Ronald Beckett

Composer & conductor

Ronald Beckett has had numerous compositions performed by ensembles throughout Ontario. He has written three operas that constitute a trilogy: Ruth, John, and I Am…. that have been given fully staged performances by Arcady and Queens Student Opera. Ruth, due largely to its length (72 minutes) and facility of staging, has received some twenty performances since its premiere in 1996. Ron’s catalogue of compositions includes a number of additional large-scale works for orchestra or orchestra and chorus and an abundance of chamber music and pieces for piano and organ. Since 2008, he has written a great number of songs and music for youth, specifically for the Arcady Youth Singers.

Ron is the founding director of Arcady, an organization established in order to encourage outstanding young musicians by providing them a bridge between their student and professional performing careers. Most of Arcady’s work is in two areas: period performances of early music repertoire and the works of Ronald Beckett. The ensemble offers 20 to 30 programs ranging from small ensemble to full choral-orchestral performances in Ontario each year. Arcady has released three CD recordings on the Crescendo label: A Baroque Messiah (1999), Welcome Yule! (2001), and Ruth (2007). Welcome Yule! is a collection of original Christmas compositions and Beckett arrangements. Ron also arranged and conducted Ruby Productions’ CD entitled Peace on Earth (2000). In 2002, Phoenix Records released the CD A Beckett Miscellany – a sampling of Ron’s instrumental music performed by The Essex Winds and Arcady.

A Summa Cum Laude graduate from McMaster University in History and Theory, Ronald Beckett is an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music (Piano Performance), and also holds a Master of Music degree in composition from the University of Western Ontario. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to music and community, he was inducted into the McMaster Alumni Gallery in 2004.

Ron is a member of SOCAN, the Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre. His works are frequently heard on classical radio in North America and Europe.

Visit Ron’s website for more information: www.ronaldbeckettmusic.com

Cristina Pisani​

as Ruth

Cristina Pisani​ is a vibrant soprano hailing from Mississauga. Cristina’s exciting 2019-2020 season has featured company debuts with Toronto Operetta Theatre in their Viva La Zarzuela concert, OperOttawa in their opera gala, The Edison Singers as a chorister and soloist, and Mississauga Symphony Orchestra as Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata. This summer, she looks forward to covering the role of Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Brott Opera and performing as a featured soloist in their annual PopOpera concert. Cristina is a frequently featured by Arcady, with whom she was an Emerging Artist in 2017-2018. She also performs regularly with Opera by Request and OperOttawa, with whom she made her role debut as Leïla in a touring production of Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles. Other recent operatic highlights include Helmwige in Wagner’s Die Walküre (Opera by Request), Siren in Handel’s Rinaldo (OperOttawa), and Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata (Summer Opera Lyric Theatre). Cristina has also appeared as Mimì in Leoncavallo’s seldom-performed La bohème (Opera by Request), Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw (Abridged Opera), Orpah in Beckett’s Ruth (Arcady), the title roles in Verdi’s La traviata (Jeunesses Musicales Canada) and Puccini’s Suor Angelica (Accademia Europea dell’Opera – AEDO), Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff (UWOpera), and Second Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (AEDO). As 1st prize winner of the 2018 Clifford Poole Vocal Competition, Cristina was featured in two concerts with the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. Cristina began her musical training at the age of three with her mother and completed her MMus in Vocal Performance and Literature at Western University in 2016 under the tutelage of Sophie Roland and Simone Luti. In the few hours she is away from music, Cristina loves to spend time with her family, friends and pets.

Anjelique Croteau

as Naomi

Anjelique Croteau is a French-Canadian mezzo-soprano based in London, Ontario, originally trained as a stage actor. She has most recently enjoyed the roles of Third Lady in Mozart’s Magic Flute and Mistress Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff, both with Western University. She has also performed the role of Diana in Dean Burry’s Pandora’s Locker with Can of Soup in London, Ontario, as well as Valetto in Opera Nuova’s production of Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea. Her concert work includes In Pacem, as a soloist with the Stratford Concert Choir, performing selections of Haydn. In addition, she has enjoyed spearheading local outreach concerts with the Canadian Club and London Club. Anjelique greatly values her education and is proud to be a Dean’s List Graduate from Western University with an Honours Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and a minor in Italian. Anjelique is currently studying for her Masters of Music in Voice Performance and Literature at Western University. Apart from her studies, she is a choral scholar at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and enjoys being a spokesperson for body-positivity within her writing and on social media. Storytelling is one of her greatest passions whether it be under the heat of the lights or ink of a pen, Anjelique truly enjoys sinking her teeth into each character’s story splayed before her. Anjelique’s love of music, poetry, and languages combined lead her to find opera. She is passionate about the healing capabilities of the arts and hopes that in her performances she can help at least one audience member to feel something special. She asks that you follow with an open heart the journey that music takes all of us on.

