Canadian soprano Elizabeth McDonald has been described as having “a gorgeous, gleaming tone and powerful coloratura attack” (Urjo Kareda –The Globe and Mail) after her successful last minute debut in the role of Elettra in the Canadian Opera Company’s 2001 production of Mozart’s Idomeneo. She garnered more rave reviews the following summer performing with the Company in their popular Altamira Opera Concerts.

Elizabeth graduated from the Eastman School of Music with a Master of Music in Performance and Literature and was awarded a Performers’ Certificate. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto and has trained at the Banff Centre for the Arts in the Dramatic Integration Program, the Britten-Pears School in Contemporary Song Literature, the Orford Arts Centre, and at the Vancouver Early Music Festival.

Elizabeth is a former member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio and the Apprentice Artist Studio with the Santa Fe Opera. With the COC she performed the role of Miss Jessel in the 2002 Studio production of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and understudied the Woman in Robert Lepage’s critically acclaimed production of Schönberg’s Erwartung, Madama Cortese in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims, and the title role in Janáček’s Jenůfa. With the Santa Fe Opera she covered the roles of the Prima Donna in the North American premiere of Venus und Adonis (a role she also covered for the COC during its Canadian premiere in January 2001), and the Overseer in Strauss’ Elektra. More recently Elizabeth performed the role of Donna Elvira in Tom Diamond’s production of Don Giovanni for the Centre for Opera in Sulmona, Italy with the Aradia Ensemble.

On the concert and recital stage Elizabeth has sung David Del Tredici’s Child Alice: Part I In Memory of a Summer Day with the National Ballet of Canada, Beethoven’s Symphony #9 and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Kingston Symphony, and is regularly heard with her local orchestra, the Quinte Symphony. Elizabeth has presented recitals for the Queen’s University Faculty Recital Series, Eastman Faculty Recital Series, the Virginia Polytechnic University Chamber Music Series, the Toronto Mozart Society, the Brantford Opera Guild and the Off Centre Music Series in Toronto. In the studio she has recorded Martha Hill Duncan’s Singing in the Northland with pianist Kathryn Tremills. The 2011-12 season will see Elizabeth perform with the Quinte Symphony and present recitals at the Universities of Lethbridge and Michigan and Carleton University.

Elizabeth is quickly making a name for herself as an active and inspiring teacher and adjudicator of voice. In the past she has taught applied voice at Queen’s University and the Queen‘s Conservatory of Music. She has served as an adjudicator at the Saskatoon, Ottawa, Brantford and Peterborough Kiwanis Music Festivals, the Royal Canadian College of Organists Ontario and the NATS Student Auditions. Elizabeth has conducted master classes at the University of Western Ontario and the Queen’s Conservatory of Music. Upcoming activities for 2011-12 include masterclasses at the University of Lethbridge, and Carleton University, adjudicating at the Kiwanis Festival of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and serving as vocal consultant for the Ontario Youth Choir and the Toronto Children’s Chorus.

Elizabeth currently serves on the faculty at the University of Toronto where she teaches applied voice. She maintains a blog titled “from the voice of…” dedicated to informing and inspiring young Canadian singers, is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and is currently serving as Co-Vice President of Special Projects for the Ontario Chapter. Elizabeth resides in Prince Edward County, Ontario with her husband and 2 children.