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Caroleen Molenaar, Flute

Caroleen has currently graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelors of Music. She has been playing flute for over nine years, and has completed her Grade 10 Flute Exam with the Royal Conservatory of Music receiving First Class Honours. She was the principal flutist of the Dundas Valley Orchestra for four years, under the direction of Glenn Mallory (2009-2011), and Laura Thomas (2011-2013), and was the principal flutist of the McMaster Chamber Orchestra for two years under the direction of Colin Clarke (2012-2013) and Dr. Keith Kinder (2013-2014). Additionally, she currently sings in the Central Presbyterian Church Choir in Hamilton, led by Paul Grimwood, and has also sung in the McMaster University Choir led by Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff (2010-2011). In the spring of 2013 Caroleen travelled to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia where she participated in the National Youth Band of Canada under the baton of Jonathon Dagenais. Following that she was accepted into the Orford Arts Centre Flute Masterclass Program in July of 2013, attending masterclasses by Robert Langevin, and partaking in lessons with Jocelyn Roy, and Jennifer Gunn. She has recently made her orchestral solo debut playing the Concerto Grosso for Three Flutes and Harp by David van Vactor with the McMaster Chamber Orchestra in November of 2013. In addition to playing flute, Caroleen is currently studying with Shoshana Telner to pursue her A.R.C.T. Performer’s Diploma in piano this August.

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Maude Paradis, Mezzo Soprano

Maude possesses a voice that is both warm and moving and distinguishes herself with her striking powers of interpretation. She received a Masters in Voice Performance from the Universite de Montreal in May 2010. Maude has had the pleasure of singing with the Drummondville’s Orchestre symphonique, the contemporary music atelier of Université de Montréal, and the Théâtre d’Art Lyrique de Laval.  She has sung various roles including Zita in “Gianni Schicchi” and “Buoso’s Ghost” at the Bay View Music Festival (Indianapolis), Lay sister in “Suor Angelica” (Puccini), the Countess and Paulina in “Pique Dame” with the Russian Opera Workshop (Philadelphia, PA), Ježibaba in “Rusalka” (Dvořák) with the Czech Opera Projects (NYC), Ottavia, Nutrice and Arnalta in a concert version of L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi) at the Orford Festival (QC), and covered for the role of Knusperhexe in “Hansel and Gretel” (Humperdinck) with New York Lyric Opera Theatre. In 2012, Maude was a part of Opera Oggi NY’s Young Artist Program. She has performed at respected venues such as the Canadian Music Centre and Lilian Rodriquez Art Gallery singing concerts of french art song, lieder by women composers, and several song cycles by Srul Irving Glick.

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Lydia Sharpe, Writer

Lydia has always loved to write poems. She finds inspiration in her menagerie of farm animals, the interesting people she meets and the natural world. Lydia studied English literature at A- level in England where she lives with her family, and was truly inspired by the Romantic poet, Edward Thomas. She believes that poetry is one of the most truthful and freest forms of expressing oneself. Lydia is hoping to continue to study English Literature at University next year, continuing to explore the subject she loves.

In addition to being a writer, Lydia is a keen athlete.  She feels freest when running in the mountains, out in the natural world where there is plenty to inspire the next poem! Lydia’s best achievement so far was to compete for Team GB in the European Mountain Running Championships in Bulgaria in July 2013 where her team won silver.

Lydia was lucky enough to be amongst one of the few young people to have had their poem selected from a poetry contest back in 2011 by Ronald Beckett, to be performed in the Sick Song Suite. Lydia has been privileged enough to have been able to continue to write poems for Ronald Beckett, who has put them to music. Her poems include; “The Land of Myth”, “Grandma”, “Goosie Lucie” and most recently, “Snowflakes Fall Softly” and “Serenity”.

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Christopher Wattam, Tenor

Chris recently completed his Bachelor of Arts in Music at the University of Guelph. This past summer he was a member of the Halifax Summer Opera Festival, performing L’Aumônier in Dialogue of the Carmelites and Basilio/Don Curzio in Le Nozze di Figaro. Chris also has a background in musical theatre, having played Yussel and The Russian Tenor in Fiddler on the Roof with Edmonton’s Opera NUOVA, and Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance with Guelph’s Royal City Music Productions. This past spring, Christopher was a tenor soloist in Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light: A Requiem with the Guelph Chamber Choir. In the coming season he will be performing Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Toronto’s Opera by Request, and will be starting an Artist Diploma in Voice at the Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School, studying with Stephanie Bogle.

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Arcady Dancers

The Arcady Dancers have joined us this past season in three performances of Ruth in Brantford and Hamilton.  The team worked together to choreograph two numbers that beautifully represent the story.  The dancers range from age 10 to 17 and all study at Meyerhofer Academy of Dance in Cambridge.  As competitive dancers, they all rehearse countless times a week and began studying at a very young age.

Back Row (from left to right): Jana Dahmer, Sydney Mitton, Kirsten Sindle, Sarah Gomes, Jocelyn Bannon | Front Row: Alec Dahmer, Sami Tavares | Sydney Dauphin (Absent).

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To see our past Young Artists click here.