SYLVIA LARRASS
Mezzo-soprano Sylvia Larrass grew up in France and Germany where she began her music education at a very young age. Sylvia is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and holds a diploma in vocal performance, as well as the Silver Medal of excellence from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto. Recent performances include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Carnegie Hall, New York, with soprano Maria Knapik, as well as a concert of Polish music at the 2006 Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. She is a member of the Opera Lyra Chorus with whom she has performed in productions, such as Tales of Hoffmann, Dracula and the Black & White Gala. Sylvia also sings with Quintessential Renaissance vocal ensemble, which frequently performs at St. Luke’s concert series.

Most recent credits include a premiere of Armenian songs by composer Kevork Andonian and a recital of Spanish canciones. Sylvia teaches at the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama and runs a busy private voice and public speaking coaching studio, in which she has coached close to 300 voice students throughout France, Germany and Canada.She has studied with Christina Finlay and Joanne Kolomyjec of Ottawa, Michel Philippe of Paris and Steven Flam of New York.

JOHANNE COUTURE HARPSICHORD A native of Chicoutimi, Québec, Johanne Couture studied the harpsichord at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Chicoutimi and the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam before completing a doctorate in performance at McGill University. She is the recipient of grants and awards from numerous organizations, including Youth and Music Canada, the Orchestre Symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, the Halifax Early Music Festival, McGill University (Max Stern Fellowship), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). As a SSHRC grant recipient, Johanne Couture pursued post-doctoral studies in French harpsichord music of the 17th century, and she has given a number of lectures on this subject at university symposia. Johanne Couture performs regularly both as a soloist and as a chamber musician with various ensembles, and she is heard regularly on Radio-Canada. She has participated in numerous baroque operas as both a harpsichordist and a rehearsal accompanist. In parallel with her career as a musician and researcher, Johanne Couture has worked for a number of years at the college and university level as an accompanist and a lecturer.

DOMINIQUE CIMON
Dominique Cimon was born in Quebec City. She is a graduate from the Conservatoire de Musique ( Premier Prix de Chant). She came to the Ottawa area in 1989 and is active since then as a recitalist, soloist and voice teacher. Ms. Cimon has devoted part of her career to the interpretation of sacred works, those by Mozart, Handel and Bach, Fauré, Beethoven along with some by contemporary composers. In December 2006 she performed the Ottawa debut of Handel's "Gloria" with La Favoritte. Ms. Cimon has also presented numerous recitals featuring French and German repertoire, which have been broadcasted by Radio-Canada and CBC.

She participated as a soloist in concerts with the Québec Symphone , Orchestre de Chambre de Hull, Thirteen Strings, Musica Divina, Orchestre du Conservatoire de Gatineau and numerous vocal ensembles and choirs. She has been featured in Festival International d’Étéde Québec and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival in early music performances .Ms Cimon has recorded French sacred music with the Ensemble Nouvelle-France.

JOSH COHEN
B.M., New England Conservatory; M. M., Mcgill University. A well known performer in Montreal, New York and Boston, Josh Cohen is Principal Baroque trumpetter for the Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal, Ensemble Telemann, Arion, the International Festival for Baroque Music at Aston Magna, N.Y., under the direction of Daniel Stepner and the New York State Baroque Orchestra. He has recorded on Centaur and for CBC and Radio Canada. Josh Cohen currently teaches in Northwood, N.H.

KEVIN REEVES
Kevin Reeves is the Director of the outstanding Ottawa chamber choir Seventeen Voyces. In December of 2003 La Favoritte and Seventeen Voyces collaborated on the CBC Television production of Noel Baroque.

He has been a member of choirs such as St. Matthew's Church Choir, Ottawa; the Ontario Youth Choir; the Cantata Singers of Ottawa; St. Simon's Church Choir, Toronto; Tallis Choir, Toronto; and the Winnipeg Singers. As tenor soloist, his repertoire includes Monteverdi's Vespers; the role of Evangelist for Bach's Christmas Oratorio and St. John Passion; and Haydn's creation.

Mr. Reeves is also a composer whose works have been sung by local choirs. Currently, he is embarking on a full-length opera based on the true story of Grey Owl. He is also President of Zephyrus Productions Ltd., which has won awards for its television drama and documentaries, and is a noted caricaturist.

LAURA NERENBERG
Laura Nerenberg, baroque violin obtained a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Ottawa (Canada) and a Master of Music degree from the Hartt School in Connecticut. Now based in Ottawa, Laura is active in the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau (Qu´bec) as a freelance musician. She has been since 2000, Assistant Concertmaster of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and Principal Second Violin of the "Orchestre des concerts symphoniques de Gatineau".

In the Spring of 2002, Laura joined guitarist Andrew Mah to form the Mumuki Duo. Mumuki specializes in the music of Piazzolla as well as that of lesser-known composers of all eras. Laura has recently become active on the Ottawa jazz scene, and is a frequent contributor to monthly jam sessions held at the Bayou Jazz and Blues Club. She has been featured in the Jam Session host band on three occasions.

In addition to her performing, Laura teaches Suzuki violin and maintains a studio of about 30 students.

Laura's most recent project is song writing.

