Hart House Chorus

Sought after for his musical versatility and collaborative creativity, Daniel is an active artistic director, conductor, and keyboardist. His love of music began with the melodious songs of Ariel the Mermaid and the danceable beats of the Mini-Pops. This gave way to choral repertoire of all kinds and a love of musicmaking with singers of all ages to promote education and real connection.

At Hart House, Daniel strives to perform an exciting array of choral music at a high level, while having as much fun as possible with the students and alumni throughout the rehearsal process.  He is thrilled to be working with the Chorus on this performance of Considering Matthew Shepard, and hopes the piece will be known and heard far and wide.

French pianist Mélisande Sinsoulier is a versatile and sought-after artist who has been seen on Canadian and European scenes. Recent appearances include performances at the 21C Music Festival, Toronto Summer Festival, the Sacred Music Festival in Quebec City, the Casa dei Mezzo Chamber Music Festival in Greece.

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After graduating in Piano Performance, Pedagogy and Chamber Music in France and Belgium, her fascination for poetry and the marriage of words and music led her to seek advice from Steven Philcox in the department of Collaborative Piano at University of Toronto. As a recipient of the Gwendolyn Williams Koldovsky Prize in Accompanying, her playing was qualified as “the kind of accompaniment that transcends piano accompaniment and puts the piano part on a level with the singing without fighting the singer”.

Her communicative personality and passion for her art have led her to positions as a pedagogue and collaborator at University of Toronto, York University, as well as independent artistic organizations.

Mélisande Sinsoulier has been involved with choirs for many years and it is with great excitement that she took position as the pianist of Hart House Chorus September 2022.

An alumnae of Hart House Chorus (2000-2003),  Catharin is delighted to be back performing with the group where she performed her very first oratorio ever in 2001 - Mozart Requiem with the Hart House Chorus under the direction of John Tuttle.

Now a full time professional singer, mezzo soprano Catharin Carew (she/they) is equally at home on both the operatic and concert stage, having performed a wide range of classical repertoire, from Baroque to Contemporary.  Described as "a real personality with a dark edge to her mezzo as well as clear top notes" (WhatsOnStage, UK) as well as "exhilarating" (Opera Canada), some career highlights have included premiering the role of Maeve in Ana Sokolovic's The Midnight Court at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden with Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, performing Mrs. Grose in the Aldeburgh production of The Turn of the Screw, singing in Tapestry New Opera Works' Queers Crash the Opera and working with Powerhouse Opera in 2022, singing the role of Klytaemnestra in their production of Elektra.  Catharin has performed 24 of Bach’s cantatas as a soloist through the Bach Vespers series at the Church of the Redeemer, including  BWV 12 in March 2024.

Most recently in the 2023 season Catharin premiered the role of Demeter in Elizabeth Raum's new opera Romance of the Gods with Orchestra Toronto, participated in a workshop presentation of Afarin Mansouri's opera The Refugees, made her debut as Brangäne in Powerhouse Opera's production of Tristan und Isolde, as well as appearing as mezzo soloist in Robert Cohen's oratorio Alzheimer Stories with Pax Christi Chorale.  Upcoming spring engagements include Mozart's Vespers and Schubert's Mass in C with Toronto Classical Singers with Juergen Petrenko, mezzo soloist in Alzheimer Stories with Chor Amica in London and Zanetto in Grand River Opera's production of the same name.

Will Reid is a Hamilton-based musician, conductor, and educator. He is happy to join the Hart House Chorus for Considering Matthew Shepard in person after joining them virtually in 2020. This is Will's third time performing with the Chorus, previously singing the Celebrant role in Bernstein's Mass. He has been a member of the Elora Singers, the Elmer Iseler Singers and the Nathaniel Dett Chorale. Always looking to expand his musical horizons, Will can be heard leading the funk and soul band Yasgurs Farm and the 50s Doo-Wop group, The Redeemers (http://theredeemers.ca/). By day, he is a high school music teacher in the Niagara Region.

Alex Samaras is a singing artist. His output as a performer and recording artist span every genre and style. Alex leads his own band, Tryal, and has released two records since 2017. His vocal group Grex, founded by Alex in 2010 explores the extremes of the human voice and the body/voice connection. Alex sings with the Queer Songbook Orchestra and is a singer and piano player on tour with Beverley Glenn Copeland. The Guardian noted “La Vita is a highlight tonight, sounding like a wayward trance classic, the stunning baritone of Alex Samaras pushing its propulsiveness to higher planes.”

Alex is an active member in the Toronto theatre and dance community. He has premiered new operas and created roles in new musicals including The Cave by Tomson Highway and John Millard and Universal Childcare by QuoteUnquote Collective. With Soundstreams he has performed Claude Vivier’s Musik für das Ende and Love Songs in Berlin and London. Cecilia Levingston wrote her piece ‘mark’ specifically for Alex in 2023.  He has worked as a composer and vocal collaborator with choreographers including Susie Burpee, Meredith Thompson and with Ame Henderson and Christopher House at the Toronto Dance Theatre.

Alex loves collaborating with people of all ages. He has taught at the University of Toronto Jazz and Classical Department, Humber College, Jazz Works Music Camp and National Music Camp, where he directed a chorus of 250 students. He is also the founder of the PAL Chorale, a community choir for seniors at the Performing Artists Lodge in Toronto. This year he will be releasing a new album of original songs with Tryal and a jazz album of obscure Judy Garland songs.

Toronto based baritone, Michael Robert-Broder (He/Him) is an engaging performer who has crafted an enviable career balanced between recital, oratorio, and opera engagements.  

Described as “smooth mellifluous baritone of a Gerald Finley or a Hermann Prey” (barczablog.com - Fidelio), he has specialized in the performance of German language opera and lieder above all else.  As Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier he “sang an impressive “Ein ernster Tag, ein grosser Tag” (ludwig-van.com) and as Jochanaan he gave “a stunningly lyrical reading of this role…singing a smoothly lyrical line throughout, putting out a fabulous wall of sound from time to time, always on pitch and never harsh sounding.” (barczablog.com).  In his portrayal of Nabucco he “sang solidly and with emotional range too.” (operaramblings.blog), as Dr. Falke he was praised for his “warm baritone” (Opera Canada), and in his premiere of The Ecstasy of Rita Joe he “fashioned a brilliantly conflicted Magistrate, stern and compassionate, cynical and resigned”  (operagoto.com).

Upcoming engagements include Handel’s Messiah, Dvořák’s Jakobin, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, Pasatieri’s The Seagull, Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro, and Verdi’s Nabucco.

Dora Award-winning clarinetist Marc Blouin has performed as a soloist with Symphony Nova Scotia, the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, and the Lytton Park Chamber Orchestra. He appears regularly with various groups across Southern Ontario including the Niagara Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, and the Windsor Symphony among others.

In 2018 he graduated from the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory, where he received the Ihnatowycz Emerging Artist Prize. 

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