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The Canadian soprano and teaching artist, Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor, obtained her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance with Haonors from Western University (2009-2013); and her Master of Music degree in Opera from University of Toronto (2013-2015). She recently completed the Holland Community Opera Fellowship at Opera Omaha. Gwenna was a recipient of an Encouragement Award at the Nebraska District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in December 2020.
Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor has been a freelance opera singer since September 2010. Past performance highlights: the title role in Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow (Paul Davenport Theatre in Talbot College, November 2012); Lady with a Cake Box in Dominick Argento’s Postcard from Morocco (UoT Opera, March 2013); Donna Anna in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni (Opera Nuova, 2013); Lady Billows in Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring (MacMillan Theatre, March 2014); Narrator in Peter and the Wolf (North York Concert Orchestra, April 2016); Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder (North York Concert Orchestra, June 2016); Berta in The Barber of Seville (Indian River Festival, July 2016; Stratford Summer Music, August 2016); In the 2016-2017 season, she appeared in Oksana G (Tapestry Opera), performed Emily’s Mother in Chamber Werx (Banff Centre), and gave a “hilarious and memorable performance” (Mooney on Theatre) in Tapestry Opera’s Songbook VII.
Recent performance highlights include: Vivier in Kopernikus at The Banff Centre (July 2017); Fiordiligi in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte (Toronto Lyric Opera Centre / Toronto Mozart Players, May 2018); In July 2018, she premiered several new compositions with the Artsong Collaborative Project and participated in several workshops for developing new works, including a new piece with FAWN Chamber Creative. She was Soprano Soloist in L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (London Symphonia, Durham Youth Orchestra, 2017-2018 season); and riginated the role of Nature in Cries of the Earth (Artsong Collaborative Project, July 2019). In summer 2021, she recorded some new works with the Artsong Collaborative Project. She later performed W.A. Mozart's Requiem (Dalhousie Collegium Cantorum, March 2023); Sieglinde in a scene from die Walkure (Boston Wagner Institute, July 2023); the roles of Terpsichore, Clytemnestra, and Clotho (Good Mess Opera Theatre, May 2024); Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony (Hart House Symphony, fall 2024).
Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor is also active as a Curriculum Consultant, Teaching Artist, and Faciliator. She has been Teaching Assistant in Music Education ar University of Toronto (September 2014-April 2016); Conductor of Sistema Toronto (August 2016-May 2017); Lead Artist Educator at OPERAtion Kids of Canadian Children's Opera Company (September 2018-July 2019); Choral Conductor of RPSM Choir (Jane and Finch) at Regent Park School of Music (August 2018-August 2019); Holland Community Opera Fellow at Opera Omaha, Nebraska (August 2019-May 2021); Director Of Operations of Oakville Choir For Children & Youth (June 2021-May 2022); Teaching Artist at Canadian Opera Company (since September 2008); Freelance Curriculum Consultant (since 2013); Curriculum Developer and Lead Teacher at The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto (since 2018).·
Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor believes in the power of the arts as a catalyst for community building and social change and strives to make sure everyone has access to creative experiences, regardless of location or circumstance. She wrote the curriculum and continues to consult for “Learn English Through Song,” a program run by The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall that facilitates language learning and community building for newcomer women through singing. Through her work at Opera Omaha, she created and facilitated programming for over 15 community partners. She is a four-time recipient of grants in support of music and drama programming for kids in four communities in Nunavut. Her tri-lingual (Inuktitut, English, French) arrangement of James Gordon's Frobisher Bay was recently featured on the Inuksuk Drum Dancer's latest recording. She consults on arts curriculum and facilitates workshops and discussions about opera and civic practice for companies throughout Canada and the USA. An accomplished educator, she is a three-time recipient of Government of Nunavut Culture & Heritage Grants in support of her music and drama programs in Nunavut communities. |
