Iron Road Opera

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The Principals

	Grace Chan Ama Mezzo-soprano Grace Chan makes her Toronto debut as Ama, Lai Gwan's mother. Most recently, Ms. Chan has performed in the Vancouver Opera productions of Lucia di Lammermoor, Romeo et Juliette, Pirates of Penzance, and in Viva Musica's production of Suor Angelica. Other credits include Un Ballo in Maschera and Die Zauberflöte (both workshop productions with Silesian Opera); and La Finta Giardiniera, Hansel and Gretel (UBC Opera). Ms. Chan has received numerous awards and honours including the 2000 Vancouver Foundation Advanced Art Study Grant, First Place in the Western Concert Opera Competition, and Grand Winner in the Coquitlam Music Festival. Ms. Chan was born to Chinese parents and raised in Manila, Philippines. She trained and worked as an optometrist in Asia and brings a different eye to her vocal and stage performances.
	Stuart Howe James Nichol Canadian tenor Stuart Howe has performed with opera companies around the world. He made his acclaimed European debut as Nemorino in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore in Portugal, where the press called him "The quintessential Nemorino" and "likely Canada's next great international tenor". Mr. Howe performed throughout Europe before returning home for his first Rodolfo in La bohème. Roles include Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Duke in Rigoletto, Ernesto in Don Pasquale and Jenik in The Bartered Bride. He created the extensive lead role of Higgs for Pacific Opera Victoria's critically acclaimed world premier of Erewhon, by Lou Applebaum and Mavor Moore. He has been featured worldwide in many gala concerts, including Opera Mississauga's Opera Stars, Orchestra London's L'elisir d'amore and Symphony Nova Scotia's A Night at the Opera, with host Stuart Hamilton. Upcoming debuts include Cavaradossi in Tosca. Oratorio credits include Haydn's The Seasons, Messiah, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Orff's Carmina Burana, Bach's Magnificat, St. Mathew Passion and Cantata 29, and Bruckner's Te Deum . Mr. Howe was a 1999 Toronto winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions.
	Zhu Ge Zeng Lai Gwan Soprano Zhu Ge Zeng makes her Toronto debut in the role of Lai Gwan. A native of Hunan Province, China, Ms. Zeng immigrated to Canada in 1989 and later graduated from McMaster University with a B.A. in Music Performance. She subsequently pursued voice and opera studies with Daniel Lichti at Wilfred Laurier University. Ms. Zeng's operatic credits include the roles of The Queen of the Night in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Gretel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Venus in Lully's Thesée, and Iris in Hoiby's The Tempest. She appeared in the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio workshop presentation of Sartorio's Giulio Cesare in Egitto, in the role of Nireno. Ms. Zeng has been the recipient of several awards and has appeared on Canadian and Chinese television.
	Zheng Zhou The Bookman Baritone Zheng Zhou makes his Toronto operatic debut as The Bookman. Mr. Zhou's operatic credits include Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, Ping in Turandot and Fiorello in Il barbiere di Sivilglia at the Metropolitan Opera; Madama Butterfly with Tulsa Opera; La forza del destino, Christophe Columbe at San Francisco Opera; and the role of Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor at San Francisco Opera and Vancouver Opera. Other roles include the Father and Ludovic in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's production of Philip Glass' La Belle et la Bête which also toured across the United States, Europe and Mexico, and was subsequently recorded. Mr. Zhou has also appeared in two other Glass operas: the premiere of The White Rave at Expo'98 in Lisbon and at the Teatro Real in Madrid, and as Abraham Lincoln in The Civil Wars at Carnegie Hall which was recorded on Nonesuch Records.
