Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Opera Cabaret! Meet Alastair Kierulf

Alastair has been singing on stages since he was 6 years old. A recent graduate from Queen’s University with a BSc in chemistry (and a minor in music), Alastair has continued to follow his love for music and is involved in the Queen’s Choral Ensemble, Queen’s University Chamber Orchestra, and also sings in the Kingston Chamber Choir with Ariel. In his free time, Alastair enjoys pursuing a master’s in analytical chemistry at Queen’s University.

Alastair’s favourite piece in the show: “I like 'Tonight' because it was one of the first musicals I was introduced to as a kid. We had West Side Story ON VINYL!”


Tickets are available online through the Grand Theatre Box Office and by phone 613-530-2050 or in person 218 Princess Street.

Opera Cabaret! Meet Kristen English

Kristen English is an enthusiastic soprano from Lindsay, Ontario. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and Music Education with a minor in French from Wilfrid Laurier University as well as a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University. Kristen currently resides in Kingston, Ontario, where she is a soprano section lead in the Kingston Choral Society, the Melos Ensemble and Period Instruments and the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church choir, and is a member of the Martello Alley Cats.
She currently works as a French teacher at the River Falls Grade 2/3 Class where she teaches the Waldorf curriculum, as an occasional teacher with the LDSB, and as a private voice teacher. Last year, she was the choral teaching artist for Sistema Kingston.
Kristen was a Young Artist for the Arcady Ensemble’s 2014-2015 season. While at Laurier, she performed the role of Barbarina in W.A. Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro (2013) as well as the partial roles of Gretel in E. Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel, Despina in W.A. Mozart’s Cosi fan tutti and Servillia in W.A. Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito (2012). Kristen has a passion for oratorio and has performed as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah (2015), J.S. Bach’s Mass in A Major (2013), and G. Fauré’s Requiem (2012). As a chorister, Kristen has extensive experience, having performed large works with the Peterborough Singers, Laurier Singers, and Arcady choirs. She was a member of the 2014 National Youth Choir and a six-year member of the Ontario Youth Choir (2008-2013).
Kristen’s favourite piece in the show: “Vive le vin because I love the boisterous energy. It's exciting to sing and gets my heart pumping!”
Don’t miss Kristen’s gorgeous singing by purchasing your tickets through the Grand Theatre Box Office online, by phone 613-530-2050 or in person 218 Princess Street.

Opera Cabaret! Meet Mallory Brumm


Mallory is a second year Bachelor of Music student specializing in voice at Queen's University. She has been an active part of their Opera Ensemble and worked as an actress with the Classic Theatre Festival this past summer. Mallory has also been in multiple musicals with Two Rivers Musicals and Really Cool Initiatives. She is excited to be a part of this production and is thankful to Ariel for this experience!
Mallory’s favourite piece in the show: “I love the flower duet because the harmonies are absolutely stunning!”

Mallory will be performing at The Grand Theater from Nov. 29 - Dec. 2. Tickets are available online through the Grand Theatre Box Office and by phone 613-530-2050 or in person 218 Princess Street.

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Opera Cabaret! Meet Emily Helferty

Emily is a third year Bachelor of Music Vocal Major at Queen’s University. She has been performing in various musical genres since childhood, but Opera is her passion. In her first two years at Queen’s she had the opportunity to take on various operatic roles through Queen’s Opera Ensemble, including the Second Witch in the full production of Dido and Aeneas. Her favourite role to perform has been Dorabella from Cosi fan tutte, and you will hear Emily sing one of her arias in today’s show. Whether you are a seasoned Opera-goer or a newcomer to the operatic experience, we hope you will enjoy our Opera Cabaret!

Emily’s favourite piece in the show: “The Les contes d’Hoffman prologue because it uses voices to create imagery"


See Emily and the rest of our awesome cast! Tickets available through The Grand Theatre box office 613-530-2050 and https://www.kingstongrand.ca/events/opera-cabaret and in person at 218 Princess Street.

Opera Cabaret! Meet Jenn Wilson

Soprano Jennifer Wilson is from Ajax, Ontario and is in her fourth year of voice studies at Queen’s University. Jennifer has been studying voice for the past seven years, and playing piano for the past fifteen years, and she absolutely loves music! 
Outside of the Queen’s community, Jenn is a choral scholar at St. George’s Cathedral, and she also loves running and walking around town (especially on the waterfront). Jennifer was also the 2017 winner of the Melos Baroque Idol competition.

Jennifer’s favourite piece in the show: “Vive le vin, vive Pluton, because I think it’s harmonically interesting and fun to sing!”

Opera Cabaret opens Thursday Nov. 29 and finishes with a matinee on Sunday Dec. 2 at the Grand Theatre.

Tickets for Opera Cabaret! are available through the Grand Theatre Box Office online, by phone 613-530-2050 or in person at 218 Princess Street.