Opera Audition Bootcamp

HCA SOCIETY PRESENTS

OPERA AUDITION BOOTCAMP

Applications for our 2026 Opera Audition Bootcamp are now open!

We are pleased to announce our Opera Audition Bootcamp, a new, tuition-free initiative for emerging artists running Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24, 2026. This program is designed for the singer who wants to stand out in the audition room, curate their perfect aria package, and start hearing ‘yes’ from YAPs. This elite program will accept six singers and two collaborative pianists who wish to further their training in operatic repertoire. Faculty include soprano and Chair in Voice at The Glenn Gould School Adrianne Pieczonka, collaborative pianist and COC Ensemble Music Director Liz Upchurch, and award-winning theatre and opera director Jennifer Tarver.

MEET THE FACULTY

Jennifer Tarver

Adrianne Pieczonka

Liz Upchurch

Vocal Coach

Voice Consultant

Stage Director

Pianist, vocal coach and educator Liz Upchurch celebrates her 28th season as the Music Director of the Ensemble Studio at the Canadian Opera Company. In 2019 she was awarded the prestigious Ruby Mercer Award for her exemplary contribution to the operatic industry.

In her role as Music Director she has now helped to train and develop an entire generation of Canadian singers and pianists.

Born and educated in Britain, Liz is a graduate prize-winning soloist of the Royal Academy of Music where she studied with Roger Vignoles and Martin Isepp.

She has performed and broadcast chamber music and song recitals throughout Europe and North America as well as having an extensive career as a repetiteur and vocal coach.

In 2021 she recorded Clara Schumann lieder with the Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, this CD in collaboration with the NAC was nominated for a Juno award.

She is a frequent guest teacher at art institutions all over the world as well as

international guest coach at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka has sung on the world’s finest opera and concert stages for 35 years.

Raised in Burlington, Ontario, she studied at the Universities of Western Ontario and Toronto. Adrianne has appeared regularly at La Scala, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, Opéra de la Bastille Paris, Bavarian State Opera, Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York among many others. She has sung opera and concerts at the world’s leading summer festivals including Glyndebourne, Salzburg, Bayreuth, Edinburgh and the Proms in London.

In 1988 Adrianne made her operatic debut in Toronto, singing a small role in Boris Godunov. She has performed regularly in Toronto with the COC for the past three decades.

She has sung under many of the world’s leading conductors including Sir Georg Solti, Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Colin Davis, Christian Thielemann, James Levine, Kirill Petrenko and Richard Bradshaw among many others.

Adrianne received a Dora Award for her portrayal of Sieglinde in Wagner’s Die Walküre at the COC in 2004. In 2007 Adrianne received the title of “Kammersängerin” from the Austrian government. This award recognizes outstanding achievement by performing artists in Austria. She won a Juno Award for her CD ‘Pieczonka sings Puccini’.

In 2008 she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 2013 she was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Adrianne was appointed Chair in Voice at the Glenn Gould School, Royal Conservatory of Toronto in 2019, where she teaches voice and oversees the school’s opera productions. She is the President of the Jury for the CMIM Voice Competition and regularly gives masterclasses at Young Artist Programs in North America and Europe, including the COC Ensemble.

Award-winning director, creator, and dramaturg, Jennifer Tarver has worked internationally in both theatre and opera for over 25 years. Recent productions include Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito for Pacific Opera Victoria, a staged Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater (Edmonton Opera), the premiere of Marshall’s Pomegranate at the Canadian Opera Company and Rota’s Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze (University of Toronto). She has also directed for, the Stratford Festival, Canadian Stage, the Tarragon, Soulpepper and Buddies in Bad Times Theatres, as well as the Goodman Theatre (Chicago), The Longwharf Theatre and Hartford Stage (Connecticut).

Jennifer was Artistic Director of Necessary Angel Theatre from 2013-2019, and has taught acting and directed for: the Royal Conservatory of Music, the University of Toronto’s opera department, the National Theatre School of Canada, Toronto Metropolitan University, George Brown College, McMaster University, Sheridan College and York University.

HOW TO APPLY

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

All pieces must be submitted by video recording.

For Singers

2 contrasting arias recorded no earlier than October 1, 2025
There is no upper age limit, but singers should be at the emerging professional level, ie. completing/recently completed graduate school (or equivalent training)

For Pianists

2 contrasting arias, one of which must include an accompanied recitative by Mozart; the orchestral interlude to ‘Casta Diva’ from Bellini’s Norma; and one of the following:
- A short solo piece