Sophia Korz

as Orpah

Canadian singer-songwriter/classical soprano Sophia Korz began songwriting at the age of twelve and has since found herself unable to stop. Under the tutelage of Dr. Joan Heels (voice) and Francine Regaudie-McIsaac (piano/theory/history), she pursues senior levels of RCM training and has won two Gold Medals (RCM Voice), First Place/Best of Class for Level 8 Voice Provincials (OMFA), and countless other scholarships from various festivals. Developing her skills at integrating both compositional and performance styles, she has studied choral works under Dr. Tracy Wong (McMaster University Choir, Cantemus Vocal Ensemble: 2019-2021), as well as masterclasses by Dr. Shannon Coates (Contemporary Singing), Elizabeth McDonald (Vocal Health/Physiology), Zimfira Poloz (Russian Choral Music), soprano Jennie Such, and tenor Elliot Madore. Influenced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Amy Lee, Tori Amos, and select choral composers (Laurisden, Bergersen, Hagenberg, Rutter), she is interested in the synthesis of classical and popular music. Since her debut single “Flinch” in 2019, she has produced and released three additional tracks as an indie solo artist, with “NOBODIES” (2022) being her most recent reflection on the COVID-19 aftermath. She can be found on streaming platforms everywhere and is excited to be working on her debut EP.

Ben Wallace

as Boaz

Ben Wallace is a “versatile and vocally powerful” (Opera Canada) baritone, conductor, and pianist currently studying at the University of Toronto with Wendy Nielsen. He was the recipient of the Laurier Alumni Gold Medal, a finalist for UofT’s Norcop Prize in Song, and a winner of the Laurier Concerto Competition. 

Recent solo performances include Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Highlands Opera Studio), Pandolfe in Cendrillon (UofT Opera), Le Dancaïre/Moralès in Carmen (Southern Ontario Lyric Opera), Billy Bigelow in Carousel (Cambridge Symphony/P&P), Duruflé’s Requiem (Grand Philharmonic Choir), Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem (Symphony in the Barn), John Brooke in Little Women (Opera Laurier), and Barone Douphol/Dottore Grenvil in La traviata (KW Symphony). Last June, Ben travelled to the Banff Centre to workshop a new chamber opera by Ian Cusson and Royce Vavrek. This season at UofT, he will be appearing as Guglielmo in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Prospero in Saariaho’s Tempest Songbook, and Bartley in Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea. 

Ben formed his own KW-based chamber choir and orchestra in 2022 and has since conducted the world premières of three choral works by Canadian composer Justin Lapierre. He has also served as the music director for productions of Cabaret, Matilda (Royal City Musical Productions), Company, The Last Five Years, and In View: The Lyrics of Gord Downie (Downtown Theatre Project).

Olivia Maldonado

as First Woman

Olivia Maldonado is a soprano who has completed a Master’s of Vocal Literature and Performance with Western University.  She is currently studying with baritone, Dr. Todd Wieczorek.  Olivia had her first professional debut as a soloist in September 2019 with Toronto Operetta Theatre’s Viva la Zarzuela.  Other performance credits include Lauretta from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, Serpetta in La finta giardiniera, Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro with Western University, and Oronte in Handel’s Alcina with the Accademia Europea Dell’Opera in Lucca, Italy.  She has also performed in numerous concerts with Arcady and was featured in their music video, Snowflakes Fall Softly, and undertook Arcady’s Emerging Artist Training Program in 2015.  In addition to her performance endeavours, Olivia holds various scholarships such as the Don Wright Scholarship Fund in Vocal Music and the University of Toronto Vari Scholarship. Olivia has a passion for performing and teaching, and she hopes to instil the same thrill with her students and audience.

Michaela Chiste

as Second Woman

Michaela Chiste is a young soprano hailing from Okotoks, Alberta. Originally trained as a stage actor, she spent most of her life studying the dramatic arts and musical theatre before crossing over to the world of classical singing. She completed her Bachelor of Music at the University of Alberta in 2017, under the tutelage of John Tessier. She has performed as a concert soloist and recitalist both internationally and across Canada, and has served as soloist in works such as Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and A Ceremony of Carols, and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. An avid lover of new works, Michaela has premiered several pieces, including The Dream, a cantata for soprano and pianoforte (Muskins, 2016), La jugement (Langan, 2019), and Songs of Fracture (Beckett, 2019), which was set to her own poetry. Michaela received praise for her 2019 portrayal of Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème with Mercury Opera. Opera Canada described her performance as “a fine balance of fragility and hopefulness”. She was also described as “effective… a great actress” (I Don’t Get It), and that she “rises to the occasion” (I Don’t Get It) and “more than holds her own among the seasoned cast” (Edmonton Journal). Her other roles include Alcina (Alcina) Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Principal (.Gabriel), Adina and Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore), Frasquita (Carmen), Emmie (Albert Herring), Mimi (City Workers in Love), The Dormouse (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), Jennie Hildebrand (Street Scene), Gustave (Pomme d’Api ), and The Boy (Der Jasager). Michaela is an alumna of Arcady’s Emerging Artist Program and former roster singer for Cowtown Opera. https://www.michaelachiste.com/

