2026 Recipients

This past summer, I participated in the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Baden bei Wien, Austria, a prestigious master course dedicated to the study of German Lieder and poetry, thanks to the tremendous generosity and kindness of the Art Song Foundation of Canada and their donors. Through their exceptional support, I was able to take part in this incredibly formative artistic experience and engage with this incredible art form and its advocates in ways I could never have otherwise imagined.

Over the course of this intense yet rewarding program, my duo partner, Paige Robinson, and I had the tremendous opportunity to study with leading figures in various disciplines to improve our grasp of German Lieder, a repertoire that spreads over several centuries and has broad-ranging applications for my general approach to the keyboard. These esteemed mentors covered a wide breadth of backgrounds and abilities. During my weeks at the institute, we had the opportunity to work with old-school masters like Robert Holl and Helmut Deutsch, current touring concert artists like Roger Vignoles and Julius Drake, and even some of Austria’s leading actors, like Gabriele Jacoby. Through a true immersion in both text and music, the program allowed us to challenge our preconceptions about this repertoire and build on our own original ideas through the synthesis of all the masters’ advice.

On a personal level, I found it extremely rewarding to immerse myself so fully in the Lieder tradition with a like-minded duo partner, as well as the congenial community of exciting young artists with whom we were fortunate enough to share the stage. Having such a tight-knit group who supported one another through thick and thin allowed me to feel truly at home and able to be artistically vulnerable on and off stage. One of the fondest non-musical memories I have of the program was poetry night, where everyone (pianists included!) presented a prepared German poem. The hospitality of my peers and teachers made it a truly unforgettable night.

Overall, the program marked a significant milestone in my professional career, both as a musician and a person. Through navigating this gratifying experience, I was able to learn so much about my artistic process, not only as a collaborator, but as a confident interpreter. Therefore, I once again extend my profound thanks to the Art Song Foundation for making this experience possible and for fundamentally transforming me as an artist.

Devon Packer at the organ Mozart played in Baden

I am very thankful for the generous support of the Art Song Foundation of Canada, which made it possible for me to spend this unforgettable summer in Baden. Being there allowed me to connect with musicians from all around the world, each bringing their own artistry, curiosity, and passion for Lieder. One of the most meaningful parts of the experience was forming a close partnership with my duo partner, Caroline Gélinas. Working together every day helped us grow not only musically, but also as collaborators who trust and inspire one another.

The mentors at the Franz-Schubert-Institut challenged me and encouraged me in ways that pushed me far beyond my comfort zone. Their guidance helped me deepen my understanding of the relationship between German poetry and Lieder, and I felt myself growing as a musician, pianist, and collaborator. I learned to listen differently, to shape phrases with more intention, and to approach text with greater sensitivity.

Anson Ng with Caroline Gélinas

One of the most inspiring aspects of my time in Baden was simply being in the town itself, a place where Beethoven once lived and composed. Walking through those streets and performing in historic venues made me feel connected to a long tradition of artistry. Playing in those spaces was deeply motivating, and it reminded me why I love this art form so much.

Thank you to the Art Song Foundation of Canada for supporting me and giving me the chance to have this life‑changing experience. Immersing myself fully in Lieder in Baden has transformed me, and I will carry these lessons forward in my future collaborations and performances.

This summer, I had the extraordinary opportunity to immerse myself in Austrian culture, language, and German Lieder through the Franz-Schubert-Institut, a five-week intensive program in Baden bei Wien. This opportunity was made possible by the generous support of the Art Song Foundation of Canada and its donors, leaving a lasting impact on my musical and artistic growth as a young artist.

One of the greatest gifts the Franz-Schubert-Institut gave me was the sheer depth of musical knowledge and exposure it provided. Over the course of five weeks, we were exposed to over 325 Lieder, with each of the 13 duos preparing 26 Lieder to coach throughout the program. We worked with 18 different masters and coaches, and approached the repertoire through masterclasses and individual musical and poetry coachings with renowned artists including Julius Drake, Robert Holl, Helmut Deutsch, and Birgid Steinberger. My knowledge of the repertoire expanded significantly, but perhaps more important, so did the way I receive and understand others’ performances. With five hours of masterclasses every day, I spent an enormous amount of time listening, not only to music I knew, but also to repertoire I had never encountered before, and was able to observe a wide range of how different teachers approach the interpretation of German Lieder. As a singer, I particularly valued the opportunity to develop my understanding of the pianist’s perspective. Through watching and listening in abundance, I gained a strong interpretive opinion of the piano line and how the voice and piano can respond to and shape one another.

