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Biographies
Danielle Buonaiuto, Soprano
Danielle received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Western Ontario. She began her artistic career as a gymnast, then a dancer, before joining the choir at her performing arts high school and beginning private vocal lessons. She also learned to play piano and majored in drama. Danielle performed in many musicals in her high school years, but it wasn’t until her voice teacher in university began to share recordings of famous singers that she developed a taste for opera. In the summer of 2008 she was the vocal director for a production of Grease with Markham Youth Theatre, the company with which she performed her very first role.
Gillian Grossman, Soprano
Gillian earned her Bachelor and Master’s degrees in vocal performance from McGill University. She spent several years in Europe singing as a choir soloist with the Stadt Theater St. Gallen (Switzerland) and while there she appeared in a number of operatic productions including the role of Grigori Frid’s one-woman opera, Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank). Since her return to Canada, Gillian has performed guest work with the Brott Festival, Arcady, Opera in Concert, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Opera by Request, Aradia Ensemble, Ardeleana Music and the Esprit Orchestra.
Marion Samuel-Stevens, Soprano
Marion studied voice performance at the University of Toronto. She grew up in Toronto in a very musical family, and as well as studying music, she also trained as a dancer. As a music teacher, Marion strives to make learning music fun for everyone. Marion has performed across Canada as well as in England and Austria and the United States.
Greg Wagland, Baritone
Greg began his vocal education at age 12, when he joined a community children's choir in Ottawa, Ontario. He pursued singing through high school and graduated from the University of Western Ontario's Faculty of Music in 2008, where he developed a keen interest in opera. He especially marvels at how opera brings composers, directors, instrumentalists and singers all together for the purpose of communicating a unified message to their audience. Now established as a performer in the Toronto area, Greg seeks to balance his professional pursuits between singing, teaching voice, and working as an arts administrator.
David Landon English, Baritone
David began performing in choirs at his elementary school in grade 5 and was later involved in many school musicals including Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, Anything Goes, and Oklahoma! He decided to pursue a musical education following high school and went on to earn both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in opera performance from the University of British Columbia. David is currently studying at the Glenn Gould School where he performed Figaro in the spring production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.
Anne Rankin, Cellist
Anne started playing the cello in high school and loved it from the first minute she started. She went on to study music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and McGill University. For many years she freelanced with orchestras including the Vancouver CBC Radio Orchestra and the Boston Lyric Opera. Anne decided to form Shoestring Opera because she loves the combination of great music, storytelling and fun costumes. With her cousins and sister she used to put on plays and musicals at her summer cottage. Their repertoire included Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Stone Soup and The Wizard of Oz; one show per summer.
Jiayin Liu, Pianist
Jiayin was born and raised in Beijing, China in a musical family. She first studied piano at age six, gave her first public performance at eight, and at ten was admitted to the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music, China, where she studied for ten years. She left China to study at Wesleyan College in the United States, where she obtained her Bachelor of Music (Magna cum laude), and at the University of Toronto, where she received her Master of Music degree. Jiayin has performed as a concert soloist as well as a chamber pianist in China, the U.S. and Canada. She currently resides in Mississauga with her family, performing and teaching in her studio.
Greg Robic, Playwright and Composer
Greg made his theatre debut in 1994 with the critically acclaimed hit musical comedy Clouds, which ran at Toronto’s Poor Alex Theatre for over fifteen months, making it one of the longest-running Canadian musicals in living memory. He has also done extensive research and writing of Japanese storytelling, Rakugo, for which he has created several Rakugo Musicals. Greg divides his time and work between Japan and Toronto.
Shirley Barrie, Writer
Shirley has been writing plays for young, family and adult audiences for many years. She has often worked with Molly Thom, most recently on Beautiful Lady, Tell Me…, a musical, vaudevillian murder mystery produced at 4th Line Theatre in 2007. Her interest in opera was sparked when she participated as a librettist in the Lib/Lab at Tapestry New Opera Works in 2003 and she loves the challenges of the art form. Her plays Carrying the Calf and Hansel and Gretel are available from www.theatrefolk.com and she co-edited Prepare to Embark: Six Theatrical Voyages for Young Audiences available from www.playwrightscanada.com. For more on Shirley (www.shirleybarrie.ca)
Justin Hiscox, Music Arranger
Justin is a composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist who finds never-ending joy in his work. He is Music Director at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook, where he is usually seen playing keyboards, accordion, guitar, tuba, trombone, or any other brass instrument he can get his hands on. He particularly enjoyed the challenge of reducing Puccini’s orchestra of 70-odd to just two instruments and occasionally adding his own Broadway stamp for Shoestring Opera’s production of Bozo’s Fortune. Justin is currently working on a PhD in Composition at York University.
Molly Thom, Director
Molly began her theatrical career with the Toronto Children Players at age 8, playing a succession of fairies, Indian princesses, homeless waifs, and naughty angels. Before long she was writing and directing plays for her Girl Guide troupe. University rekindled her love of theatre and she began directing soon after graduating. Molly has dramaturged and directed both Shoestring operas, The Magic Flute and Bozo’s Fortune. She wrote, directed and produced the much-loved play about Canadian pioneer writers, The Bush-Ladies, which toured Ontario for five years. Her most recent projects were Shirley Barrie’s Beautiful Lady, Tell Me…for 4th Line Theatre and Ronald Weihs’s The Gambler for Beggarly Theatre/Artword Theatre. She is currently dramaturging a new play for 4th Line Theatre, The Port Hope Play.
Gillian Gallow, Designer
Gillian has enjoyed being in theatre since grade one but it was not until high school that she discovered her love for design. Since graduating from York University’s theatre program, she has worked as a set and costume designer in theatres all over Ontario. Recently she completed her fourth season as a design assistant at The Stratford Festival. Gillian loves to travel and discover theatre in different countries; some of the places she has adventured to are Sarajevo Bosnia, Akureyri Iceland, Tiblisi Georgia and Beijing China.
Bianca Laudadio, Designer
Bianca has always enjoyed creative pursuits. She has a background in fine art and design, and is a graduate of Ryerson University's Theatre program. Costume construction and design are of particular interest, as well as printmaking, and textile design. She also enjoys sewing, and works at Seamless Costumes. Bianca has just finished her first season as an assistant designer at the Stratford Festival.
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