Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program

Julia LoRusso is a rising Canadian soprano recognized for her vocal agility and expressive performance. In 2025, she made her house debut with Vancouver Opera as Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto and will return in 2027 as Annina in La traviata. She made her New York debut at the Winners’ Concert at Merkin Hall as a first-place winner of the International Music Grand Prix. In 2024, she won the Toronto Mozart Competition and in 2025 received the Encouragement Award at the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (Indiana District). She holds a Master of Music degree from Western University in London, Ontario.

Quebec mezzo-soprano Marianne Bertrand is praised for her “very pretty mezzo voice” and dramatic talent (Revue l’Opéra). She joined Vancouver Opera’s Young Artist Program in 2025–2026. She has performed roles such as Hänsel, Dido, Laetitia, Croûte-au-pot, Orlofsky, and Prince Charmant in Canada and Germany, and was a national laureate of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Associations competition. 

Callum Alden is a Vancouver-based tenor. Recent appearances include Scaramuccio in Ariadne auf Naxos with Pacific Northwest Opera, the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, and in Seattle Opera’s touring school production of Monkey & Francine in the City of Tigers. Callum was previously a Young Artist with the Opera Company of Middlebury, and completed his vocal studies at McGill University. 

Romanian-Canadian bass-baritone Mihnea Nitu has been praised for his "booming and robust vocals" (Opera Canada) and was marked as a “name to watch” by Bachtrack. Recent performance highlights include the title role in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale with Highlands Opera Studio, Marullo in Verdi's Rigoletto with Vancouver Opera, and the Father in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel with Manitoba Underground Opera. Mihnea received his Masters of Music from McGill University.

Michal Aloni is a singer and stage director working across opera and interdisciplinary performance. As a singer, Michal’s repertoire spans Baroque to contemporary works, with recent engagements with Chants Libres, People Watching Circus Collective, Cultureland Opera Collective, Opera 5 , Opéra de Montréal Chorus and the Canadian Opera Company Chorus. An emerging director, she recently completed a diploma in stage directing at McGill University, as well as a portfolio artist internship with Opera 5 and an observership at the Royal Opera House (UK). Michal holds voice performance degrees from the University of Western Ontario and the Jerusalem Academy of Music.

Cecilia NguyenTran is a Vietnamese-Canadian pianist born and raised in Toronto. She is currently in her first year with Vancouver Opera’s Yulanda M. Faris Emerging Artist Program. Cecilia completed her Master of Music in Collaborative Piano at McGill University, and both a Bachelor of Music and an Opera Diploma at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her recent works include Opera York’s productions of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and Toronto Operetta Theatre’s production of J. Strauss II’s A Night in Venice. Additional credits include Opera McGill’s productions of Cendrillon, La Sonnambula, Blond Eckbert, and The Light in the Piazza, as well as Opera Laurier’s Little Women, Cendrillon, The Tender Land, and Les contes d'Hoffmann.