I was also incredibly fortunate to attend the program with my duo partner, Devon Packer. We had been working together for a year before arriving in Baden, and the concentrated time we spent together allowed our musical partnership to grow tremendously. In one especially memorable coaching with Waltraud Österreicher, she asked each of us to take turns leading the other through a piece according to our own musical instincts. The resulting response was an instantaneous intuitive musical connection. By simply listening and responding to one another, the music became a language between the two of us. I think that is one of the most extraordinary things music can do: it allows us to communicate something that words cannot always express. I am incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with someone as brilliant and emotionally intuitive as Devon.

In recital with Devon Packer

Beyond the performances, some of my most treasured memories came from simply being in Baden. I cannot begin to express all of the joys this small town gave me, along with the people I shared the experience with. I truly won the lottery with my host mom, who welcomed me so warmly, and I will always treasure the everyday moments we shared, from playing Kniffel with her and her daughters to staying up late into the evening talking. The friendships I formed through the Franz-Schubert-Institut are relationships I know I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I met people I never would have met otherwise and, despite having known them for a short time, found friendships built on an incredible sense of trust and vulnerability. These artists inspire me every time they perform, and they continue to inspire me to be the artist and person I am today.

The significance of this experience extends beyond my musical development, as the Franz-Schubert-Institut marked my first time travelling outside North America. Austria has been at the very top of my bucket list for years; so being able to spend five weeks there studying the repertoire I love felt incredibly special. I have loved the German language since I was young, and German Lieder has always been the repertoire I’ve felt most connected to. The opportunity to immerse myself so intensely in the language, poetry, and musical style of this repertoire was a rare privilege that I cherished deeply.

For all of these reasons, I am incredibly grateful to the Art Song Foundation of Canada for making this experience possible. Your generosity has given me the opportunity to carry this experience with me towards my future career and to continue my growth as a young developing artist.

I am deeply grateful to the Art Song Foundation of Canada for enabling my sojourn in Baden bei Wien, Austria, to attend the Franz-Schubert-Institut this summer. My experience as a pianist was incredibly enriching and transformative. I felt very blessed to be partnered with Anna Bæk Christenson, who is not only a gifted lyric soprano, but a phenomenal conductor and pianist too. During the five-week course, we had the opportunity to work with several of my longtime Lieder pianist heroes, including Julius Drake, Helmut Deutsch, and Roger Vignoles.

Highlights of the program included performing Lieder by Marx and Zemlinsky, along with some lesser-performed Schubert gems, like Mayrhofer’s Iphigenia. I am grateful to Richard Stokes for his help in translating a poem by my late grandmother, who passed away recently as the last German-speaking relative in my family. I feel as though I have reconnected to my grandma and to my own Mennonite heritage because of this poem, which was originally written in English and now exists in German too. Anna and I also enjoyed the chance to perform in a care-home concert for senior citizens in Baden. As a music facilitator for senior residents in Winnipeg, I found it so meaningful to participate in this concert at a care home across the world!

I am especially thankful for the many lessons with Michael McMahon, who helped me to recalibrate my approach to the piano at a time when I was searching for technical ease and freedom. Poetry seminars with Frans Huijts, Christian Filips, and Richard Stokes ignited in me a fascination for German romantic philosophy and a deep love for the German language. Coachings with Gabriele Jacoby and Benno Schollum were especially helpful in guiding my pronunciation of German and illuminating the poetry of our selected songs.

Memories of making music with Anna (sometimes in role reversal) will forever live on in mind and heart. My approach to Lieder, German language, practice, rehearsal, performance, and music in general has been completely transformed as a direct result of this program. I am eternally appreciative of the rare time and space the Franz-Schubert-Institut offered me to absorb the genre of Lieder as a way of playing and living. Maybe most of all, I will miss communing at the Heurigen after each concert with the most inspiring cohort of musicians and friends.

Thank you to the Art Song Foundation for helping me experience this Traum of a summer!

Participants on a hike in Austria

This summer, I returned to the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Baden bei Wien for a second year, from July 6 to August 8, with the generous support of the Art Song Foundation of Canada. Last summer opened my eyes to what Lieder could be; this year, I came back to test a year of technical work against the Institut’s extraordinary teaching. With pianist Tanguy Verneuil, I brought a package of Schubert, Strauss, Marx, Brahms, and Beethoven to the masterclasses.

The biggest discovery was my own voice. Over five weeks in Baden, it began revealing itself, allowing me more poetic and expressive opportunities. I came home with a clear direction for this season: exploring lyric repertoire with the support of my teachers and coaches. A second summer allowed me to stop absorbing the work and start owning it. I am particularly proud of my investment in vibrato, legato, diction, and interpretation. At several moments, it felt as if time stopped for Tanguy and me. We had the audience in our hands. I will cherish those performing memories.

