Get to know this year's Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition finalists!

Our seven Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition finalists have been announced—and they’re ready to be introduced to you! 

Get to know who likes to unwind with steak and eggs after a performance, who once accidentally hit an audience member with a flying shoe, and who discovered opera on a school sick day…before joining us on October 22, when you can hear them compete live for cash prizes, your vote, and a coveted place in the COC Ensemble Studio!

GABRIEL CHONA RUEDA, tenor

Was there a moment when you realised you wanted to pursue a career in Opera?

The moment I knew I wanted to pursue a career in opera was when I was 10 years old and encountered Pavarotti’s recording of “Nessun dorma” at the Royal Albert Hall on YouTube. That moment inspired me to one day sing like him. [T]hen I was introduced to Juan Diego Flórez singing “Granada” and Latin folk music like “Chabuca Granda” and “Cucurrucucú Paloma.” It inspired me to see a Latin American tenor on the biggest stages of the world and motivated me to also represent Colombia through opera.

What’s at the top of your (non-opera) bucket list?

The top of my non-opera bucket list is to travel to Malaysia, where I was born. I haven’t returned to Malaysia since my family and I left in 2008. I want to go back and see how things have changed and reconnect with my early childhood.

Have you had any memorable on-stage mishaps so far?

My most memorable on-stage mishap was when half of my costume moustache fell off when I was singing “The Stranger” in Carlysle Floyd’s Markheim. I had to commit to performing the rest of the role that night with half a moustache.

Do you have any special tricks for calming nerves before a performance?

My “special trick” is to put on my headphones in the dressing room and listen to salsa, vallenato, afrobeat, reggae, etc., anything but classical music or opera. I love to dance, and I feel that moving around while listening to Latin music or anything with a nice beat helps me calm down and get into a confident headspace.

What’s your favourite way to unwind after a performance?

My favourite way to unwind after a performance is one of two things: if there is a Vietnamese restaurant open, I love to have a nice bowl of Pho after a performance. Or I go home and cook myself some dinner and play video games; right now it's EA Sports FC 26 and Hollow Knight Silksong. I also love to watch soccer highlights from games I might have missed that day (my teams are Liverpool/Barcelona).

Name a book, movie, or song that has made a big impression on you.

A book that has made a huge impression on me is Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude). I’m named after the author, Gabriel García Márquez.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“Pueblito Viejo” by José A. Morales.

Who’s on your concert bucket list?

Maluma, Karol G, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Feid, Rauw Alejandro, Juanes, Good Kid, Origami Angel, Still Woozy, Chronixx, and Silvestre Dangond.

Where are we likely to find you on a Friday night?

On a Friday night, you’re likely to find me playing 6v6 pickup soccer with my friends!

NICHOLAS GRYNIEWSKI, bass-baritone

Was there a moment when you realised you wanted to pursue a career in opera?

Yes! When I was in the chorus of The Elixir of Love at Western University. I just needed to be playing one of those roles one day. 

What’s at the top of your (non-opera) bucket list?

Visit the top 10 aquariums in the world, and make a lot of things out of wood! (Eg. dining table, a hutch, a bedframe, etc. to go with my handmade live-edge desk).

Have you had any memorable on-stage mishaps so far?

Yes absolutely! I broke a chair on stage [and] fell over completely on my back. It was perfect, though, cause I was Bartolo in The Barber of Seville, so it just added to the comedy!

Do you have any special tricks for calming nerves before a performance?

Journaling, and also just listening to my favourite singers like Louis Quilico, Nicholas Brownlee, and George London.

What’s your favourite way to unwind after a performance?

Cooking myself steak and eggs!!!!

What would be your ultimate stage death to play? (eg. wasting away from consumption, descending to a fiery hell, being ambushed by a gang of hired assassins, etc.)

Scarpia 1000% Scarpia, so being stabbed I guess. Or being dragged down into hell as Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress.

What's the strangest/most memorable costume/prop you've had to use in a performance so far?

A pink handkerchief I used while playing Dandini playing the prince. I waved that thing around everywhere!

Who’s on your concert bucket list?

Nicholas Brownlee, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Etienne Dupuis.

Where are we likely to find you on a Friday night?

Depends on the season! Summer: playing boardgames/video games with friends. Winter: on the ski hill! 

KATIE KIRKPATRICK, soprano

Was there a moment when you realised you wanted to pursue a career in opera?

I saw Ambur Braid in the title role of Salome at the COC in 2023. She was so fearless and real. I decided I wanted to be a performer like her one day.

What’s at the top of your (non-opera) bucket list?

Win against my dad in a game of tennis or pickleball. It hasn’t happened yet, but it will.

Have you had any memorable on-stage mishaps so far?

I was in a Christmas concert with my choir back home, and there was a part where we had to do a quick change into ugly Christmas sweaters. When it was time to change, my ugly sweater had disappeared! I didn’t make it back on stage in time, and I never found that ugly Christmas sweater.

What’s your favourite way to unwind after a performance?

Sharing a big meal with my family or going out with friends. 

Name a book, movie, or song that has made a big impression on you.

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery.

What would be your ultimate stage death to play? (eg. wasting away from consumption, descending to a fiery hell, being ambushed by a gang of hired assassins, etc.)

Tosca jump!

What's the strangest/most memorable costume/prop you've had to use in a performance so far?

I once wore this fabulous vintage cheetah-print coat. I thought it was just a costume coat, until I looked up how much it would cost today and discovered it was reallyyy expensive. 

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“Take Me to a Green Isle” by Walter MacNutt.

Where are we likely to find you on a Friday night?

Comfy on my couch.

CAMILLE LABONTÉ, soprano

Was there a moment when you realised you wanted to pursue a career in opera?

