Shannon Mercer

2001 Winner of the Brian Law Opera Scholarship Competition

From the program notes to the Reception with Gerald Finley, held 21 September 2006:

Maclean’s magazine has described Ottawa native, soprano Shannon Mercer, as “one of Canada’s most promising young sopranos” and one of Canada’s “Leaders of Tomorrow.” An Alumna of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Opera Summer Program, Shannon began her operatic career as a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio Program. She has performed several roles with the Canadian Opera Company, including A Madrigalist in Henze’s Venus and Adonis, Sesto in Sartorio’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Xenia in Boris Godonov, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera and Elvira in L’italiana in Algeri.

She has also appeared in solo operatic roles with L’Opéra de Québec, Opera Atelier, SMAM, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Opera Ontario, Toronto Operetta Theatre and The Music Academy of the West. In July of 2006 Shannon sang her Covent Garden debut in London, England, with Queen of Puddings Music Theatre in The Midnight Court.

Shannon is also an accomplished concert and recital artist particularly praised for her performances of baroque and contemporary music and in great demand as a soloist. In November 2004, her first CD, “English Fancy,” with the Montréal Baroque Ensemble Masques was launched on the Analekta label. Her second CD is set for release in March 2007, featuring music by the French Baroque composer Mondonville.

Awarded a Career Development Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and winner of the 2004 Bernard Diamant Prize, Shannon spent most of 2005 in Vienna where she studied German operatic repertoire with renowned voice coach Margaret Singer.

Since returning from Vienna in November 2005 Shannon’s engagements have included her Lincoln Centre Debut at Alice Tully Hall in New York in a Mozart Lieder recital with Barbara Bonney and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, a Christmas program with Thirteen Strings in Ottawa, a Bach Cantata Program with Ensemble Arion and Les Violons du Roy and Bach’s B-minor Mass with SMAM in Montreal. Shannon also gave a solo recital in Toronto with Music Toronto for The Discovery Series and sang with Opera Lyra Ottawa as Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff in April 2006. Shannon also sang a Schubertiade recital with the Aldeburgh Connection at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.

Most recently, Shannon received the Virginia Parker Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts and performed in the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. Shannon also returned to Opera Lyra Ottawa as Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia in a special student matinee performance in September 2006.

Upcoming engagements include her return to the Canadian Opera Company as Despina in Mozart’s Così fan Tutte as part of the opening production in the opening season at the new Four Seasons Opera House in Toronto. Shannon will also make her Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra debut as the soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah in December 2006 and her debut in France with Montpellier Opera, in the title role of Marin Marais’ French Baroque opera Sémélé in January 2007.