In recital with Tanguy Verneuil

Equally, being able to attend the course alongside my partner and tenor Michael Christopher was a dream come true. It helped lay a beautiful foundation for our relationship. The course allowed us to support each other’s journey through shared understanding of repertoire and ‘tenoring’. My performance of Morgen! was inspired by our love and our journey at FSI.

Last weekend, I joined the Association for Opera in Canada at the Manitoba Arts Network Showcase in Brandon to pitch a German Lieder recital for tour. At the opening reception, I performed two Lieder alongside two original songs, and the performance sparked conversations that carried through the whole conference. It also led to a new connection with Wesley Hodges, Executive Director of Tiger Hills Arts Association, who is interested in bringing German Lieder to his community, where many speakers of high and low German would benefit from our repertoire and what we learned about interpreting it. The program is flexible and can include both our German Lieder repertoire and/or my original folk music. I’m now applying to the Manitoba Arts Council’s Create program with Tiger Hills to develop a Lieder recital package, including performances, community outreach, and school workshops, that I hope will grow into a Manitoba tour. Additionally, I am hopeful that I will be able to invite Tanguy back from France, where he is based now, to join me in that next adventure.

Thank you for believing in me . . . twice, and in the future of art song in Canada.

This summer, I attended the Franz-Schubert-Institute in Baden bei Wien, Austria, a five-week course dedicated to the study of Lieder. Thank you to the Art Song Foundation of Canada for your support. I am very grateful.

Arushi Das with Richard Stokes

My duo partner, Cecilia Nguyen Tran, and I prepared 26 lieder for the course. We performed in masterclasses nearly every day for wonderful musicians including Robert Holl, Julius Drake, Wolfram Rieger, and Dorothea Röschmann. Along with individual sessions in diction and German declamation, vocal and piano coaching, and group poetry class, this was a deeply immersive experience with very supportive faculty.

I learned so much about the flow of German language, the connection between language and music, different ways to use one’s technique in the service of the music, and the extent to which we can stay loyal to the composer’s intentions while also having individual freedom and choices. I left with a long list of Lieder that I would like to learn someday, many new ideas about the process of learning and teaching singing, and a desire to delve deeper and beyond the score!

Thank you for your support. It means so much.

This past summer, the Art Song Foundation of Canada awarded me a bursary to attend the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Austria. In the five weeks that I was there, my partner, Arushi Das, and I learned about Lieder from some of the masters of the art form who live in Austria or the UK. We learned from both singers and pianists, and all of the masters had a lot to say.

The biggest thing we learned was the importance of diction and understanding the poetry and flow of the language. The nice thing about being able to learn in Austria was that we heard German spoken all around us. Even though the classes were taught in English, the culture was all German. I can only speak for myself, but I did attempt to converse at the cafés and stores in German, with some success; it was appreciated that I tried. We had so many diction classes from different teachers, and it was interesting to hear slight differences in diction, depending on whether they were German or Austrian. Everyone said they could hear the improvement in the few weeks I was there; so that was very encouraging.

The poetry classes were interesting. I’ve always found that I can be quite dense about poetry; so hearing other peoples’ interpretations and understanding always fascinates me. It was great having Richard Stokes come in to give a few classes. He works very quickly, but efficiently. And he was so amazingly blunt about what his chosen poems were about that they finally made sense to me.

The masterclasses themselves were intense, but I learned a lot. Everyone was wonderfully direct, and some comments really made me think about myself as a musician and consider the idea separate from the person. I think it’s so easy for us to take criticism negatively. It is so personal because the music we make means so much to us, but there were definitely a couple of moments where I had to put myself aside and consider how the comment could make the music better. I think that’s where I grew the most. Yes, we do what the instructor says in the moment, and accept that the music could be better, but it’s only in that moment. Some of the things that really made me consider things more than in just that moment really pushed me to grow. It was a rewarding experience in many ways.

I am grateful that I could attend this past summer. It was inspiring to meet so many other musicians from Canada and the rest of the world who are interested in learning about art song. It was an environment where I was surrounded by amazing musicians, and everyone was so supportive of the learning processes of their colleagues. I’m really glad that I had this opportunity. Thank you again to the Art Song Foundation for supporting me in this endeavour.

In recital with Arushi Das

This summer, I was fortunate to spend two amazing weeks studying in Tours, France, at the Académie Francis Poulenc. I already knew it was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but nothing could have prepared me for all that I was about to learn. As a non-Francophone, I have to admit I was a bit nervous about tackling so much French repertoire. However, with the support of the faculty, my fellow duos in the program, and my collaborative partner, Adrian Tsui, I gained a newfound confidence and a genuine excitement for learning and performing French mélodie.