Katherine Barr

as Third Woman

Katherine, born in Hamilton, Ontario, discovered her passion for singing at the  age of nine, initiating her musical journey with the esteemed Hamilton Children’s Choir. An alumna of Western University, she upholds her commitment to the performing arts by actively engaging with Toronto’s OIC and TOT companies. As a talented and dedicated mezzo-soprano, Katherine made her professional debut in 2019, embodying the character Glascha in Opera in Concert’s rendition of Kát’a Kabanová.

In 2022, Katherine embarked on a journey of professional artistic exploration, roles including Fanny Nightingale in The Lady with the Lamp and Sister Berthe in The Sound of Music. However, her most notable achievement was her portrayal of both the Witch and the Mother in Hansel and Gretel with Summer Opera Lyric Theatre.

Recently, Katherine had the privilege of participating in OperaFest, collaborating for the second time with international singers. Her performance included the roles of Romeo, the hopeless romantic from i capuleti e i Montecchi, and Tisbe, one of the malevolent stepsisters in La Cenerentola.

This summer, Katherine has been selected to partake in an opera intensive program in France: La Roche D’hys, further enhancing her artistic repertoire.

Anticipating the upcoming season, Katherine is looking forward to singing with Arcady!

Lindsay Scott

as the Poet

Lindsay Scott is in the fourth year of her Bachelor of Music degree in Self Directed Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. She is currently studying vocal performance with James McLean and composition with Matthew Emery. Lindsay is a passionate performer and composer, who is actively involved in Laurier’s student composer concerts and classical performance recitals. Lindsay’s compositional works span various genres and instrumentations such as classical and contemporary works for choir, chamber orchestra, string quartet, and voice. Lindsay is the musical director of Laurier’s acapella group ‘Hawkapella’, an emerging artist with the Grand River Chorus, and teaches voice, violin, and guitar at the Kitchener Academy of Music. Lindsay has been immersed in choral singing in the premiere of Justin Lapierre’s Mass of St. Anne (2022), Stabat Mater (2023), and One Thousand Shields of Gold (2024), and in the Guelph Chamber Choir as a Neufeld Emerging Artist (2024/2025). Lindsay looks forward to performing her own art song composition at Laurier’s upcoming student composer concert, performing in Opera Laurier’s Le nozze di Figaro as Cherubino, and joining the Arcady ensemble as an RBC Emerging Artist!

Marcel van Helden

as The Narrator / Malchi-Shua

Hailing from the small town of Acton, Ontario, Marcel van Helden holds a Master’s degree in music from Western University and a Bachelor’s degree in physics. He has sung with numerous choirs in southern Ontario including the Georgetown Bach Chorale, Musikay, Kammerchor London, and the Brott Festival Choir. Some of his notable solo roles have been in Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St. Matthew and St. John Passions, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Choral Fantasy with the Rose Orchestra of Brampton. In addition to choral and oratorio work Marcel has played a number of roles on the opera stage including Peter Quint (from Turn of the Screw), Monostatos (from The Magic Flute), and Don Ottavio (from Don Giovanni).

Zoë, Lilly, and Cosette Holliday

Dancers

Zoë, Lilly, and Cosette Holliday are triplet dancers and musicians very excited to be performing with Arcady in this year’s production of Ruth. Beginning their dance training at the age 3 of three at Jo Read School of Dance, they currently continue to choreograph and dance with Western University’s HEAT Dance Team. They are internationally award-winning dancers both as a team and individually through various competitions, and were privileged to perform in the 2025 Solar Fusion Showcase in Tyler Hutchings’ Moriari. Zoë additionally performed in Taylor Collis’ Malus and The Normal People Collective’s Love is Everywhere. All three are also pianists, while Cosette is a soprano currently studying under Torin Chiles in her third year at Western University, where she has participated in various opera and galas as a singer, choreographer and scene director. She is additionally completing a second degree in English Literature concurrently. Zoë and Lilly are both studying Medical Sciences at Western, respectively specializing in Medical BioPhysics (a large influence on Zoë’s choreographic concepts such as in Gravity Falls) and Integrated Medicinal Studies.