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A dedicated, zealous baritone and multi-instrumentalist, Kieran Kane enjoys performing solo and ensemble work from a broad spectrum of eras and genres. He has been privileged to be involved with many fantastic groups including the Parish Choir of St. John’s Church in Elora under the direction of Noel Edison, the 2014 National Youth Choir conducted by Dr. Hilary Apflestadt, the 2013 Ontario You Choir conducted by Dr. Elroy Friesen, the University of Guelph Chamber Singers conducted by Dr. Marta McCarthy, and The Cantabile Choirs on Kingston Young Men’s Chorus conducted by Dr. Mark Sirett. Having played piano since age seven and alto saxophone since age thirteen, Kieran began singing on a whim upon receiving the part of Police Officer in his high school production of The Pirates of Penzance when he was sixteen. His enthusiasm for singing has grown steadily ever since and he is now completing his final year at the University of Guelph working towards a Bachelor of Arts, double-majoring in Music and English. Kieran studied with tenor Glyn Evans for four years at the university and he trains now with Marion Samuel-Stevens in her private studio. In his spare time, he enjoys running, devil sticks, and teaching voice lessons. Kieran looks forward to auditioning for Masters Programs in voice in the coming months and is thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the Arcady Young Artist Program.

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Kristen English is a passionate soprano from Lindsay, Ontario. She is currently in her final year at Wilfrid Laurier University studying with soprano, Leslie Fagan, while working towards an Honours Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and Music Education with a second teachable in French. She was a member of the 2014 National Youth Choir under the direction of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, is a six year member of the Ontario Youth Choir, and has been a member of the Laurier Singers chamber choir for two years. While at Laurier, she has performed the role of Barbarina in WLU Opera’s production of W.A. Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro as well as the partial roles of Gretel in E. Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel, Despina in W.A. Mozart’s Cosi fan tutti and Servillia in W.A. Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito in WLU Opera’s excerpts. Kristen has performed as a soloist for the Laurier Singers’ performance of G. Fauré’s Requiem and for the WLU Concert Choir’s performance of J.S. Bach’s Mass in A Major. As a chorister, Kristen has sung several large works with the Peterborough Singers and Laurier Singers choirs such as, Handel’s Messiah, Britten’s War Requiem, Monteverdi’s Vespers, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Orff’s Carmina Burana and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. She has a great love for oratorio and hopes to pursue a career as a soloist and professional chorister. Kristen also intends to complete a Bachelor of Education, with the hope of eventually teaching music and French. Along with being a student, she currently works as a life guard, competitive swimming coach and aquatics instructor, and is an active member of the Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario.

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Soprano Olivia Maldonado from Stoney Creek greatly enjoys exploring Renaissance to modern repertoire. In April of 2014, she completed her Honours Bachelor of Music with a minor in Biology and a Performance Diploma at McMaster University.  She first received vocal training with Susan Lindsay in Stoney Creek and has continued her studies with Richard Cunningham.  Olivia has been a Teaching Assistant for a music course at McMaster University since the Spring session of 2013 and has also assisted in a choral research project under the supervision and direction of Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff.  She received training from the Royal Conservatory of Music in both piano and voice and has been the recipient of the Joan Frances Bowling Scholarship in Music, the Merriam School of Music Scholarship, and the University of Toronto Vari Scholarship.  Beginning September 2014, she will be continuing her studies at the Ontario Institute of Education at the University of Toronto.  Olivia has volunteered as a sight-singing examiner with the Hamilton Children’s Choir, was a student conductor for the McMaster Women’s Choir in the winter session of 2014, and has been involved as a chorister for Masters in this Hall under the direction of Richard Cunningham.  She has also been the cantor at St. Eugene’s Parish in Hamilton for six years and greatly enjoys singing for Masses and weddings. Olivia is very excited to perform with Arcady and hopes to share her passion for music to students and to her audience.

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Soprano Sarah McQueen holds a Bachelor of Music from Dalhousie University and a Masters in Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario. She has performed Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Halifax Summer Opera Workshop), Drusilla in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (UWOpera) and internationally as Agata in Cagnoni’s little-known gem Don Bucefalo (La Musica Lirica). Her oratorio performances include Handel’s Messiah with the Saint John Chorale, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore with the Festival Singers of Halifax, and Bach’s St John Passion with the Dalhousie Chorale. As a vocal teacher in the Brantford area, Sarah loves to inspire and motivate her students with her love and knowledge of music.        

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Soprano Katherine Napiwotzki holds a Master of Music in Voice Performance and Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Toronto, studying with Lorna MacDonald. Born in Stratford, ON, Katherine gave her first concert performance singing Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock as part of the Stratford Chamber Music Society’s concert series. Recently, she performed Dvořák’s Te Deum with the KW Symphony Youth Orchestra at Centre in the Square. As a soprano with a passion for oratorio and new music, she has worked with composers Ronald Beckett, John Beckwith, Norbert Palej, and Arshak Andriasov. In 2012, she performed the Norwegian music of Edvard Grieg in An Afternoon of Nordic Song at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and in 2011 performed at the Bach Music Festival of Canada.Operatic performances include the role of First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro and Suor Valentine in Les Dialogues des Carmélites.