30
California-born soprano
AMBER WAGNER
,
a Ryan Opera Center alumna, scored great suc-
cesses at Lyric Opera in her two most recent
portrayals with the company, Elsa/
Lohengrin
(2010-11)
and the title role/
Ariadne auf Naxos
(2011-12).
She has also been heard at Lyric in
Katya Kabanova
,
Madama Butterfly
,
and
Die
Frau ohne Schatten
(
debut). She made her
acclaimed role debut as Ariadne on opening
night of last season’s Canadian Opera Company
production, Sir Andrew Davis conducting. Last
season she made her Metropolitan Opera debut
as Anna/
Nabucco.
Having made her European
debut as Brangäne/
Tristan und Isolde
(
Prague
State Opera), she returned to Europe earlier this
year for role debuts as Sieglinde/
Die Walküre
(
Frankfurt Opera) and Senta/
Der fliegende
Holländer
(
Finland’s Savonlinna Festival,
where she had previously sung Elsa). Among
the soprano’s concert engagements have been
the Verdi
Requiem
(
Grant Park Music Festival,
Elmhurst Symphony) and Rossini’s
Stabat
Mater
(
Oregon Symphony). A former national
winner of the Metropolitan Opera National
Council Auditions, she is featured in the
MONCA’s film “The Audition.” Wagner
received the Kirsten Flagstad Award as a winner
of the 2010 George London Competition.
Canadian soprano
TRACY CANTIN
,
a first-
year Ryan Opera Center member, is appearing
at Lyric Opera this season as the Fifth Maid/
Elektra
(
debut) and Countess Ceprano/
Rigoletto
.
She made her Chicago debut in May,
singing the
Figaro
Countess (Act Two) and
Mimì/
La bohème
(
Act Four) with the Civic
Orchestra. Later this season she will sing
Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 9
with the
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Cantin is an
alumna of McGill University (Donna
Anna/
Don Giovanni
,
Mimì, Governess/
The
Turn of the Screw
)
as well as the University of
Western Ontario (Donna Anna) and the
University of Alberta (Mother/
Hansel and
Gretel
).
Other roles include Alice Ford/
Falstaff
(
Highlands Opera Studio) and Nella/
Gianni
Schicchi
(
Opera NUOVA). In concert Cantin
has performed Strauss’s
Four Last Songs
and
major works of Bach, Handel, Vivaldi,
Beethoven, and Mahler. Among her awards are
first place in Canada’s prestigious Lois
Marshall Memorial Competition (2010).
Tracy
Cantin is sponsored by
Mrs. C. G. Pinnell.
This season soprano
KIRI DEONARINE
,
a
New Jersey native and second-year Ryan Opera
Center member, appears at Lyric Opera as the
Confidante/
Elektra
,
Sophie/
Werther
,
and the
Dew Fairy/
Hansel and Gretel
.
Previously she
was heard in the
Zauberflöte
student matinees (as
Pamina) and in both
Ariadne auf Naxos
(
debut)
and
Rinaldo
.
An alumna of the Houston Grand
Opera Studio program, she appeared at HGO in
roles of Mozart, Donizetti, Strauss, Britten, and
Heggie. A former Santa Fe Opera apprentice
artist, Deonarine returned to SFO this summer as
Fiakermilli/
Arabella
.
She has performed the
Fauré
Requiem
with the Milwaukee Symphony
and Vivaldi’s
Motezuma
with Houston’s Mercury
Baroque. The soprano studied at Baylor
University and Dresden’s Technische Universität
before pursuing a master’s degree at Indiana
University. Honors include top prize in the 2012
Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Vocal
Competition, first place in the 2010 Dallas Opera
Guild Competition, and selection as a Grand
Finalist in the 2009 Metropolitan Opera National
Council Auditions.
Kiri Deonarine is sponsored
by
Julie and Roger Baskes.
Illinois-born bass-baritone
DAVID GOVERT-
SEN
,
a second-year Ryan Opera Center mem-
ber, has been heard at Lyric Opera in
Boris
Godunov
(
debut) and
Die Zauberflöte.
He
returns this season in
Werther
and
Die
Meistersinger
.
While in Santa Fe Opera’s
apprentice program, Govertsen sang King
Basilio/Lewis Spratlan’s
Life is a Dream
(
work-
shop premiere). He also appeared as a soloist in
the Mozart
Requiem
with the Santa Fe
Symphony and in a Bach concert with the Santa
Fe Chamber Music Festival. Recent engage-
ments include Handel’s
Messiah
with the
Northwest Indiana Symphony, Haydn’s
Creation
with the Elmhurst Symphony, and
Simone/
Gianni Schicchi
with DuPage Opera
Theatre. He debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2011 as
the Herald/
Otello
with Riccardo Muti and the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, following per-
formances in Chicago. Govertsen is an alumnus
of Northwestern University, where he portrayed
Frank Maurrant/
Street Scene
,
the title role/
Le
nozze di Figaro
,
Basilio/
Il barbiere di Siviglia
,
ARTIST PROFILES
