Opera Laurier: Biographies, Excerpts November 2024

Oct. 15, 2024

Kate Carver, Musical Director

Kate is so happy to have returned to continue her work with Opera Laurier for a third year and to be working alongside such a talented group of young people, in this most special class. Kate maintains a private studio in Toronto as a Vocal Coach and accompanist and has been a member of staff at the University of Toronto’s Opera Division for over twenty years. She has recently conducted and music directed productions for Toronto Operetta Theatre, Opera in Concert, and Summer Opera Lyric Theatre. Other positions have included Music Staff with the Canadian Opera Company, the voice program at the Chautauqua Institute in Chautauqua, New York, and the University of Montreal, as well as Music Director for Essential Opera, Maritime Concert Opera, and Opera by Request. Kate received her Bachelor and Masters degrees in Music from McGill University, and studied in England at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the Britten-Pears School, and The National Opera Studio.

Mario Pacheco, Stage Director

Mario Anthony Pacheco is an emerging stage director hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Recently, he was on the staging staff for Arizona Opera, assistant directing Gregg Kallor’s Frankenstein, as well as stage directing the inaugural New Works Festival for their 23/24 season. Other assistant directing credits include The Sound of Music, Tosca, The Magic Flute, The Falling and The Rising, and Ariadne auf Naxos with Arizona Opera, Candide with the Glimmerglass Festival, The Magic Flute with the Canadian Opera Company, The Tender Land with the University of Toronto Opera Division, and Le nozze di Figaro with Western University Opera. Most recently Pacheco assistant directed Sir David McVicar’s production of Medea for the Canadian Opera Company, and associate directed An Evening with Anthony Roth Costanzo starring world-renowned countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo for the Glimmerglass Festival. Future engagements include Wozzeck with the Canadian Opera Company in spring 2025.

Nicole Del Cul, Wardrobe Coordinator

Nicole is excited to be back at WLU for her 2nd show, as the Wardrobe Co-Ordinator for the Opera Program. Nicole is currently in her 17th season at Drayton Entertainment; Wardrobe credits: Asst. Head of Wardrobe; Costume Designer, Costume Co-Ordinator, Stitcher; Dresser and Wardrobe Maintenance. Drayton design credits: Buying the Farm 2022; Sorry, I’m Canadian 2022; Sheer Madness 2019/18; Run for your Wife 2014; Weekend Comedy 2013; Big Band Legends 2013/12; Bedtime Stories 2012; Italian Funerals and other Festivities 2011; Dance Legends 2011/10. WLU design credit: Into the Woods 2024. Green Light Arts design credit: Late Company 2024.

Nicole has a BFA from Toronto Metropolitan University, in Technical Theatre Production (2007). She has owned her tailoring business, Loose Threads, since 2017. Nicole would like to thank her partner Alex and their daughters Stella and Adalynn, for all their love and support.

Amanda Kind, VOX Vocal Director

Amanda Kind is a voice teacher, singer, songwriter, and performer. She teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University, and has been a guest lecturer for many other music education programs. Amanda has recorded a wide variety of music including recent country singles “The Good Fight,” and “Slow Dance” (which peaked at #1 on Sirius XM Top of the Country), and two duets with James Downham– “We’re Okay” and “Another Round.” Find her music on all digital streaming platforms. She is a member of the Songwriters Association of Canada, SOCAN, the Canadian Country Music Association, and is the Interim President of the board for the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) in Ontario. Awards: Waterloo Region Arts Award, Rogers Television Woman of the Year Award, and recognition as one of the region’s Top 40 Under 40. She is endlessly proud of these brave performers. Huge thanks to the incredible VOX team. For more about Amanda, visit www.amandakind.com.

Eric Da Costa, VOX Teaching Assistant

Eric is a singer/actor/musician from Cambridge, Ontario, and a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where he studied Musical Theatre in New York City and Los Angeles. He has also been a voice teacher and coach for many years, is a faculty member at KW Glee, the Drayton Entertainment Youth Academy, and Renaissance School of the Arts. Selected stage credits include: Step by Step, Hollywood Hits (Stage West Calgary), Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story (2b theatre International Tour), Jersey Boys, Annie, Snow White: the Panto, and Peter Pan: The Panto (Drayton Entertainment), and more.

Dayna Manning, VOX Teaching Assistant

JUNO award-nominated, award-winning, and internationally renowned contemporary folk artist Dayna Manning has been recording and touring for over 25 years. She released her first album with EMI Canada and Nettwerk Music Group in 1997 and has written and recorded four solo albums and three with the acclaimed folk trio Trent Severn. Dayna recently received the 2023 Forest City London Music Award for Ontario Independent Recording Artist of the Year, and was nominated for Producer of the Year at the 2021 Canadian Folk Music Awards for her latest album, Morning Light. The video for her song, "You You You" won the 2021 FCLMA for video of the year.

Dayna’s first book Many Moons: A Songwriter’s Memoir includes a foreword by Col. Chris Hadfield, and was listed as one of the best books of the season by Canadian Living Magazine. The accompanying soundtrack is a 'greatest hits' of Dayna’s works. Dayna is a community arts leader, mentor, singer/songwriter, producer, engineer, and author.

She now resides primarily in Kentville, Nova Scotia, and part-time in Stratford, Ontario.