During my time at the Académie Francis Poulenc, I had a memorable conversation with François Le Roux about how different styles and periods of classical music can come more naturally to certain singers. He used the analogy of having keys to certain composers’ houses. François shared that he has the keys to Debussy’s house. With Debussy, he knows how to approach a new piece and he understands the composer’s musical language instinctively. This conversation made me wonder which doors I have keys to right now and which composers’ houses I feel locked out of.  This conversation made me realize that, to become a well-rounded musician, I need to keep collecting as many of these ‘keys’ as possible and seek guidance for those I haven’t yet attained. I still have many keys to collect, but my time at the Académie Francis Poulenc gave me the confidence to keep exploring and performing repertoire that feels unfamiliar or daunting.

Now that it’s been over a month since my time in France, this conversation has stayed with me as I begin my time as a Rebanks Family Fellow at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. I have structured my year of independent study around this analogy, focusing each month on an area of repertoire or a composer I want to find the key to.

I am writing with many thanks to the Art Song Foundation of Canada for providing the bursary that covered my travel costs and made my participation at the Académie Francis Poulenc possible. Thank you!!!!

In recital with Adrian Tsui

Coming Soon

Thanks to the generosity of the Art Song Foundation of Canada, I had the opportunity to participate in the 2026 Barcelona Festival of Song. Founded by Dr. Patricia Caicedo, a soprano and musicologist from Colombia, this program was a uniquely valuable personal and professional experience.

This festival consisted of practical masterclasses and curated lectures dedicated to the study of Latin American and Iberian art songs in Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese. This programming contributed to a holistic exploration of underrepresented composers and their languages from within the traditions of the classical art song genre. Through collaborating with pianists Dr. Jung-A Lee and Dr. Nikos Stavlas and guitarist Dr. José Lezcano, I gained insights into ensemble playing and was exposed to the nuances of making creative decisions while remaining authentic to the assigned compositions. Under the guidance of Brazilian tenor, Dr. Leniñe Santos, I worked to interpret the works of some of my favourite repertoire and poetry from the composers Alberto Costa and Francisco de sá Noronha.

One of the highlights of attending this festival was taking a field trip to the Library of Catalonia, where our tour guide displayed the original archival scores from some of Spain’s most influential classical composers, such as Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados.

In addition to attending various concerts hosted by the festival, all participants gave two performances at the Reial Cercle Artístic de Barcelona (a recital hall located within the gothic quarter of Barcelona). Inspired by my own heritage as a Latin American soprano, I showcased the works of Colombian composer Pedro Biava Ramponi and Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos.

In concert in Barcelona

As I reflect on my time in Barcelona, I feel grateful for having had the chance to critically analyze and learn from the traditional folk-song history, diction, and musical style of so much exquisite repertoire. As I continue my journey in performance, I look forward to sharing these pieces with others in an effort to display the wealth of art song that exists beyond the boundaries of the Western canon.

To reiterate, I would like to express a sincere thank you to the Art Song Foundation of Canada for their support in making this experience possible and for their dedication to investing in the education and futures of young artists.

I am writing to you to express my gratitude for your generous support of my residency at the Académie Orford Musique. I was so fortunate to be able to spend a week at the 2026 vocal program, working with Wendy Nilesen and Liz Upchurch. It allowed me an incredible opportunity to work intensively with both of them, honing my craft and collaborating with artists from around the world. I am so grateful I was able to attend with your support.

It was an incredible experience to be surrounded by nature in Mount Orford National Park and to be able to work with Wendy and Liz, whose guidance has had a profound impact on my musical and artistic growth. The program included daily lessons and coachings, as well as masterclasses with the whole cohort of singers and pianists. It was a full week of being able to focus on nothing but making music, and I left feeling so inspired — a feeling that still hasn’t left me, even now.

Participants of the 2026 academy

Wendy and Liz have such a wealth of knowledge, and working with both of them was an invaluable opportunity to develop my craft both technically and artistically. With Wendy, I was able to focus on technique and address my singing with thorough and concentrated work in our lessons. Studying with Liz was equally inspiring. I learned so much from her approach, both through her attention to language, phrasing, and musical structure, as well as through her knowledge of the relationship between singer and pianist. I am so grateful I was able to work with them both. Their complementary perspectives allowed me to explore my artistry and develop a stronger sense of who I am as a performer.

It was just as inspiring to work with the wonderful cohort of singers and pianists, and to learn from the myriad ideas and experiences each one brought to the program. Throughout the week, I was fortunate to be paired with Catherine Li, a pianist from Sydney, Australia. We were able to work on our repertoire as a duo, and explore the many facets of collaboration. Catherine brought so many interesting ideas and new perspectives to the song repertoire we worked on, and we are still connected now, even on different continents!

Thank you so much for providing support to make this experience possible. I am so grateful that I was able to attend the Académie Orford Musique with the support of the Art Song Foundation of Canada. This bursary provided much more than financial assistance. It gave me access to exceptional mentorship and an artistic environment that will continue to influence my work well beyond my time at Orford. Once again, thank you so much for your support.

