MYOpera BLOG

Alumni Spotlight – Lyndsay Promane

Lyndsay Promane played Hansel in the MYOpera production of Hansel & Gretel in April 2014.

Lyndsay Promane as Hansel in Hansel & Gretel Photo: Greg King

 

  • Where are you from? Aurora, ON

  • Where do you currently live? Toronto, ON

  • What’s your favourite MYOpera memory? Not being recognized by audience members after opening night of Hansel and Gretel (Hansel and I have very different looks.)

  • What role did MYOpera play in your career/life? Metro Youth Opera was my first professional role outside of my studies at UofT, and it helped set my expectation of how young professionals should present themselves, and how companies that engage them should treat them in return. MYO was very kind to me, and I am so appreciate of the creative team (Kate Applin, Blair Salter, Alison Wong) who was patient, talented and, above all, a great pleasure to work with.

  • What have you been doing since MYOpera? Since MYO, I’ve joined the UofT Opera School pursuing a diploma in opera performance, and studying privately with soprano Wendy Nielsen. I’m also singing with Robert Cooper and the Orpheus Choir of Toronto as a Sidgwick Scholar. With the time that’s left between, I perform with choirs and small ensembles around Toronto presenting sacred and secular music. So far, so good!

  • What’s your favourite opera (to watch/listen to)? Toss up between Candide and Don Quichotte (Massenet)

  • What’s your guilty pleasure song (any genre)? Celine Dion. She is a queen. Period.

  • Traveling is always an adventure! What’s your favourite/most memorable travel experience? My first visit to the Met (NYC) and seeing Renee Fleming, Sir Thomas Allen and Nathan Gunn in “The Merry Widow”, and exploring downtown Manhattan

  • Do you have a signature dish/meal that you make? Tell us about it! Vegetarian butter chicken (replace the chicken with anything). It’s fool-proof, and always so good.

  • Singers/Artists are busy people! What’s your favourite snack when you’re on the go? Subway (veggie on whole wheat) and Starbucks (black bold coffee)

 

MYOpera Alumni Spotlight!

Announcing our MYOpera Alumni Spotlight! We will be featuring an alumnus/alumna weekly to find out more about them and what they are doing, post-MYOpera.

With over 30 alumni heading into our 5th season we are very excited to have such a talented community of emerging artists and to showcase them here on our blog.

MYOpera Alumni with Robert Pomakov and Michael Shannon at Season 5 launch, 2014 Top Row L to R: Robert Pomakov, Michael Shannon, Lyndsay Promane (2014), Johnathon D. Kirby (2012), Kelsey Vicary (2014), Alastair Smyth (2011) Bottom Row L to R Alison Wong (2011 – Present), Kate Applin (2011 – Present), Kristina Alexander (2013) Photo: Monocle Booth

 

Stay tuned!

Enthusiastically yours,

Kate Applin

Founder & Artistic Director

Philanthropia

Philanthropia in Latin means a “love for mankind”. In English, philanthropy seems to connote images of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates; gargantuan donations of millions of dollars to worthy causes. And in part, that’s what it’s about… but that’s not the whole story.

Philanthropy is the love for mankind, the love of people; it’s about identifying your greatest loves and passions and supporting them.

Metro Youth Opera’s tagline is “Creating opportunities for Toronto’s emerging artists to have a voice of their own.” The fact that MYOpera gives young artists a chance to perform at a time when it’s so difficult to find these opportunities is so incredible. What makes this mission even better is the fact that the young artists get compensated. At a stage of their careers where all they seem to do is pay – pay for school, pay for scores, pay for lessons, pay for summer programs – Metro Youth Opera pays them.

…but MYOpera can’t do it on their own. That’s where philanthropy comes in. Revenue from tickets, on average, have only covered 30% of the cost of putting on Metro Youth opera’s productions. To bridge the gap, the company relies on the support of generous and loyal donors. Metro Youth Opera’s donors are true philanthropists: they love young artists and they love opera. But it doesn’t stop at love; they show their love through financial support, and every donor is integral to each MYOpera season.

Don’t let the Latin words or white-haired millionaires confuse you. Philanthropy is about aligning your passions with your capacity to give, and that is a beautiful thing.

– Maeve Strathy, Fundraising Consultant to Metro Youth Opera (www.whatgivesphilanthropy.com)

To show your love for MYOpera, head on over to our Donate page, or contact [email protected] to donate today.