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Artist of the Week 20 Qs for Queen Hezumuryango

by | Dec 22, 2025 | Artist of the Week, Featured, News

The Artist of the Week is Burundian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Queen Hezumuryango. She is currently an emerging artist at Opera on the Avalon. During her time with the program she will be mentored by Jason Ferrante and will collaborate with composer Morgan-Paige Melbourne on a piece for the 2026 Emerging Voices Series (more info here).

Queen is a recent graduate of the Canadian Opera Company Studio Ensemble. Recent credits include Carmen in Carmen with Brott Opera, Lola in Cavalleria rusticana and Ebba Sparre in La reine-garçon with the COC and Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Highlands Opera Studio. This season she was a finalist of the 2025 Rumbold Vocal Prize.

This week, Queen chats with us about freeing the shackles of perfectionism, friends who inspire her and her dream role. Read on to find out more.

What book are you reading at the moment?
 
Are you happiest in the country or in the city?
In the country. I love to be somewhere I can see the stars!
 
Does singing help keep you young?
It does because it keeps me curious and helps me hold onto my childlike wonder.
 
Do you enjoy cooking? 
Yes, I love cooking and am obsessed with cooking shows, films, documentaries and podcasts. My best dish is carbonara.
 
What’s the most important lesson you learned from childhood?
My first music teacher when I was seven always insisted that I “tell the story” with my performance, and that has stayed with me all these years.
 
Which of your roles has had the greatest impact on your perspective?
Singing Comtesse Ebba Sparre in La reine-garçon freed me from the shackles of perfectionism in opera performance. I used to be so convinced that any mistake I made on stage would spell the end of my career, but I learned through this role that what makes live performance so thrilling are those unexpected moments and how you handle them.
 
What’s your favourite mind-calming practice?
I find running outside very meditative and restorative.
 
Coffee or tea?
If I had to pick just one, tea.
 
Which album did you listen to last?
 
Which TV show did you binge-watch last?
Taskmaster! I recommend starting with series seven.

 
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I did Kung fu as a teenager.
 
How old were you when you discovered opera?
I guess I knew it was out there but I didn’t know a thing about it until I was 19.
 
What does it mean to be brave with music?
I think it means embracing the possibility of mistakes, ugly sounds and true vulnerability.
 
What was the first opera you ever saw?
I had to watch operas for school assignments and sing in the opera school chorus, of course, but the first opera that I ever went to see (at the movie theatre because, courtesy of Met: Live in HD) was Der Rosenkavalier.
 
Who has been inspiring you lately?
Lately, I feel really inspired by my friend Midori who is singing Carlotta in the Phantom of the Opera national tour in the States. Her fearlessness, sensitivity and razor-sharp wit are just a few of the qualities I admire about her. You can be inspired too by following @its_midori_marsh
 
What was your childhood dream job?
I’ve always dreamed of performing on Broadway and I think it could still happen one day!
 
What is one thing you cannot live without?
My silk hair bonnet
 
Which opera role do you want to be singing in 10 years?
Amneris!!! The first operatic role that I was properly obsessed with.

When was your first singing lesson?
I was seven and it was with Ruth-Ann Boos, a family friend who eventually became an honorary auntie.
 
What’s your favourite thing about singing with an orchestra?
Just like surfing, you’re forced to ride the waves, entering a genuine flow state where the orchestra and the singing come together in a single voice. (I haven’t surfed, by the way.)
LEARN MORE ABOUT QUEEN HEZUMURYANGO
VISIT HER WEBSITE
© Bob Hatcher
In Carmen at Brott Opera (pictured with Elias Theocharidis and Luke Noftall)
© Brenden Friesen
© Michael Cooper
In La reine-garçon with Kirsten MacKinnon at the COC
© Brenden Friesen

Emerging Artists Program
Opera on the Avalon

 

Ariane Cossette
Danlie Rae Acebuque
Elena Howard-Scott
Queen Hezumuryango
Taste Mitchell

 

Re-Envisioning Opera for the 21st Century with an Artist focused approach.

BREAKING BARRIERS

We believe Emerging Artists are the future of our art form and deserve a supportive, holistic, and happy place to grow. Our hybrid program focuses on delivering professional development, 9 months of financial support, and the environment that allows you to be the best artist you can be.

We’ve designed our program to reflect the changes we want and need to see in our sector. Artists who participate will experience the rich culture of the East Coast combined with support in every aspect of growth and learning for the whole of their residency.

MORE INFORMATION

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Author

  • Máiri Demings

    Máiri Demings is Opera Canada’s digital content specialist. She’s also a mezzo-soprano who has sung with Tapestry Opera, performs regularly with VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert and Toronto Operetta Theatre, and is one half of duo mezzopiano with pianist Zain Solinski.

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