GWEN MILLAR
Gwen Millar, alto, received her Associate diplomas in performance and pedagogy from Western Conservatory of Music and then continued her education at McGill University. Since returning to Ottawa, Ms. Millar has performed as alto soloist with such notable groups as the Ottawa Bach Choir, St. Matthew 's Church Choirs, the Carleton University Choir, the Cantata Singers of Ottawa, the Canadian Centennial Choir and Seventeen Voyces.

In addition to her oratorio work, she has performed with the Opera Lyra Chorus and sang the role of Tisbe in Opera Lyra Ottawa's Young Artist Production of Cinderella.

Currently, Gwen enjoys a busy teaching schedule and has been working on jazz repertoire with pianist Jane Perry with whom she performed to a capacity crowd at the NAC's 4th stage in February, 2004.

PIERRE-YVES MARTEL
Pierre-Yves Martel received a Bachelor in Music from the University of Ottawa in 2004 where he studied double bass with John Geggie and David Currie as well as composition with Steven Gellman. For three consecutive summers, he studied with Paul Ellison and legendary bass virtuoso François Rabbath at the Domaine Forget Music Academy - an experience that greatly influenced his approach to playing, both mentally and physically.

He is much sought after in both the classical and jazz fields, having performed with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, les Concerts symphoniques de Gatineau and the Orchestra of Northern New York as well as having collaborated with artists such as Roddy Ellias, Rob Frayne and Jon Damian. Pierre-Yves Martel is also a composer of jazz, film and chamber music.

KATHLEEN RADKE
Hailed for her "smooth and lovely voice," soprano Kathleen Radke is quickly establishing herself as a young artist of note. "…she's got what it takes and will doubtless be a well-known and important soprano before too many years have gone by." (Richard Todd, music critic, Ottawa Citizen) Upcoming performances find Ms. Radke in Ottawa and Sault Ste. Marie for a recital of songs for harp and voice; in Hamilton for Mendelssohn's Te Deum; a New Year's Eve concert of opera highlights; and a performance for the Ponticello Recital Series in Aylmer. She will also be recording a CD of twentieth century music for voice and harp this season. Last season's highlights included Bach's Cantata No. 150 and Charpentier's Le Reniement de St. Pierre with the Ottawa Bach Choir; Haydn's Kleine Orgelmesse, Mozart's Missa Brevis in F and Schubert's Mass in G with the Canadian Centennial Choir, a solo recital at Salisbury Cathedral, England; and Bach's Cantata No. 150 with the Theatre of Early Music in Montréal. Kathleen holds an Opera Diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University where she studied with bass-baritone Daniel Lichti. She received a Bachelor of Music and a Performance Diploma from McMaster University. She was a member of the Festival Choir of the European Music Festival under the direction of Helmuth Rilling, performing in Stuttgart, Bonn, Athens and Berlin. Ms. Radke continues her studies in Ottawa with soprano Donna Brown. She has been a finalist in several music competitions including the Brian Law Opera Scholarship, Ontario Music Festival and the Canadian Music Competition. Various awards include the Ottawa Choral Society Trophy, the Beatrice Keenleyside RA Civil Service Trophy, the Musical Arts Club Scholarship and the Mary Adamo Memorial Scholarship, as well as the Margaret A. Broad Award by the Ottawa Music Club. Operatic roles include Helga (Gisela in her Bathtub) for the Opera Lyra Ottawa Young Artists Program and Najade (Ariadne auf Naxos) for the Orford Summer Music Festival. Other roles in her repertoire include Second Lady (Le Chien de Watteau), Minerve (Thésée), Dew Fairy (Hansel und Gretel), Pamina and Papagena (Die Zauberflõte). Additional oratorio repertoire includes Bach's Cantata No. 51, St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion, Handel's Solomon and Fauré's Requiem.

MARIE BOUCHARD
Marie Bouchard graduated from McGill University and the Lille Conservatory in France, Her teachers included John Grew, Hank Knox, Jean Boyer and Noëlle Spieth. While in Europe, she participated in accompaniment workshops with Roy Goodman and Jos van Immerseel, through the European Community Baroque Orchestra.

She has since been invited to accompany major ensembles like the MSO, Les Violons du Roy, Tafelmusik, the Opera Atelier of Toronto, the Toronto Consort, and the Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal. Marie Bouchard is also very active as a baroque chamber player. She was a member of the quartet Les Boréades from 1991 to 1998 and of Aradia until 2002. Beside concerts with her ensemble Trillium Baroque of Ottawa, she is a member of the Montreal-based ensemble Les Voix Baroques, with which she toured in the Maritimes in 2003, and the Prairies in March 2004. She took part in 2 CD recordings released in 2003: an all-Buxtehude program with Aradia, and an English lamentations' program with Les Voix Baroques. The latter CD won firstprize at the Cannes International Classical music awards. With Toronto's Opera Atelier, she has helped, as répétitrice, in the preparation of Monteverdi's Poppea, Charpentier's Médée and Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride.

Summers are filled with various music festivals in Quebec City, Domaine Forget, Lanaudière, Ottawa and Elora. These concerts can be heard regularly on CBC and Radio-Canada.