I am very grateful to have participated in the Summer Academy at Orford Musique, an intensive program that brought together young singers and musicians from Canada and abroad for several weeks of study, coaching, masterclasses, and performance opportunities. Throughout the academy, I had the privilege of studying with an exceptional faculty of artists, including Wendy Nielsen, Liz Upchurch, Benjamin Butterfield, Romain Pollet, Christian Immler, and Francis Perron. Each teacher offered a different perspective on vocal technique, interpretation, and diction. During my three-week stay, we covered a great variety of works by Mozart, Liszt, Fauré, Schubert, Schumann, etc. In addition, because the academy is located inside the beautiful Orford National Park, it provides a restorative environment for us to explore outside practice time.

One of the highlights of my experience was performing Liszt’s Oh! Quand je dors in one of the Rising Star Concerts. It is one of the songs that speaks to me the most and I find it extremely intimate. Having the opportunity to share this piece with an extremely supportive audience was both exciting and meaningful, and it allowed me to put into practice many of the artistic ideas I had explored during the academy.

Beyond the musical experiences, I feel especially fortunate to have become friends with my collaborative pianist, Cara, who came all the way from Sydney, Australia, to study at Orford. Sharing rehearsals, performances, and everyday experiences with her made the academy even more memorable and reminded me of the wonderful connections that music can create across cultures and continents.

I sincerely thank the Art Song Foundation of Canada for their generous financial support, which made this experience possible and allowed me to benefit fully from this formative artistic opportunity.

A group photo of the 2026 cohort

Through the support of the Art Song Foundation of Canada, I was fortunate to attend two weeks of piano-and-voice duo training at Orford Music Academy in Mont-Orford, Québec, this summer.

During my time at Orford, I was able to study under Liz Upchurch, Wendy Nielsen, Romain Pollet, and Benjamin Butterfield. Throughout the two weeks in the beautiful atmosphere provided by the program, we were able to take part in masterclasses, lessons, and coaching sessions. In addition, each week concluded with a short concert for our peers, as well as various public concerts.

During the program, I was able to work with pianist Catherine Li, a new colleague from the Sydney Conservatory in Australia. We got to know each other as we worked on repertoire together throughout the program. It was a treat to be able to work with Catherine for the two weeks on various repertoire and to grow together as musicians.

As a singer, I had a great learning experience, working with new teachers and being able to watch them work with the other singers and pianists in the masterclasses. I gained many valuable insights about different nuances in both music and language, and was also incredibly inspired by my peers. I look forward to furthering the skills gained through my weeks spent at Orford during the coming school year and beyond into my future growth as a young artist.

Thank you to the Art Song Foundation for your generous support to attend this program!

Participants after a concert

I would like to thank the Art Song Foundation of Canada for their generous support in allowing me to study at Orford Musique with Wendy Nielsen and Liz Upchurch this summer. Nestled in the Eastern Townships, the academy allowed me to learn while immersed in nature. I especially treasured waking each morning to birdsong in the woods, just fifteen minutes from the lake.

A particular highlight was the chance to collaborate with fellow program members, including performing a piece for voice and harp during a harp masterclass. I also had the opportunity to perform in a community hall for the local residents of Magog, whose warmth and enthusiasm made for an unforgettable audience. Lastly, a special moment was laughing and cheering with fellow participants beneath a double rainbow that spread right above the academy’s beautiful campus.

Experiences like this remind me how vital this kind of support is in shaping young artists. I am deeply grateful to the Art Song Foundation for making it possible.

Nicole Chan with Christian Immler (L) and Francis Perron (R)

I am so grateful to have spent a week in June 2026 singing and collaborating at the beautiful Orford Music Academy with dear friends, old and new! Not only was it a chance to connect with a few of my fellow students from the University of Toronto, but I was also privileged to meet young singers from different musical programs across Canada and beyond.

As described in the program materials, the piano-voice duo program is “designed for singers and piano accompanists who wish to refine the art of recital performance and deepen their interpretation”. The Nielsen-Upchurch week that I attended, entitled The Art of the Recital: Art Song and the Vocal Repertoire, allowed all of us students plenty of time to engage meaningfully with art song.

During the program, I had daily performance opportunities, masterclasses, and individualized feedback that helped me to reflect on my practice and to develop new or recently acquired skills. My excitement for the week grew even more upon meeting our incredible program instructors, Wendy Nielsen and Liz Upchurch. Both Wendy and Liz are so incredibly full of knowledge, and it is clear to their students how eager they are to teach young performers! They created such a safe space in the masterclass setting, encouraging participants to get up in front of everyone and try out pieces they may not feel as comfortable with. I did just that when I decided I would sing a difficult aria I’m working on for the upcoming year. I always hope that summer programs will push me out of my comfort zone and help to foster my musical inspiration. I’m so thankful for their tutelage and am amazed by their talent.

