Katerina Utochkina has an exciting season ahead of her, and is looking forward to work with Vera Causa Opera again and sing Donna Elvira as her second Mozart role. Katerina's credits include Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro), Erika (Vanessa), Zita (Gianni Schicchi) and La Marquise de Berkenfiled (The Daughter of the Regiment) among many others. She has performed with The Glenn Gould School Opera, Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, Halifax Summer Opera Festival and Toronto Operetta Theatre to name a few.
Fun Fact: As a teenager, Katerina was very passionate about heavy metal and gothic metal music, which led her to form a band when she was 15. They performed in local clubs in St. Petersburg, Russia for about two years.
Billy Bao is a 3rd year student at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is currently working towards a Bachelor’s Degree of Music in Violin Performance and a Minor in Psychology.
He has played in numerous ensembles, such as the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Toronto Chinese Youth Orchestra, the Koffler Chamber Strings, and the Spiritus Ensemble. He is currently part of the Wilfrid Laurier University Symphony Orchestra.
Fun Fact: I can cut down a tree just by looking at it. It's true, I saw it with my own eyes.
Emily Brownlee is a first-year music student at Wilfrid Laurier University, originally from Saint John, New Brunswick. She has always loved music and is thrilled to be following her dream by studying at Laurier. She has been playing the oboe for just over five years and is excited for this opportunity to develop her growing passion for opera by playing with Vera Causa. Her parents wholly support her decision to follow this relatively non-lucrative career path!
Fun Fact: In addition to music, she also loves board games and knitting and is firmly grounded in the opinion that socks should never match.