The Cast
	Lilac Cana Lai Gwan (April 23) / Chorus Lilac Cana trained with the American Institute of Musical Studies in Austria, graduated with honours from the University of Toronto Opera School, studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Glenn Gould Professional School), and continues to coach with Professor Jean MacPhail and Brahm Goldhamer. With the Canadian Opera Company Chorus she appeared in several original productions, most notably in Der Fliegende Holländer, Dialogues des Carmelites, and Oedipus Rex/Symphony of Psalms. Ms. Cana's operatic roles include Annina in La Traviata, Frasquita in Carmen (Opera Mississauga); musical theatre roles include Tuptim in The King and I, Valencienne in The Merry Widow (CVS Productions). Most recently she sang with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and with the Philippine Ballet Theatre, at the Danny Kaye Playhouse in New York City. Ms. Cana has released two albums of songs and arias: Encantada and Labing Dalawa under her own label Lilacsounds, and will release her next album of spiritual music in autumn 2001. She regularly serves as cantor at Rosedale Presbyterian Church and St. Peter's Basilica in Toronto.
	Martin Houtman Donald Smith / James Nichol Understudy Tenor Martin Houtman is no stranger to contemporary music. He has appeared as a soloist in the premieres of Robert W. Stevenson's Nostalgia with Arraymusic, and Christos Hatzis' Kyrie with the Bach-Elgar Choir of Hamilton. Mr. Houtman's operatic performances include the role of Vitek in Jancek's The Makropoulos Case with Vancouver Opera, The Captain in Nicholas Muni's adaptation of Alban Berg's Wozzek in Banff and Montreal, and the title role in Monteverdi's Orfeo at the Aldeburgh Festival in the U.K. In concert, he has been tenor soloist with such ensembles as Tafelmusik, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Toronto Chamber Choir, the Bach-Elgar Choir of Hamilton, the medieval music specialists Sine Nomine, and The Adelburgh Connection. Recent engagements include a recital at St. Jude's Church in Oakville, Haydn's Creation under John Laing, and the Evangelist in Bach's St. John Passion in Toronto.
	Henry Li Ah Charn / Chorus A native of Singapore, baritone Henry Li immigrated to Canada in 1980. He studied voice with Mary Morrison at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto where he graduated at the top of his class. Mr. Li's stage credits include The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan Tutti, Riders to the Sea, and The Twin Captains. His film and television credits include Beyond Reality, Forever Knight, Original Sin, and Top Cops. This is Mr. Li's first production with Tapestry and he is excited to be here.
	Curtis Sullivan Sir John A. MacDonald Bass-baritone Curtis Sullivan returns to Tapestry having previously performed the role of Andrew in the world premiere of Elsewhereless and Giorgio in Passion, co-produced with Canadian Stage. Mr. Sullivan's credits include Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew (Pacific Opera Victoria); Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro (in Toronto and Japan), and Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas (in Singapore) for Opera Atelier; Guiseppe in The Gondoliers (Stratford Festival); Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas (Cleveland's Apollo's Fire); Masetto in Don Giovanni (Calgary Opera); Dancairo in Carmen (Vancouver Opera); and the world premiere of Erewhon (Pacific Opera Victoria). Other credits include the title role in the Classical Kids touring production of Tchaikovsky Discovers America with the Houston Symphony, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra at Washington's Kennedy Center. Upcoming roles include Schaunard in Calgary Opera's La bohème, A Broadway Spectacular at the National Arts Centre, Papageno in Opera Atelier's Die Zauberflöte, and Vicomte Cascada in San Francisco Opera's production of The Merry Widow.
	Jovanni Sy Ah Lum/ Chorus Jovanni Sy is a Toronto-based actor, singer, playwright, and producer. His most recent roles include Lucius in Titus Andronicus, The King in The King and I, and Wong Foon Sing in the premiere of Sharon Pollock's End Dream. Mr. Sy has appeared with theatre companies across Canada, including Theatre Passe Muraille, Tarragon Theatre, The Globe Theatre (Regina), The Citadel (Edmonton), Theatre Junction (Calgary), and Vancouver New Music. Among his film and television credits are regular roles on two CBC series - Riverdale and Side Effects - as well as numerous guest appearances. Mr. Sy's writing credits include Song of Songs and Peking Duck for CBC Radio. He is a former Playwright-In-Residence at Cahoots Theatre Projects and a member of Playwrights' Workshop Montreal where he was recently Artist-in-Residence. He is presently completing his full-length play 43 Harsh Regulations. Mr. Sy produced Veronica Tennant's ballet short film, Song of Songs, for Bravo! Television and was Line Producer on the film Altarpiece for Showcase.