The academy offered a peaceful and secluded campus that allowed plenty of time to reflect on the importance of music in my life and on my love of singing. I knew that, between the busy years of my Master’s degree, I needed a summer program that would allowed and even encourage me to pause and take a breath, to slow down and really focus on the repertoire that would propel me through the final year of my degree. Orford Music made this possible with their practice rooms, each of them featuring a beautiful view of nature. I was able to experience a wide variety of scenic views, thanks to the academy’s abundance of available practice hours. Feeling so immersed in nature while I worked on my craft was a welcome and beautiful reminder that I am part of something bigger and that there is life outside the practice room. The program seems to have been designed to integrate with nature: outside of formal sessions, there were opportunities for nature walks, trips to the beach, and evenings around the campfire. Essentially, the program was thoughtful about the whole singer and their full experience.

A very special part of the week was getting to collaborate with Cara, a pianist who came to Orford all the way from the Sydney Conservatory of Music in Australia! We began coordinating our efforts before her trip to Canada, which enabled us to begin working together with ease upon our arrival at Orford. Cara and I got to spend the week telling each other about Canadian and Australian opera, and working on music from Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, as well as Richard Strauss’s Op. 48!

I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Art Song Foundation of Canada for supporting my attendance at this program. Experiences like these are so fundamental to a vocalist’s development, and your support in helping me to attend is what made the experience possible for me. Thank you for helping to ensure that these opportunities are financially attainable for young artists.

Participants of the 2026 program

Thanks to the generous support of the Art Song Foundation of Canada, I was fortunate enough to attend the Art of Lied and Mélodie program in Kitchener, Ontario. I was especially grateful to participate alongside pianist and fellow program participant Gavin Yeomans, with whom I prepared 45 minutes of repertoire over the course of the ten-day program.

Through several public masterclasses with Laetitia Bougnol and Daniel Lichti, Gavin and I delved deeply into the interpretation of our repertoire. Particular emphasis was placed on the text as the most important element in song, inspiring us to explore the poetry and style of each piece more fully. I also came away with a much deeper understanding of what it means to be an effective collaborator and, through rehearsals and piano masterclasses, I gained a new appreciation for the vital role the piano plays in an art song performance.

In concert with Gavin Yeomans

One of the highlights of the program was the opportunity to perform almost all of the repertoire we prepared through five performances. Some of my favourites were Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder and Chausson’s Chanson perpétuelle. Two intimate house concerts gave us the freedom to experiment with our performances and, afterward, to speak directly with audience members about their experiences and thoughts. Our three public performances took place in a beautiful church setting and were professionally recorded, providing another valuable opportunity to share our work with audiences.

The program has had a lasting impact on how I approach art song. Throughout the rest of my studies and beyond, I hope to place even greater emphasis on poetry and collaboration, and on creating a meaningful connection with listeners. I am deeply grateful to the Art Song Foundation of Canada and its donors for making this experience possible and for supporting passionate young musicians in their pursuit of this art form.

This July, with generous support from the Art Song Foundation of Canada, I was privileged to participate for a second time in The Art of Lied & Mélodie Music Festival and Mastercourse, offered by the acclaimed Canadian bass-baritone Daniel Lichti in partnership with collaborative pianist Laetitia Bougnol of France’s Conservatoire de Lyon. The inclusion of mélodie in the course is new since my participation in 2024; so the opportunity to work on French art song with a native speaker this time was a big draw for me, in addition to the special focus on art song repertoire that has been orchestrated.

The Art of Lied & Mélodie is a ten-day intensive designed for six voice-piano pairs to explore German and French art song of their choosing. Applicants had the option to apply as a duo or as individuals. This time my collaborator, Angus Sinclair, and I applied as a duo. We met in advance of the program to discuss repertoire options and decided to challenge ourselves with Hector Berlioz’ song cycle Les nuits d’été, as well as a few lighter selections we knew we could have ready for performance earlier in the week.

The core schedule for Art of Lied consists of two hours of practice time with our partner in the morning at a pre-assigned location in downtown Kitchener, followed by a three-hour masterclass in the afternoon at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (home base), which is open to the public. Masterclass time is split evenly with Dan and Laetitia in alternation over the days of the course: three groups go with Dan to focus on voice while three go with Laetitia to focus on piano. I love this scheduling model because each duo receives an hour of coaching every day! Of the several workshops I’ve done over the past few years, this is the only one I feel allots the appropriate amount of one-on-one instruction time to its participants. It really makes the course worthwhile.

