Heralded by Opera Canada for her “strong, clear, and confident” sound, and by KinoCulture for “almost literally illuminating the stage,” Tkaronto-born mezzo-soprano Emma Yee (she/her) is an interdisciplinary musical artist based in Tiohtià:ke.
Emma holds a Bachelor of Music from Mount Allison University where she studied with Vicki St. Pierre and a Master of Music from McGill University where she studied with Tracy Smith Bessette. Emma is an active performer across opera, musical theatre, and choral scenes. Performance highlights include Cordelia in Falsettos (Contact Theatre), Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia (Opera McGill), various roles in
Elegies (Opera 5), Sorceress in Dido & Aeneas (Opera McGill), and alto soloist in Messiah (Christ Church Cathedral).
Emma is also a stage manager, having worked with Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Opera McGill, Opera 5, La SAMS, the Motyer-Fancy Theatre, and Sapphonix Collective, as well as a writer, with publications in Nota bene and La Scena Musicale. She is the first McCall MacBain Scholar in music and the 2026 winner of Opera Bouffe du Quebec’s Ratycz Myre Family scholarship.
Kathryn Riopel is a soprano from Elk Grove Village, IL. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice & Opera Performance and Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Northwestern University and earned the Master’s of Music in Voice & Opera Performance at McGill University in 2024, studying with Dominique Labelle.
Recent credits include Casilda (The Gondoliers), the title role in Jéhanne (Opera Quest Victoria), Handel’s Semele (Opera McGill), Madame Z (lead role) in Brother 12: A Rock Opera. She sang the role of Aphrodite in the April 2025 world premier of the Sapphic Passion, a new oratorio developed by Sapphonix Collective (a queer multidisciplinary arts collective based in Montreal, QC).
A frequent competitor, in 2026 she won Second Prize at the Chicago International Music Competition and was semifinalist in the James Toland Vocal Competition and Giulio Gari Foundation Competition. She performs frequently with the Choeur de L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and with Ascension of Our Lord Parish in Montreal, QC.
Daniel Ginga is a Moldovan American tenor born in Wisconsin, raised in Washington D.C. and educated in Canada. He completed his Bachelor of Music at McGill University under the tutelage of Stefano Algieri and is now working towards a Graduate Diploma in Performance at McGill.
At McGill he has helped out with several opera productions, as both an Assistant Stage Director and as a member of the choir for several years.
The Ascension Choir has been his favorite job to date, and he is grateful for the wonderful experience it’s been.
