As part of the initiatives surrounding their 50th anniversary season, Manitoba Opera has welcomed music students to serve as ambassadors over the coming year.
“It's been such a blast,” says Manitoba Opera’s Kyle Briscoe, who has been spearheading the endeavour.
Encouraging students from the University of Manitoba, Canadian Mennonite University and Brandon University – the three post-secondary institutions that offer music in the province – to apply, Manitoba Opera has welcomed 9 students to serve in these newly created roles.
Developed to provide an opportunity for young artists to share their passion for opera with their fellow classmates, it also provides them a glimpse at the inner workings of Manitoba Opera, all while getting paid to do so.
“I feel like I’ve learned a lot... not only about opera but also arts administration,” says Ashley Schneberger, a second-year masters student at the Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba. “It was really nice to see behind the scenes, see all the work that goes into it... which is astounding, how much a small team like Manitoba Opera can do.”
For fellow ambassador Sam Parrot, a third-year student at CMU, the role has also provided plenty of insight, especially given he only started exploring music and singing in high school.
“Because I came to music so late, I didn’t know very much about opera,” he says. “The opportunity to be around Manitoba Opera and see real opera happening in a contemporary setting I thought was really interesting and would be a really good way to get into the opera world.”
Ambassadors will participate in workshops and masterclasses, attend MO performances, arrange group subscription for their peers, as well as plan post/pre-show events to socialize with the opera-going community.
Meet all nine below!