Outside the core rehearsal/masterclass schedule, there are plenty of performance opportunities: three public concerts, two private house recitals, and a church service! The workshop ends with two (of the three) public concerts curated by The Art of Lied & Mélodie participants. Over these two final performances, my partner and I offered Les nuits d’été song cycle in full.

Learning and performing the whole cycle is, for me, a major accomplishment. The work is more serious in subject matter and more technically dramatic than anything I’ve studied before. In the beginning, I was intimidated by it, but now I feel exceptionally proud of what Angus and I produced under Dan’s and Laetitia’s expert coaching. They really helped us realize and relish the expressive nuances of the French language and of Berlioz’ composition, freeing the voice and bringing poetry to the accompaniment. Next time I will not be so easily intimidated by this style of art song!

In our busy lives as professional musicians, we often do not have the luxury of time to learn the music we wish. If it weren’t for our acceptance into The Art of Lied & Mélodie, I can say with full confidence that my collaborator and I would not have been able to learn this song cycle — in full — as quickly as we did. I am so, so pleased to add this jewel to my repertoire list and I look forward to continuing to develop my relationship with this masterwork through future performances. Perhaps even with orchestra some day!

My sincerest thanks to the Art Song Foundation of Canada for assisting my musical journey for a second time!

Autumn Debassige in masterclass

Participating in The Art of Lied & Mélodie program was an enriching and transformative experience. Over the course of ten days, the participants collaborated closely and learned from the brilliant instructors, Laetitia Bougnol and Daniel Lichti. The program provided a dynamic, supportive space to dive deeply into diverse French and German art song repertoire, refine technical nuances, and push the boundaries of my collaborative performance skills.

The core daily cycle of the program consisted of rehearsal time in the morning with our duo partner in the sanctuary of a local church, followed by presenting our repertoire to our peers and an instructor in a three-hour masterclass in the afternoon. We also performed in two evening house concerts, a church service, and three public evening concerts at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in downtown Kitchener.

In a house concert with Cleo Harcus

During the program, I explored a wide variety of art song repertoire written for orchestra and solo voice with my duo partner, soprano Cleo Harcus. The works we focused on included selections from Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne, Chausson’s Chanson perpétuelle, and Gustav Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder. The extensive rehearsal time each day of the program allowed us to develop a strongly integrated ensemble sound in our performances. The masterclasses offered invaluable feedback on dramatic interpretation, collaborative principles, and playing with orchestral technique. Laetitia also offered us additional training workshops focused on practical skills like transposition and efficient sight-reading of orchestral and chamber ensemble scores at the piano. Applying these insights in real time during our daily masterclasses and the house concerts spread throughout the duration of the program allowed us to feel a strong sense of building on previous instruction and developing a precise artistic voice by the end of the program.

Beyond the formal sessions, the sense of community fostered throughout the program was exceptionally strong. Due to an imbalance in the number of singers and pianists, many participants ended up working with more than one partner, which encouraged us to connect more broadly with the whole group rather than just within our own duo. In addition to my duo partner, I also had the opportunity to collaborate with a baritone on Ravel’s Don Quichotte à Dulcinée. Whether we were spending hours working through repertoire in the practice rooms at Wilfrid Laurier University, attending local live music and theatre shows together, or gathering for receptions after evening performances, the program encouraged deep peer connections. Sharing perspectives, supporting one another through rehearsals, and discussing artistic goals helped forge lasting personal and professional friendships that added an extraordinary dimension to the experience.

The program concluded with a series of final concerts showcasing the collective growth and artistry built throughout the week, as well as our camaraderie. I am deeply grateful to the Art Song Foundation of Canada whose generosity made my participation in this incredible program possible. Your sponsorship keeps the beautiful tradition of art song alive in Canada and enables emerging artists like me to have the time, space, and mentorship needed to hone our craft and build strong artistic networks for the future. Thank you for your support, and I hope to work with your organization in future.

My experience of being part of the Ukrainian Art Song Project’s Summer Institute was extremely formative and a real artistic and creative experience. I was thrilled to be an artist in this program.

I had previously sung in the Ukrainian language in choirs, but I had limited experience. This program provided me with a whole new challenge. My family on my mother’s side is Ukrainian, and I’ve met a lot of my relatives; I remember my Baba from when I was young. Being partly Ukrainian had never been a large part of my identity as a person and artist; it was something that unfortunately lost its way some with my family through the generations. My mother’s father, my Gido, is a very proud Ukrainian man, though he doesn’t speak much of the language. I must admit I was a bit nervous and anxious going into this program. I wanted to do well vocally, both to showcase the music and to do justice to it, especially as some of the pieces I and others performed were new and this was the first time they would be sung. Going in was daunting and exciting, and this learning experience was exceptional.