I remember being home sick from school when I was about 6 or 7, and PBS was showing a broadcast of a Metropolitan Opera production of The Magic Flute. I grew up with classical music and had always been drawn to theatre, but that was the first time I had ever seen them go together like that. 

What’s at the top of your (non-opera) bucket list?

A lot of my bucket-list is travel related…I’d love to hike the Patagonia Mountain Range, go swimming with orcas in Norway, or go on safari in the Serengeti to see the Great Migration. Basically, any adventure that will let me see even more of the world.

Have you had any memorable on-stage mishaps so far?

Thankfully this happened in a dress rehearsal and not a performance, but I had a costume mishap when I was singing Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte at U of T…I was wearing a big skirt with a pannier (the cage underneath that gives the skirt structure). Somehow, the waistband of my pannier came untied, and it ended up falling off on stage timed right with a big cadence. I had to sing “Per pietà” stepping over it and trying not to trip on my very long skirt!

Do you have any special tricks for calming nerves before a performance?

Definitely taking some slow and focused breaths before going on, usually with my hands folded over my heart. A lot of my nerve management also comes from mental preparation which starts weeks beforehand. I like taking the time to create the mental picture of what it will feel like to be on stage with all the nerves and adrenaline, so that I know I can manage it in the moment.

What’s your favourite way to unwind after a performance?

With a good snack!
 
Name a book, movie, or song that has made a big impression on you.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

What would be your ultimate stage death to play? (eg. wasting away from consumption, descending to a fiery hell, being ambushed by a gang of hired assassins, etc.)

Violetta [in La Traviata] is one of my biggest dream roles, so definitely wasting away from consumption.

What's the strangest/most memorable costume/prop you've had to use in a performance so far?

Human intestines (thankfully fake).

Who’s on your concert bucket list?

From the opera world, Diana Damrau or Lisette Oropesa. Outside of opera, I’d love to see Mitski again or Chappell Roan. 

TRACY LIN WAAGNER, soprano

What’s at the top of your (non-opera) bucket list?

I’d like to grow a vegetable garden!

Have you had any memorable on-stage mishaps so far?

Not on-stage, but in an audition! As I went to take my music back from the pianist, my shoe caught on some spike tape and I face-planted in front of the entire panel. I got the job!

What’s your favourite way to unwind after a performance?

Going to get ice cream!
 
Name a book, movie, or song that has made a big impression on you.

I can tell you everything you need to know (and more) about The Twilight Saga.

What's the strangest/most memorable costume/prop you've had to use in a performance?

The most memorable prop I’ve used on stage would be the severed and bloody body parts for the mad butcher scene in Elizabeth Cree. Squishy.

COLIN MACKEY, baritone

Do you have any special tricks for calming nerves before a performance?

I have a fairly substantial pre-performance routine: soup, steam, sleep, etc. If I do that and I’m well-prepared, then I don’t get too nervous. I’ve had multiple mentors who have stressed that nerves are not a bad thing, so I try to reframe nervous energy into excitement.

Was there a moment when you realised you wanted to pursue a career in opera?

Less a moment and more of a series of realizations[...] That is, the most fulfilling way for me to live my life is through music. It’s the best way  that I can continue to be inspired but also continue to give back to my community.

What’s at the top of your (non-opera) bucket list?

Right now if I had to choose it would be hiking Gros Morne in Newfoundland or hearing one of the great German orchestras play Brahms 4 or Beethoven 3.

Have you had any memorable on-stage mishaps so far?

This most recent production of Turandot with Opéra de Montréal is memorable for me. Even after a month of rehearsals, I would still get waves of full body chills when Calaf, Turandot, and the full chorus were absolutely ripping.

What’s your favourite way to unwind after a performance?

After a performance I love a nice cold pint and good company. It’s really nice to grab a drink after a show with coworkers because we get so little time to hang out during the rehearsal period.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

I don’t know about specific songs but there would have to be a choir. I think funerals should have good, sad music. Then afterwards you get together to celebrate and party.

Who’s on your concert bucket list?

I would really love to see the Berlin Phil and La Bohème at the Met. But also, I’m seeing Jackie Evans in November and I’m really looking forward to that.

 

ZOE McCORMICK, soprano

Was there a moment when you realised you wanted to pursue a career in opera?

The first opera I saw was Calgary Opera’s production of The Barber of Seville about 10 years ago, and I remember thinking quite simply that I wanted to be part of that someday. It is such a powerful and generous artform that requires a massive number of people to come together with the singular goal of sharing a story with people who want to be touched, and I love that. 

What’s at the top of your (non-opera) bucket list? 

I would love to travel to Japan. 

Have you had any memorable on-stage mishaps so far? 

While doing a kick line at the end of a musical, one of my shoes came flying off…and hit a child. 

Do you have any special tricks for calming nerves before a performance? 

I used to always jump to get rid of excess energy, which was also a good way to determine if my hairstyle was actually secure. Currently, I like to take time to focus on my breath and intention with a performance, most importantly reminding myself that by the time I walk on a stage, the performance is not about me, but about sharing a story as generously and honestly as I am able to.

What’s your favourite way to unwind after a performance? 

If I am performing near home, I like to unwind with my cats, my husband, and a cup of tea.
 
Name a book, movie, or song that has made a big impression on you. 

Deanna Breiwick’s Pulling Back the Curtain was a recent read that I found incredibly centering as an artist. 

What's the strangest/most memorable costume/prop you've had to use in a performance? 

As [the title character in] Alcina, I had an “ice-spear” that I got to break in half during the second act.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Perhaps a setting of the Prayer of St. Francis.

Who’s on your concert bucket list?

David Francey.