nelsons, Bernard Haitink, Seiji Ozawa, Jeffrey Tate, Marc Minkowski, and Martyn Brabbins. He can be heard as soloist in the Grammy Awards’ Best Classical Recording of 2003 – Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony (Telarc) with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Robert Spano. https://brettpolegato.com/

IN LOVING MEMORY OF Rob Herriot (Stage Instructor)

Canadian stage director Rob Herriot’s career has taken him across North America. In the past year, Rob has been very fortunate to have stayed busy. He directed At the Statue and of Venus and Bon Appetite for the Little Opera Company’s I Need Opera…and Dance that premiered in the fall of 2020. Earlier this year he wrote and directed a 6-part series called Opera School for Manitoba Opera. He has directed productions of Madama Butterfly, Lucia de Lammermoor, La Boheme, Carmen, Rigoletto, and Don Pasquale (Manitoba Opera), Barbar of Seville, Don Pasquale (Livermore Valley Opera), La Traviata, Don Pasquale (Opera Hamilton), Carmen, Don Pasquale (Arizona Opera), Don Pasquale (Connecticut Opera, Utah Opera), new productions of Rigoletto (2019), HMS Pinafore (2018), Hansel and Gretel, and Magic Flute. Other productions from Edmonton include Turandot, Pirates of Penzance, La Fille Du Regiment, HMS Pinafore (Edmonton Opera-winner of a Sterling Award for Outstanding Musical of the Season); Tosca, The Mikado, La Cenerentola, all nominated for Sterling Award’s Best Musical Production of their year. For Calgary Opera he has directed productions of Tosca and Barber of Seville, both nominated for Betty Mitchell awards for Best Musical of 2009 and 2018 seasons, as well as La Boheme for the 40th anniversary of the company. Other productions for Calgary include The Magic Flute, Pirates of Penzance and Candide, as well as numerous shows for their Emerging Artists program.