It was helpful that I had some friends attending the program and that my professor Benjamin Butterfield has been a part of the program for many years. He was instrumental in teaching us all about the culture, language, and country.

As soon as we arrived on the first day and had met everyone, we got to work almost immediately in individual lessons with the wonderful voice faculty and piano faculty. It was evident from the first day that this is a really special program. Within the first couple of days of masterclasses and presentations from scholars who came in and spoke about some of the composers whose music we were performing, we felt great joy and pride in what we would all be performing. This program was a celebration of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. The wonderful faculty, support services, and educational mentors pushed me creatively and artistically.

The support from the Art Song Foundation of Canada is something that’s truly inspiring and appreciated. I could not be more grateful for this opportunity to make this beautiful music and sincerely grow not only as a singer, but as an artist and person. Thank you!

Participants of the 2026 Ukrainian art song festival

This summer I had the opportunity to attend the Ukrainian Art Song Project Summer Institute in Toronto, thanks to the generous support of the Art Song Foundation of Canada. The program spanned one week, during which the vocalists had the opportunity to participate in two coaching sessions and a masterclass each day. The faculty at the program was exceptional. Benjamin Butterfield, Andrea Ludwig, Steven Philcox, Leanne Regehr, and Melanie Turgeon were an incredible team, sharing their unique expertise in technique, diction, and interpretation. We were also fortunate to work with Canadian baritone Brett Polegato, who led two masterclasses, helping many of us to develop a deeper level of interpretation and to increase our artistry. Learning from such an accomplished team of mentors provided me with new perspectives that I will continue to carry with me as I develop as an artist.

Before the start of the program, we were assigned two solo pieces, a duet, and a ensemble number, which were all to be performed at the final concert on the Sunday concluding the program. As someone with limited previous exposure to Ukrainian language and music, I immediately fell in love with the repertoire I was given. Exploring this new music was an incredibly rewarding experience. I had the honour of premiering a new composition by Myroslav Volynskyi and also collaborated with cellist Roman Borys, two particularly meaningful highlights of my week.

The Ukrainian Art Song Project Summer Institute gave me an unforgettable experience, allowing me to discover beautiful repertoire, learn from incredible mentors, and create lasting friendships. Because of this program, I feel I have grown into a stronger, more confident artist and have developed a new passion for Ukrainian music that I am eager to share with others.

I am very grateful for this experience and for the generosity of the Art Song Foundation of Canada for making this possible, allowing me, as well as many other young artists, to grow and learn through these opportunities.

The 2026 cohort of Ukrainian art song participants

Thanks to the generous financial support of the Art Song Foundation of Canada, I had the pleasure of participating in the Ukrainian Art Song Foundation’s 2026 Summer Institute. The program took place on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples in Toronto, Ontario, which is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Williams Treaties signed with several Mississauga and Chippewa bands.

The week-long program offered an abundance of masterclasses, coachings, diction workshops, and staging rehearsals, all culminating in a sold-out final performance celebrating the rich cultural heritage embodied through Ukrainian art song. Additionally, we were treated to a number of special events and learning opportunities throughout the duration of the institute, including a presentation on the art song of Stefania Turkewych given by Leah Batstone, two masterclasses with guest instructor Brett Polegato, a lecture presented by the 2026 Artist-in-Residence Justyna Bluj in which she discussed her doctoral research on 20th-century Ukrainian composers, and a private screening of Solomea: Star of Opera’ s Golden Age, a documentary highlighting the life and career of Ukrainian soprano Solomiya Krushelnytska created by Natalie and Andy Semotiuk.

Vocal coaches Benjamin Butterfield and Andrea Ludwig were a powerhouse duo whose invigorating energy and dedication to the material pushed me to explore a greater sense of vulnerability as a performing artist. Their shared approach to text as a means of energizing the breath inspired me to experiment with my use of intention as technique, for which I’m very grateful. Collaborative pianists Steven Philcox and Leanne Regehr brought nuanced perspectives on the relationship between voice and piano. They each showed a palpable passion and deep respect for this repertoire, taking the time to explore, highlight, and reflect upon the minute musical details that would inform our shared interpretations.

The intensity of the institute’s jam-packed schedule was beautifully balanced by the warmth and kindness of the foundation’s board members and volunteers, who welcomed us with open arms, endless encouragement, and genuine excitement at our engagement with Ukrainian music, culture, and history. They fostered a true sense of community in a very short period of time, creating a program that was both artistically and interpersonally fulfilling.

The Ukrainian Art Song Project’s Summer Institute is truly a one-of-a-kind educational experience, and it was my great privilege to learn and grow as a member of the 2026 cohort. I simply wouldn’t have been able to pursue this opportunity without the financial aid provided by my bursary and so I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Art Song Foundation of Canada for supporting me in this venture.

After a performance in Toronto